Fun Stuff

We have had a great past few days here! Starting with last weekend, we went on a mini vacation. Last Friday, we headed down to the farm. The kids LOVE the farm. It is a great mini-vacation for them as they get to see Nana and Papa, see the cows, visit the barns and all that fun stuff. So, we headed there, had a yummy fish fry at Lima Church, and then visited with my Grandparents. :-) The kids had a fun visit there and with my sister and her son. However, the really fun and exciting stuff came the next day --- the waterpark!

We went to a fun waterpark in Eau Claire with the kids, my parents, and Kim and Andrew and everyone had a blast. Emma kept talking about how she was going to go on a family slide (even though they didn't have one) because last year when we were in Wisconsin Dells she was too nervous to go down it. I can't say she was too disappointed though. The waterpark in Eau Claire is perfect for little kids as they had a fun water play area for little kids and a few water slides for the bigger kids. No, it does not even compare to Wi Dells, but for my kiddo's, it was perfect. Emma found a perfect water slide for her; it was open, fairly slow and she could do it all by herself. Over and over and over again she climbed up all the steps, waited patiently in line, and went down with all smiles on her face. It was a lot of fun to watch. She did try an all-enclosed slide with me once in a double-tube and did okay... the one time she went down. We got at the end and she said, "Mama, it was really dark in there." But, we got her down once and she didn't cry, so mission accomplished on that one.

Evan enjoyed the waterpark as well. He spent a lot time in the kiddie area playing around on a mini slide. We brought him up to the waterslide that Emma kept going down on and he decided that he didn't want to go. However, then he cried the whole way down the stairs saying he wanted to go. Sigh by Mom. . . then up again we climbed. So, we tried it again. This time he sat on the waterslide (thankfully at this time, it was not busy!) and was staring down the slide and again, he decided no. This time, at least, on the way down he kept saying "Mama, I too little for dat. I too small for dat slide."

After a pizza lunch and a small break, the kids were at it again. We could see how tired the kids were getting, so we gave the "a few more minutes and then time to go." Well, Evan decided he wanted to try the waterslide again, so Tim took him up this time. It was busier at this time, so the wait for the slide was about 20 minutes. Apparently Evan attempted once, then changed his mind. Then, started to cry on the way down the steps. So, again, Tim brought him up once more (and waited in line again) and told Evan, this is it buddy! AND... he did it! I could finally tell, while waiting at the bottom for Evan to come down, when he started as Tim and Emma peered down the top deck, smiling and pointing the whole way down. Finally, Evan makes it, looking nervous and the first thing he says to me? "Mama, Daddy push-ah me! Daddy push-ah me down dat!" After that, it was all over. Evan wanted to go over and over like his big sister Emma! (so yes, we extended the trip a little longer)

So, definitely a successful trip :-)

The next day we hung out at home, which was nice. Emma didn't want to go to Sunday School, which was actually kind of nice, so we had a relaxing, calm morning. Tim and I then decided that we would head to Mendards and buy stuff for the garden and the little greenhouse domes. We do the little greenhouse domes every year and I really think the kids enjoy doing them. This year, they each got their own greenhouse and could pick out their own packets of seeds (only nine cents each!!) So, we came home loaded with 4 greenhouse domes, packets of beans, corn, watermelons, flowers, tomatoes, and more flowers! This is the end result.

4 greenhouse domes!Hopefully everything will come up!

The faithful dog helping out! (and being a nuisance) Proud little man with his sprayer.

His particular dome. He basically just poked a seed through the little holes in the peat moss.

And, my Emma, enjoying the activity!

Then, more of the same. Work, Daycare, homework, both kids fighting colds, and more stuff. Something that Tim and I did decide was that instead of having a bigger vacation with the kids, such as the Dells or something else, we were going to buy something for the kids that we knew they would love.

The gator...

THEY LOVE THIS!!

It was definitely worth skipping out on a vacation this year and putting the money towards something this. They are on this as much as they can be. Obviously, limited battery life, but they love it. The nice thing? Two speeds AND the fact that it goes very well in the grass. So, they can motor all over the yard. Which, is good because Evan has to do what Tim does in the yard. If Tim is raking in the garden, Evan is raking in the garden. If Tim is clipping raspberries, yup, Evan is there too. So, the gator is the perfect thing for both kids to help in the yard! (Emma is pushing here because the battery was not charged here, but Evan could not WAIT to get on it) In fact, Evan is pretty sure the gator is his. Trust me when I say that Emma corrects him every time he says that!

The next exciting thing for the family? A wedding! Our nephew Adam was married this past Friday, so we got all fixed up and had a great time at the wedding! The kids did really well the whole night (I came prepared with snacks, iPod, Leapster, etc) and we enjoyed the food and then we DANCED! Emma had a lot of fun out there dancing with me, her cousin Jordyn, uncle Dave, and of course? Papa and Daddy. Her two favorite men. :-) She tried to dance with Evan, but by the time the dance came around, Evan was pretty exhausted. He did dance with me and Tim, but he had to be carried and basically lay on us.

Here are some new family pics from the wedding. LOVE THESE! Kristen did a great job! Aren't my children adorable?! I love my little man in his cute little suit and Emma with her pretty pink dress! She was so proud how it twirled when it danced!

(I am sorry, I am trying to space my paragraphs, but for some reason blogger is running them all together - grrr!)

The missing kernel

After a wonderful vacation of sorts for our family (which will be posted about later), the Heuer family retired to their basement to watch the newest DVD in their movie collection, Tangled. Tangled is a great movie, full of color, action, humor, great music, and (sigh) a love story. We were almost done with the movie when Tim and I hear from the youngest of the Heuer clan, "Daddy, I got popcorn in my nose." I whip my head around from the other couch and say, "Evan, WHAT?" He looks at Tim, "Daddy, I got popcorn up my nose." Tim doesn't seem concerned and passes over the statement, so I settle back in and continue watching. A few minutes later, once again the questionable statement is spoken, "Daddy. I got popcorn up my nose." Then, Evan starts picking his nose. Tim, once again, doesn't really bat an eye and says, "Evan, blow your nose." So, Evan fumbles with a napkin and starts picking again. "Tim!" (an exasperated wife proclaims) "check your sons nose!" "Yeah, I will." But with that statement comes no action. Finally, I get off of the couch because of the lack of follow up and proceed over to my son, who is still picking his nose. "Evan, Let Mama see." Evan tips up his head and I take a look. I don't really see anything that resembles popcorn, but do see something. So, I take a napkin and tell Evan to blow. Once he does, I take the napkin away from his nose and .... I see it... A popcorn kernel. Evan stuffed a popcorn kernel up his nose. Seriously - Why?? Why would he stuff that up there? What is it in his little mind that thinks.. "Gee - here is a small round object. Maybe I should stuff it up a small hole I have in my nose. Hmmm.. that could be cool." At least he told us and it came out easily. I shudder to think what is next to come.

Out of the mouths of babes....

Emma today while we were eating dinner. . . "Mama? Why do you say I am skinny?" Well, because you have skinny little legs. I always tell you to eat more, even though you never do. Plus, you exercise. We like to run and exercise together, right? So, eating healthy meals and exercising makes you skinny. "Mom? Why aren't you skinny then?" Well (grrring.... to myself) that is because everyone comes in different shapes and sizes. Some people are really skinny, some people are more wide. Others are very tall and some are short. Then, people have different colors of skin and hair and eyes. But, all people are the same, no matter how they look, and everyone needs to be treated the same. "Okay Mommy." Now, I am not taking it seriously. I think I am an okay size. However, it still interesting to discover how little people think.

Yesterday when I was at class, Tim had an interesting conversation with Evan.

Setup...... Evan was laying down for bed and Tim didn't give him his Nuk. So, Tim kissed him goodnight, closed the door, and stood at the door. Evan got up numerous times...

"Daddy, I need water."

"Daddy, I need chapstick."

"Daddy, I not tired."

"Daddy, what doing?"

"Daddy, what Emma doing?"

"Daddy, what Mama doing?"

over... and over... and over....

So, finally, after putting him to bed several times, Evan started crying. When Tim went in there to check on him AGAIN, Evan was sitting up in his bed and crying. Tim asked him "Buddy, what is wrong?" Evan says...

"I don't know Daddy. I am just crabby."

