Henry and Joni + 4

November 2011

2012-01-25T21:44:00.001-06:00

And now for the rest of November. Many of these are random pictures and videos from my phone.

These two are best buddies. 11/9/2011

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Alice learned a new skill. If you listen, you can hear Henry Max clicking away in the background. I have never heard anyone click their tongue as loud as he can!

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I have always wanted those fun outdoor pictures I see everyone get in the fall. We attempted to get some as part of a fundraiser for Henry's preschool. The day we went was cold and windy. We did get a few good pictures, but I already have a few locations I want to have pictures taken at next fall. I just have to find the photographer...

11/14/2011

This is the best family picture we got. Darn wind!

We had the lady take some of just Nora for her 6 year old pictures. She is so photogenic. Beautiful!

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Maggie's story. 11/15/2011

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Henry's preschool had Grandparents Day on Thursday, November 17th. Since his grandparents were unable to make it, he called his Aunt Katy and asked if she would be able to come. Of course, how could she say no? He loved having her there and showing her his classroom. Thanks Aunt Katy!

This is the last verse of one of the songs they sang. I didn't get very good pictures or video because the sun was SO bright in the window behind him. But I love his little wink at the very end. :)

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It seem like with the 4th baby, bath time became just that, bath time. No play time really anymore for my kids. With 4, it's in and out as fast as we can. So this is actually the first time Alice had toys and really played in the bath. 11/19/2011

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Sneaking in a little play time before bed. 11/21/2011

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Every once in a while, Henry will take one of the kids with him to work. Henry Max got to go for the first time on Wednesday, November 23rd since it was the day before Thanksgiving. He had his lunch packed, and his cars all ready to go. Henry said he just played cars all over the office all day. :)

All ready to go. 11/23/2011

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Thanksgiving Day we drove to Auburn to spend the day with Mom, Dad, Sara, Steve, Ellie, Jake, and Kenda. It was gorgeous weather so we spent most of the afternoon outside. It was a fun, relaxing day.

11/24/2011

We took the kids' wiggle scooter with us and everyone had fun taking turns riding it. Here's Jake trying it out...and crashing into the curb at the end!

Friday, everyone came up to our house to eat, watch the Huskers (WIN, yea!), and play games. It is so fun to have family come visit!

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Playing guitar with Daddy. 11/27/2011

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With such beautiful weather and anticipating cold, Henry worked hard to decorate our house for our first Christmas here. It turned out so beautiful! I love having lights on the house!

11/28/2011

Our helper. :)

Nora Turns 6

2012-01-25T13:33:00.000-06:00

Ready to party!

Nora turned 6 on Friday, November 11th. We had the balloon and flowers delivered to her at school on her special day. (That balloon stayed in the air for 2 whole months!) She had a friend come play after school for a while and then Nana and Papa Dea were able to join us for dinner (meatballs), presents, and cake and ice cream.

Nora is such a beautiful girl! She loves playing with her brother and sisters. She loves kindergarten, is doing very well, and has made lots of new friends. She is very smart and is reading quit well already. I rarely see her without a book in her hand. She is a great storyteller and loves to look at the pictures while making up her own story. She loves singing, drawing, and playing outside. She is very girly and loves all things princess. She still does great at trying new foods and will eat just about anything I make whether she really likes it or not. One of her favorite foods is broccoli. :)

Nora is a very sweet girl, but is also very strong-willed. I know it will serve her well in the future, but it sure is hard for me to figure out just how to be the mom she needs. :) She definitely keeps us on our toes and we love her SO much!

Daddy and the birthday girl.

Bracelet from Daddy and lady bug umbrella

Her cake...zebras and horses are her favorite animals right now.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NORI!

TOFW

2012-01-24T21:35:00.000-06:00

I was able to go to Time Out for Women with Mom, Sara, and Penny on Friday and Saturday, November 4-5. Katy was also there with a group of friends so I got to see her, too. :) Mom, Penny and I went down Friday morning. We stopped in St. Joe to have lunch with Penny's daughter, Shelly. I also got to see a friend from college and her little boy. It was fun to catch up. Then we went down to Kansas City. We checked into our hotel and then went to Sara's place. We relaxed for a while and played with Ellie and then went to Red Lobster for dinner. Friday night and Saturday was filled with amazing and uplifting speakers and awesome music. It was a great girls weekend. We ended by going shopping on the way home Saturday night. Henry and the kids had another fun weekend at Nana and Papa Wiedrich's house. :)

Surgery

2012-01-24T18:28:00.000-06:00

Henry Max had surgery on his thumb on Thursday, November 3rd. He had what is called trigger finger.

The cause of trigger finger is a narrowing of the sheath that surrounds the tendon in the affected finger. Tendons are fibrous cords that attach muscle to bone. Each tendon is surrounded by a protective sheath — which, in turn, is lined with a substance called tenosynovium. The tenosynovium releases lubricating fluid that allows the tendon to glide smoothly within its protective sheath as you bend and straighten your finger — like a cord through a lubricated pipe.

