Epling5

Running

2011-06-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

Last year I ran my first half-marathon. It was a humid day and my performance was less than stellar. I was pretty disappointed and knew I had to prove to myself that I could do better.

Fast forward to this year....

Nate and I signed up to run the Indy mini and a nearby 5K. We trained all spring through some VERY high winds and chilly weather. Then about 2 weeks before the race Nate hurt his knee playing basketball and was unable to run either race.

The first race was the 5K. I had run a 5K in November with my sister, and our time was 30:38. I was pretty sure I could cut off a few minutes from that time. I finished in 25:16. Unfortunately, my cheering section (Nate, Noelle, and Eli) missed me crossing the finish line. :(

Nate, Noelle and Eli with their picnic dinner before the race.

always fun to "run" with my best friend from highschool, although she was 5 min ahead of me:)

The next weekend was the Indy mini. I had no idea what to expect. I certainly hadn't planned on 35,000 runners. It was amazing. I was shoulder to shoulder with people through-out the entire race! It was a chilly/rainy day, and after my race the year before I was so thankful for the cool air. I had a great run and finished with a PR of 2:00. I was thrilled. 2:00 had been my goal the year before. Can't wait for next year, when my time should put me in a corral closer to the front!

I did it 2:00:26

Alysha, my sister (ran 5K by herself and did awesome), me and Mrs. Bartosh

Chicago ~ Noelle's Lunch at the American Girl Cafe

2011-03-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

Noelle and Kit

We are on Spring Break this week, so we decided to take a few days and go up to Chicago. We went last year and had a great time at Legoland (for Colby's b-day). This year we decided to do something special for Noelle. Tuesday, we took the train in to Downtown Chicago. It was a chilly, rainy day. Thankfully, it never poured, only drizzled and we were able to stay pretty dry.

On the train

Last year we were just investigating the city. Neither Nate nor I had ever been there before, and we ended up walking all the way from Union Station to Michigan Ave (or the Magnificent Mile) where all the shops are. It was a long, hot walk with 3 small children (only 1 in a stroller), and we did not really want to do that again in the rain. Instead we got a cab, held on tightly, and sped away to the American Girl Store . . . .

. . . where we surprised Noelle with a special lunch at the American Girl Cafe.

Giving Kit a quick drink

We started off with Cinnamon Buns

then our appetizer

Noelle picked the American Girl picnic lunch. Quite a lot of food for her, but we saved some for her brothers.

fruit kabob

The yummy dessert

All finished with our delicious lunch!

Daddy took the boys a few blocks away to the Lego store where they happily played with legos, before heading to Mc Donalds for their lunch.

Kindergarten Circus

2011-03-18T20:40:00.000-07:00

Quick dinner from the concession stand before getting dressed for the circus

Every year our school puts on a Kindergarten Circus. The children prepare for months for the circus. Some of them are already planning what they want to be as they come into Kindergarten in the fall, but they don't get to sign-up until after Christmas. It is a HUGE deal, and they do so well!

Nick lion, Annika cowgirl, Noelle ballerina, Emilee monkey, Cameron elephant, Noah leopard

Anna rabbit, Noelle, Lillie dog

The beautiful ballerinas

Last year all the girls wanted to be ballerinas. I figured with 10 girls this year, they would probably run into the same problem. I tried to persuade Noelle to sign-up for an animal, but she really wanted to be a ballerina. Amazingly, she was the only girl to request it. Most of the other girls wanted to be animals.

The Ballerinas' Part

Waving her baton

on the balance beam

forward rolls

bowing to the audience

Now we had to come up with a costume...... My sister was a ballerina 22 years ago, and my mom still had her costume. Unfortunately, the bodysuit was much too big. We tried some other things, and nothing seemed to be working. I remembered the ballerina from Colby's circus had worn a beautiful outfit from a dance recital, so I asked her mother if we could borrow it. She let us look at 2 and pick the one we liked the best! They even had the ballet slippers. What a blessing!!!!!! I must say (I'm not biased or anything), Noelle looked BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Each performer had his own part, but there were some parts everyone got to participate.

attempting the hula hoop...

... still trying

much better with the jump rope

"Circus friends, Let's Dribble"

Mommy was the piano player. Here we are together after a job WELL DONE!!!!

We were so thankful Nate's parents were able to come for the circus. They have so many responsiblities where they are, and it is hard for them to get away. They were able to come for my Grandpa Crist's funeral Monday and then stay for the circus on Tuesday night. We loved having them here!!!!!!!

Grandma and Papaw with Noelle

The Eplings

All the family together!

Happy Birthday, Noelle!

2011-01-16T20:14:00.000-08:00

Noelle turned 6 this year. My baby girl is not a baby anymore. This is the year, we have a big party. Her birthday is so close to Christmas/New Year's that I decided to wait until the next weekend for the big birthday bash. We decided to just have a family night on her birthday. We all enjoyed it.

making cupcakes for school
Daddy came to be with Noelle at lunch

Daddy and his girl

After school and Daddy's basketball practice, we headed over to a larger town in our area. We ate at one of our favorite places, Texas Roadhouse. At the end of our meal, the waitress brought out a saddle and had her sit on it. She announced very loudly to the guests that Noelle was celebrating her 6th birthday, and on the count of 3 to give her a Texas "yee-haw". I must say I was surprised Noelle actually sat on the saddle for the entire thing. Must've been that bowl of ice cream they gave her. Usually she is too nervous to do anything like that.

sitting on the saddle while everyone said "YEE-HAW"

opening her presents

After a YUMMY meal, we were off to a surprise destination. We hadn't told the kids where we were going, so they kept trying to guess. We ended up at the University in town and watched the Harlem Globetrotters. The kids enjoyed the funny show, especially the ref putting players in the penalty box. What a fun evening.

Outside waiting to pick up our tickets. It was really cold and snowy.

"Y-M-C-A"

Happy Birthday, Noelle!

New Year's Eve

2011-01-16T19:52:00.000-08:00

We got to spend New Year's Eve with our good friends Jesse and Olivia. We don't get to see them very often, so we are always thrilled to get to spend time with them and their 2 girls (soon to be 3).

Olivia and I took the kids to a place with lots of inflatables. I think it was called Jumping Jungle (or something like that). They had tons of fun getting out all their energy. They jumped, slid, climbed and a had a blast.

ready to race

Noelle flying down the slide

best buddies

Later that night, we headed out to Demos' an Italian place for our New Year's Eve meal.

Happy New Year!

Music City Bowl

2011-01-16T19:32:00.000-08:00

on the bridge headed to the stadium

Nate is a HUGE Tennessee Volunteer fan. This year Tennessee played in the Music City Bowl in Nashville. Nate is from around there and still has friends living in the area, so we decided to take a quick trip down for the game.

Zooming in on the Tennessee quarterback

Tennessee marching band (I love watching marching bands)

"Rocky Top"

We had a great time watching Tennessee. Toward the end of the game Tennessee got the lead, with only about 2 minutes left to play. North Carolina came down the field, and let time run out before they kicked the field goal. The entire stadium erupted with the win! I must say it was pretty exciting. The referee came out on the field and announced LOUDLY "The game is OVER!"

Celebrating an exciting win, until the call changed...obviously NO PICTURES after that!

Not so exciting when only a minute later he is saying something about NC spiking the ball, and they would place 1 sec back on the clock and let them kick. Of course, NC made the field goal and the game went to OT.

Tennessee stayed with them in the first OT, but then lost after throwing an interception in the 2nd OT. Totally heartbreaking, especially for one HUGE fan!

SNOW!

2011-01-15T21:41:00.000-08:00

The Sunday after Christmas found us celebrating at Nana's house. After opening packages, I got the kids dressed in their millions of layers, and we were off to play outside. Nate couldn't be there and Papa was busy, so we found our own makeshift sledding. Nana's house is in the middle of flat cornfields (i.e. no hills to sled down). We found a snow mountain Papa had made from shoveling the driveway and had fun sliding the sled down that. Only bad thing was the sled was about as long as the snow "mountain". The kids didn't seem to mind!

pausing for a quick picture with Mommy

fun on the snow "mountain" midwestern style

Christmas

2011-01-15T21:13:00.000-08:00

Christmas tree ~ Christmas Eve

Waking up to more beautiful snow!

We were excited to wake up Christmas morning to beautiful snow outside. Daddy read the Christmas story out of the Bible. Eli was more concerned about the presents. Every time Daddy took a break he piped in with "Is it time to open presents yet?" We've got some work to do on that. I was excited to get a breadmaker. We've already been trying out different things. One of my favorites is the pizza dough. It makes yummy pizzas! Colby got the police headquarter's he'd wanted for the last year, Noelle got a Christmas outfit for Kit, and Eli got his beloved Buzz Lightyear. Nate got a GPS (finally, we don't have to borrow one when we go on trips).

Always open the stockings first

new big kid books

Colby with his Police headquarters ~ he's wanted this since last Christmas and been saving up his money

Noelle with Kit's Christmas outfit

Nate with his Tennessee blanket

Buzz and Jessie

We had planned to have Christmas at my mom's, but my sister and her husband couldn't come until the following day. We decided to have my parents and other sister over for Christmas dinner. We had Baked Steak, one of Nate's favorite childhood meals, mashed potatoes, beans, fruit salad, rolls, and cake for dessert. It was delicious. It makes me hungry just thinking about it.

Christmas dinner

Nana and Papa have lots of helpers to unwrap presents.

new CATS for both boys from Papa. He just bought a real one for his shop. They can't wait to take a ride.

new sheets from Aunt Lois ~ princess for Noelle, Toy Story for Eli, and Cars for Colby

After everyone left, we were off to see GG, and then to get ready for church the next day. We were excited to spend Sunday afternoon with Aunt Sarah and Uncle Teddy and Mr Joel (Aunt Lois' boyfried) at Nana's house.

Christmas Eve

2011-01-15T20:44:00.000-08:00

For the last few years, we have gone to a nearby church for their Christmas Eve service. This year my grandpa is in a nursing home about 20 min. away. We decided to have Christmas Eve dinner out ~ Steak-N-Shake (when we first moved here, Nate didn't like going. Somewhere along the line, he's grown to like it too.) then make a trip to visit Grandpa before heading to the Christmas Eve service.

At the nursing home, ready to go in.

It was snowing out, and the kids were excited to see "GG". At the nursing home, they sang Christmas songs and recited some of the poems they did for the school Christmas program. While they were singing, we could see shadows shuffling around outside the closed door. When we finally opened it, we found people who had heard the kids singing and wanted to listen some more. It was a special way to spend Christmas Eve, especially since it now looks like that was the last one he will have on this earth. Next year he will probably be in heaven. The doctors have told him going to the hospital will not improve him anymore. Now we just have to wait. I am praying he will not have to suffer much longer.

singing for GG

Christmas Eve 2010

After we left, we hurried (well not really hurried, because the roads were pretty bad) off to church. We got to the church only to read on the sign that their service started at 6pm (it was a few minutes after 7). Oops!!! We were disappointed, but we headed home on a worse road yet to open our Christmas Eve present, eat some popcorn, and watch a Christmas movie.

attempting to do a self-portrait. The best one, even though we look a little crazy. I guess it's pretty true-to-life!

Our traditional Christmas Eve present...

new pajamas.

I am so thankful we had that special time with GG! Please pray for him and our family in the next few weeks.

Mrs. Claus

2010-12-26T19:58:00.000-08:00

Each year our library (the best library ever ~ I'm not biased or anything) has Mrs. Claus come for a visit. The kids get to write their list for Santa and give it to Mrs. Claus. She makes sure and gives it to Santa and a few days later, they receive a reply in the mail from Santa himself. My kids don't believe in Santa, but it is still fun to pretend. They also get to do Christmas crafts and have a Christmas snack. Mrs. Claus reads a few Christmas stories and reminds the children of why we celebrate Christmas ~ Jesus Birthday. They love going, and I love to take them. This year was Colby's last year to go. He will be too old next year, maybe they can put him to work helping out:)

Eli getting a little help writing his list to Santa

Eli with Mrs. Claus

Noelle with Mrs. Claus

Colby with Mrs. Claus for the last time (is he really that big already?)

listening to the story

playing with playdough

and everyone's favorite part ~ decorating cookies (the part where the mother's cringe as they watch their child pile on icing-candy-sprinkles and then promise their child will not be eating sweets for the rest of the season). I seriously doubt most of those kids could get anything else on their cookies. Every inch is covered, and they love every minute!

Snowman that would not break

2010-12-26T19:35:00.000-08:00

The first week of December we had a pretty big snow. The weatherman had predicted 1-3 inches, but when all was said and done we got about 6in. Very exciting for 3 little children in our house. We went to see Mrs. Claus Saturday morning (more about that in another post) and then we were home to play in the snow. The snow was perfect for building snowmen. I started a ball and let Noelle roll it around our yard. Colby started his own ball and rolled it until it was pretty big, so big in fact I had to break some of it off to lift it into the middle of the snowman. I rolled the bottom. Our front yard is not flat, so it made the rolling a big more exhausting. They did a great job, and after some heavy lifting we had our snowman.