Then, yes, Tim gave him his Nuk and he fell right to sleep. He is a weak one, that guy....

And finally, tonight, Evan unfortunately had an accident while playing outside. So, we came in and stripped him down to his cute little white bare butt. He wanted to take a bath in the washbin in the laundry room. So, he was in there and Emma was taking a shower. Evan looks up to me and says, "I Cute! I cute in here Mama. What is dis thing called?"

Stuff going on. . .

Random stuff that is going on. . .

Evan has been wearing Big-Boy Undies for the past two days and has only had 2 accidents! This is a very big deal and he is so proud of himself! Yes, at times he sits on the potty 4 times in an hour. Yes, other times we have to coax him with M&M's to get him on the potty but overall, he is doing a great job! He loves wearing his Lightning McQueen Undies and riding his motorcycle (aka. sitting on the potty backwards - (thank you Molly for that tip!)) and especially loves his M&M's or treats from the big bowl. Overall, I think we are crossing the other side with this! So many things lately: undies... big boy bed... now just his (gulp) Nuk. I know! I know...... don't say it. This is his last thing. It is just so hard when he looks at me with tear-stained eyes and says, "But Mama, I NEED my Nukie!" (insert sniffle.. sniffle here). It will come. soon....

Emma is in private swimming lessons now (at Tim's suggestion) and is doing very well in them so far! So far, her teacher has nicknamed her "the little fish" and she really has been doing awesome. She has had 2 so far and we have actually seen progression from last week to this week. She is now putting her whole body under water to get rings or their little frogs, she will do the little bird-big bird flap somewhat on her own, and she is really building her confidence. She is also gearing up for T-Ball. I cannot remember if I mentioned this or not. Tim has signed her up for T-Ball and he has signed up to be an assistant coach. Emma is really excited as is Tim to become involved in coaching again. The nice thing is that her T-Ball team will be kids from her soon-to-be school and in her grade. So, she will be meeting some of her future friends! It should be interesting to watch. They are hoping to go shopping this weekend to buy supplies :-) and I am hoping to take her to buy some softball clothes!

Signs that I am getting old. . .

Signs that I am getting old:

1) I want to buy window treatments for my house. Like I REALLY want window treatments for some windows.

2) I am working on a boring list of improvements for my house.
a. new showerhead
b. possible window seat in the front
c. new mirror for the front
d. ORGANIZATION!
e. decluttering
f. fresh coats of paint
g. new carpet and wood floors

3) I am seriously considering "asking" for a Roomba (automatic vaccum thing) for Mother's Day

4) My hip hurts and I am pretty sure my knee aches when it is going to storm

5) I get emotional about the good ole' days with my kids. I took like 10 pictures of Evan tonight in his crib because tomorrow, he gets a big boy bed at home

6) I tend to want to wear sweatpants and comfy clothes when not at work. (could be considered a "What Not To Wear" faux pas)

I guess that is it. Do you ever have those moments when you realize you are not a partying-going out all the time - staying up late - drinking too much - not remembering the previous night - wearing short skirts & tiny tank tops and hailing cabs while going out to clubs in the winter - kind of gal anymore? My girlfriends and I have been discussing having a wild night out on the town again and I think it is needed. Although, chances are we will be looked at and thought of as the "old-crazy-Mom's-trying-to-act-young-out-on-the-dance-floor."


Sigh.... sometimes it is a bitch getting old.

Damn... my knee hurts. I hope we don't get more snow.

Taking it to a new level

So, remember how I mentioned how much Emma apparently "loves" Justin Bieber? Well, yesterday, she drew a picture and this is how she described it to me.

"Mama! Look at the picture I drew. It shows that I love Justin Bieber. Here is me, here is Justin Bieber and here is a heart. Because... I love Justin Bieber." (Yes, I wish I would have kept the picture. She drew this at Kristen's and I am not sure what happened to it.)

Me: "Umm.. Gee Emma. That is, uh, nice."

Then, later she is playing house with her cousins and she comes down the stairs to tell me. "Guess what Mama! I am going on a date with Justin Bieber!"

Grrr..... the influence of other people's children. Yes, I know it will only get worse when she is in school. So, I guess I will have to look up a Justin Bieber song on iTunes. She keeps singing some "Baby, Baby, Baby" song. Which, it is pretty comical to listen to her sing it!

Tim was joking with her tonight about marrying Justin Bieber instead of him. "Emma! I thought you were going to marry me! You cannot marry Justin Bieber." She giggles, smiles with her bright blue eyes and says "Daddy!! You cannot marry someone that is already married! Or, someone that is in your family. But, anyway, Justin Bieber has a girlfriend..."

She has also became very fond of the movie, "How to Train Your Dragon" which, is a very good movie by the way. Anyway, she was telling us on the way home last weekend that she needs a new haircut. She needs half her bangs over her eyes and half her bangs cut short. I glanced at Tim, wondering where this is going and cautiously ask, "Gee Emma, why?" "MOM! That is how Astrid has her hair!" Like Duh! How could I not have known that? (Astrid is the lead female character from that movie. Then she told me that she wants to change her name to Astrid Rose Heuer. I countered that with "Emma, we are not going to change your name to Astrid. How about if you are Astrid for Halloween?" She loved that idea and the rest of the way home, she discussed how the whole family was going to be a character from "How to Train Your Dragon" for Halloween. Tim was going to be Stoic. I had to be Ruffnut. She really wanted Evan to be Tuffnut, but Evan wouldn't have any of that. He had to be Toothless! It was a pretty fun conversation for the way home as she was talking about costumes, decorating the lawnmower, and if her cousins would want to be part of the theme as well.

And, not to forget about little Evan!! Here are some tidbits:
** He calls his bathrobe a robot. So, right out of the bathtub, he ask, "Mommy, where my Robot? I need my Robot."

** Evan got to spend more time with Kate and Charlie these past few days and has loved every minute! He helped me feed Kate yesterday and was totally into it. He didn't do that well holding the bottle very still, but he tried. He got to hold her as well with Tim's help and loved it. He looked up at me, "I kiss her Mommy?" So, he was kissing her forehead, rubbing her forehead with his head, holding on to her hand and just being very attentive to her. When it was time to wake Charlie up, he ran to the room and sprinted back out "Charwie wake! Charwie wake Mommy!" He found some pretend baby-doll bottles and held them up to Tim "Daddy! Fill up with milk Daddy! Feed Charwie" He ran to find the diaper wipes for Nana when she was changing a diaper and was just being a good big cousin. He would be an awesome big brother, but Tim says "Don't even go there...."

We are all kind of getting over colds and trying to find our way to a healthy household here. I had a day on Wednesday where I couldn't really talk, which the kids thought was pretty funny. I took to whispering in the morning and both kids started whispering back to me. Hopefully with the weekend coming up and more rest hopefully and some relaxing we can all get there.

A sign of hope

Sun! and Snow Melting! and almost 50 degrees! Finally - hoorah! Hooray! As much as I love snow, I am so happy to see small signs of hope that spring is coming. The kids are as well. We played on the driveway tonight and Emma kept hooping & hollaring when she saw green grass! I think Spring Fever has hit the Heuer House.

We were up at the cabin this past weekend and enjoyed the days fishing, spending time with family, and just hanging out. The kids were very excited to do some fishing on the lake and we were able to do this without the ice-shack this time. So, we loaded up kids and equipment on the snowmobile (which is always a big hit with kids and dog) and headed out. The guys drilled about 8 holes and the kids set to work cleaning out the holes. That, by far, is their favorite job. Not many fish were caught, one to be exact, but all had a great time enjoying the weather and time outdoors. Evan always claims to catch many fish, as he will constantly reel up his line and proclaim "Mama! I caught fish!" when he sees his minnow. But, whatever keeps him excited for fishing, I am okay with.

The other big news is the fact that the Kellogg twins are home! We ventured over that way on Thursday of last week to welcome them home. I was the only one of my family to have met them, so the rest of the family was excited to meet them. Evan was a bit nervous at first as he thought he was going to have to give them his Nuk's (no.... he hasn't given them up yet) but when I told them he could still keep them for awhile, he was happy to go over there. Earlier that day we were at a local shopping outlet and I told Evan that we should buy Charlie a small Lightning McQueen car. His response? "No.. Chahwee too little for Queen, Mama."