But if the tenosynovium becomes inflamed frequently or for long periods, the space within the tendon sheath can become narrow and constricting. The tendon can't glide through the sheath easily, at times catching the finger in a bent position before popping straight. With each catch, the tendon itself becomes more irritated and inflamed, worsening the problem. With prolonged inflammation, scarring and thickening (fibrosis) can occur and bumps (nodules) can form.
Source

Three times in about 4 months, his thumb got stuck in the bent position and he couldn't straighten it out. It got worse and lasted longer each time. The first two times, he was playing with his cars and the third he was riding a bike all afternoon. He plays with cars most of the day every day and the repeated gripping made it worse. Since it was hurting him, and he is so young, we thought it was best to get it fixed. It was a very minor procedure and was done in about 15 minutes. He was so brave about it and was back to normal within a couple of days. We talked to him before hand and told him exactly what the doctor would do. The night before, Maggie was telling him how she was so nervous for him and he just told her, "Don't worry, Maggie. I'll be alright." Henry took him since he had to be there at 6am. I had to stay home to get the girls to school. They were home by 9. Buddy enjoyed watching movies in our room the rest of the day. And Alice took a 4 hour nap, allowing me to snuggle my boy. He has had no problems since!

Halloween 2011

2012-01-24T14:51:00.000-06:00

This is my 400th post!! My very first post on this blog was 9/16/2007. While I somehow managed to get 6 months behind, I can not give it up. There are times I think about it, when it just seems like one more thing I can't keep up with and can't do well. But I look back at the books I have made so far from previous years of blogging and I have to keep going. I don't scrapbook and I don't keep up on the kids' baby books. This blog is all my kids will really have to remember growing up. So I must keep going! I'm halfway to being caught up. :) And that is one of my goals for this year, to stay caught up.

Henry Max had his Halloween party at preschool on Thursday, October 27th. He was very excited to wear his costume to show his friends and teachers.

Explorer

The girls had their parties and costume parade on Friday, October 28th. I did get some pictures at the parade, but there were so many people crammed into the gym at their school, it was impossible to get a decent picture.

I didn't spend any money on costumes this year. Yea! Maggie and Nora used their costumes from last year. They loved them and only got to wear them once last year, so I was thrilled they wanted to use them again. Henry Max got his stuff for his birthday in February and again, made Momma happy when he thought it was a great idea to be an explorer. Alice wore the mouse costume that Maggie and Nora both wore for the Halloween near their first birthdays.

Maggie

Nora

Alice

Those are the 3 cutest mice ever!

Witch, Explorer, Mouse, and Little Bo Peep

We all went out for a while, then Alice and I headed home so she could go to bed while Henry took the other kids around the neighborhood. I tried to get some cute pictures of Alice, but they pretty much all looked like this. She wouldn't stop running around. :)

She finally stopped for a minute after we had to hand out some candy.

Very tired.

Looking for the good stuff.

The Trick-or-Treaters, home with their loot.

Vala's Pumpkin Patch

2012-01-24T11:50:00.001-06:00

Windmill at Vala's

We went to Vala's Pumpkin Patch for the first (and only) time way back in 2007. Now we live just 10 minutes away and we got 4 free tickets this year, so there was no excuse not to go. We were able to go on Friday, October 21st. The kids were out of school that day, but we didn't go until about 2. It ended up being the perfect time to go. All the field trips were leaving and every one else was still at work/school, so it wasn't too terribly busy. We stayed until about 8pm. Everyone had so much fun! Here are some pictures from the day.

This girl was so good to ride in her stroller most of the afternoon.

Mining for gold.

Everyone's favorite...giant jumping pillows.

She finally gave up.

We are excited to live so close and hopefully be able to go every year. It was a great day spent as a family. :)

October 2011 - Part 2

2012-01-23T22:56:00.001-06:00

After playing for a few days at our house with Sara and Ellie, and Rachael and Gavin visiting, we headed back to Auburn on Friday, October 14th. Sara's visit was cut short when Steve called to tell her his dad, who had been sick for quite some time, passed away. That was Wednesday, so her and Steve left on Friday morning to go to Canada for the funeral. That night, Rach and I had rehearsal for a wedding we were both in. Amy, one of Rachael's good friends from high school, asked Rachael to be a bridesmaid and me to play the piano. Rach and I had a fun night out, just the two of us at the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, and dessert at the Ramsey's.

Saturday, Henry had fun with the kids while I spent the morning practicing. I was VERY nervous since I hadn't really played piano much in years, let alone played for something so important. So I practiced and Henry, Papa, and the kids played. :)

I am happy to say the wedding went very well. I was very happy to have it over. :)

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This is a common occurrence at our house. The kids have always loved singing along while Henry plays guitar.

10/19/2011

The kids had been asking to play at the park after school for a while since we had been having such beautiful weather. So I took them. :)

10/24/2011

Nora learned this poem at school and begged me to record her saying it. 10/27/2011

Alice Pictures

2012-01-22T18:54:00.000-06:00

I took Alice for pictures on Wednesday, October 26th. She fell asleep during the 15 minute drive, so the first few pictures were very somber. Then she got in the groove and had fun. Not a bad picture at all. Here are just some of my favorites.

Alice Turns 1!

2012-01-22T16:01:00.000-06:00


Alice Hazel Wiedrich

Alice turned 1 on Tuesday, October 11. How is this even possible?!?!? She is just the sweetest, most beautiful little girl. We love her so very much!!

STATS:

19 lbs. 1 oz. (18%)

28.75 in. (40%)

Alice is running everywhere now. She seems way to little to be as steady as she is. People comment on how well she walks when I tell her how old she is. I guess that's what happens when you start walking at 9 months. :) She loves playing with her sisters and brother. And her daddy is always her favorite. She comes running and screaming when he walks in the door after work. She really has him wrapped around her finger. :)

We celebrated her big day on Wednesday since Sara and Ellie, and Rachael and Gavin were visiting. It was so fun to have them here to share in the celebration. Now for the pictures.

These two...never a dull moment when they are around. :)

All of the cousins together at last!

Party time!

Presents!

Her big present from us...a ball pit. She loves climbing in and out.

Fun!