Noelle rolling the snowman's head

Colby rolling the snowman's middle

all done and waving "hi" to Grandma

Mommy with the snowman

After the snow the temperatures dropped into the single digits, so we didn't have to worry about the snowman melting. I guess I must not have gotten a good base, because by day 3 this is how our snowman looked. He didn't break apart, just started leaning forward. Every day as we drove home we tried to guess whether he had fallen or not.

By day 5, our snowman was almost to the ground, but still in one piece. We went away for the weekend, and when we came back he was on the ground. Still in 1 piece, and he is there now. Still not melted away, but under the fresh snow we got this past week.

almost parallel to the ground, but still in 1 piece

"All I want for Christmas is my 2 Front Teeth"

2010-11-30T19:53:00.000-08:00

Colby lost 2 teeth right at the end of Kindergarten and until about 3 weeks ago he had not lost another. That makes a year and a half of watching his sister begin to lose teeth, and falling behind in the count!

Then 3 weeks ago he lost his a tooth on the bottom. He was so excited, though somewhat upstaged by his sister who had an abscessed tooth that had to be pulled (giving her more tooth fairy money~ due to the trama).

In the weeks since he has now lost his 2 front teeth. The night of Eli's birthday he decided he wanted Daddy to pull out his tooth. It was hanging by a thread. They finally got the floss around the tooth, but it kept coming off when they would pull. Insert Mommy, who just stuck it around and jerked until out it popped. He is now very proud of his BIG gap!

The before pictures ~ The middle tooth just hanging on my a thread

with Noelle and Daddy before they went to work

Attempts #1,2,....

Finally got the floss around the tooth, now to pull, and Oh No, it's off again

But never fear, we got it out and now we have one VERY happy boy, with a big boy smile!

Happy Birthday, Eli!

2010-11-30T19:24:00.000-08:00

My little boy turned 4 Sunday. Can that be possible? He was just a little baby when we moved here, and Colby was 4.

The birthday boy ~ Then.......

....and NOW!

I love the fact that his birthday follows Thanksgiving. We are able to have his party during the Thanksgiving break. It usually also marks the day we get our Christmas decorations out.

This year, we let Eli get a real store cake. I have attempted (with mixed success) to make his other cakes, certainly no great masterpieces! He chose a Toy Story cake. No big surprise there, since he loves Buzz Lightyear. I think this is the first movie character he's really liked. He didn't understand that we had to wait for the cake after we ordered it. I think he asked several times in the days following for his cake. He was so excited to get to pick it up, but not so excited that he had to wait till dinner time! After a yummy chili dinner, it was finally CAKE TIME!

The Toy Story cake

"Finally, I get my cake!!!"

Now to open presents

New Woody and Buzz jacket

Our family after the party with our Christmas tree

The Search for the Perfect Christmas Card!

2010-11-29T19:36:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas card time again. I stopped writing out Christmas cards about the time Noelle was born, and I think my children's homemade Christmas cards would be comparable to anything I attempted to make. I just get a cute picture of the kids and go out and have the cards made.

This year as I began the search for the "perfect card". I read a post on my friend Devin's blog about a great offer from Shutterfly, an online photo company. 50 free Holiday Cards for bloggers. There are so many options and beautiful layouts, but after looking them over, I have picked my two favorites.

Flat Stationery Option (and less expensive)

The Christmas Photo Card

This card had a place for my big family picture on the front, and then the smaller individual pictures on the inside.

I love the layout of the multiple pictures. I think I will actually get a shot of the whole family on our cards this year. I'll also be able to add some beautiful pictures of the kids in my sister's wedding, and maybe one of Nate and I from our trip to New York. I can't wait. Thanks, Shutterfly, for the amazing offer.

If you are looking for more Christmas gifts, Shutterfly also offers great photo calendars. This year they have a new product a Desk Calendar. I would love to have one of these to put on my desk at school. Maybe I should add it to my Christmas list!

2010-10-25T09:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm home today with a sick kiddo. I realized I never posted about our first camping trip. It was an adventure! Nate has been wanting to camp for a while. He had a few camping things that used to belong to his grandpa. We bought a tent, and we were ready to go.

Our tent all set up

Eli trying out his new chair

We went a couple weeks before school started. Our friends had gone camping on Lake Michigan at a place called Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. They'd stayed in the State Park, but I guess you have to call and get reservations pretty far in advance. They were booked, so we stayed at the National Park camping site. It was a beautiful place to stay. We picked out our site and started putting up our tent ~ only to have 1 million mosquitos attack us. They were pretty pesky! We went through an entire family sized bug spray in only 2 days. Our poor kids looked terrible.

We explored for a while then cooked up dinner over the fire! Yummy, it was good. It's been a couple months so I can't remember exactly what we had, but all the food turned out great!:) We had marshmallows and smores for the kids to eat. We usually are pretty careful about how much sugar they eat, but we figured they'd worked it off during the day.

Then it was time for bed! Nate and I got the air mattress and the kids were in sleeping beds on the floor of the tent. We were almost asleep when we heard the unmistakeable sound of a child getting sick! Poor Colby, he was sick all night. Mommy didn't get much rest either! Thankfully he only got it on 1 blanket and didn't get his sister who was sleeping right beside him.

The next morning, he was a little weak, but otherwise he was ready to go! We headed off to Mount Baldy. It's a huge dune that has been moving inland a little every year. The boys were dressed to swim, but Noelle and I had our suits to change into. It was quite the climb up to the top of Mt. Baldy. By the time we climbed, we were ready for a swim. We decided to walk back and change. As we started back on the trail (through the woods), Eli started to cry. I looked at him, and his whole back was black (covered by mosquitos). We decided to head to the State Park's beach instead of brave the mosquitos again!

Ready to take the trail up to Mt. Baldy

Mt. Baldy

Colby and Noelle down by the water

Colby and Daddy heading back up the dune

The kids had a wonderful time at the beach. The waves were a little rough for Noelle and Eli, so they played in all the sand. Colby loved jumping and diving in the waves!

Playing at the beach

cooking hotdogs and baked beans

On the beach in our sweatshirts and jeans (hoping to keep the mosquitos off)

Finally it was back to the tent for a much more peaceful night. We had a fun time, but maybe next time the mosquitos will stay away!

SURPRISE!!!!!

2010-10-09T18:05:00.000-07:00

This week in my mailbox I found the newest book from my favorite author, Karen Kingsbury.

My husband had ordered it for me, and I never figured it out! I'd seen on Karen's fan page that you could pre-order the book and get an extra chapter. I'd thought about it, but decided I'd just wait and read it at the library. I was thrilled to find it in the mailbox. It made for a GREAT day! Thanks, Nate:)

Please Pray!

2010-10-09T17:43:00.000-07:00

Please pray for my grandpa. He fell around Labor Day, and since then has been in a nursing home for therapy hoping to come home. Wednesday he was reaching for something and fell very hard. He broke his nose and put a gash over his eye as well as puncturing an artery on the side of his head. He was in the hospital, but he is now back at the nursing home. It is hard to watch him suffering so much.

"B" Day

2010-09-28T18:20:00.001-07:00

Today, Noelle's kindergarten class had "B" Day. They were to wear as many items starting with "B" as they could. She's pretty competitive, so we went to work last night looking for "B" things. I will say, it is much easier to find things for girls than boys. We certainly didn't go for fashion. When she got ready this morning, she was ready to take most of the stuff off, because it made her look crazy. I finally convinced her to keep it on, telling her she could take it off after her teacher had counted the "B" things.

not too excited about taking off her hat, because the sun was right in her eyes

Here's her "B" things

Blue dress with lots of Buttons sewn on it
Black sweatshirt
Bandana
Brown leggings
Boots (she wasn't too sure about snow boots in September)
Brown Belt
Bracelet with Bells
Beads
Brooch
Butterfly earrings with Backs
she had a Braid in her hair
Blue Balls on her ponytail holder
Black and Blue Barretts
Barretts with Bells
Bobby pins
Bug Barretts
Braves Baseball cap

In the end she had about 30 "B" things. She came in 3rd and still got to pick a prize from the treasure box.

First Day of School

2010-09-23T19:00:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd finally get around to posting pictures from the Open House, the night before school started, and the first day of school.

Noelle at her desk just about buried under her school supplies.

Our kids are so excited about school this year. Eli is even in on the fun. He goes to preschool 3 days a week.

all ready to go.

Colby ~ 2nd

Noelle ~ Kindergarten

Her class has 16 children. It is the largest Kindergarten class our school has had for a while. Her Kindergarten circus should be fun to watch with a lot more animals!

Eli ~ K-3

This year our preschool moved to a new part of the building and split the 3 and 4 yr olds. I teach the 4yr olds and my assistant from last year teaches the 3's. Eli has 12 in his class. It is enough to keep his teacher busy!

One last picture ~ might as well get out some of our silliness

Classroom Funny

2010-09-16T20:09:00.001-07:00

I teach 4 year olds, and you just never know what will come out of their mouths. If you're a mom of children this age, you know exactly what I mean.

This morning a mom told me her son had prayed for me the night before. Another teacher and I started talking about how sweet he was and how loving. Then she told me what he prayed,

"Dear God, you know I didn't get a stamp today (they get a stamp on their hand if they don't get their name on the board). Please help Mrs Epling remember she's a sinner too, so I'll get a stamp tomorrow."

I must say, he got his stamp today:)

The "BIG" cut

2010-08-11T14:49:00.000-07:00

Before her haircut

Noelle has been begging me to let her cut her hair, so it will match Kit's (her American Girl). I have said no quite a while. I just wasn't ready to give up her long hair. Today she had a hair appointment, and I let her get it cut short.

cutting off the ponytail

I was almost in tears as the beautician, Nancy, cut off her ponytail, but Noelle couldn't wait. She kept her eyes on the mirror the entire time. Nancy knew it was rough on me, so she asked Noelle if I was upset. Noelle just smiled and said, "No, she is so excited." We saved her ponytail. The cut took off alot of her light baby hair, and now she looks darker. She couldn't wait to go to church tonight and show everyone. As we started to walk in, she got a little worried and asked "Mom, will anyone know who I am?".

All done and holding her ponytail looking like such a big girl

NYC

2010-07-18T20:27:00.001-07:00

Last week a friend asked me if I was ever going to blog again ~ so this is for you Heather:)

Father's Day weekend we met Grandma and Papaw Epling, and sent the kids with them for their church's Bible School.

Nate had to work the next 2 nights, but then we were off to NYC. We left Monday morning and were able to stay until Thursday afternoon. It was Nate's first time to visit, and I visited for 4hrs in March on my way to see my Pop-Pop in NJ. We'd both been to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, but never into the city.

The first place we visited was Ground Zero. 9/11 happened during our senior year of college. We had visited the Statue of Liberty in July 2001, and taken pictures with the towers in the background.

There is so much construction going on, but we walked around the site and were able to get up high enough too see some of what they were doing. What a massive project!

That evening we stopped in Little Italy. There were so many choices, and everything looked good. We got pizza at Lombardi Pizza. It was delicious!

Then we were off to Time Square. I loved Times Square. I think we went every night. As you come out of the Subway, it is so bright. Hard to believe it's actually nighttime. No wonder they call it the city that never sleeps!

A quick picture with NY's finest. They were just standing against the car, and people we jumping in to get pictures.

The next day after sleeping in (no kids to wake us up before 7), we were out exploring. We headed to Central Park, and once we got there we decided to bike around the park. We were able to get bikes near our hotel for $3 less than they were renting them at the main entrance to the park. They close most of the park to traffic during daytime hours, so we were able to bike without worrying about getting run over by crazy drivers. I didn't realize how hilly Central Park is. Gave us both a good workout!

Rockefeller Center

Then we were off to stand in line for discounted Broadway tickets. We ended up choosing to go to South Pacific, because the tickets were 50% off!!! YIPEE!!!! We were in the 5th row right beside the stage. Not really Nate's thing, but I loved it!

Lincoln Center ~ Ready for the Show

Intermission

The next day we were up and down 5th Ave. Wow! there are so many stores. I don't think I really bought anything, but it was fun to window shop. We checked out Saks and Macy's. I must say Macy's just overwhelmed me. It was so huge and there was so much to look at. I think I finally just had to leave, because my brain couldn't process any more. I will blame that on the fact that I didn't even like shopping until about 8 yrs ago!

Checking out the NY Library for Colby. His teacher told him about it this year, and he really wanted us to go!

Macy's

After we'd walked all over, we were back in Central Park to run. It was wonderful while we were in the tree covered areas, but really hot under the direct sun.

Last night at Times Square

Thursday, we just shopped for souvenirs and then headed to the airport. We had such a good time. I don't think I'd want to live there, but it sure was nice to visit!