So, we made it over and Emma got to hold Kate for a bit, which she absolutely loved! She was very careful and could be seen talking to her and kissing her forehead every once in awhile. I was holding Charlie and Evan could not get enough of that little boy. First it was "Let me see him. See dat guy!" He wanted to hold him, give him kisses, and many hugs. I didn't let him hold him, but I did lower Charlie many times so Evan could see him and give him some love.

Some pics of the cuties:

Have a great week!

The big girl

Emma has had a pretty exciting few days lately!

Thursday -"We were Fishing for Kindergarteners!" YEA! It was the Kindergarten open house and Emma was beyond excited. She bounded into our bedroom at about 6:15 in the morning wondering when the bus was coming. She was pretty disappointed when I told her that the bus wasn't coming to pick her up, but felt a bit better when she discovered that Evan was going to daycare that day and she was not.

So, at 9:45 that morning, Tim, Emma, me, Kaylee, and Nana got in the truck and headed to kindergarten. The kids went to the kindergarten rooms, met the teachers, and did some projects and listened to stories. The parents went to the other room to hear from some teachers, the school nurse, a lunch lady, and the principal. Very exciting (well, somewhat exciting) but informational. After that was the most exciting part - the actual bus ride. Kaylee and Emma skipped to the bus and found a spot about mid-way on the bus. Nana and I were right behind them and it was fun to poke our heads over the seats to see them eagerly chatting, looking out the window, and giggling to each other. The bus did a quick 5 mile circle and then parked back at the school. When we got there, Emma looked at me and quietly said, "Mama, this isn't our stop." I smiled and told her that the bus wasn't going to drop us off at our house. She tried to explain that obviously the bus knows where we live because it drops Kyra off and we should just tell the driver that we live by Kyra. So, I had to explain that we were just going on a quick bus ride and that was it. Once again, she was a little disappointed.

Here are some pics of the kids on the bus.

Now, I know that I have been constantly thinking this (and occasionally saying this) but how can she be getting this big? How can this little girl, who I swear was just a 7# bundle, be ready for school? The best part is that she is so excited, but it was a little emotional being there. The first day of school is going to be a hard one.

After the kindergarten experience, we had a quick lunch and then Emma spent the afternoon playing with Kaylee. Fun for her and good for me as I had some work to do that day. Then, Emma went back to the school with the neighbors to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Seuss! They listened to stories, did some crafts, and then had cake, ice cream & punch. For Emma, the day could not have ended any better. . . and . . . because of the lack of nap, she fell asleep right away.

Here are the girls at the restaurant after the school experiences:

** side note, Emma has informed me lately that she loves Justin Bieber. Sigh.. seriously...! Her best friend at daycare, Breezy, has older sisters that must follow Justin Bieber as now Emma and Breezy love Justin Bieber. Emma even informed me that it was just Justin Bieber's birthday and that Breezy is going to marry Justin Bieber. Emma can sing one of his songs as I guess they listen to his CD or something like that too. Apparently I need to pick some up from iTunes.

The next day was just as exciting for the little girl, but this time Evan was able to partake in some of it. I took Nana, Kaylee, Evan, and Evan to Underwater World at the Mall of America. My children have never been there before and were so excited. Evan kept repeating "Sharks! Sharks scary!" And Emma was just as excited. The kids did have a great time. It had been awhile since I was there too and it was fun seeing it through the kids eyes. They kept reaching out for the fish, shrieking if they swam "over" them, and running from tunnel to tunnel. After that was Nickelodeon world and rides. I tend to forget that the Mall of America can be a fun little jaunt at times for the kids. Expensive, yes, but really, for a day of fun it is not too bad. We rode many rides, walked around the park, and then had lunch in the food court.

The last big event for Emma was Princesses on Ice. We had never taken her to anything like that before and I really wasn't sure what to expect out of her. I knew she would like it, but wasn't sure if she would get antsy, whiny or what. She did great! Once again, she was very excited and it was fun to do another grown up thing with her. I let her wear one of her princess dresses and she happily chose her Sleeping Beauty gown and fairy wings. We got there early so we could take it all in and enjoy the city. She likes being downtown and driving around the buildings. Princesses on Ice had displays of Princess dresses and different scenes for the kids to see. At the end was Cinderella, a real person Cinderella. Emma's eyes got so big and round and she yanked on my hand, pulled me close and whispered, "Mama, she IS the real Cinderella! She really is!" So, that was very precious.

She did awesome for the show; sat on the edge of her seat the entire time actually. We both enjoyed cotton candy, popcorn, and a Princess Icee ( for roughly $40 - ugh) . So all was good in the world. She fell asleep on the way home, with I am sure Princesses skating in her head. :-)

The rest of the weekend we were at home, lounging, cleaning, and playing. I went for a nice long run with Sage, had Sunday School with Emma, and did homework. Both kids enjoyed a trip to Home Depot for their Saturday morning project. Evan built a piggy bank and Emma built a little kids shelf. It was so cute and the kids really had a great, great time. Evan was so proud of his piggy bank and carried it around the rest of the day. One time, Emma tried to step on it or move it or something and Evan got so upset proclaiming "Emma! I built dat! Emma! No, I built dat!" So, that has churned some thoughts on Tim's head and he is now thinking of little projects to do with the kids at home.

Emma is signed up for T-ball this summer. Tim may be an assistant coach and I think he is pretty excited to get Emma outside to practice. The nice thing is that she will be on a league with kids from her own school & age. So, she will be meeting some of the kids in her future kindergarten class!

Evan has been doing awesome with potty training. He is usually dry during the day, but has not mastered nap time or overnight yet. But, I don't care about that, that will come with time. The daytime is a great start!

Here are a few pics of him saying goodbye to his crib at the cabin and helping Tim take it down. He loved that part and really enjoys being a "big helper! I big helper Mommy!"

Odds and Ends

First of all - YEAH BABIES!!! My sister and dear neighbor gave birth to two babies on Friday, February 25. Please, welcome with me:
Charles (Charlie) James Kellogg - 5 lb and 3 oz
Kathryn (Kate) Alice Kellogg - 5 lbs

They are adorable and tiny and perfect in every way. Kristen is doing great and recovering in the hospital and making frequent trips to the nursery where Charlie and Kate are staying at the moment. They are pretty tiny (born at 34 weeks) and still learning how to do things so they may be staying in the hospital for a few weeks to get it all down. However, all the doctors are very impressed with how Kate and Charlie are doing and not worried at all. But please, say prayers for the tiny ones and for Kristen to ensure they will be coming home soon!

Now - with the news of the early delivery, our weekend was hectic but great! My parents were up and staying with us. We were doing rotating visits to the hospital to keep Kristen company and to hold the tiny ones (currently under 5#). We were also keeping the other 4 kids entertained while parents were gone. The kids got along great and made it outside today to play in the snow a bit.

Some random thoughts:
1) We moved Evan into a big boy bed last weekend at the cabin and took down his crib. He was totally excited at the moment and moving all his toys, blankets, and pillows to his bed. (yes, his bed is his home for his treasures. He has his precious B in there along with 2 pillows, his favorite stuffed friend Duck, his glowworm, and then numerous cars, his favorite book "the Very Cranky Bear", and other random paraphernalia that he tosses in before bed.) When it came time to go to bed, he wasn't so sure about it. He came out a couple of times, Emma complained that he kept talking a couple of times, he went to the pack-n-play once to sleep, then finally settled in. When I went in to check on them before I went into bed, he was lying perpendicular to the bed, so a bit wonky. However, he was sound asleep.
2) We went snowmobling last Monday in the snowstorm and went to a Rottawhat. Both kids fell sleep on the snowmobiles, so Tim and I were driving with heavy arms.
3) We had some good friends up at the cabin last weekend and all the kids enjoyed playing. It was fun to watch Evan playing with a little boy near his age! The boys had so much fun running around, chasing each other, crawling on furniture, jumping down, etc. All had a great time.
4) Evan has discovered how to open up the fridge.
step 1: remove socks
step 2: remove all magnets/various drawings & artwork from the fridge
step 3: hang onto the handles of the side-by-side fridge/freezer
step 4: jump up and land feet on the fridge/freezer
step 5: crawl like a spider up the fridge/freezer and place feet on freezer side and push out to open the fridge
step 6: remove whatever he wants from the fridge.
5) A conversation with Emma:
Emma: "Mama, I don't think you should give the little boy clothes to Kristen. I am going to be a Mama someday and I will need them."
Me: "Emma, you won't be a Mama for a very long time. I think Kristen can use them now and you and I can go shopping when you are ready to have a baby and buy new clothes."
Emma: "Well, that sounds okay, but I still don't think it is a good idea. Her babies will be fine."