She is truly a daddy's girl. :)

Waiting for the cake...

The cake.

This girl loves sweets! She couldn't even wait for me to give her the cake. I gave her the 'A' and she grabbed it off the plate before I even set it on the table. She had the whole thing devoured in a matter of seconds. :)

Happy birthday sweet little Miss Alice!!

October 2011 - Part 1

2012-01-21T22:23:00.000-06:00

Found on our deck 10/2/2011

Playing with photo editing on my iPhone.

New love seat.

Homemade personal pizzas for dinner. 10/7/2011

The kids and I were able to go to Auburn Saturday, October 8th. Henry went to the Husker game and since Rachael and Gavin flew in Friday night, the kids and I went down to spend the night.

Papa, Nora, and Gavin 10/8/2011

Nana had a fun activity all planned out for us to do Sunday afternoon. We were able to decorate pumpkins. Nana had stickers all printed out. We stuck them on the pumpkins and then spray painted them black. Then we peeled off the stickers and had some really awesome, fun pumpkins for our porch this year.

Claiming their pumpkins.

I had the fun job. :)

And the finished pumpkins.

Jake and Kenda.

September 2011

2012-01-19T21:59:00.002-06:00

The first half of the month was spent packing, the second half unpacking. But I didn't manage a few pictures here and there.

Riding the tractor with Daddy for the first time...

...and probably the last. 9/4/2011

The kids and Henry finally got to meet Ellie when Sara and Steve moved from Arizona to Kansas Labor Day weekend. Steve got a job in the Kansas City area and we are SO excited to have them living so much closer! The kids were so happy to finally meet baby Ellie.

9/5/2011

This girl LOVES babies!

9/11/2011

We have two picture windows in the living room that face the backyard. Alice wasn't very happy to be stuck inside when Henry was outside mowing the yard for the first time. So she just stood at the window the whole time. She is such a daddy's girl!

9/19/2011

I love that you can see Henry's reflection in this one.

Family Fun Night

2012-01-19T16:12:00.003-06:00

We took a break from unpacking to attend Family Fun Night with Henry's firm. And it was a very fun night. There were balloon animals, face painting, a bounce house, lots of yummy food, and pinatas.

Maggie and Nora both got their faces painted. Henry had a blast playing with other boys and he loved the bounce house, even after he cut his leg getting out of it. And everyone got really awesome balloons. Maggie got a giraffe, Nora got Ariel, and Henry got a penguin. The guy was amazing. He could make anything at all that the kids asked for. Unfortunately I didn't take pictures of the balloons. But the face painter was awesome, too. And very fast. She whipped out these masterpieces in just a few minutes.

This is what she choose.

Not sure what that face was about. :)

Moving Day

2012-01-19T12:58:00.000-06:00

All pictures are from the real estate listing.

Thursday, September 15th was one of the longest days ever. It was moving day! We were up very early to get a few last minute things done and the kids and I were out the door by 7:40 to get the girls and Henry down to Gretna for school. We were in such a rush to leave, it didn't seem real that we wouldn't be coming back to our home. The first home we bought as a family, the place we brought 2 of our babies home to, the house we (mostly Henry) put so much time and effort into.

Meanwhile, Henry was packing a few valuables and breakables (the tvs) into his car. Then we met at 9 am to close on our new house. Closing went pretty quick, and was relatively painless (other than the fact that we walked out as owners of two homes). Then we headed over to our new home.

We noticed the carpet needed stretched in the hallway and two bedrooms, so I quickly called around until I found someone that could come right away and have it done before we started moving in. Henry left to pick up the truck and then headed back up to Blair to start loading everything. Sara and Steve met him there and Steve and Henry worked their tails off loading the truck. Mom and Dad came up and brought our queen bed that we had been storing at their house and then they also went up to help. Katy came and helped me do a little cleaning before everything was moved in. I stayed at the new house so I could get Henry from preschool, keep the little kids out of the way, then pick up the girls from school. They had so much fun running around the empty house.

Shortly after the girls were out of school, Henry and Steve showed up with what became the first load. One of Henry's coworkers came to help for a while, but 3 other people we thought were coming to help didn't show up. We are so grateful for those that were able to help and how hard they worked to help us. After a quick dinner of pizza, Mom and Dad took Ellie and went home. Mom cleaned the Blair house and they both worked so hard and we really wouldn't have be able to do it without them. I got the kids beds made and got them to bed since they had school the next day. Steve and Henry headed back to Blair to get the rest of our stuff. After they got back and unloaded the truck again, Sara and Steve headed home. Henry returned the truck and finally got home and fell into bed around 12:30 am.

We were immediately welcomed to the neighborhood by the neighbor kids. We had one on the truck trying to unload our stuff and I came home after getting dinner and there was another kid IN our house. Coming from a neighborhood with very few children, it will take some getting used to. But the kids made friends the first night and that made the whole thing a little easier for them.

And now the fun part...unpacking. After having every possible storage area filled, I am going to love extra, unused space. My goal is to always have some of that. And I have such good helpers. :)

9/16/2011

We have decided......we are NEVER moving again! :)

11 Months

2012-01-18T23:15:00.000-06:00

Alice turned 11 months on September 11th. I really failed this month. No measurements, just a few pictures that I took on the 12th, and I don't know what she did the last month. I will blame it on the move. :)

She is now an expert at walking. And she got two more teeth, both top side teeth. One on 8/19/2011 and the other on 8/29/2011. She is just such a beautiful little girl. I'm not ready for her to turn 1...Sweet Miss Alice!