Trump Tower

a few more wedding pictures

2010-05-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

The wedding photographer, a girl we knew from college, tagged me in a few pictures she'd edited. They turned out so good. Just wish I'd gotten one with Nate in it:)

nice to see Kit made it into a picture

Aunt Sarah's Wedding

2010-05-16T19:47:00.000-07:00

This was a big weekend for us. Aunt Sarah and Uncle Teddy got married. The kids were so excited.

Noelle and I were up early Saturday morning to get our hair done. This was a new experience for her, and she was thrilled. We were done a little early, so they also painted her nails. She enjoyed watching everyone else get their hair done, and then we got dressed and were off to the church.

Daddy got the boys ready and met us there. They looked so handsome in their fancy clothes. Of course, they wanted to run, pick up rocks, and roll down the hill by the church. We managed to keep them looking decent for the wedding and the reception, but by the end of the day they were a mess!!!!

We did a quick run through in our fancy clothes. Noelle was so nervous about walking down the aisle. She started crying and telling us she wanted to go home right then. Thankfully, we solved the problem by sending her with Aunt Lois.

The wedding was beautiful, and we were glad to be a part of Sarah and Teddy's special day.

Finally, our NEW couch

2010-01-30T19:52:00.000-08:00

We were very blessed to begin our married life with 2 couches given to us by my in-laws. One had a hide-away bed in it (always nice for company). When we moved, we got rid of our old living room couch and after going without for several months bought a new couch and chaise for our upstairs.

Our family room couch was still the old bed couch. It worked, and I really didn't want to have to buy another new couch. Well, Noelle got sick on it not long after we'd moved, and it just never was the same. I couldn't get it totally cleaned, and the dog found a slight tear and kept chewing out the stuffing. I tried covering it with blankets, but it was time for it to go. We didn't want to get rid of it until we had another one to take it's place, so we just kept it.

I have such a hard time finding things I like, that are comfortable, that I can afford... But I finally found a couch I loved. After thinking it over all December we ordered it and picked it up right before Nate's b-day. This is now one of my favorite spots. I used to avoid the couch, but now we fight over it. Thankfully, it is big enough for all 5 of us!!!!

with the ottoman on one side

with the ottoman on the other side

For Grandma....

2010-01-30T19:32:00.000-08:00

I've missed a ton of stuff I'd planned to blog about, but I just had to take the time to post about this. Noelle got her ears pierced today. She's been begging, since our friends' 1 yr old got her ears pierced. I told her she needed to wait until she was 5. Should've said 10, she is just growing up too fast!!!

Colby had a basketball game this morning, and we had some errands to run. I decided we'd go ahead and make a trip to mall. I told her she had to pay if she wanted them pierced, so she brought her little wallet and handed the lady the money.

She went right to the chair and sat very still, as the lady marked her ears and then pierced them. The employee told me I should stand by her, and I could hold her hands. After it was all over and we were on our way to the car, she said, "Mom, I didn't really want you holding my hands."

I think she's spent most of the afternoon/evening checking the mirror to see how her ears look. She kept asking Nate if he wanted to touch her earrings.

Eli is 3

2009-12-12T18:41:00.000-08:00

2 days after Thanksgiving, Eli turned 3! I can't believe he is 3. I think I say that every time one of my children has a birthday. It just seems like the time is flying, and I can only pray we are teaching them everything they need for life!

Chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast...

Yes, a donut too...

and spaghetti for dinner to round our our ALL-CARB Day

He had been so excited about his b-day. The only thing he wanted was a chocolate cake (well he actually wanted 2). When we would tell him his b-day was coming up, he would tell us "NO, my b-day is not coming up, it's coming down". Okay, not sure where he got that, but he was very firm about it!

That morning we had chocolate chip pancakes one of our favorites. Nate was at work and not long after we'd eaten, he called to say he'd picked up donuts. I don't usually let my kids eat that many carbs, but it was his b-day so SURE! Probably wasn't great that his b-day dinner was spaghetti either:)

Happy Birthday, Eli!

We had my parents and sisters over to celebrate his b-day. For some reason, we have a hard time finding things to get for him. Not that he doesn't love everything, but it seems we already have EVERYTHING! I look at things in the toy aisle and my mind immediately goes to "Now where will that end up." I am usually tripping over his toys, because they are all over the house. It is so much fun to play, but SO HARD to clean up! Anyway enough of my rambling, a few days before his b-day Nate found him a red tri-cycle. Now we have 2 plastic ones the other 2 have used. This one, however, was heavy duty metal, already assembled and on sale for $20. The ones not assembled and in the box were on sale for $100 (originally $179). Needless to say, he grabbed it up.

fire truck from Aunt Sarah

practicing on his bike

finishing off the night with a horsie ride from Papa

Eli was thrilled. He's a little small to work the pedals, but he loved having Sarah push him around on it. It's for 3-8, so I think it'll get plenty of use.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-12T18:23:00.000-08:00

We had Thanksgiving this year twice. Nate's parents were visiting the week before Thanksgiving, and we enjoyed a great Thanksgiving meal with them. Unfortunately, they had to go home before the actual holiday.

with my sisters and 2 of my cousins

Thanksgiving day, the kids and I headed over to my sister's house. My grandpa, my aunt and 2 of her kids (and their families) were all able to come. Nate had to work the night before and Thanksgiving night, so he was sleeping. We missed him!

my sister's

Grandpa, me, and my boys (Noelle was being cranky)

finally all of us together

Curls

2009-11-10T20:33:00.000-08:00

Noelle loves to go to "the hair-cut place" to get her hair cut. It isn't the cut or even the sucker she gets at the end, but it is the fact that she is going to get her hair curled. She loves curls. Unfortunately, we do not even own a curling iron. I think I got rid of it back when big bangs with tons of hair spray went out!:)

I recently attempted to use my flat iron to make curls. It worked pretty well, but I promised her we would get curlers.

Last weekend, we were finally well enough to get out and go shopping. We stopped at Target and picked up some hot rollers. She was so excited and couldn't wait to use them Sunday morning before church.

Putting them in was a family event. The boys were almost as excited as she was. They crowded around to watch.

I must say she didn't get her hair from me. I used to use curlers and just pray the curl would relax before I had to go anywhere. Her hair didn't hold the curl as long. Oh well, guess we'll have to invest in a lot of hairspray:)

btw ~ can you tell which picture Colby took?

2009-10-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

Colby is a thinker. You just never know what will come out of his mouth. It is often very random!

Yesterday, we were pulling out of the school parking lot when he said, "Mom, I hope you don't die before we all grow up."

Teaching her right!

2009-10-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

Today I was home with Noelle and Eli, because Noelle was sick. We (well mostly me) worked like crazy cleaning the house and finishing up laundry. While I was working in the boys room, I told Noelle to organize her closet. This is the finished result. She is learning, you can never have too many shoes!

No more curls!

2009-09-22T17:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday

today

Eli has needed his hair cut for a while now. He has curly hair, and it tends to curl all over the place. I have tried to keep Nate from buzzing his head until now. Today while I was at school, Nate gave him his first buzz. He said it was with the longest guard on, and we can still comb it. I was sad! I loved Eli's curls (messy or not). I guess according to Nate we will NOT see the curls again. :(

First day of school

2009-08-26T19:56:00.001-07:00

Everyone together before school

Colby ~ 1st grade

Today was our school's first day of school. Colby is in 1st grade this year. He was pretty excited about going. He's been trying to pack his school supplies for the last week. I think he was really looking forward to going through the lunch line to get his milk, since last year they would just put it on the table for the kindergarten. He also couldn't wait to go up to the next floor, since last year he was in the basement.

Last night we had our Open House. All he could talk about was the field trip to the zoo. I'm sure it is a LONG way off, but he can't wait to go.

He had a great day today. I am teaching preschool, so I didn't get to go up for Open House. I also didn't get to go up with him this morning. I was so busy I didn't really think that much about it until later in the afternoon. Kind of sad. He's a BIG boy now, and he was just fine going up on his own. He did really well today. We'll just have to work on remembering to not talk out.

Tonight when we went to church, he was exhausted. I had a meeting in another part of the building, so he sat with my parents. He fell asleep. I don't think I can remember a time he's ever fallen asleep in church. Poor guy! Will be nice to get to bed extra early tomorrow night.

Noelle ~ preschool

For the first time I sent a child to preschool ~Noelle. Since I'm the teacher (my first year), she gets to come to. She is so ready for it, and I guess it hasn't really bothered me. It must be that she's with me. Now next year.....I'm sure the tears will be flowing.

She did great today! I was a little worried after Open House, because she wouldn't even sit in her seat last night. Today she went right in and did just as she was supposed to (well almost, with the exception of a little tattling and bossing).

Wordless Wednesday ~ working "under the microscope" or make that 3

2009-08-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

State Fair

2009-08-17T19:16:00.001-07:00

Last weekend the kids and I went over to Aunt Sarah's new house to spend the night. She just moved into her house, so this was our first time to visit. Saturday morning we decided to head to the State Fair. The kids have never been to the State Fair, and I think I was in high school the last time I went.

We parked right by the kid's area. Good job, Sarah! They had a little kid's "farm". Each child was give and basket and then gathered wool at the sheep barn, apples from the apple trees, planted "seeds", "milked" a "cow", gathered eggs from the chickens, harvested vegetables from the garden, drove the tractor, and many other farm related chores. At the very end, they took their produce to the market and received their "money" to spend at "Walmart". In "Walmart" they were able to choose a granola bar, milk, juice, applesauce, or individual cereal box. It was so hands-on, and best of all ~ It was FREE!

Noelle gathering some corn

now feeding her corn to the cow

Colby planting his "seed"
time to pick some "apples

"driving" the tractors. Noelle had to wait to get a pink tractor

bring the food to the "market"

with their "purchases" from "Walmart"

We also stopped in the FFA area where they could play mini-golf and play on the little play areas that were set up (All also FREE).

Noelle pumping water

finally we can stop for lunch

We visited the Pioneer Village and got tastes of maple syrup (YUMMY), watched them grind grain, etc. We also stopped by exhibit buildings to see all the fair entries, saw the beautiful horses, and the sheep. The kids didn't want to see the pigs.

We ended the day with a ride on the "train" (a tractor pulling cars). Hopefully, next time we can take Daddy!

Pool Party

2009-08-17T19:03:00.000-07:00

Noelle on a kid slide

Eli

Noelle walking through the fountains

A few weeks ago, Nate's work had a pool party for it's employees and their families. We hadn't been able to go the last few years, but this year it worked out. We went to an aquatic center that was rented out just for us. We had dinner and then were able to go play in the water and on the water slides. The pool was sloped and one whole end was shallow enough for even tiny kids to walk around. Eli went on the waterslides with me and loved it. Thankfully we didn't tip like Daddy and Noelle did. Colby's favorite part was the lazy river.

I love the ages of my children. I still have to watch them carefully, but they can do so much on their own. It's so different for me, because before I've had to sit and watch while I held the baby. We will definitely be going again next year!

family picture before heading home about 10pm

Bahama Cruise

2009-08-01T19:39:00.001-07:00

I had planned to post about our cruise earlier, but we left our camera at my mom's after we got back. I will try to condense this as much as possible, because I could probably go on forever! Our trip was amazing!

We left Sunday early with the kids to drive to my SIL's house in GA. It was a long trip, but the kids were excellent. We tried to put a movie in 1/2 way, but they weren't really interested. I was surprised, but hey, as long as they behaved I really didn't care! We made it in great time. They had dinner ready for us, and then Nate and the kids all had time for a swim. I was too interested, because it wasn't really that warm. Then we roasted marshmallows and had smores *yum*!

We'd planned to get to bed early, but you know how that is. After borrowing 1/2 (okay a slight exaggeration) of my SIL's wardrobe, we called it a night. We had to get up at 4am, so we'd have plenty of time to make it to Fl before the boat left.

Monday we were up on time and snuck out of the house before the sun even thought about coming up. We made it through Atlanta with no traffic and were off to Florida. It still wasn't that warm when we finally got to Port Canaveral. I couldn't believe the line to get onto the boat. We probably waited about an hour before we finally were able to board. Then it was off to get some food, because we'd waited to eat lunch.

Setting Sail (excited, but so exhausted after 8 1/2 hrs on the road)

Within an hour of setting sail we visited the fitness area and the spa. They were having a raffle, and Nate won a free Hot Stones Massage. He gave it to me. (I'd never even had a regular massage) It felt so good, especially since my back was tight from riding in the car the last 2 days.

Dressed for dinner the first night

Tuesday we were in Coco Cay (the cruiseline's private island). We rented snorkels and snorkled around for about 2 hours. It was so fun but very tiring. I no longer felt bad about eating a bunch of food after that work-out! We got to see all kinds of fish and try to avoid the jellyfish. Thankfully, most of the jellyfish wouldn't sting, but I did get a small sting on my arm as we made our way to the beach. They served us a cookout on the island for lunch. Pretty good, except for all the seagulls waiting to take our food if we left it for a minute. One lady forgot and left her food on a table. A whole flock of birds descended and people went running. Glad I wasn't sitting near her! We spent the rest of the time relaxing on the beach. We also did a couples massage. Felt nice on our tired muscles from the snorkling. We tried to go out snorkeling towards the end of the afternoon, but the water was pretty rough. We decided to dry off and then head back to the boat.