Gee.. what else? I know I have more stories and more things I want to capture and remember. But, they are alluding me at the moment.

Some exciting things for this week? Swimming lessons... school... Princess on Ice for Emma and I. And of course - seeing Kate and Charlie. :-) It makes me want to have another baby... somewhat anyway. The good thing is they will be right next door and I can get my baby fix anytime! (without the late night feedings and sleep deprivation)

The Cinderella Swing

Finally, Emma's big night arrived: The Cinderella Swing Daddy Daughter Dance. She has been talking about this for over a week and couldn't have been more excited for this evening. Her friend Breezy and her father were going as well, so Tim would have someone to chat with and the girls could dance.

Starting over a week ago, Breezy and Emma were making plans. They were going to wear pretty dresses, dance all night, go out to eat first, and have fun. Yesterday they decided they would get their hair done together today. Breezy's Mom was going to put curls, hair clips and sparkles in. I painted Emma's fingernails and toenails and all was set. This was all the girls could talk about and I was just hoping that it would live up to Emma's expectations.

I picked both Emma and Evan up after work and she was literally bouncing with excitement. With her hair dolled up, she rushed into the house after I parked the car at home. She ran up to her room, got all dressed up, put on Mama's lip gloss and hunted for a pair of tights for her to put on. Thankfully we were able to borrow a pair from the neighbors and all was set. Tim had made it home by this point and was all ready.

Tim bought Emma a corsage for the dance, so here is a pic of Tim putting it on her wrist.

And more pics of the two of them before they left. Doesn't she look so big?!

Emma didn't want to sit long for pictures as she was itching to go. Finally, they were off leaving Evan and I at home.

Evan and I had a nice night playing Thomas the Train, having dinner with Kristen (an early birthday dinner from Olive Garden - we weren't sure if it would work after the babies come) and watching How to Train a Dragon.

Around 8:30, Emma rushed into the house and excitedly told Kristen and I all about the night. Tim and Emma ate at Axel's Bonfire and then went to the dance. Emma got out her "autograph" book and showed me the autographs of all the princesses she met: Cinderella, Snow White, and Tianna, to name a few. Tim told me that she danced a lot with Breezy, danced some with Tim and had a great, great night. Emma told me the best part of the night was meeting a new friend. Emma told me "my new friend even gave me a hug when I left." How nice!

All-in-all, a great night was had by all.

The concert

Emma had her Sunday School concert this past weekend and it was very nice. She was all excited and wore her little pink Christmas dress. She combed her hair very methodically and slowly, put a ponytail in her hair (which yes, I did take out) and put on her special golden shoes. I put a pink/flowered/jeweled clip in her hair and she immediately had to find one for me, so we could match! Very Cute. Her little class marched up to the front of the church and got themselves situated. She saw me peering through my video camera and flashed me a big smile with a little wave. Then, they sang. The classes sang 4 songs (Jesus Loves the Little Children, Praise Him All You Little Children, and Kum By Yah, are 3 of the songs) and did sign language to the songs. Yes, I videotaped the 15 minute concert and thought Emma did great. She occasionally waved at me, smiled a lot and didn't appear nervous at all. Very nice. It was followed up with cookies and lemonade in the church hall.

I have been lucky as of late to do some more "adult" things with Emma, just one-on-one. We went to a wedding shower, which was a lot of fun, and will be attending Princesses on Ice early in March. At times, she seems so grown up and ready to take on the world, which is so sweet. She has taken her Baby Alive doll in as her own and many times can be seen mothering her. Emma went on a sleepover this past weekend and had to pack Baby Alive along. Interesting along with Baby Alive, Emma packed a pair of glasses she sometimes wears because in her words, "I am a Mommy now. I need to have glasses." Unfortunately, Baby Alive fell ill last weekend. I noticed that Emma kept feeding her a bottle and instead of Baby Alive messing her diaper (which she is supposed to) the water kept coming out of her mouth. Emma and I both diagnosed Baby Alive with a tummy bug (which had her drooling up as Emma says) and needed to get better. Baby Alive's medicine? Paper towels, squirted water in places, and lemon juice. Paper towels to clean out all the gunk in her, water to push it out, and lemon juice as I thought the acidity may help dissolve the gunk. Luckily, after some mothering from Emma, required naptimes and blankets, Baby Alive did get better and worked up a bunch of green stuff. My thoughts? Emma kept feeding Baby Alive the "pea" baby food and it either wasn't the right consistency or a bottle wasn't give soon enough after as the "pea" baby food didn't come out as it was supposed to. Luckly, Baby Alive is now better and full functioning.

Emma and Tim are also attending a Daddy Daugher Dance in a week or so and Emma is beyond excited as her friend Breezy and Breezy's father are attending as well. It is the Cinderella Ball, so they will have Princesses there and of course, pictures to take and buy. It will be a fun time for both. Evan and I will have a Mommy/Son evening. Events yet to be determined.

Both kids are getting over colds at the moment, so of course, now I am getting one. We have been outside enjoying the nice weather lately as well and have had the kids sledding, snowboarding (of sorts) and out walking Sage. It has been a nice reprieve from the frigid weather we had not so long ago and we are enjoying it to the full extent!

The male dominated world

So I met a man yesterday, whom I have been on conference calls with, am running a project he is involved with, but never directly met. Let's call him Fred.

So, I meet Fred, shake hands, offer the "So nice to meet you, to have you up in our office..." blah blah blah.. then: " I look forward to working on this project with you."

He enthusiastically shakes my hands, looks at my boss (let's call him Dan) and back at me. "Yes, Great to meet you too! Will I be speaking with you more - Do you answer Dan's phone's periodically for him?"

And then... shocked silence for what felt like 5 minutes, but was only 3 seconds I am sure, as what he said really sunk in....

Then my answer.. being as political as I can be: "No. I do not answer Dan's phones for him."

Dan profusely waves his arms around and says over and over "No, No, No, Kelly does not answer my phones. Nope, not at all."

Seriously - are we back there again?

Then, I see Fred at my three day training I am and he doesn't remember me.

Shocking.....

The Rottawhot

For roughly two weeks whenever the family would discuss going snowmobiling, Evan would tilt his head and knowinglay say, "Rottawhot! " Then, he would tilt is head, nod and repeat over and over again "Rottawhot." Now, for the life of me, I had no idea what a rottawhot is. So I did the "Evan, can you say it again?" "Evan, can you slow down?" "Evan, can you point it out to me?" But, nothing. He always seemed very excited about the rottawhot and I felt horrible that I couldn't understand.

Finally, we were at the cabin and getting our snowstuff on to go for a snowmobile ride. Tim and I were talking about the restaurant we were going to drive to for supper and Evan looks up excitedly and says, "Yea! A Rottawhot!"

And then it clicks...

Of course!

Stupid me - the rottawhot is a restaurant!

Man, sometimes I wish I could speak 2-year-old speak.

The Voice of Reason

So many voices of reason these days... Emma... Evan... myself.. Tim (sometimes, although not about football - ha!)

Emma: "Evan, that is mine. You cannot take it. You are not acting nice."
Evan: "Emma - NAUGHTY. You time out. 1-2-3. Corner!"

-----or ------

Me: "Emma, it is very cold outside now. You need to wear something warmer."
Emma: "Mom, I am totally fine wearing this. I will not get cold, promise." Yes, I loved the "totally fine." Which I shouldn't be surprised about as I know I have spoken like that before.

or my favorite is when Evan gives himself a time out. As of late when he is naughty, he will look up at me and say, "time out Mama?" Sometimes my response is "Yes Evan, time out." He will pout and go "Ohhhh! Drop his head down and slump over to the corner and start crying." Hilarious!