9/7/2012

9/12/2011

Henry Starts Preschool

2012-01-18T22:48:00.001-06:00

It seems impossible that not only are Maggie and Nora both in school all day now, but Henry Max started preschool, too! How am I supposed to survive without my little Buddy? At least it is just for a couple of hours twice a week. He was so excited to finally have a turn to go to preschool. He has gone with me every time for the last three years when I took the girls and always been sad that he couldn't stay and play too. Finally, his turn is here. His first day was Tuesday, September 6th.

So excited!

Hanging his backpack in his cubby.

One of his teachers, Mrs. Stoltenberg, or Mrs. S.

Mrs. Adams

He had absolutely no problem. Went right in, got his name tag, hung his jacket and backpack up, and ran right over to start playing. He didn't even glance my way. :) He loves preschool!

August 2011

2012-01-18T22:26:00.000-06:00

We found this beauty in front of the house. 8/13/2011

After dropping girls off for the first day of school. 8/18/2011

Alice has gotten really good at walking in the last month. She still seems too little!

Man, I LOVE her little baby babbling sounds!

8/20/2011

The last weekend in August, Alice and I headed down to Nana and Papa's. Saturday, Mom, Alice, and I got to go to Megan's baby shower. Megan was one of my best friends in high school and we roomed together our first year of college. Sunday Mom and I went to Amy's bridal shower. Amy asked me to play the piano for her wedding and Rachael was one of her bridesmaids. Alice loved having Papa all to herself.

8/27/2011

Henry has been a Don Williams fan his whole life. I had never heard of him before I met Henry. We went to a concert in August 2006. Well, this year he came to Omaha. Henry and I, and Katy and Richard were able to go see him this month at the Holland Performing Arts Center. It was a great concert. The Holland is such a beautiful and comfortable place for a concert. And Don is amazing live. We all had a great time. He even performed a couple of new songs. This song isn't a new one, but we had never heard it before. SO good! Unfortunately my phone doesn't zoom for video, but the sound is great.

Before the concert. 8/30/2011

Maggie Turns 7

2012-01-18T21:28:00.000-06:00

Maggie turned 7 on Thursday, August 18th. We started her special day by taking her to her first day of school. After school, we met Henry for an early dinner and opening a few small presents at Maggie's choice, Cracker Barrel. We drove home and walked in the door just in time for a summer storm. Had Henry driven home his normal way, he would have most likely been one of the many people whose car windows were broken out from the hail that night.

Birthday girl!

Maggie was struggling with the upcoming move and missing her friends from Blair. So Friday after school, she had some friends over to help her celebrate her birthday and to tell them goodbye.

DELICIOUS peanut butter and chocolate cupcakes.

Crazy girls!

Saturday, we celebrated as a family. Mom, Dad, and Jake came up. Maggie got her big present after a fun scavenger hunt put together by Henry. I have videos, but they are long and I talk too much in them. :) Then we had cake and ice cream.

Giraffe piggy bank

Mags loves giraffes. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Mags!

School Starts

2012-01-16T22:37:00.000-06:00

With the upcoming move, we decided to start the kids at school in Gretna. We decided it would be easier to drive them back and forth (about 40 minutes each way) for a month then to switch schools just a month in. So we had back to school night on Tuesday, August 16th. We got to go meet their teachers and see their classrooms. The girls were both excited and a little nervous to start at a new school.

Maggie and her 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Secora

Nora and her kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Rippe

The girls first day was on Thursday, August 18th, Maggie's 7th birthday. I can't believe we have two in school already!

Such beautiful girls!

Man, I love these girlies!

Drop off went good. Henry, Alice, and I took the girls into the school and to their rooms. We took Nora in first and I had to fight back the tears as I took a few pictures and hugged her goodbye. Then we took Maggie to her room just down the hall and headed to the car. This was the view from the car as we got in to head home.

Unfortunately, the picture just doesn't do it justice. It was absolutely gorgeous with the sun streaming through the clouds above the corn.

I cried all the way home. I think the whole first day of school/starting at a new school was much harder on me than the girls. I felt guilty, nervous, scared. I very clearly remember starting a new school in the middle of kindergarten. It was so hard for me. I could hardly wait to pick them up. They both handled it much better than I did. I was so happy to see them walk out those doors.

Looking for me.

Maggie and Mrs. Brownlee, the principal

Big Changes

2012-01-16T22:06:00.000-06:00

Henry and I bought our first home when we were expecting our third baby, Henry. The three bedrooms were perfect. The girls could share and Henry would get his own room. Then we found out our fourth was a girl. We knew that even though our three rooms are considered big for bedrooms, we were outgrowing our home.

After Alice was born, we decided it was time to look at making our home more suitable for what we needed and wanted. This took many months and a decent amount of money. In the end, the option to add on to our home had to be ruled out. Not only would the cost be way more than it was worth, but we still wouldn't have the home we really wanted for our family. During the whole process of working with an architect and contractor to get bids, we also spent lots of time searching the MLS to see what other options were out there as far as purchasing a different house. We were hoping to find something that would allow us to stay in Blair, but we were striking out. There were few homes with what we were looking for, and those that we found were way out of our price range. So we expanded our search to other areas around Omaha where we would consider having our kids go to school.

At the end of July, Henry found a few homes in Gretna that we thought were good options, so we went to look at them. We immediately fell in love with one of them. It was everything we were looking for, minus the big yard we love about our home in Blair. It has plenty of space for our kids to grow (5 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2500 sq. ft.), it is a newer ranch style, and has a 2 car attached garage. After a couple of days of many mixed emotions on my part, we went back on Friday, July 29th, with my parents to look at it again. Because the house was priced extremely well, and we still loved it, we put an offer in that night. The next morning, I flew with Alice to Nevada to visit my sisters and Henry took the older kids and went to visit his parents in South Dakota.