Formal night ~ ready to go in for the Love and Marriage game show (as I look at this picture I realize it makes me look pregnant. It must be the way we're standing, because I most certainly am not~in case you were wondering!)

Back on the boat, it was formal night. Nate was thrilled. In fact, he didn't even bring a tie, but no one said anything when we went in to dinner. We also attended the Love and Marriage game show after dinner. I can't remember the last time I've laughed so hard. It was like the Newly-wed game show on TV. I think my favorite question/answer was "What is one of your husband's most embarassing habits". The lady (she'd been married 25 yr) said " biting his toenails". The announcer tried to figure out what she meant, and then she added "after he clips them". The room exploded in laughter for a good while after that. Her husband didn't get that answer right, and I think he was mortified!

Wednesday, we were docked in Nassau, Bahamas. We walked around the town for a while. I had never been anywhere like that before and wasn't used to the way the people would just beg you to look at their things and buy something. We went through the straw market and tried our hand at bargaining until I think I offended some lady by offering a price too low! I have always wanted to get my hair braided, so after walking around we found someone to braid my hair. She said it would only take 20-30 min. 1 1/2 hrs later she was finally done. I loved it though and wore it for the rest of the trip!

We went back on the boat for lunch and then decided to go over to Paradise Island and the Atlantis Resort. It took forever to get there, because the water ferry had to wait until they had as many people on the boat as they could get. The Island was beautiful and well worth the trip! We decided to go to the 2 Aquariums. While we were trying to find them, it started pouring. We were soaked by the time we finally found what we were looking for. By the time we were ready to leave, the rain had stopped, and we were able to look around with out getting drenched.

Finally in the underground aquarium, but VERY wet!

with the mega-ray

on the way back to the boat

After we got off the water taxi, a girl was handing out "free" necklaces to everyone. We took one and started to walk on. She stopped us and wanted to put them on us. Then she tells us we need to give her a donation. Nate couldn't find any $1's, so he only had a $10. He tried to get her to give him change, but she wanted it all. He took his necklace off and told me to take mine off too. She then gave him his change. He wore his necklace the rest of the trip, since he "paid" for it. Of course, once Noelle saw him she said "Boys don't wear necklaces, so you need to give it to me". It now has a new home:)

Wednesday night Nate decided to order 2 entree's. He was so excited that he had me take his picture. A girl at our table consistently ordered more than 1 of each course and was so tiny. I guess he felt he had to try to keep up!:) Of course Thur night he ordered 2 of every course. Then we had the midnight buffet. Not really hungry, but we had to check out what they were serving:)

Nate and his 2 entree's. Obviously thrilled he could eat as much as he wanted!

midnight buffet, but not very hungry

Thursday (our last day) was spent at sea. We hung around the boat, and went up to the pool to check out the men's belly-flop competion and sexy legs competition. Very interesting! I climbed the rock wall on the boat. I was pretty pathetic (especially since some little kids were flying up that wall), but I made it up there and was glad to be done with that!

Only pics we took with the sunsets. We took one right before this and then realized 2 ladies were in it. They moved as soon as we walked a little farther down, so we found someone to take another one.

dinner mates, waiter and asst. waiter. We sat at the best table. Our waiter and asst waiter always had new tricks to show us every night! We weren't sure how we'd like being assigned a table, but it was really fun.

I can't belive how quickly everything went. It just seemed so short! We had such a great time relaxing and enjoying time together without anyone yelling "Mommy, Daddy". Can't wait to go again, though it will probably be awhile:(

Who knew?

2009-07-10T20:05:00.000-07:00

Last spring, Colby's school had a little store for all the kids. They could bring money from home and buy something. I'm always a little apprehensive about sending money with a 5 yr old, because you just never know if he'll pick out junk or something useful.

I don't remember how much I gave him, but he came home with a 550 piece puzzle. Hello, who let this child buy that, he can't figure that out. Don't they know I have 3 kids, and don't have time to work on a puzzle like that! I think those thought were all going through my head, as I looked at him and said "Great job, Buddy! We'll have to work on that some time." I promptly hid it in the top of his closet the next day while he was at school.

Anyway, now to this week. Last weekend we were all down with colds (except Colby who had been the first to feel bad). Sunday we stayed home from church, because Noelle and Eli still felt terrible. Colby somehow found that puzzle in the top of his closet. Not sure how he got up there, but I don't think I even want to know. He brought it out and asked to work on it. I have been trying to work on saying yes more than I usually do, but this time he brought it to Daddy (who had just gotten home from work). Nate took one look and said "I think that would be a great thing for you and mom to do while I'm sleeping." Thanks a lot, Nate!

We cleared off the kitchen table and got to work turning all the little pieces over. I don't know why we picked the kitchen table, because I was sure that thing was going to take us FOREVER to finish. I put together the frame and then we started working on the inside. I was so surprised. He did so well finding the pieces that matched and putting little parts together. I think we started around 10, and we worked right up till 12:30. We had 1/2 the puzzle done. I worked on the sky while he was resting, but after rest we went right back to work and finished the rest of the puzzle.

Puzzles are now one of his favorite things to do. We were in K-mart the other day, and we stopped to look at the puzzles. Not much of a selection, but in the end he had some money and ended up buying another 500 piece puzzle. We just finished it yesterday. Now I just need to go find some more cheap ones, and hope I keep them out of Eli's way.

I must say in the end I was really convicted about my attitude. We had such a great time working together, and it made a "sick day" much better than I ever could've imagined!

Camp Assurance

2009-07-06T09:47:00.001-07:00

Last week I took the kids to Camp Assurance (or as Noelle likes to say "Camp Insurance). They love to go, and they've been talking about it forever (probably since we got home last year). This year Nate was able to come the first day. Wednesday morning it was rainy, but the sun came out in the afternoon. We were able to ride horses, do Zippy, and their favorite play in the giant sand box (i.e. the v-ball court).

Colby and Daddy ready to ride

Mommy and Noelle ready to ride horses

walking up the big hill

Thursday and Friday, Nate had to work, so we were on our own. I decided that this year we would spend the night at Camp. They did a great job. I brought a night light, and they went right to sleep.

Colby rode Zippy on Thursday. Aunt Lois was at the top, so he decided he wanted to go. He had to climb up a ladder and then after she connected him to the cable he leaned off the platform and went flying down the hill. I went with him. I wasn't sure if he'd actually go, because he is a pretty cautious kid. When it was time though, he leaned right off (with his eyes closed) though. He did have a panicked look as he went down! Unfortunately, I didn't realize he was going to go and didn't bring my camera.

didn't get a pic of Colby, but here's one of me on Zippy a few years ago. Pretty high especially when you're little

Eli ~ always happy with a ball!

Potty-Training

2009-06-27T19:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, we have begun the "adventure" with our final child. I have learned that every child is different (I'm sure you already knew that, if you have more than 1 child).

One Question ~ Why can't I find plastic pants anywhere? I found the training pants, but it is hard for me to let Eli run around the house in just underwear. MESSY!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, back to the post. I recently saw on a friend's status that she gave her son M&M's, and he really liked them. I'd been doing Smarties (which I did with the other 2) with mixed results. Nate had bought some peanut M&M's, so I decided to give it a try.

Wow! What a change. The child was in the bathroom every 2 sec (you think I'm joking, but I'm not). As soon as the M&M was gone, he was ready to go again. The crazy thing was that he actually still had more to go. I think he was conserving:) He did great after naptime, so I put a pull-up on him and headed to the library. I mean there couldn't be anything left in him, right?

Not 5 min after we got there he came up to me and said "I stink"! Thanks a lot, Eli! I think it is just the library, because this happens most of the times we go.

Today, I let him run around in just underwear outside most of the afternoon. We only had 1 accident Woo Hoo for Eli! Now if he'll just get to where he can tell me before he Stinks!

I must say that giving him M&M's has proved slightly educational. He now knows all his colors (as long as they're on M&M's). He will tell me as he sits to potty what color he thinks he's going to get.

My little Entrepreneur

2009-06-27T19:27:00.000-07:00

The other day Colby decided to start his own business. He found a piece of paper and wrote "Bike Wash, Colby's plan" (and then some stuff I didn't quite understand, think it had to do with how much he was charging and what times). I looked down the stairs to find him taping it to the front door (it's still there, just couldn't bear to take it down).

He let Noelle be part of his business too, as his helper. They were so excited, and they begged to be able to go out and start washing bikes. It was so hot, that I made them wait until the late afternoon. After rest, we got our supplies and went out to wash bikes (well just their own).

They had a blast! They worked so diligently to get every speck of dirt or mud off, and they even washed Eli's police car for him.

It was so fun to watch them.

Vacation ~ Part 3

2009-06-11T19:27:00.001-07:00

Finally, the last part of our vacation. Saturday morning, we left Gatlinburg and headed for Charlotte. I was SOOOOO excited about this part of our trip, because I would be able to see friends I hadn't seen in over 2 years. We ended up staying in a motel not far from where we used to live. Definitely glad to be away from all that traffic. It was terrible even on a Saturday afternoon. Also the heat.....I think it was 96 the 2 days we were there. The kids were not really tolerant of it at all. Their faces were so red and sweaty most of the time.

We went swimming at the motel shortly after we got there, and we found out that Eli LOVES the water. Very surprising, since the other 2 aren't that crazy about it. He would stand on the edge and just throw himself in. Kind of dangerous considering he didn't always want to wait for an adult to catch him. He then would kick he legs and laugh as he "swam" through the water. Very cute!

Eli loved jumping in the water

Eating at Captain Steve's near Charlotte

Stephenie, the girl who was there when Colby was born, called and Colby and I went over after dinner. I was hoping he would spend the night, but I left it up to him. He told them "I haven't made my decision yet". He had a great time playing with his buddy Titus for about an hour, but then decided he'd rather just come to the motel. I don't think he really remembered much, but he had a fun time anyway.

Colby and Titus

Colby and Noelle with the Campbell kids (minus Silas). They used to go to their house every week while I taught piano.

Sunday was church. It was so good to be back and see so many familiar faces. I must say there were quite a few I didn't know. After church we headed over to another friend's for a cookout. The kids played and ran around, while the rest of us just chatted. It was so much fun. I loved seeing them all again.

with Lillee and Emma at the cookout

Stephenie, me, Jacquie, and Amie

with Lillee and Emma

We decided to leave from Amie's and start heading home. It was a 12 hr drive, and we didn't really want to do it all in 1 day. I think we made it almost to Knoxville before we stopped at our hotel. We went swimming and then had pizza.

Monday we made it home about dinner time. We had such a great trip, but it was nice to be in our own beds!

Mom, please get this sun out of my eyes!

oh the fun of riding in the back of a car for 10 hr:)

Vacation ~ Part 2

2009-06-06T18:17:00.001-07:00

I have been getting ready for a rummage sale all week, so I haven't done much with the blog. Guess it's time to get on with posting about vacation.

Part 2 of our vacation was going to Gatlinburg. We got a cabin (it happened to be in the middle of no where) and had a great time. Aunt BB came up with her children for most of the time we were there. We had a great time spending time with them each day. Colby and Noelle each had their first sleepover! Colby went the first night with Aunt BB and of course that meant Noelle had to go the next night. They loved it, and I think they both did great (at least that's what we were told). We enjoyed having 1 less kid in the cabin:)

The first night in Gatlinburg we met up with Aunt BB at a restaurant with a carousel. Fun, Fun!!! I don't think our kids had been on one before. Colby's 2nd tooth was really loose. He let Aunt BB pull it. All she had to do was push it forward then back, and it popped right out! Sorry the pic is a little bloody!

tooth #2 is out!!!!

Yes, we were attempting to get a group shot with 2- 2yr olds. They certainly had a mind of their own!

The next day we spent at the Chimneys. It is a little picnic spot in Smokey Mt National Park. We grilled hamburgers, and the kids played. Nate had the boys down by the river, but it was too chilly to get wet. I had my sweatshirt on the entire time. After staying for most of the afternoon, we drove down to Cade's Cove (a place where there used to be a settlement, but it was bought out for the park). We drove along the path and saw a deer almost close enough to touch. Towards the end, all the cars were parked, and people were getting out. When 1 car stops, everyone has to stop. We got out and were able to see a bear with her cubs (she was pretty far from us). We also saw a really stupid guy only feet from her. He was obviously not stuck down there, because every time she moved he moved too. He was very fortunate, she didn't see him and attack!

picnic at the Chimneys
Eli helping P with his sweatshirt
Nate and the boys on a hike

That night we ate at a Japanese restaurant. It was my first time (and our kids too). Eli was right in front of the grill. He was not really excited about the cook making the big fire! Everyone else really enjoyed it, and the food was great!