The kids have been very good lately. They are playing together more and more and I love it. This past weekend at the cabin, we bribed Evan to get him out of using a Nuk with sharing a room with Emma at the cabin. Both kids were so excited as they do share a room up there at times, but there are times we move Evan out so both sleep longer. Anyway, they went to bed and I could hear them talking in there for about 30 minutes! It was so cool! It was so nice to hear them in a small conversation and hear them laugh and giggle. I did tell them to quiet down once, but it was one of those moments for me that was precious.

Random news:
Emma and I did homework tonight and worked on her letters again and I decided to give her a small test. I let her trace the alphabet first, we sang the alphabet song, and then I gave her a piece of paper and quizzed her on letters. She did awesome! At first I just said random letters and she was able to write most of them from memory. Then, I had her write all the letters in the alphabet and she got all but a few letters correct. It was awesome! She is so ready and excited for kindergarten. I cannot wait for the kindergarten meet-n-greet in March.

Evan seems to be understanding more and more lately, more than I give him credit for. It is fun to hear his conversations and thoughts. He was nervous at the cabin about the stuffed bear that Tim has hung above the stairs. I think it stems back to the Science Museum trip we had. We walk into the cabin and Evan goes to play with his toys when he steps back a bit and looks up. "Mama - Bear Getta me! Bear Scary!" Just like what he was saying at the museum. I tried to explain everything again. Daddy shot the bear, bear won't get him, etc. He was a little nervous to go down the stairs and kept saying, "Daddy shot it! Daddy got bear. Bear scary." I felt kind of bad for the little guy. At one point he moved a chair over by it to try and touch it. Needless to say (and thankfully), he didn't get close. I told him to get down and he looked up and said, "time out Mama?"

School is going good for me so far. The class is very interesting and so far 1/4th of the work of my stats class. The class is Management of Organizational Behavior and I am enjoying it so far. We have weekly quizzes, but then a group project, few papers, and then done. Hopefully, all good.

Emma has her Sunday School concert this weekend and she is pretty excited for it. Otherwise, I am hoping to get to Shopko in Wisconsin to buy some PACKER GEAR!!! Wasn't that the best game?! It was so incredible - I cannot believe that we won the Superbowl! I loved watching the guys afterwards, so excited and Aaron Rodgers getting MVP. Awesome, completely awesome. So, I have a few more things to add to my wall in the basement.

I have pictures to post, but am being lazy tonight and will get to it later.
Have a nice weekend!

The Science Museum

A friend of mine was nice enough to invite us along to the Science Museum with her as she had a few free tickets to use up. The kids and I gladly tagged along. Emma and I were excited, me because I hadn't taken her there before and Emma because her friend Little Keira would be there. Evan is usually up for anything and didn't say that much.

We got there, met the friends and went to section with the animals. In one section they had a large brown bear, standing what seemed to be 10 feet all, on it's hind legs. Emma thought it was pretty cool, especially when I told her that it wouldn't get her :-) Evan looked up wide eyed, "Mama, that bear getta me. That bear bite-ah me" (in his little voice and speech patterns) and kind of cowered behind my leg. I picked him up, giggled a bit and tried to tell him about the bear. It wasn't alive, it won't get him.. yadda ..yadda.. yadda.

Next, on to the dinosaurs and reptiles. Emma excitedly ran from one to the other with Little Keira and enjoyed herself. Evan joined in for awhile and then would come to me, "Mama, dinosaur get-ah me. Dinosaur Scary." Same thing over and over again. He did seem excited to see the skeletons, not as much as Emma, but did seem a little apprehensive as well.

All-in-all we stayed at the museum for roughly an hour & half. The kids enjoyed the bones and the little kids experiments. They didn't eat the $5 hotdogs I bought for them and then we went home.

A good morning! Next time, the kids museum. I think both will really enjoy that :-)

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Monkey See, Monkey Do...

this is a pretty common statement spoken throughout our household lately. Emma will climb up to get something she is not supposed to and Evan will pull up a chair and do the same thing. Evan will pretend he is sleeping and start "snoring" and Emma will do the same thing. It has gotten to where even Evan is walking around the household saying, "Monkey See, Monkey Do Mama!"

All is good here. One of the big events here is that we have lowered Evan's crib so it is more like a bed and he has more free reign than he used to have. He thinks it is pretty cool and it took him awhile to realize that he could climb out. He didn't leave at all the first day. The second morning when he woke up, he climbs out, comes into our room and says "Mama, I did it!" The next morning it was "AGAIN! AGAIN Mama!" Thankfully, he hasn't climbed out of it yet at bedtime. I honestly think that we lay him down and without too long of time passing he falls asleep. There are many times I go and check on him before I go to bed and he is in the exact same position. Wednesday morning he proudly came into our room with an armful of stuff. His B (blanket), his pillow, his glowworm, and his other blanket. He sets that down on my bed, says "more stuff" then goes back to his room muttering "stuff" the whole time and comes back with his Woody doll, his Cars flashlight, and his Ducky. Lovely.

Emma is getting ready for her Sunday School concert, which is Sunday, Feb. 13, so she has been practicing her songs. It is fun to watch her so excited after Sunday school as she proudly shows me her artwork, her coloring bible page, and will sing some excerpts from her songs. The concert isn't really a big deal. It takes place between the masses on Sunday, is approximately 4 songs long with hand gestures, and is followed by cookies and juice. But, she is very excited about it and did a great job last year so I am excited to see how it goes this time.

Sage is in the house more with us now and the kids are enjoying that too. Emma has tried to climb on her back a few times to ride her and Evan can be seen running back and forth with Sage's toys in her hands playing keep-away. It is fun to see them interact with her more now and I really like how patient Sage is with them. Evan is constantly taking stuff away and yelling "Fetch" as he runs around with it. Sage plays the game for a little while and then stands by the back door, eyes pleading with Tim and I to let her have a break. Evan though, never gets tired of it and loves to chase her around.

Of course the big news coming up is the Packer Game!! I still cannot believe that they are in the Super Bowl! We are very excited here (well, me and the kids anyway) and I bought the kids some Packer stuff to wear for the big game. Tim was definitely not excited about that, but I remember somewhere that we had an agreement that if one of the teams made it to the SuperBowl, Packer/Viking clothing was allowed. He doesn't remember... of course :-)

This is also the big weekend for No Nuk's for Evan. Tim and I have decided that this is it, we are throwing them away and going cold turkey. Wish us (and Evan) luck. I didn't give Evan his Nuk for a few minutes tonight and he was crying and yelling for "NUKIE" the whole time. When I did find it and give it to him, he looks up at me with tear stained eyes, "Need it Mama!" Sigh.. this is going to be a hard weekend, but it is better for all of us. He is not yet 2.5 years old and I just can't let it go on much longer. He is getting more stubborn about it and demanding it more, even though we only allow it at night time, he finds them and pops them in anyway. It is time... but I am not looking forward to it.

Both kids are in swimming lessons again and Emma is doing really well. We stayed afterwards for open swim and she was doing huge jumps off the side and into the water. She is also starting to gain more confidence and do more in the water on her own. Evan has no fear and I am actually a bit nervous about the summer. He loves jumping off the sides of the pool as well and sometimes doesn't wait for someone to catch him. He caught me off guard once as I was looking away for a second and jumped into me. Luckily, that caught my attention, but if I wasn't there I wonder if he would have jumped or not.

I have started school again and really have to get to my homework now. I am sure I am missing some stories, so be prepared for shorter, possibly more disjointed posts as I try to capture the memories along with everything else.

Once again, GO PACKERS!!!!! Man, I hope they win!

A very serious public service announcement

Last hunting season, I was out in the woods with Tim in the wee hours of the morning. I was hunting with a Remington 700 BDL and had seen a deer in the far edge of the woods. We were just walking out to the hunting stand and the gun was loaded, safety on. We dropped some of our gear, peered into the woods and stayed motionless. After a few minutes, we gave up hope and approached the deer stand. Tim climbed up to the hunting stand first and was unzipping the main "door" to get in. I was on the ground and was getting ready to unload the rifle and climb up as well. First, let it be known, the I am an extremely cautious hunter. I don't take it lightly that I am out in the woods, with my loved ones, carrying a dangerous weapon. My gun is always in safe mode until I am absolutely ready to shoot it. My finger isn't even by the trigger until I am absolutely ready to shoot it. Does this contribute to the fact that I don't get many deer?? Maybe, one may say, but I am hunting with my family and maybe in a few years my children and safety is my absolute number one priority.