Saturday morning was spent countering back and forth. That afternoon, while I was swimming at Planet Hollywood, Henry accepted a counter offer. The rest of the day seem like it was spent making phone calls and faxing paperwork back and forth. It seemed strange that we just bought a house and both Henry and I were out of the state. Closing is set for September 15th!

10 Months - Walking!

2011-11-22T23:27:00.000-06:00

Alice turned 10 months on August 11th. We had so much going on this last month that I took even fewer pictures than last month. But I did manage to weigh her. She is up to a whopping 18.8 lbs. now (8/15/2011)!

This last month, she has taken to napping in her stroller. I strap her in and walk her around the house until she falls asleep. Then I just wheel her to a somewhat quiet corner and she stays there. At this point, I do just about anything to get her to take a nap. And hey, I'm getting a little exercise in the process. :)

Opps! Too many pictures woke her up. :)

I finally reached the point where I couldn't handle having to walk, rock, or otherwise help Alice get to sleep anymore. So Friday (8/12) afternoon, I put her down in her bed for a nap. It was a particularly busy day and I had little patience, so I put her down and let her cry. In 30 minutes she was asleep. She still sometimes cries when I put her down, but usually not more than a few minutes. It has helped tremendously. But I so much miss just getting to hold her while she is sleeping.

Alice also got a couple more teeth this month, her 4th and 5th. They were her first two top teeth, one on 7/26/2011 and one on 8/12/2011. The picture is blurry, but this baby won't hold still. You can't see her top teeth, but this is a great shot of the bottom teeth.

The biggest news is that she started walking on 7/28/2011. At 9 1/2 months! It figures, the one baby I don't want to walk for as long as possible walks the earliest. But I suppose it was inevitable with 3 older siblings running around. This little girl is the sweetest thing ever!

Sisters!

2011-11-22T22:55:00.000-06:00

Sara had her little girl, Ellie Jo, on May 27th. I was dying to meet her, so when I learned they would be at Rachael's in Vegas, we decided to make it a sisters weekend. Alice and I left bright and early Saturday, July 30th. We flew out of Omaha around 6 am and got to Vegas a little after 7 am. It was so fun to see Rachael's new house. Dan is in grad school and they bought their house and moved to Henderson in July. After a tour of the house, Rachael, Dan, Gavin, Alice, and I headed to the strip to Planet Hollywood. One of Dan's classmates works at the pool there and got a cabana for the day. So we went swimming for a couple of hours. Talk about luxury! We had a whole cabana (actually the whole upstairs) to ourselves. We enjoyed the pool for a while, lounging in the cabana with the misters, and some yummy food.

After swimming, we went home and cleaned up to get ready for Sara and Ellie's arrival. She had tried to talk me into coming, but I told her it just wouldn't work out. So she had no idea that Alice and I were there. We hid in a bedroom upstairs when they arrived. Then Rachael got her to take her luggage upstairs and boy, was she ever surprised! I hope she won't mind, but I had to share the video. I must admit, there were some tears. Alice was having a hard time keeping quiet, and then you can hear Rachael trying to cover up her noise. :) It was so much fun to surprise her!

We were able to stay until Tuesday evening. The rest of the time was spent eating, playing games, eating, taking fun pictures, eating, and eating. We hardly left the house since three babies + three different nap times = someone napping at all times of the day. But it was SO much fun and I'm so glad I was able to go, to meet beautiful Ellie, and to spend time with my sisters. I'm grateful Henry was able to be home with Maggie, Nora, and Henry and was willing to let me go for a few days with Alice.

Gavin and Alice

Alice was highly entertained the whole time.

Random July 2011 (mostly phone pictures)

2011-11-21T22:01:00.000-06:00

7/3/2011 - playing with photo editing on my iPhone

7/6/2011

7/17/2011 - feel asleep sitting up, arms folded

7/20/2011 - preschool play day

7/24/2011 - finally pulled that dangling tooth

7/25/2011

Toothless

7/25/2011 - Henry likes to just watch Nora play her DS.

7/27/2011 - climbing into the cupboard

7/28/2011 - Goofball!

7/28/2011 - my Buddy

7/28/2011 - 5 minutes of cuddling turned into nap time :)

Branson Summer 2011 - Part 2

2011-11-21T21:37:00.000-06:00

Day 5 - Tuesday, July 12th

Bobby and Laura left early today. We were sad to see them go, but were so happy they were able to come for a few days.

After a lazy morning, we went to the Tanger Outlets for a little bit, mostly looking for a new hat for Henry Max. Then we spent the rest of the day swimming. We all went for a while, then Henry took Maggie and Nora while I stayed at the condo with the wiped out little ones and did some much needed laundry.

Day 6 - Wednesday, July 13th

Wednesday morning, we went down to the Branson Landing to get an old time photo. We did one when we went to Wisconsin Dells in 2010 and decided to make it a tradition. Then Henry took Buddy for his souvenir, a trip to Ridemakerz where he got to make his own car. He of course chose Lightning McQueen.

After shopping, we went to see Cars 2. The kids loved it, of course. They just love going to the movie theater. Everyone was pretty tired by Wednesday night. Since it was a rainy day, we were okay skipping the pool. We went for a drive after it got dark so the kids could see all the excitement at night and then called it a night.

Day 7 - Thursday, July 14th

The first thing we did on our last day was swim.