The volcano

The last day with Aunt BB was spent at Ober Gatlinburg. We went there with my family several years ago. It was drizzling when we got there, and we couldn't decide what to do. Thankfully, it stopped raining, and we were able to enjoy all the fun rides. Colby really wanted to ride the arial tram up to the top of the mt. We ended up doing it right before we left. Right about that time it decided to rain. We got 1/2 way up and it started to sprinkle. I thought we could make it to the top before it poured, but I thought wrong. They made Aunt BB and P get off, but the rest of us were soaked. We made it to the top, and they sent us right back to the 1/2 way point. Because we were so wet, we were the 2nd group to get to ride down in the SUV. Glad we brought extra clothes.

Eli riding the train in the kids area

one soaked group (with the exception of 2)

We finished up the night at the Apple Barn. One of Nate's favorite places. It was so good, and so much food!!!!! Eli had so much food that in the middle of the night he was up puking!!!! Not so fun for mom, but a blessing that we had a washer and dryer available.

one last picture of all the kids together

Eli hugging P good-bye

still hugging....

oops, down he goes. This happened before, only it was Eli taking down P. Nice that he could teach his cousin something useful!

The last day we spent by ourselves. I think we shopped most of the day. Noelle got carsick on the way to the outlets, but she was fine the rest of the day.

We had such a great time in Gatlinburg. Can't wait to go back in the future!

Wonder where he got that?

2009-06-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

I meant to post this yesterday, but forgot about it.

On the way to Tennessee, the kids kept asking to watch a movie. We told them they could watch one at 3:30. I think they had to wait about 45 min. Noelle kept asking what time it was, and since Colby can tell time ~ Nate finally told her to ask him.

Anyway, Noelle asked Colby what time it was ~ 3:04, then she asked him again ~ 3:06, and again ~ so he said "It is 3:08, Noelle, now don't ask me again. I'll let you know when it is time to watch a movie!"

Nate and I were laughing so hard!

Vacation ~ Part 1

2009-06-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

We just got back today from a vacation that was about 10 days. It was so fun, but I am so glad to get the kids back on schedule. I don't think they had a scheduled nap the entire time we were gone. We were in so many different places, seeing so many different people that I decided to just blog this in parts. Too much for one post!

We left Sat afternoon and drove down to where Nate grew up (near Nashville, TN) to visit one of Nate's good friends. They had visited us last summer, so the kids were very excited to see "the new Anna and the new Emma".

The first night we were there Noelle (who was staying in the same room as Anna and Emma) wouldn't go to sleep. The girls kept talking and giggling. I think Emma finally fell asleep, but Noelle and Anna talked on. It was almost midnight, and they were still talking. Miss Olivia finally moved Anna out of the room, and Noelle fell asleep. We couldn't help wondering what a 3 and 4 yr old found to talk about till midnight. Oh, to be a fly on the wall!

Sunday morning we went to church, and we planned to go again Sunday night. Unfortunately, the kids were all so tired from their late-night party they slept until 6.

The highlight of the trip for them was when Mr. Jesse pulled out the blow-up waterslide on Memorial Day. It didn't matter that within minutes it started to pour, they were up and down that thing until they started to shiver. Eli wasn't a big fan, because it was so big and was shooting out water. I finally put him about 1/2 way up and let him slide down. He smiled, but still didn't want to try again. I just kept making him do it, and he did begin to enjoy it. He never climbed all the way up, but he loved playing in the water at the bottom.

At the top of the slide

Noelle

Eli

Colby

Dinner outside because all the kids went in the kiddie pool and what was left of the slide fully dressed!

Another friend of Nate's came over for Memorial Day, and they had a great time catching up. The skies cleared up, and we were able to spend most of the afternoon outside. It was such a fun trip. The kids are already excited about going again. They can't wait to play on that waterslide!

Britt and Nate ~ Wii boxing

Blast from the Past ~ Colby

2009-05-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

Since Colby just graduated from kindergarten it seemed fitting to go back 6 years to his birth. I love going back in my pictures each week as I look for what to post. Thanks, Devin, this is such a great idea. You all should join the fun. Check out her blog for all the "rules".

If you read my post last week you will know I was not planning to have kids for at least 5 years. About a 1 1/2 mo after we were married we learned we were going to be parents. Wow! not really expecting that. Nate was completing his training for his new job and was gone during the day. We were just getting to know people in our new church, so we didn't really have anyone around if I went into labor while Nate was gone. We got our first cell phone, so I'd be able to reach him if I needed to go to the hospital.

My parents visited the week before Colby was born. (of course we all thought I still had a month to go) I think my mom took this picture

I remember I couldn't sleep very well the night before he was born. I think I spent most of the previous night on the couch attempting to sleep. Nate had to be at work early in the morning, so when he left I went and got in bed and tried to sleep some more. At 8 I woke up with a really sharp pain in my back. I tried to figure out what it was, but I didn't think it could be the baby. I still had 3 1/2 weeks to go, and everyone knows you don't go early with your first baby. I even tried going to the bathroom, because who knew what would help. Nothing did, and I finally called the dr. I don't think they thought I was in labor. They told me to come to the office, and they'd see what was wrong. One problem ~ I'd tried to reach Nate but he wouldn't answer his cell phone. I don't remember how long I tried, but he never answered. I knew I couldn't drive myself, so I ended up calling our church to ask if someone could please take me. The youth pastor told me he'd have his wife come and drive me.

First picture of the 3 of us. I didn't even bring my bag (I hadn't even packed one yet), so we didn't have a camera. Our Pastor and his wife showed up at the hospital right about the time I had Colby and bought a disposable camera for us in the gift shop!

At the office I could hardly stand, and they wanted to ask me all these questions and get my insurance card. Finally, they just let me go to a room. I think I was running down the hall at that point. When the dr examined me I was 10 cm dialated. The hospital was right next door, so Stephenie rushed me over. At this point, the hospital was calling Nate's work to let him know our baby was coming. About an hour after getting to the hospital, Colby was born. Stephenie stayed with me the whole time(nothing like having someone you're just getting to know in the delivery room), and Nate rushed in 5 or 10 min before Colby was born. Colby was 3 1/2 weeks early, but he weighed 6 lbs 8 oz and was 19 1/2 in long. I was thankful he didn't go full term, because I could've had a monster:)

home from the hospital

I don't even think we got a picture of Stephenie holding Colby, because she had to rush home to take care of her 3 children. I was so thankful she was there for me. Who knows what would've happened if she hadn't been there! It certainly made us better friends!!!!!

this is pretty much the way Colby looked the first 3 mo of life.

not the greatest picture, but it was taken May 21, 2003 (6yrs before he graduated from kindergarten). Check yesterday's post to see how much he's changed!

Colby's Kindergarten Graduation

2009-05-21T21:04:00.000-07:00

Our graduate!

Our family before graduation

Tonight was Colby's Kindergarten Graduation. His class did a program and then changed into caps and gowns to get their diplomas. Colby was the policeman in the program. He has struggled with speaking clearly, but he did an excellent job tonight. I was surprised I didn't cry, though it was very touching to hear them sing about being special. Colby got the award for most improved. He never went to preschool, so everything was new this year. He worked so hard especially in handwriting and math. We were glad Nana, Papa, Aunt Lois, and GG were able to be at the graduation.

Walking down the aisle to start the program

The 2 policemen leading the pledge to the American flag

with Daddy and Mommy (at this point he was tired of pics and ready for cake)

with Noelle

Nana and Papa with Colby

Colby and Aunt Lois

Colby and GG

I can't believe he is now in 1st grade. There just seem to be so many milestones in the last week it has been hard to process them all.

the class with Mrs Ellermets

Awana awards

2009-05-21T20:53:00.000-07:00

Last night was our AWANA awards program. Colby and Noelle had worked really hard this year. Noelle's goal was to get on the stage and perform with her class, because she's had a hard time getting in front of people. She did a great job, and even walked up by herself to get her awards.

Noelle singing with her class

Getting her 2nd book award

Colby was very self-motivated this year. He pushed himself to finish he book, review the book, and then do the extra-credit booklet too.

Colby ready to sing

Getting his book award

We were so proud of both of them!

Colby lost a tooth

2009-05-21T20:45:00.001-07:00

If you read my blog, you know Colby has had a loose tooth for about a week. I was not ready for it to come out. I know he's growing up, but I'm trying to slow it down as much as possible. Nate has been trying to convince Colby to let him pull it. I have managed to stop it, and the tooth was still in when Grandma and Papaw came. Grandma told Colby she'd give him $2 if he'd let Papaw pull it out. Of course, $2 sounded great to Colby, so he begged to get his tooth pulled. Before bed, Nate got some floss and tried to loop it around Colby's tooth. Unfortunately, the floss got caught under the tooth. Colby started to panic, so Papaw pulled on the floss and out popped the tooth. Colby was so proud. Mommy was heart-broken. Her little boy was not so little anymore!

That night we put the tooth in a cup(some advice from the girl who drives Colby to school - better than hunting under his pillow for the tiny tooth) so the tooth fairy would come. Nate took care of the tooth fairy job. The next morning Colby came running out with his money from the tooth fairy AND THE TOOTH. He wanted to know why the tooth fairy had left his tooth, so Nate told him the tooth fairy always leaves the first tooth. I guess Nate didn't realize a tooth fairy takes the tooth and leaves the money. We'll have this down next time:)

Grandma and Papaw's visit

2009-05-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

Nate's parents came to visit us the first of this week. The kids were so excited to see them, and we all wish they could've stayed longer. The kids look forward to them coming, because they know Papaw will take them out for ice cream. When they leave they always give each child a few dollars. Eli was thrilled to get his own money. He kept running around the house saying "money" and then holding it up for everyone to see.

Eli with his money

Dumplings and Knitting Needles

2009-05-16T20:18:00.001-07:00

This morning as we were driving Noelle to gymnastics, Colby started talking about twins. We talked about it for a little while and then he asked me what 3 babies at one time are called. I knew he knew, so I turned it back around and asked him. Suddenly he said, "Oh, I remember, they're dumplings." lol

Supposedly that is what his teacher told him. I don't think he was paying very close attention to whatever they were talking about, but it was really funny.

In almost the next breath Noelle started talking about how her gymnastics teacher has her belly-button pierced. Not sure how she knows about that, but this whole belly-button thing has her fascinated. She has talked about it quite a bit.

Colby asked her "how do you do that?" Her answer "with knitting needles, of course". Where do they come up with this stuff. Needless to say, I was laughing all the way to gymnastics.

Blast from the Past ~ Wedding

2009-05-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is Friday again and time for another Blast from the Past.

This week is wedding week. We were married July 6th. We'd originally planned for Aug 3, but Nate's new job required him to start the end of July. The wedding was at my church in Illinois. Nate's dad was his best man, and he also did the Charge. His family had some close friends who were able to come and sing/play for the wedding. They did a beautiful job, and it was very special for Nate especially since the mother passed away about a year later. My sister, Sarah, was my maid of honor and my other sister, Lois, and 3 friends were bridesmaids.

I'll never forget as the photographer was taking pictures of the wedding party, someone told us we'd have a honeymoon baby. Of course, I said "no, we're not having kids for 5 years." Well if you know me, you know I ate those words VERY quickly. I ended up having 3 kids by the time I'd been married 5 years:)

with Amy and Marcie

We're married! (with my 2 sisters)

Another memorable moment was as we got ready to leave in Nate's truck. We got in and he "started" the truck, only it wouldn't start. Our lovely groomsmen had unhooked the battery. He had to go out, get under the hood, and hook it all back up. Meanwhile I was in the truck (it was July) and I was BURNING UP! Someone got a pic of the groomsmen while Nate was going through all the mess, and they were just standing back laughing. Thanks a lot guys!

This year we will celebrate 7 years. We have certainly packed a lot into those years. I know I have certainly had a lot of growing up to do, and I'm not close to being finished! Thanks for putting up with me, Nate! I love you!

Will I ever be able to schedule pictures?

2009-05-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

Obviously not bothered about his scratch, but ready to find another adventure!

This child is an accident waiting to happen. Nate and I (along with a few others) have discussed this, and there are really very few thing this child is afraid of. Not a good thing, because he is always climbing, jumping, running, etc.

Who could I be talking about???? Probably the child who has already split his nose, fallen down the stairs several times, fallen off of almost every piece of furniture we have, and taken a ride on his gator right down our sloped driveway falling off and skinning up his forehead ~ ELI!

As I was working on dinner, he was sitting at the table. I guess he decided to get down, and somehow slid off his chair. The next thing I know he's crying and holding his eye. He managed to scrape it, so now he has a beautiful scratch right under his eye. If you look on his forhead you can see a lovely bruise (that is thankfully fading) from where he fell Saturday while we were looking for a plant for my mom. His legs are full of scrapes and bruises. This could be an interesting summer (make that an interesting childhood).