Anyway, I am on the ground, Tim on the ladder and I am about to unload my gun. So, I point the gun in the opposite direction and point the barrel down. I take the safety off, because I have to in order to unload it and the gun fires out of nowhere. I immediately say "TIM - what the hell just happened??" (actually, I may have used another choice 4 letter word, but you get the point.) I start shaking and say it again, "TIM - what the HELL just happened?!" He replies, "Well, obviously you pulled the trigger." I insist that I didn't, over and over, and he finally climbs down and looks at the gun. "You had to pull the trigger." Again, I say I didn't and say my finger wasn't even near the trigger and try to convince him that it wasn't. This proceeds for a bit, I think I start crying, and we eventually make it up into the deer stand. I refuse to load the gun as I think about what just happened. Tim and I talk about it and I try to convince him that I was being safe, that I am ALWAYS safe, and that I don't know what happened. I keep shaking a bit and think about the "What if?" of the situation. What if Tim was right by me? What if he accidentally would have been hit? What if someone else was around?

What if...

What if...

What if?

Yes, I get over it ,but this has been in the back of my mind for awhile. I consider not hunting anymore because of the shock and scare this gave me. But, I enjoy it and just agree to not use this particular rifle again.

Until...

Tim and I are sitting down last night. I am typing up my blog post and he is flipping channels on the TV. I am happily writing about the Packers when Tim says, "Kel - look at this"

There is a story on CNBC about a tragedy that happened to a family out west. They were out riding horses and hunting, enjoying the day together as a family. The mother was going to unload her gun - a Remington 700 series gun - when it accidentally fired and killed her 9 year old son. The father, immersed in grief, vowed to his son to not let this go and to figure out what happened.

So - what happened?

Apparently - there are documented stories and injuries and even deaths about the Remington 700 series gun discharging. This particular story illustrated by CNBC about this family was very compelling and scary and unfortunately hit somewhat close to home. My story was not tragic in its ending, just haunting as I think back to what could have happened especially as I hear about a mother who was trying to be safe and the unthinkable happens. Her son had slid off the horse he was riding and moved to the truck or something without her knowing, and the rest is tragic.

As the Dad dug into it more, he uncovered many stories and many lawsuits about the Remington 700 series guns. He uncovered police squads, sharp shooters, and gun experts who have documented this same issue. These experts have video tapes of these guns misfiring as they have been trying to prove that they may be unsafe. There are gun experts who have studied the guns and testified at trials about these guns. Police units have videos of these guns discharging as they are on assignment. There are stories from the military about the same problem.

The worst thing?

Remington knows. The CNBC investigator spoke with the 98 year old man who designed this gun. He discovered what was causing the rifles to discharge unknowingly about 60 years ago. He alerted Remington about the issue and urged them to change the design. But, they didn't. He urged them at the time to change the triggers on these guns for a fee of $0.055 per gun, but they didn't. He even suggested changing the name of "safety" on these guns because of the trigger failure with the safety, it couldn't really be labeled as a safety. But, they didn't do that either. Now roughly 60 years later after this trigger failure was discovered, the price for Remington to fix one rifle is roughly $75 - $100. A recall would be extremely costly and no one can force Remington to do it unfortunately.

Obviously, there are two sides to the story. You know where I stand on it as this unfortunately happened to me. But, do your own research. The link to the CNBC story is:

"Critical Safety Questions at Remington Arms"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39762676/ns/business-cnbc_tv/

Please spread the word to your friends and family that may own one of these guns. Let them do the research and decide on their own. I know many hunters and feel obligated to share this as I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something should happen and I didn't tell people.

Tim did some research as he owns 3 of these types of guns and discovered it would cost about $200 to buy a trigger on his own and replace just one. I am hoping to do some research on the class action lawsuit against Remington to see what that is about. I also found out that in 2002 Remington reluctantly decided to remodify some of the older models of these guns for a fee of $20. I will look into that as well.

Scary, scary, scary. Especially because they know! The CNBC investigator uncovered documents of Remington running tests on these rifles and they actually had this same problem happen. Anyway, please share and think about it. Even if you are fond of Remington and think this is a bunch of bunk, at least be more careful when using one. I told Tim that he would not be using one of these around me or the kids until they are fixed. I also told him that he is an old man and can decide on his own if he wants to still use it without the fix, but he shouldn't plan on us being around him. :-)

If you want more information - there is a lot of information about this on the web. Or, feel free to shoot me an email as I will be compiling some data too.

Once again - forward this or the link to anyone that hunts or owns rifles. It is definitely better to be safe than sorry when guns are concerned.

Go Pack Go!

Go Pack Go!!!

What a great game! I cannot believe and never would have thought a few weeks ago that we would be going to the Superbowl! I cannot say that we played the best game, but we won. That is all that matters!

We had the neighbors over for a small party. We had some yummy dips & popcorn and the adults watched the game as the kids ran around, colored, and sometimes cheered when we cheered. All-in-all a great game. Afterwards, we snacked on Packer cupcakes & ice cream. Then... I took Sage for a walk. I needed to get out and exercise, so I bundled up and took the eager dog for a walk.

The rest of the weekend was spent bumming around the house. I cleaned & decluttered. Tim did the same. The kids were having fun helping/getting in the way and playing with toys that haven't been out for awhile. We did a toy swap of sorts and got out their play kitchen and Little People Toys. We put away Emma's Barbie Castle and some of Evan's toy tools.

I had a work Christmas party on Friday night, so Tim and I had a night away for a little while. Our daycare provider gives each family a night of baby-sitting for Christmas, so we took advantage and got away. The kids were so excited for her to come over and to show her all their new Christmas toys. They went to Burger King first to play in their playland with her daughter Breezy and then all came here to play and watch our movie on Netflix "How to Train a Dragon." (good movie, by the way). By the time we made it home after our night out, the kids were sleeping and a good time was had by all.

Good news for Tim and I, our children have started sleeping in later! Emma now gets up around 7am and Evan sleeps in at least until 6:30, but sometimes goes as late as 7:30. This means a much happier (and more patient) Mommy & Daddy :-) Many times in the morning, Tim has to wake them up in the morning before daycare, which I really don't like, but that is the way it goes I guess.

This week will be a busy week. We have swimming lessons, errands, a stop at a sporting goods shop to buy some Packer paraphernalia, and the previous years blog book! I start school a week from Tuesday and I have a few more things I want to get done before that starts.

Here are a few pics of the kids taken this week after their hair cuts. Evan was badly in need of a trim and Emma wanted her hair a bit shorter. She ended up with shoulder length hair that is so cute and makes her look so big! These were taken right after a bath, so they are not the best shots of her hair, but still pretty cute!

Everyone have a great week!

Life as usual

It is nice to have life back to normal. I work 4 days a week, usually 1 from home. The kids are in daycare, Tim is at work. No stressful shopping, no hurried trips to the mall, no late night wrapping or big holiday feasts. I like it. (No, I am not a downer on holidays, it just feels good to be routine again.)

The kids are great... albeit full of energy. I am not sure if it is due to the cold, the deep snow, or what, but they are bouncing of the walls lately as they are unable to play outside a lot. They have been climbing through the windows in their little playhouse, running from room to room chasing each other, wrestling, and just being goofy. Fun goofy for the most part, sometimes rough-house goofy, which I don't enjoy. I really like that they are playing together more and when they laugh, they laugh hard and it is contagious. They enjoy playing Cars together, playdough, and chase. Chase will include either pushing Evan's tractors & trucks around the house -or- chasing each other riding on their little ride-on toys or Evan's new trike. Sometimes they color or do homework, but that activity has lately resulted in fighting due to similar wants of crayons or coloring books. Just little kid stuff, nothing serious, but draining sometimes nonetheless.

Emma loves playing dolls lately, either Baby Alive or PollyPockets/Barbies/Littlest Pet Shop. Emma has discovered some of her old baby doll toys, such as a swing, stroller, and diaper bag, so many times she is pushing Baby Alive around in the stroller or tucking her into bed in the swing. One day, I was the Nana and she was marrying Evan's large Buzz Lightyear Doll. That was a fun one! When we play with the other dolls, I always play the Mommy Doll and sometimes the evil Mommy Doll and she always plays the little girl who is kidnapped by the evil Mommy Doll. Fun times! I love the way her imagination is developing and the interest she has in roll play... except the whole evil Mommy bit. Where did she get that one? Too many Disney Movies maybe??