Maggie and Nora both took swimming lessons this summer. Between them and all the time in the pool this week, they have both improved a ton. I don't worry much at all now about them in a pool. Now I wouldn't want them too far from me in a lake or ocean, but they can easily jump in and swim to the side of a pool.

After a break for lunch, I took Maggie and Nora back to the pool. They spent about 2 hours just doing funny tricks while jumping in to the pool and I just enjoyed being in the water. I love being in the pool! While we did that, Henry took Alice and Henry to the Fish Hatchery since neither of them enjoy being in the pool for hours like the girls do.

Poor Alice spent a good part of the week like this.

I think we successfully wore everyone out. We all slept great the last night...

...after I got this out of my bed. Hmmm, I think a little person was eating in my bed!

We had a great week! We are looking forward to our next vacation. We aren't sure yet where or when it will be, but we can't wait!

Branson Summer 2011 - Part 1

2011-11-21T20:40:00.000-06:00

We were incredibly blessed to have a week vacation given to us by my awesome parents again this year. They had some time they would lose if it wasn't used, so we were more than happy to help them out. :) We tried and tried for a while to get a week in July that would work for Henry's work schedule. We weren't too picky on where we wanted to go...just within driving distance. After many calls, I gave it one more shot. I asked the guy to check if Branson had any rooms open up since the last time I called just in case. We were so excited that one did. So we headed to Branson July 8th. Henry had only been there twice at Christmas time and I had only been once in the summer back in high school.

We got to the condo Friday night. We were so excited that Bobby and Laura were able to meet us there for a few days. Friday night we had pizza delivered. Then Laura and I did the necessary grocery/snack shopping at Walmart while Henry and Bobby put the kids to bed. Then it was games and what Bobby and Henry do best, music.

Bobby and Laura came prepared. They brought the kids goggles, balls for the pool, slap bracelets, and a basketball. The kids (and I'm told, Bobby) were very excited about the goggles and balls since we were planning to do a lot of swimming.

Day 2 - Saturday, July 9th

Saturday morning, we got up and went straight for the duck rides. We were very glad we went early when it was still bearable with the breeze and traffic wasn't as bad. We felt bad when we were on our way home a few hours later and saw people on their ride, roasting while sitting in traffic. Alice slept through the whole beginning of the ride. And we also had a tragedy...Henry Max lost his beloved hat. We were near the end of the ride and it blew off his head. He was DEVASTATED! I bought it around Easter time and haven't been able to find one since. So I will have to keep my eyes open next year for another one.

With the quackers.

Alice sleeping. And I was there, too. :)

So proud after driving the duck.

She finally woke up.

Maggie was shy, but she got just brave enough to drive too!

After the duck rides, we just relaxed and then spent the rest of the day swimming. Perfect vacation day!

Day 3 - Sunday, July 10th

Sunday morning, Laura and I were able to get a little pampering with a pedicure while Henry and Bobby took the kids sightseeing and souvenir shopping.

Our pretty toes.

After lunch, we headed back to the pool. We all could have stayed there all day. There was a heat wave of 110+ temps while we were there, so the pool was the best place to be. Once we finally tore ourselves away and got cleaned up, we headed down the road to Fall Creek Steakhouse for a yummy dinner.

The girls.

The boys.

Awww! We love you guys!

Then it was home for bedtime for the kids, and of course, more games for the adults. We had to teach Bobby and Laura Monopoly Deal. :)

{via here}

Day 4 - Monday, July 11th

This was the day I think everyone was most excited for. We're going to....Silver Dollar City! It was the hottest day of the whole week we were there, but we got there around 10 and didn't leave until about 5. There was lots of running through sprinklers that were set up all over, lots of drinks purchased, like frozen lemonade (YUM!), and as many water rides as we could stand to wait in line for.

Maggie's one request, same as she had at Christmas and wasn't able to do, was to ride a big roller coaster. So Bobby and I were somehow designated as the roller coaster testers. The first one, unbeknownst to us, went upside down many times. Good thing we like roller coasters! The girls were both tall enough for the second one, but I'm glad we tried it first. It was way too fast and rough for little kids. We finally found one the girls could ride and we had a hard time getting them off. They rode over and over with anyone who would go with them. I think Maggie rode 6 times. We were so grateful Bobby and Laura were there, and that they stayed with us the whole day. They could have gone off and done their own thing, but they took our kids on rides, and helped watch Alice so Henry and I could take the older kids on rides together. We had a blast and can't wait to go back! We just really enjoyed the day, and took very few photos while doing so. But here are the few that we did take.

Aunt Laura taking a turn with the kids on the kiddie coaster.

Saw this guy and thought he was pretty.

Daddy riding the teacups with the kids. Good thing he didn't know they could control the spinning. :)

Alice also turned 9 months on the 11th. And I didn't get a single picture of her. I was just busy having fun and keeping her cool. But she never once complained about riding around in her stroller all day. :)

9 Months

2011-11-21T16:33:00.000-06:00

6/28/2011

Alice turned 9 months on Monday, July 11th. Her doctor's appointment (and the measurements) had to wait a week since we were on vacation then.

STATS (7/19/2011)

18 lbs. 4.25 oz. (40%)

27 in. (30%)

I can no longer take the pictures on the pink blanket to see how she has grown like I did previous months. She won't lay still for anything! And nothing is safe anymore. The bottom shelves have been cleared off. I find much of my day spent putting things (especially in the kitchen) back where they belong.

6/15/2011 - Reading a book written by her Nana.

Alice has learned a lot of big things this month. She is trying to grow up way faster than I want her to. She started waving this month and got two new teeth. She didn't get the second middle bottom tooth like all my other kids, no. She skipped that common second tooth and got the next one over on 6/30/2011. It was cute for two weeks with that space. But then she got the middle one on 7/14/2011. So now she has just 3 teeth on bottom. It's cute!