2 wiggly teeth

2009-05-14T19:54:00.001-07:00

if you look closely, you can see the 2 teeth in the middle of the bottom look different

Colby's friend lost a tooth over the weekend. It was of great interest to Colby, because he has not lost any teeth yet. Wednesday morning as I was brushing his teeth I decided to check and see if any were loose. We found the middle 2 teeth on the bottom were very wiggly. He was so excited, because "now I won't be the only one with all my teeth." Don't ask me where he got that, but several in his class have not lost any teeth either. We quick snapped a picture before he left for school, so we'd have one with all his teeth. You can see the 2 teeth kind of stick out. He still has them as of today. Nate was trying to get Colby to let him pull them out. I vetoed that idea, and so for now we're waiting to see how long they'll stay put. He is having a great time wiggling them with his tongue.

2009-05-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

Monday was my birthday. It was a busy weekend with Mother/Daughter banquet, b-day party for one of Colby's friends, and Mother's Day. The only thing I asked for was to be able to sleep in. Yipee, I got to sleep till 8. Nate had gotten Colby ready for school, made breakfast, and had the other 2 ready for the day. Thank you to a great husband! I quickly got ready and we headed off to the Y.

After the Y and a quick shower, we went to my favorite restaurant for lunch. Yummy! Colby was at school, but we took Eli and Noelle. Of course, as soon as Colby got home Noelle told him "Colby I'm sorry to tell you we went to the Beef House without you". That girl (as you can see she doesn't enjoy rubbing things in at all!). We promised to take him somewhere special for a graduation celebration next week.

Birthday lunch

We were finally able to buy the plants for our front yard, and we planted 1/2 of them after dinner. It looks great. Before we got the kids ready for bed we had homemade ice cream cake. It was delicious, but Nate said he won't make it again. I guess it took to long, and it was just like eating ice cream. I thought it was great, and the kids loved it too! What a great b-day. One more year and then the big 3-0!

Time for cake after planting flowers

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T19:24:00.001-07:00

Mother's Day has always been a special day to me. I was born on Mother's Day right after church. Since I was the first baby, I was my mom's first mother's day present:) Of course, once I had my children it was even more special. I am so thankful for each one, and I love them so much!

This year, they got me a card with a big SUPER MOM sticker. I wore it on my dress, and they were VERY excited. They also got me a big hanging basket for the front of the house. Thanks, guys!

This morning Colby sang in church with my sister, Sarah. Unfortunately, since I was playing the piano I didn't get a picture:(, but he did a GREAT job. Seriously, I was a little nervous (make that very nervous), but he jumped right in and sang out. I was so proud of him.

Eli, why did I wish you would talk?

2009-05-09T20:01:00.000-07:00

I just had to post this, because it was so funny. Of course, maybe you would've had to been there:) Friday is always library day. After Colby gets home from school we have a snack and then we're off to play at the library. It's not usually crowded, and it gets the kids out of the house with different stuff. They love it.

Colby and Noelle have recently "discovered" computer games, so yesterday I was trying to get both of them set up with a game. Eli was off in the kid's corner playing by himself. (The computers by the kids area weren't working, so we were across the library from him ~it's really small though). Anyway, he must have been over there messing his pants, because I heard him from across the room say "I poo-poo in the potty". In Eli language that means - it's too late. I guess he wasn't sure I heard him, because he started walking towards me saying very loudly, and unfortunately VERY clearly "I poo-pooed." Of course, the rest of the time we were there he contined to say it with a huge grin on his face, and I couldn't do a thing. We'd walked and I didn't bring a diaper bag. Thankfully, only the librarian and her son were there.

Blast from the Past Friday ~ Graduation

2009-05-08T18:35:00.000-07:00

May 4, 2002

My friend, Devin, started Blast from the Past last week, and I have enjoyed looking back through old photos and trying to decide what I would put up this week. Since most of the colleges have had their graduations this week, I decided to put up a picture of our college graduation. What an exciting day, though the weather was really chilly and rainy. I didn't realize until we got pictures that my hat was too big. It is almost in my eyes. Guess I should have looked a little closer when they handed it to me. Oh well, I got the diploma and that's what matters!

Kindergarten Recipes

2009-05-04T12:34:00.000-07:00

Last week was Parents' Day at our school, and all parents were invited to come eat lunch with their child. Nate couldn't go, so Colby and I got to share a special lunch (he got his book-it pizza and I had subway). All week he'd been telling me about a recipe book his class was making for me. I assumed it was for Mother's Day, but no one had asked us to send any recipes in. At lunch he gave he his recipe book. The recipes were submitted by each kindergartner without adult help. I just thought I share a few of my favorites.

Rice Krispie Treats (by Colby)

First you need 45 c of Rice Krispie Cereal.
Then put in 70 c of marshmallows, a stick of butter, 6 c of chocolate chips, and 3 c of sugar.
Then put in the oven for 20 min-1hr at 35 degrees.

Vanilla Cake

Get a plate and put ice cream on it and put it in the oven at 1 degree for 6 sec until it's done. Then put decorations on it
We take it to the girl or boy who has a birthday!

Macaroni and Cheese

You boil the macaroni.
Then put in this much milk, 10 cheeses, and 100 butters.
Mix it up 4 times.

Pizza

Put cheese on the pizza.
Put crust and pepperonis on it.
Put it in the oven at 2 degrees for 7 sec.
Take it out and have it for supper.

Blast from the Past Friday

2009-05-01T20:31:00.000-07:00

My friend, Devin, had a great idea ~ Blast from the Past Friday. I started this blog about 2 years ago, and so everything on my blog has happened since that time. I was trying to figure out what to put on here first and found an old picture of my husband and me right before we graduated from college. Wow, that's been 7 years ago this coming week. I am getting old.

I think we were at a special program or something of that nature. I just remember wishing to be done, so I could go home and finish up our wedding plans. Now looking back, it is hard for me to believe 7 years have passed. Hopefully, I am wiser now:) I think looking at this picture has made me realize how much of life passes as we just wish for a certain stage to be over, so we can get to the next thing (i.e to get married, have a baby, get this kid to talk, get this toddler to potty train, etc). I hope I will strive to enjoy each moment that comes, so I can see the blessings God has for me in each stage of life.

Battle of Gettysburg

2009-04-22T19:36:00.000-07:00

Every Friday after school we go to the library to get new books. While we're there, Colby will usually see a book out on for display and ask to check it out. Usually these books are too old for him but very educational. I let him check them out and then end up paraphrasing most of the words. Last Friday he picked a book on the Battle of Gettysburg. This afternoon he asked me to read it to him, and I think we actually read about 1/2 before I started paraphrasing (didn't really want to read every word about the locations of the armies on each day of the battle). :) After we finished the book I told him he could go play before dinner and church. As I put some clothes away in his room, I noticed him getting dressed-up in his construction worker costume (with a few adjustments). He told me he was getting ready to go fight and had to get his uniform on.

Ready, Aim, Fire

Wow, Noelle, can you get any lower?

As Nate and I were finishing up some stuff on dinner, I came around the corner to find everyone playing the Civil War. Even Noelle in her jean skirt and cowboy boots was really getting into it. I have no idea where she came up with her stance when firing a gun, but it was very interesting.

Colby had to have me come in, so he could show me that everyone had died

then he decided he wanted to die too

Noelle had fun playing war, but in the end she wanted to "go to a sleepover". Colby tried to convince her not to go, because there were so many people still to fight. She was not impressed, so she told him "you fight everyone yourself, and I'll go to the sleepover".

Illinois Marathon and Easter

2009-04-14T19:39:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was really busy for me. Colby was out of school Good Friday and then the Monday after Easter. Friday was our library's Easter program. They had crafts, stories, and a snack followed by the grand finale ~ the Easter egg hunt outside. The kids have been talking about this event for several weeks. The weather was pretty chilly, and it had rained the day before. We were still able to hunt outside, and they had a great time gathering their 20 eggs. Even Eli was able to do it this year. Last year he just stood by Mommy and watched everyone else run around. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera:(

Our relay team (we placed 6th out of 45 women's teams, and 61st overall out of 192 teams)

The kids stayed with my mom and dad Friday night, because I was running in a marathon Sat morning. Well, I didn't actually run the marathon alone. I ran in the relay. There were 4 people on each team. The first leg ran 6.5, 2nd leg ran 7 (this was my leg), 3rd leg ran 6, and the final leg ran 6.8. This was the first time any of us had participated in anything like this, and we had no idea what to expect. We did great. Our final time was 3:54. I ran my leg in just under an hour (well by a few sec anyway). It was a lot of fun, and we all got together at the end and ran to the finish line together. Can't wait to do it again next year and try to beat our time.

Take 1 ~ Eli please look at the camera!

Take 2 ~ Eli now looking the other way, but still not at the camera!
Talk 3 ~ Well everyone is looking at the camera, and we are all FREEZING! This will have to be good enough!

Sunday was Easter, and our church's cantata was Sunday night. I played for it this year to help out the regular choir pianist. It went fine, and I am glad to be able to clear my schedule just a little bit as we go into the end of the school year.

It is hard to believe another Easter is come and gone. I remember the first Easter we had Colby. He was only 2 weeks old. Seems like a lifetime ago. I am so glad to see them (well 2 at this point) understanding the true meaning of Easter. The last few weeks during prayer time Colby has been thanking Jesus for dying on the cross. They still love all the fun things we do around Easter time, but they know that we're celebrating Jesus rising from the dead! Without Him

Colby rides with no training wheels

2009-04-04T19:35:00.001-07:00

there he goes...
wow, he's still going

on his way back up the hill, after a little help turning around

I learned to ride my bike before I turned 6!

A couple Christmas' ago, we got Colby a bigger bike. He loves to ride it, and last fall we decided to try to take off the training wheels. It was terrible, because his legs just weren't long enough to reach the ground. Nate ended up putting the training wheels back on, and we decided to wait till spring.

Well....it's spring:) Colby has a bike rodeo coming up for Awana in May, and we told him he needed to learn to ride without the training wheels before then. Monday after a bike ride we took off the training wheels and started working on learning to balance. It was awful. It pretty much ended in tears, and we thought he'd probably be riding with training wheels till he was 10. He just couldn't figure out how to balance. He was all over the place.

Tuesday, Colby had swimming lessons and homework, so there was no time to practice. Wednesday, it rained all day. Thursday, I taught piano till 5, so Nate picked Colby up after school and took him over to my mom's where the other 2 kids had stayed all day. He decided to take Colby's bike, hoping he might be able to practice a little.

When I got to my mom's Colby begged me to help him ride his bike. I was dressed in heels, hose, and a dress (not really up to running around behind his bike). Nate told me I had to, so of course I quickly agreed. :) Okay maybe not so quickly! Anyway, I helped steady the bike while he got on and then we were off. After about a second Nate told me to let go. To my amazement he rode off down the driveway all by himself. I couldn't believe it. I don't know what happened between the attempt Monday and Thursday, but he was a totally different boy. He still doesn't do well when he tries to turn, but going straight he does great.

Great job, Colby!

Birthday Party at Kickapoo

2009-04-04T19:03:00.000-07:00

Colby with his new Bible. This is one thing he really wanted, and he can't wait to read it and take it to church tomorrow.
nerf gun (the rest of us had better duck)

one of his favorite things ~ a remote control car. Nate found it at Kohls on sale for 70% off, plus he had a $5 off coupon.

Colby with Papa, Nana, and Aunt Lois (oh yes, and the sun)

the pinata

Colby with the cake. Unfortunately, I had the table in the sun, so all you can see of the cake is the lovely green border! It really was a cute cake. The top looked like a plowed field.

opening presents

sack races ~ I was surprised at how well they all did

one exhausted and slightly sunburned boy

We had Colby's birthday party at a park today. The weather is so unpredictable in April here, so we weren't really sure how it would turn out. There are just not that many places to go around here, though. We had a lot of rain early this week, and last Sunday it snowed. Praise the Lord! It was a beautiful day. I don't think we could've gotten better weather if we'd ordered it ourselves.

Noelle had gymnastics this morning, so we took her there and then were off to gather the rest of our things and head to the park. This park does not reserve shelters, it is first come, first serve. Yikes, that could be bad news! Anyway we got there about 11 (the party wasn't till 2), and Nate brought Mc Donalds for lunch. We ate then got everything set up while our kids played. Colby got to open his presents from us before anyone else got there. I think the kids loved playing outside, because they've been in so much lately!

After his friends arrived, all the kids had fun playing on the swing and slides or kicking the soccer ball. Then we took them all on a hike. They had to go down a lot of stairs, but they all did great (even Noelle).

One of the highlights was the pinata. Colby went to a birthday party last fall where they had a pinata, and that was one thing he really wanted. We got a soccer ball, and the kids had a great time hitting it with bats. I think each kid (there were 8) hit it 4 or 5 times (and each "time" they hit it 3 times) before it finally broke apart. There were some stray pieces that kept coming out. It was a challenge to keep the kids from trying to gather them while someone else was taking a swing at the pinata. That could've been a disaster!