Evan usually plays Cars at night or wants to play his Thomas the Train computer game. Now, mind you, him playing Thomas is not physically him playing. Either he sits on my or Tim's lap or squished next to Emma on the chair so he can watch. I prefer playing real Thomas with him, so we try to build a train track once a week as well. He is definitely mimicking our behavior as of late and has told Emma at times "You Naughty Emma. You time out!" or telling her to do something and then doing a countdown until she does it. My favorite phrase?? "You whiny Emma." Lovely.

Both kids have been enjoying helping us in the kitchen lately. Evan, every night it seems, wants a salad, so he will help me wash and tear the lettuce leaves. Every so often we let Emma pick out a meal and she will always pick pancakes. So, she helps me mix the mix and even flip them in the frying pan.

Both kids are in swimming lessons now. Emma is doing really well with swimming lessons. She is in level one and really hoping to pass and get to level two next time. I am not so sure about that as it is much tougher to pass classes in the new place we go, versus the Y, and she actually needs to be able to swim on her own to pass. She is close and will go a few feet on her own, but not quite enough yet to pass. But, she loves it and I love how they really force the kids to swim and try. Every night at lessons they dump buckets of water over the kids heads and I really like that. I am not a fan of the classes that try to shield kids from getting faces wet -- kind of defeats the purpose in my mind. Evan is in waterbabies, which is okay. The hard thing is that he is in a class with babies that are maybe 6-9 months old and up to his age. So, they don't really do much with the kids. We sing songs, he gets to jump in off the side (which he has no fear about) and then use a noodle and play with water toys. He likes it as he gets to be in the water, but I wish there was a class between Waterbabies and Level 1 (which Emma is in). Not yet.

My job is going well. I am now about 4 months in as a project manager and so far am really enjoying it. I like the guys I work with and we all have fun. Stressful at times, but fun. Tim is happy to be adding responsibility to his plate and has hopes of really growing his team, so he has some exciting possibilities coming up.

All-in-all, life is good. We were up at the cabin this past weekend for a long weekend as Tim and I both had off on Monday. We had a fun Packer Party (what an AWESOME game!!) went ice fishing and took the kids snowmobiling. I really have to get a picture of the kids in their snowmobiling attire as they look like little bobbleheads with their big helmets. Evan loves wearing his helmet as he still feels as though he is Buzz Lightyear! We went for about a 25 miles, with a fun stop in the middle for supper at a local restaurant. The kids really thought that was exciting and I love sharing with them some of the things I enjoyed when I was a kid. The rest of the weekend was really lazy, which is always nice about the cabin. I took naps, worked out, watched TV, and didn't do much. Tim was the same. That's why the cabin is awesome; we both say that the worries of the week seem to melt away on the drive up and the world is more quiet up there.

As for New Years Resolutions and all that jazz, nothing much. I hope to keep in shape, keep working out, and relax more. I hope to find a good balance of work/school/family and keep my patience. I hope to excel at my job and be a good Mom & Wife. Tim and I are hoping to take a trip either big (London) or small (cabin) to spend some quiet time together. And - I cannot wait to meet the newest little members of the extended family with baby boy and baby girl Kellogg due in March. I am in one of those times where someone should pinch me as all is well. I sit back and look at the health and happiness of my whole family and feel incredibly blessed and lucky. Here's to a wonderful New Year, full of opportunity, blessings, and happiness.

A Warrior!

I am a warrior:

www.warriordash.com/register2011_minnesota.php

Wish me luck. A gruelling 3 mile course with 11 obstacles (including fire, sandhills, warrior climbing walls, and muddy mayhem) that a group of friends and I will be doing in July. Sounds like fun, right? I hope so! If interested in signing up - send me a note and I will get you our wave time.

This week has been good. It is nice to be back in our schedule after the holidays. The kids are still enjoying and playing with their toys, which is nice. But, they are still wild and crazy :-) That won't be changing anytime soon. They now have a new hideout that they constantly play in together. It is between the couches, right next to the side table and no, not a lot of room for two boisterous children to play. At least once an hour, one of them starts crying because one accidentally kicked the other, one hit the table, one lost a toy, or something. This prompts the lecture from me or Tim, "guys, we told you that is not a good place to play. We don't like you playing there, you tend to end up crying." But, every night on the way home from daycare they look at each other and giggle and Emma says, "Should play in our secret hideout?" and Evan always replies "Shore Emma. Dat Fun Emma!" Too cute, but I always know the outcome.

Emma is continuing to learn and do her homework. She enjoys learning letters and sounding out words as we try and prepare her for kindergarten. Her favorite things now are playing with her "Flairies" which are the fairy dolls in the most recent Barbie Movie, "A Fashion Fairy Tale". She can play with those three dolls for a very long time and most often brings them to daycare with her as well. We are still trying to work with her on listening and respect however. She struggles at times to pick up her toys and to not come back with a whiny statement, but we are trying. I had to have the conversation with her tonight about why her Daddy and I are trying to teach her to be nice, why it is important before she gets to school and why she needs to listen and respect others. Wish me luck. Overall, she is doing good and learning a lot, but I still think we have a few behaviors to work on before kindergarten comes.

Evan... well, is Evan. He is trying to assert his independence as of late also and has been receiving time outs for not listening as well. Of course Emma loves it when Evan is in time out and vice-versa, so it just fuels the fire of sorts when they are naughty. It is cute when Evan is being punished too, as he looks all defiant when we are saying no and he is pushing back. However, the minute we say "time out" his face crumples and falls and he starts crying. Plus, in the time out chair, he looks totally in despair that he has to sit out for 2 minutes. It is hard to discipline him at times as I can easily laugh at his reactions. He is talking in sentences more and trying to understand a bit more of the world around him, so that is cool. He still loves his Cars and has to wear Cars clothes, jammies, cover up in his Cars blanket, etc. Most of the time though, he can be found following around Emma and trying to do what she does.

Work is good for me. Continually busy. Same for Tim. He is now receiving more responsibility and working for a new boss, so he is happy with the change.

Our puppy Sage is back after being gone for 5 weeks at hunting/obedience training and we are happy to have her here! She is really enjoying the snow and I am enjoying the winter walks we take her on! She is a whopping 65# (at least) and still growing, but still a puppy at heart. Tim laughs at our "lap dog" as many times when we are petting her, she will circle around and try to lay on my lap; just like she did when we picked her out of the litter! There is something soothing about having her around and petting her at night so I can destress and relax, so it is a nice thing to have her home.

I leave you all with a "GO PACKERS!!!"

10 things they don't tell you about having little boys...

I never had a brother. The closest thing I had was my cousin Joel, which was pretty awesome really because he hung out around the farm, gave me 4 wheeler rides, played games, and then he would go home. So, when I found out that I was having a little boy, I was a bit nervous. I didn't know how to play with a boy. I never played cars or trucks and did anything like that. So, here is hopefully a helpful tool for those that may be having a boy and don't know what to expect.

1) They are rough and tough and never stop. Evan is the toughest little kid I know. He can seriously bump his head on something, hard enough to where I am expecting a big scream and cry, and when he does that, he looks up at me, shakes his head back and forth, and then goes back to playing. Sure, he may want the owie to be kissed at times, but that is more for Mommy's benefit than his I am sure.

2) Cars & trucks are their things. Yes, he does play with Barbies. However, the barbies are usually riding around in his cars/trucks/tractors while he is pushing them back and forth or smashing them into things.

3) Train tracks are the best. Evan love Thomas the Train. He loves putting the track together and then demolishing it. Little boys will feverishly work to link one track to the next (not in any specific order or arrangement) and then rip it apart. I will spend an hour putting the damn thing together and little boy will play with it for 5 minutes with a train/car/lawnmower/anything with wheels really and then smash it apart. Yes, it is incredibly frustrating. But, I have learned not to get too attached to my train tracks.