She also started crawling on her knees! She first did on 6/19/2011, and within a week, she was done with the army crawl and crawling exclusively on her knees.

6/20/2011 - Still mostly army crawling

6/27/2011 - always up on her knees now

Once she learned to get up on her knees, there was no stopping her. She started crawling up the stairs on 6/24/2011. So out came the baby gates!

We love this little girl SO much! She is the most beautiful thing ever...tongue and all. She is constantly putting every little thing in her mouth, except her tongue. :)

6/27/2011

Independence Day

2011-11-21T13:31:00.000-06:00

This year we went to Katy and Richard's on July 3rd for their neighborhood celebration. They go all out with a block party...food, games, and lots and lots of fireworks.

Fireworks filled with candy craft I did with the kids.

Yummy s'mores!

Nora's instinct when watching fireworks.

Only picture of Alice which is sad since she was wearing the cutest patriotic dress.

Light and run!

It was loud!

Snuggled up watching the show.

Cousin Holly with her friend, Nora, and Maggie.

Nana taking care of Nora after a spark got her foot.

The day of the actual 4th was spent at home as a family, doing a few of our own fireworks. We are so grateful for our freedom!

Proud to be an American

the outtakes

Summer

2011-11-17T21:42:00.000-06:00

Doing what we do best all summer long.

6/30/2011

7/2/2011

Checking in on the Bees

2011-11-17T21:10:00.000-06:00

We were able to drive up to South Dakota on June 24-26. While we were there, we got to check on the bees. I hadn't seen the whole setup, so Henry and I donned the gear so I could meet the bees.

Don't mind me...I'm wearing myfather-in-laws gear.

The 2 hives.

The entrance to the hive.

They were just getting started on this tray.

Lots of honey already in this tray.

And this tray is capped, honey is ready!

It is a really fascinating process. I don't know near as much about it as Henry, but it is cool. I've never been stung, so I was a little nervous, even in the suit. But it went great and it was so fun to see!

In the words of Henry Max, "3 Henrys, 3 dudes!"

My Bubbles!

2011-11-16T22:03:00.000-06:00

Our neighbor brought over a big pail of homemade bubbles she made for Gateway to the West Days. She wanted our kids to enjoy them before she dumped them and they didn't disappoint, for over an hour. :)

Softball Ends

2011-11-16T21:40:00.000-06:00

Maggie's first softball season came to an end on Wednesday, June 22. The weather was overcast and cool game. It was perfect. And Maggie played great. We really saw her improve in the short month that she played. She loved it just as much at the end and can't wait to play again. I am happy she found something she really enjoys.

She is working at running faster and you can really tell how she has improved in this video as compared to one of her first games.

With her medal. Great job Maggie!

Flood of 2011

2011-11-15T22:37:00.000-06:00

The Missouri River flooded this year, thanks to the Army Corps of Engineers releasing record amounts of water from Gavin's Point Dam in South Dakota. Because of the amounts of snow and rain received early in the year further up river, the Corp decided to flood those downstream to prevent damage on the other side. Where we once saw miles of beautiful farmland, were miles and miles of water. It is really something one can not even imagine without seeing first hand. Since we live just 2 miles from the river, we saw it first hand for months this summer. There are so many awesome pictures out there, depicting the devastation that so many people faced...losing their land, homes, everything. I wanted to be sure to get just a few pictures of my own. So on June 16th, we went back out to the Hitchcock Nature Center so we could take some pictures off the observation tower.

These were taken on June 26th. This is looking north and east of Blair.

Water as far as we can see.

Apartments under water. The actual river is normally behind that line of trees WAY in the background.

Normally you can't see water at all here.

So much loss and devastation that could have been prevented.

Quotes

2011-11-15T19:33:00.000-06:00

I wanted to start writing down funny things the kids say. I started a year ago and this is all I have. :)

12/18/2010
Maggie commented on a car that looked just like Daddy's. I told her it was the same color but was a Toyota, not a Cadillac. I can't remember her exact words, but it had something to do with a 'toy Yoda'.

1/6/2011
Nora on why she wants to play a fashion game on my computer instead of the Barbie one on her DS: She (Barbie) talks too much. It makes me so angry! She always tells me what to do and I already know how!

5/20/2011
Henry Max was looking for his toy compass, which he calls a watch. Nora said, "Maybe it just got up and walked away by itself." Henry's incredulous reply, "My watch not have legs! Maybe an elephant carried it away!"

8 Months

2011-06-26T21:27:00.000-05:00

6/4/2011

Alice is 8 months! I had fun watching her learn so many new things this month, but with each one I also cried because I know it is the last time I will see one of my babies do those things for the first time. She turned 8 months on June 11th. She weighed about 17 lbs. and is about 26 in. long. I did awful taking pictures and videos this month and the few I did take were on my phone. But here are some of the firsts this month:

She started army crawling 5/18/2011
She got her first tooth 5/19/2011
She started clapping 5/28/2011
She sat in the shopping cart for the first time 6/1/2011
She pulled herself up for the first time (in her crib) 6/5/2011

6/1/2011

6/4/2011

6/6/2011

6/10/2011

6/12/2011

Gateway to the West 2011

2011-06-24T20:23:00.000-05:00

Our town's annual Gateway to the West Days was held June 9-12 this year. We love that we are so close to all the fun events. We started the celebration Thursday night, the 9th. We walked to the carnival, which is about 4 blocks from our house. The kids each went on two rides and played one carnival game. Then we walked around downtown before heading home.