Everyone had a great time, but my kids were so tired by the time we got home. Eli fell asleep and slept for an hour. I didn't realize the sun would be so bright, and I didn't put sunscreen on anyone. Noelle and Eli (and me too) now have pink faces.

Colby is 6

2009-04-04T18:50:00.000-07:00

Noelle and Eli had to get a picture with the Birthday Boy!

My big 6 year old. Happy Birthday, Colby!

the penguin brownie

Colby's birthday was Friday. I made a penguin brownie for him to take and share with his class. Unfortunately, that was about all the celebrating we did, because his school had an open house/taste fair that evening. We went and ate dinner at the school and then the kids had tons of fun playing all the carnival games while Mommy and Daddy signed Colby up for school next year. First Grade ~ hard to believe 6 years ago my friend Stephenie(I'd only known her about 8 mo, but we became pretty good friends after that) had to drive me to the doctor and hospital because I couldn't get ahold of Nate (he'd left his cell phone in the car while he was at work). He rushed in only about 5 min before Colby was born. Stephenie was with me through the whole thing. The "whole thing" was pretty fast, though. I think my labor was only 4 hrs, and I was only at the hospital 1 hr. I know she wasn't expecting that when she woke up that morning. :)

Anyway, Happy Birthday, Colby! We love you, and are so proud of you!

When a 2 year old picks his clothes

2009-04-04T18:43:00.000-07:00

Hey mom, how do I look?

"at least I match"

Eli has started to really like to pick out his clothes. Unfortunately, the only thing he wants to wear is white sweats. I always tell him no, but the other day he brought them to me before church wanting to wear them. Again, I told him no, but Daddy said he could wear them the next day. I decided if he was going to wear them he could just pick the whole outfit, since we weren't going anywhere (thankfully). Well~ this is what he came up with. I must say he did manage to match, so it could've been a lot worse. I guess I'm just not much of a fan of white sweats. I think I will be hiding those from now on!

First day of spring

2009-03-24T13:43:00.000-07:00

As of last Friday, Colby is on SPRING BREAK. I am excited that I do not have to get up at 6am every morning to get him off to school. Friday was also the first day of Spring (as I'm sure you know). It looked so nice outside, so after naps I decided we would finally get to walk to the Library (we've waited since fall to be able to do this again). I got everyone's shoes on, and we set off. Of course, we didn't wear jackets or sweaters, because it was so nice. Well, I didn't really go out and check the weather before we left. 5 min into our walk, Noelle was fussing about how cold she was. The wind was really blowing and made the air much cooler than it looked.

Colby had unzipped his pants and wanted to wear shorts. He was running down the sidewalk, not paying attention (as usual) and managed to get his first "injury" of spring. Everything is worse when you're in shorts, because knees actually meet the sidewalk. I assured him he was fine, until he pulled up his shorts to show me 2 very scraped up knees. I guess he learned his lesson about watching where you're running. It did make the Library trip pretty short.

"I too-tis"

2009-03-24T13:39:00.001-07:00

The other day as I changed Eli's diaper he "tooted" (how we refer to passing gas in our family). Anyway, I laughed and said "Eli you tooted". I don't know exactly what he heard, but he has been walking around the house, store, and anywhere else we go saying "I too-tis, I too-tis" in his little boy voice. The older 2 think it is really funny, so they keep telling him to say it again. Ah, the things that entertain us:)

Understanding the Value of Money...well, not really

2009-03-14T19:38:00.000-07:00

Colby's birthday is coming up in several weeks, and the other night we asked him what he wanted. "Whatever you get me will be fine" was his answer, then after thinking for a minute...."Jeremy (one of his K-5 friends) told me he was getting me a Wii."

I think Colby has attempted to play a Wii one time, and he has absolutely no idea how expensive they are. I explained that a Wii is something your parents get, and we weren't going to be getting one right now. I also told him they are really expensive and all that other stuff. I figured he understood.

Today as we drove Noelle to gymnastics he started in again. "Jeremy has Super Mario Galaxy for his Wii, and I told him I wanted it." I explained that you couldn't get the game without a Wii to play it on. "But mom, Jeremy can help you with that" he said. I ONCE AGAIN explained that a Wii is something your parents buy, so he said "Jeremy's parents can get it for me." Poor kid, I guess he still doesn't get it. I'm wondering how many more times I'll be having this conversation before his birthday:)

K-5 Circus

2009-03-10T19:27:00.001-07:00

The Circus performers

Colby Elephant

Colby Elephant and his trainer

Every year the k-5 puts on a circus. The children get to dress up as different animal or person and put on a program. This year I was the piano player for the circus, and Colby was the elephant. He rode his scooter and followed the commands of his trainer. He had a little trouble jumping rope, dribbling, and hula hooping with his big long nose. It was pretty fun being able to watch it all come together. Poor Colby! His costume was totally over his head. I'm glad it wasn't too warm out, or he might have had heat stroke. He had the worse time seeing out of the eyes. We attempted to adjust it, and it was okay. When I took pictures, I told him to smile forgetting that the costume covered his mouth. Noelle came to most of the practices. She is already picking out what part she wants to do in 2 years:)

2009-03-05T20:26:00.000-08:00

Eli has been a slow talker. I know he understands what I say, but it has just taken him longer to actually talk to me. Since Christmas he has improved drastically, but he refuses to say his name. He calls Noelle~ sissy, Colby~buddy, and then says Mommy and Daddy. When you ask him who he is he just smiles, shakes his head, and says "No".

One of his little friends calls him Li-Li, so I've even tried to get him to say Li-Li. The other day when we were working on it, he said La-La. Well, that was close enough for me to count. He could finally "say" his name!

I was so excited until I picked him up from the Y nursery Monday, and he ran to a double stroller sitting right outside the room. He went to the front seat and patted it saying La-La, La-La. I knew the stroller belonged to a set of twins, and the little girl always sat in the front. A little confused, I asked Noelle what the little girl's name was. "Laila," she said. Well there went my excitment. He obviously was not trying to say Eli. He was saying Laila. I decided it was time to try something else, so I told him he was "E". He has been happily (when he wants to) calling himself "E" since.

Toddler bed

2009-03-05T20:12:00.000-08:00

Noelle and Colby had to get a pic with Eli and his big boy bed
Not really sure what I think about all this

After Christmas Eli started to climb out of his crib. He is my first child to ever accomplish this:( I must say though that I moved Colby out of a crib at 18 mo. I quickly realized my mistake and vowed I would never do that again. Any other children would have to stay in their cribs until at least 2 1/2. Noelle was great. I think she stayed in her crib past 2 1/2, and we didn't move her out until we moved into our new house. Well, I never really had a plan for if my child climbed out.

The first time he climbed out, I didn't panic. I figured it was just a fluke, and it probably wouldn't happen again. A couple weeks ago, I started finding him downstairs all by himself while everyone else was in bed. I knew it was only a matter of time before he fell and broke something, so we took the side off his crib and made it into a toddler bed.

The first night he was terrified to get in. He cried and cried, and I finally had to pick him up and put him in. You would've thought we were torturing him. He managed to fall asleep, and stayed in his bed all night:)! He's continued to do well, but some mornings I wake up to him standing beside my bed about 6:15. Not too bad, because I have to get Colby ready for school. I could get old this summer though.

Snow

2009-03-05T20:02:00.000-08:00

Colby making a snow angel

Colby and Noelle had a great time playing after Colby got home from school~until Noelle was making a snow angel, and Colby threw snow in her face:)

Noelle making a snow angel (before Colby got home)

"You know I think I'd rather just stay here and watch everyone else"

I am still attempting to catch up. I think I'm almost there. Here are a few pictures of the kids playing in the snow.

Stitches

2009-03-05T19:46:00.000-08:00

Looks like he wasn't tramatized for life:)

Around MLK day, we had 2 snowdays for extremely cold weather. Keeping 3 kid occupied in the house (having to be quiet so Daddy can sleep) for 3 days is quite a task. Finally after playing about every game we own, I decided they could play hide and seek before lunch. They love to play, because they can hide all over house. Unfortunately, one will usually just hide in the spot the other child just vacated, but anyway they love it and it was something to do. On our VERY last time to hide, I ran into Noelle's closet and was hiding, Noelle was hiding in the bathtub, and Colby was counting. I guess Eli finally decided to join in the game and climbed in the tub with Noelle. I'm not sure if it was going in or coming out, but somehow he didn't quite make it. He fell and started crying. Me being the great mom that I was stayed hiding, because he falls all the time. Colby and Noelle started screaming for me, and I came out to find Eli with blood dripping from his nose. He had cut one side of his nose (almost through). It looked terrible.

I sent Colby and Noelle to get Daddy. Noelle managed to tell us that he had hit his nose perfectly on the trash can slicing it up the nostril. Well he ended up in the ER and had to get 3 stitches. They didn't put him under, so he was body-boarded while they stitched him. He's a fighter and managed to free one of his feet during the procedure. Thankfully, the it has healed well, and his nose looks much better.

Happy Birthday, Noelle

2009-02-27T20:30:00.001-08:00

Noelle is 4

So Lady-like:) Ready to open presents

With her Hello Kitty from Aunt Sarah

Celebrating at Nana's

Noelle turned 4 right after New Year's. I cannot believe she is already 4. It seems like just yesterday I was on bedrest for the whole month of December. I was only able to sit up for a little while on Christmas day, didn't get to go drive around and look at lights, and all the other things you associate with Christmas. It was still a good Christmas, and it made me spend more time on the real meaning of Christmas! My mom had to come live with us the entire month, too!

After I was finally allowed off bedrest, I thought she would come any day. She made us wait about a week. Nate had left for work, and Mom, Colby and I were taking a nap. After all we might need it for later (though we seriously doubted it at this point). I hadn't had any contractions *that I felt* but was at 5 cm. My water broke right after we were all settled. After a frantic drive to the hospital, dropping Colby off with some friends on the way, we made it with 7 min to spare. Noelle was born with only 1 hr of labor. I think it was a little too close for Mom! We'd even forgotten to take her on a practice drive to the hospital. I was having to give her directions as we went. Not great when you're in pain!

This year I had strep throat and had passed it on to the kids, so my family wasn't able to come celebrate. I'd thought about having some of her friends over, but with sickness that wasn't happening either. We made her ice cream cone cupcakes (they turned out awful!) and the meal she chose *eggs and sausage*. We had to celebrate with my family the next week when we were better!

New Year's in Wv

2009-02-27T20:09:00.001-08:00

Ring a Round the Rosie with Pierce

Colby and Hudson hanging out

Noelle and her little friends at Grandma's church

Attempting to figure out the Wii

For New Year's, Nate was able to get some time off, and we drove to WV to visit his parents. His sister's family was also able to come. We don't see them enough, so we were all excited about this visit.

We got there a day before his sister's family and spent the time relaxing before the church's big New Year's Eve party. Finally it was time for the party. Nate's sister still wasn't it, but she had called and said they'd be there soon. We ate and then everyone was playing games, and the kids were running around. Suddenly everything stopped. Colby had run behind the ping pong table just as Papaw stepped back to get ready for a big play. To make a LONG story shorter...Papaw ended up breaking his wrist and the day after we left he was at the doctor getting pins put in. He spent most of New Year's Eve in the ER.

Nate's sister came and her son (he's 2) wasn't feeling well. He ended up at the ER with double ear infection. Could it possibly get any worse? Yes, it always can. Some how one of the kids came down with a stomach bug that had him throwing up for hours. Colby had played with Hudson all day, and the next day he came down with it too. It ended up going through all the children (except the one who had the ear infections). Even getting Bridget and Chris on their way home.

Nate and I never got it, but I ended up with strep throat the day after we got home. I managed to pass that on to everyone in the following week. The new year was full of interesting times. Glad that sickness is now behind us.

Christmas

2009-02-27T19:46:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve opening 1 present

Ready for bed in their new pj's

Pa Pa, Eli, Colby, and GG

One very small kitchen, but we all fit

The kids' table

This year we had Christmas at our house. It was the first time we have ever had everyone over. Our kitchen/eating area is pretty small, but we all managed to squeeze in. The kids were banished to their own little table, so the adults could fit at the big table.

Mrs. Claus

2009-02-16T09:21:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite things to do around Christmas is go to library time and see Mrs. Claus. She reads our Christmas list, do special crafts, and listen to Christmas books. This year was our 2nd year, and the kids couldn't wait for Mrs. Claus.

Colby's Christmas program

2009-02-16T09:12:00.000-08:00

Colby was in his school's Christmas program. He was in the front row. He did a great job sitting still when he wasn't singing.

Chuck e Cheese's

2009-02-16T08:54:00.000-08:00

Attempting to get a picture, but Eli wasn't cooperating

I know this coin goes in somehow

Wow this is fun

Exhausted after all the fun

We took all the kids to Chuck e Cheese's for Eli's birthday. It was Colby's last day before Thanksgiving, so we just took him out a little early. Chuck e Cheese's is a big treat for our kids. All the time we lived in Charlotte we only went 1 time. Here you have to drive at least 1 1/2 hrs to get to one. They all love it, so it is worth the drive.