4) Little boys don't take time to do things the safe way or the way Mom prefers. He doesn't use stepstools to stand up to the sink and wash his hands. He stands on his tiptoes on the toilet that is somewhat near the sink and then stretch out as far as he can to wash his hands. Or, little boys will turn over the waste basket and use that instead. Foolish Mom needs to realize that stepstools are for sissys. Also, why bother to wait for Mom or Dad to come and get you when you wake up from a nap?? I can crawl out by myself now and while I don't do it that often, it was fun to surprise Mom and Dad that one morning when I ran into their bedroom before they could come and get me.

5) Little boys love to torture their older siblings. Play barbies, you say?? Sure, as long as I get your favorite one and you don't mind if I pull out their hairbow and rip off their shoes and clothes. Oh, you don't want to play Barbies now?? Okay, I will read a story. Just as long as you don't mind that I use my scary dragon voice and roar every once in a while. And if you don't give into me or give me my way, I will take a swinging hit at you or even bite you at times. Little boys always want to get their way.

6) Little boys are physical when they play in every sense of the word. A favorite game may include running back and forth in the kitchen and dining area pushing a tractor and sliding at the end so I don't hit the cupboards or fall down the stairs. (Yes, I can do this for about an half hour straight) Playing cars isn't so much pushing them around on the little play mat as smashing them into each other and into Mommy or Daddy. Playing the piano is mashing the keys with my little pudgy fingers and yelling along, but thinking that I am singing.

7) Little boys really think farting is funny. Especially when they discover that at times they can make themselves fart. I was changing little boys diaper tonight and he made himself fart like 4 times and he thought it was the funniest thing in the whole wide world. Yeah, just try to keep a stoic, serious face when your little boy does that.

8) Little boys are very, very stubborn. If I had a nickel for every time I heard "No, I do it" I would be a rich women. Today I was trying to change a different diaper and he resisted by pressing his little knees together so I could not get the diaper up through a very important area of coverage for a little boy. Then, he insisted on rocking back and forth to make it more difficult. This time, I was not laughing.

9) Little boys really love their Mommy's a LOT. They love to smash their little noses up to Mommy's noses and smile or laugh or whisper silly songs. They love to give kisses and have Mommy's kiss each little finger if they are cold or an owie or scrape. Little boys love to rock and cuddle at times, but... not that often so savor it when it happens.

10) Little boys have a special hold on their Mommy's hearts and are so incredibly special it hurts sometimes. They know just the way to smile so you cannot help but smile back, even if they are being naughty. My little boy likes to plop backwards onto my lap and then lean into me and read a story or watch a favorite show. My little boy can be so intuitive at times that when I am sad or hurting or frustrated, he will raise his little arms up for a hug or kiss or cock his head at me and say, "Mama Sad?" in such a voice it makes my heart melt and my eyes well up.

So - for anyone that may have a little boy or is expecting a little boy or may want a little boy - good luck. I am here to tell you that it is a different experience than having a girl. Get used to farting, dragon roars, and rough-housing. But look forward to the special bond you will form and the heart-tugging moments and the "please, always let me remember this" times. The years fly by way too fast.

Christmas 2010 Memories

The holiday recount...

Christmas Eve! By this time, the kids were still incredibly excited for the holidays! They had their daycare party the day prior and of course, I was talking up the next few days to them to help build excitement! So, this morning, the Kellogg's came over for a home style breakfast of french toast, breakfast sausage, and yummy chocolate croissants for the Mama's! This was a special treat for the kiddo's itself, but then throw in the holiday crafts, the outside time, and the Christmas anticipate and they were bouncing off the walls. The kids made holiday reindeer crafts out of their little hands and feet (I totally stole this idea from friend Molly. LOVED it when I saw it on her blog!) colored holiday pages that Kristen printed out for them, and played/danced/sang.

Then - time to release some of that energy and get them outside!! So, we bundled up 4 little kids (and pregnant with twins sister - haha!) and got them outside. It was a beautiful day to be out and the kids had fun tubing down the hill. Unfortunately my little guy isn't so good at trudging through the heavy snow we have now. Sometimes he needs a little boost up the hill. They all enjoyed tubing and playing in the little tunnel that Tim dug out for them. See the new blog header for the pics of that! Then - the snowboard came out! Emma is bound and determined to learn how to snowboard, so we have a little kid one that they could stand on and try. After some practice all the kids made it down the hill! Well, all but Evan. He did slide down on his little butt a little bit. After that, I was motivated to get my snowboard out a bit too and take it down the hill! So fun - I miss it! So, I think I am going to sign Emma up for snowboarding lessons so I can get out on the hill also!

(getting ready to go outside. I do have a nice picture of Kristen getting bundled up, but she glared at me when I took and threatened me not to post it!)

Happy kids outside.

After our adventures outside, we made a Mexican Fiesta feast, got the kiddos down for nap and relaxed a bit. It was nice for a short time as when they woke up - more Christmas party!! The kids and I went over to the Kellogg's house and the kids opened up the presents they bought for each other. Evan loved it, but didn't understand why he couldn't open up all the presents. He definitely LOVED the Cars sets he received and Emma enjoyed her Littlest Pet Shop play set. Then, back to our house where other family came over and a fancy meal of steak/potatoes/pecan pie/wine was enjoyed!!

(I love this picture as it shows how happy Evan was to be in the picture!)

But, of course, all smiles playing with his Cars pit crew set. I love how he lines up the spare tires next to the ones on the car. Then, he takes a little pit car and "puts" them on.

And Emma with her littlest pet shop stuff.

Then, the kids put on Christmas jams, laid out Christmas cookies, milk, carrots, and celery for Santa and reindeer. All night, we had been tracking Santa on the Santa reindeer and they were excited to see that he was getting closer! They luckily went to bed well and slept well too!

Evan was the first awake at 6:30 am. He easily came into our bed to enjoy some Handy Manny on TV and to await his sister's excited footsteps. She burst into the room at 7am and wanted to head downstairs right away! "Santa camed!!" He really camed!" I rushed down first to get there with my video camera! As previously mentioned, they immediately saw the presents that were unwrapped and tore into their "own special" wrapping paper. In the end, the big presents for Emma were her precious Baby Alive (who she just decided tonight to call Kate) a little kids camera, and dress up clothes. Evan loves his Cars trike, his Thomas the Train set, and all the Cars toys he received. all the excitement was infectious and carried through the day as we ate Monkey Bread, opened and played with toys, and got the kids down for an early nap to get them ready for their next Christmas party!

Evan's trike loaded up with Cars in the little trunk.

Emma and Baby Alive. She loves this doll - even when it "peed" on her.

After the Santa adventure was the Heuer Christmas in Hudson where we dined on prime rib and opened more presents. Emma loved the pillow pet and Evan, once again, enjoyed more Cars and trucks! Seriously, that kid is such a boy!! He instantly starts pushing them around and crashing them into things.

After the Heuer Christmas was the Brunner Christmas at my parents. So much excitement and good food! We got there Saturday night and were able to relax a bit there before more family and more presents. Emma was pretty distraught when she got there as Santa did not leave any presents under the tree! Unfortunately Santa was too busy and couldn't do all of his stops in one night for some reason, so Emma was excited to wake up on Sunday morning to see that Santa came again!! Ahh - the innocence of a 4 year old - gotta love it! Before more family came, Evan enjoyed an early nap and Dad, Tim, Emma and I went snowmobiling! It was nice to be out on the trails and enjoy all the snow!

A shot of the grandkids.

Then - more presents! Again! Yup, my kids loving endured 4 days of Christmas and presents. This, duh!, lead to my previous post "All Christmas's Out!" Christmas was fabulous! The whole time was great and full of wonderful memories, which, I don't think were captured so well here unfortunately. The kid's energy was infectious and I know I have to treasure the few years of the wide-eyed innocence that Christmas holds for children. I just sent in Emma's kindergarten enrollment form and I know that once she gets in school, things will change. She is already wise behind her years (sigh) and I know school will only make it worse :-) Evan lovingly does everything his big sister does and it makes this even more fun. They love each other so much!

Thankfully New Years Eve was a 5 day event with just Tim, Emma, Evan, and myself at the cabin. We got to relax and enjoy each other. We played with new toys, watched new movies, at great food again, and went ice fishing. Hopefully, more on that later.

First - Evan's new favorite phrase "Hey Look Guys!" Or "Wait guys!" or anything with "guys". Hilarious.

Last - I got an A- in my last class!! YEA! Definitely cause for celebration.