Eli had a great time riding on all the little boy rides. He wasn't really up to the games, but Noelle and Colby liked playing them with Daddy.

Eli's 2nd Birthday

2009-02-16T08:30:00.001-08:00

Eli's bus cake. About the extent of my creativity!

Yummy this stuff is good

Hurry PaPa get that out of the box!

I am really behind. Our computer is down, and we haven't gotten around to fixing it. Anyway here is a mega update of our lives in the last months.

Eli turned 2 the day after Thanksgiving. We had all our family over for dinner and a party. Daddy had to work, but he helped me cut the cake into a bus shape before he left. Eli loves all things with wheels, so he was excited about the cake.

I can't believe he is 2. The years have passed so quickly. I can still remember being on bedrest and just hoping he'd hurry up and come!:) He is certainly a Mommy's boy, and I love it. I'm finally posting this in February, but since his birthday he has finally started to talk. It is such a relief to hear him talking instead of just pointing. Of course, sometimes I wish he'd be a little quieter:)

New clothes from Grandma

2008-11-17T19:04:00.000-08:00

Colby is so skinny that he has to wear pants that are slims or adjustable waists pulled as tight as they can go. Grandma found Colby some really nice pants and shirts and sent them with Daddy last week. Today he wore one of the outfits. It fit great, and it was nice to just put it on him without trying to pull the waist in tighter! He wouldn't stand still for the picture, so it looks a little strange. Oh well, you get the idea! Thanks, Grandma!!!!

We're highchair-free

2008-11-17T18:54:00.000-08:00

Eli eating at the table in his big-boy seat
Colby and Noelle in their "new" seats

After having a highchair in our kitchen for the last 5 years, we are finally highchair free. Noelle has been begging to sit in a regular chair (not her booster), but I'd put her off. Eli will be 2 in a couple weeks, so he was ready to move to the table and a booster seat. I finally made the switch the other day, but the highchair was still sitting in our kitchen. Today I got it cleaned up, and out it went. I don't know what we'll do with it, but it is no longer taking up extra room. We opened up the table, and it is nice to have everyone sitting together.

Noelle's haircut

2008-11-17T18:44:00.000-08:00

Noelle has needed a haircut for a few weeks, but last week I finally made a point to call and get her in. Her last haircut had been in the Spring. For some reason her hair was a mess and looked pretty bad. I got her in last Wednesday, and I had them cut off at least 3 inches. It looked so much better. The ends weren't all stringy and nasty anymore:) The beautician curled Noelle's hair, and it looked so cute. She loved it. Unfortunately, I forgot to take any pictures Wed night, so I didn't get any till Thur morning after she'd slept in it:(

Trick-or-Treat

2008-11-12T10:52:00.000-08:00

Passing out candy. This kid's face scared Eli. As soon as he saw him, he started crying.
Waiting for more kids.

Riding in the wagon, while we walked

With Aunt Sarah

The kids were really excited about dressing up to Trick-or-Treat this year. When I lived in Charlotte, I would always buy costumes at the end-of-the-season, so they'd have something the next year. Here they just don't have the shopping places or the sales:(, so I didn't have anything for them to wear. I found the bear costume for Eli that Colby had worn when he was little. Noelle had a bunch of dress-up stuff, so I let her pick something from that. She wanted to be a cheerleader, but she didn't want to carry the pom-poms. She also though cheerleaders should wear flip flops. Colby was the only one I didn't really have anything for. I was looking through some stuff and found a "construction worker" set that someone gave him after Eli was born. He was thrilled with it, and so was I. I didn't have to spend any money!

They got really excited when kids started coming to our door. Colby and Noelle couldn't remember what trick-or-treating was, since last year Halloween was on Wed. while we were at church. They thought it was like a parade, so Colby was trying to throw candy at some of the kids until I told him he just put some into their baskets. I felt a little sorry for the kids at our door, because Noelle and Colby were almost attacking them!

One of our friends came over, and we went to all the houses on our street and another one. Eli just rode in the wagon. I figured we'd have enough candy between Colby and Noelle. Sure enough, when we finished we had almost 1/2 a paper bag full:( Just what we need!

Pumpkin Cookies

2008-10-10T12:35:00.000-07:00

Time to get started
Looks like she stuffed as much candy on the top as possible

I can kind of see a face
Much better!
Finished product!

Today we went to Nana's. Colby and Noelle got to help make/decorate pumpkin cookies. My mom made these every fall when I was a kid. I think they are one of my favorite fall memories. You're supposed to decorate the cookies with candy and make faces. Colby and Noelle pretty much just stuffed as much candy as would fit on the top. They also had plenty of "tastes" during their decorating time. I don't think they'll need candy for a month:)

Curtis Orchard

2008-10-10T11:58:00.001-07:00

Eli picking an apple (Noelle making sure he does it right):)
Colby

Noelle and Colby excited to be at the orchard
"I'm going to get that rooster"

Eli was "Mr. Independent" he kept wanting to go off on his own. Here he is in the middle of the pumpkin patch
Noelle picking an apple way up high

Colby didn't have school yesterday, so we took the kids to an orchard not too far away. There were a lot of buses. I guess all the schools had planned field trips. It was a perfect day to go~not too hot and not rainy:) They had a lot of stuff for the kids to play on (free too!!!), they had a fence maze, and a little petting zoo. Eli loved the petting zoo. He kept putting his hand in the rooster cage. Thankfully the rooster wasn't bothered by him and didn't try to peck him! We picked a couple small bags of apples and had a yummy snack at the orchard cafe.

Colby~first day of school

2008-08-26T17:03:00.001-07:00

At his desk, Open House night

Colby had his first day of school last Wednesday. He was so excited, but it was hard for mom. We went to Open house the night before, and he was able to see his class, desk, and take all his school supplies. Wednesday, I dropped him off, and he went right in. Of course, I bawled in the car. Hard to believe he is big enough to go to school.

He goes to school from 8-2:20. There are 11 children in his class~ 3 girls and 8 boys. Poor teacher!!!

Grandma's house

2008-08-26T16:52:00.000-07:00

Noelle and Mommy skating
Apple picking with Grandma

We spent the week before school started in West Virginia with Nate's parents. Nate and his dad were working on siding a house most of the time. The kids and I (plus grandma) went to a roller skating birthday party for one of the kids in the church. My kids had never been roller skating before, but Noelle actually put some skates on and tried. Colby wouldn't have anything to do with it. Thankfully, they let the kids run around the rink in their socks. It was a great way to spend an afternoon.

One of their favorite things was picking apples at Great Papaw's old house. Eli really got into getting apples and then eating them, or throwing them (whichever mood he happened to be in).

The Arch

2008-08-26T16:41:00.001-07:00

The second day of our trip we went to the Arch. Nate and I went last year for our anniversary, but the line was so long we didn't have time to do it (we had Eli with us too). This year it was rainy. When we got there we walked right it and 20 min later were on our way up the Arch.

The car we rode up in was really small. Glad I'm not claustrophobic. They put us in a car with another lady. Thankfully, the kids did great. They loved looking out all the little windows at the top.

We were all really tired by the time we headed for home. It was a fun 2 days!

St Louis

2008-08-26T14:57:00.000-07:00

Colby and Noelle very hot and tired
The pool sure felt good
Noelle on her own!

We didn't have time for a big vacation, so we took an overnight trip to St Louis. We went the zoo the first day. It was nice, because it was free to get in (well except for parking). We picked a very hot day to go. Eli got so hot, we had to take off his overalls. The pool sure felt good that night at the motel.

Colby is not much of a swimmer. He just enjoys sitting on the side or walking on the steps. Noelle actually swam by herself (with her floaties on). She was so proud of herself. She did a great job. Eli wasn't feeling very well, so he didn't really get into the swimming thing.

Canning

2008-08-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

This year Colby and Noelle had a good time helping us can greenbeans. They wanted to do all of it, but I wasn't real keen on them using a knife to cut out the bad spots. They did get to help wash the beans and then stuff them in the jars. What good helpers.

Happy Anniversary

2008-07-21T14:52:00.001-07:00

July 6th, we celebrated our 6th anniversary. Nate had to work over it, but surprised me with flowers. On one of his days off, we left the kids with my mom and went to Indianapolis. We went shopping(to good malls) and then ate dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. It doesn't seem possible it's been 6yrs. Time goes so quickly!

4th of July

2008-07-21T14:40:00.001-07:00

Eli is ready for the parade to start.
Noelle and Colby sitting on the "wagon" ready for the parade.
After the parade (everyone was tired and ready to sleep except Colby. He probably could've done it again)

It was raining when we woke up on the 4th of July. The kids were supposed to be in a parade that morning, so we weren't sure what would happen. Thankfully, by parade time the sun had come out, and it was pretty warm. They were so excited about the parade. We ended up riding on the big "wagon" (pulled by a tractor) and waving. Much better than having to walk with 3 kids and pull our little wagon. The kids threw a little candy and waved to everyone. They got to see some people they knew as we rode down parade route! Once the parade was over they were exhausted and ready for lunch and naps.

That evening, Nate had to work. I have not been to fireworks, since we got married (6yrs ago). I saw a little town near us was having fireworks, so I figured I'd take the kids. They were supposed to begin at dusk (whatever that means). Anyway we got there, put out our blanket and then waited for at least an hour. They liked watching them, and they didn't cry either. They just didn't like the ones that just flashed and sounded like gunshots. It was fun. Maybe next year, Nate can go with us.

Camp

2008-07-21T14:34:00.000-07:00

July 2nd and 3rd we went to our camp's Family Days. I was so excited, becauses it fell on Nate's days off. Unfortunately, he was sick and couldn't come. The first day I took the kids by myself. It actually went pretty smoothly! The second day, my mom was able to come out for 1/2 the day with us. The kids favorite part was riding horses. They rode by themselves Wednesday (with an aduly leading), then Thursday Colby rode with Aunt Lois and Noelle rode with me. They also enjoyed swimming in the pool with their floaties. They are starting to do better, though I still have to pry Colby's hands from my neck some of the time!

Rain, Rain

2008-06-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor's car, I moved Nate's car before

the water reached the door.

Looking down the street, it was about waist-high

Our town's yard sale was at the beginning of June. When I woke up Saturday morning it was raining, and it rained all morning. Our street flooded back to our mailbox. The kids next door were out "swimming" in the street. Colby and Noelle had a great time watching if from the window. Thankfully, they rescheduled the yard sale for the weekend.

Strawberry Picking

2008-06-25T11:55:00.001-07:00

With our strawberries
Time for a quick snack

We went Strawberry picking while Daddy was gone, too! We ended up picking 5 baskets. Colby and Noelle did a great job (only a few pinkish strawberries). We froze them, made strawberry freezer jam, and then made homemade fruit roll-ups:) Yum!

The zoo

2008-06-25T11:40:00.000-07:00

Mommy and Eli with the Lion
Feeding the Lorikeet
On the zoo train

My mom, Sarah, and I took the kids to the zoo while Nate was gone to Colorado on a fishing trip with his dad. This was the first time the kids had ever been. It was pretty hot and crowded, but they loved seeing all the animals. Colby's favorite was the zoo train, Noelle loved the sharks, and Eli liked the bears. You could pet them, but unfortunately, she was too little to reach into the tank where they were swimming. I think she would've watched them all day, though. In the lorakeet building, they had food you could buy to feed the birds. Someone was finished feeding the birds and still had a lot left, so they gave it to Colby. Colby and Noelle were able to feed the birds, and then they passed it on to another girl.

Visitors

2008-05-26T16:59:00.001-07:00

Nate and Jesse

Emma and Anna

Colby had to hold Emma's hand on the walk home

This last week we had friends from Tennessee visit. Nate and Jesse went to high school together and then we all went to Bob Jones. We hadn't seen them since Colby and Emma were babies. Colby and Noelle couldn't wait to meet Emma and "the new Anna" (Noelle called her that because she has a friend named Anna at church). The kids hit it off great. I was going to have Anna and Noelle sit at a little table for dinner, but Colby and Emma wanted to sit there too. They all managed to crowd in. Noelle was excited they were going to have a sleepover. Of course it wasn't quite as much fun for her to end up on Colby's floor:). They were sad to see them go, and they can't wait till we can go to Tennessee to see them.

Cubbie Award program

2008-05-26T15:41:00.000-07:00

I am obviously very behind (if anybody still checks this). I think I've probably had to catch up about a month. Last Wed was the finale of the Awana program for this year. Colby and Noelle were both in Cubbies. Colby had worked really hard to complete both Cubbie books, because of our move this year. He did great and finished everything. I was so proud of him, especially when he would help Noelle learn her verses. Noelle started in January when she turned 3. I wasn't going to push her, because she was one of the youngest ones and she'll have 2 more years. She really wanted to learn her verses, so she could get her patches. We didn't finish the entire book. I think she was 4 special days short. At the awards program, they gave her the awards for finishing her book. She was so happy. She just held it and looked at it the whole way home.