Fishing

Race car ride

Waiting in the stroller

I got my hair colored in Omaha Friday morning, so on the way home I stopped and picked up our niece, Shelley. She babysat the kids Friday night while Henry and I went to dinner and movie. We decided to stay in town, just in case. It worked out well because Alice just screamed and cried at bedtime. So I just ran home about 20 minutes before the movie was over and brought her back with me to pick up Henry. She fell asleep in the car so we were able to take her home and put her in bed and then we went to play some tennis and get dessert. It was a very fun night and I wasn't stressed because we didn't have far to go to get home when needed. It may be a while before we leave Alice with anyone again just because she has a hard enough time sleeping for us, let alone anyone else.

Saturday was the parade. We love the parade because it comes right to our driveway, and then turns before going past our house. We are close, but don't have to deal with people (and their trash) in our yard. :) Katy, Richard, Nick and Holly came for the day. Unfortunately Matthew couldn't come, but he was having a fun time at Youth Conference instead. It was fun to have them here to enjoy what turned out to be possibly THE nicest day of the summer. We had lunch, enjoyed the parade and then played games out in the yard for a few hours and had ice cream cones. Later that night after they left, Henry and I took the kids to walk a trail at a park in town and went for a ride in the car with the windows way down. It was a great weekend!

Standing for the flags: Maggie, Henry, Nick, Holly, and Nora

The little kids got tons of candy-we are still working on our bucket.

The many faces of Henry at the parade.

Story Time

2011-06-24T14:20:00.003-05:00

6/7/2011

Maggie loves reading and Nora and Henry love listening to her. And I love seeing them all doing something together and getting along. Maggie loves teaching them what has learned at school. She would make a great teacher some day!

First Lake Trip

2011-06-24T08:17:00.000-05:00

We had a few really hot days at the beginning of June, so we spent a couple of hours at the lake on June 5th. It was not only Alice's first trip to the lake, but her first time swimming. She loved it as much as the other kids. A few days later, I filled up the kids' swimming pool and she even loved that, freezing hose water and all. :)

Dance Recital

2011-06-22T21:23:00.001-05:00

Nora has been working hard all year at dance and was so excited for her recital on Saturday, June 4th. She was even more excited because Papa was able to come this year. Nana had to miss since she was in Arizona helping Aunt Sara out with baby Ellie, born on May 27th.

We took just a 'few' pictures before we left for the recital. Believe me, I only choose a few. :)

She was so excited to get to wear a little makeup.

Daddy and his girl.

Alice was ready to dance, too. ;)

Sisters.

Here is video we secretly took on my phone at the actual recital. Nora is the 6th from the right. The theme this year was the mall. So each dance had something to do with different stores in the mall. Nora's was Build-a-Bear.

And because I can't zoom in on my phone, here's the video I took at the dress rehearsal Friday afternoon. No heads in the way. :)

After the recital we all went and had ice cream. Nora did a great job and is excited to start again in the fall. Maggie has also decided she wants to try it again next year, so we will be busy, busy with dance twice a week (not to mention other activities) and most likely 4 dances in next years recital!

Great job, Nora! We are proud of you!

Circus

2011-06-22T16:22:00.001-05:00

We were able to take the kids to the circus again this year, this time in the suite. We went Friday, June 3rd. The kids love going to events in the suite, mainly for the brownies and cookies. :)

See? Brownies...yum!

I always enjoy the tigers and elephants. The tigers were especially exciting this year. This guy wasn't very happy. He tried to climb on two pedestals the guy had stacked and put off to the side. Then he knocked them over and the rest of the act was cut short while they tried to get him under control.

Past bedtime

Have I mentioned how much this boy LOVES hats?

Bees

2011-06-22T12:59:00.002-05:00

We had a full and fun day Saturday, May 21st. The girls had their last soccer game that morning, then Maggie, Nora, and Henry went to a birthday party, then we drove to South Dakota to Nana and Papa's. It was a very much anticipated day for Henry. It was the day he finally got his bees. :) He has been wanting to try beekeeping for a very long time. His parents got excited about it too so they are trying it together. The bees are being kept in South Dakota this year, but Henry is hoping to get some down here next year.

Henry and Papa trying out their bee suits.

They had to wait until Sunday night to move to bees to their home, so we just hung out and had a relaxing day until then. We went for a walk, enjoyed the beautiful weather, and took in a puppet show. :)

Maggie and Daddy being silly

Look at that face!

I love this picture with the flags and the beautiful church.

The show goes on for 5 more minutes of pure silliness. Maggie definitely has a great imagination. Make sure you notice the ticket at the end. Maggie charged a steep price of '100 bucks' and we all paid it, no questions asked. :)

The moving of the bees was a success. They had to move them at dusk, so no pictures this time. No one was stung and they are living happily in their new location. Now we wait and see if we get any honey this year.

Baseball

2011-06-21T14:30:00.002-05:00

We were lucky to get the firm's tickets to a Creighton baseball game on Friday, May 20th at the new baseball stadium in Omaha, TD Ameritrade Park. We had enough tickets that Mom, Dad, and Jake were able to come, too. The new stadium is very nice and it's always fun to sit in the suite. It is set up just like the Qwest Center suite. It looked like rain during the beginning of the game but turned out to be a nice night.

Alice at her first baseball game.

She's a Mover

2011-06-21T08:25:00.000-05:00

5/19/2011

Last Day of School Fun

2011-06-20T20:38:00.000-05:00

After school - now a 1st grader!

The girls last day of school was Wednesday, May 18th. We know officially have a 1st grader, kindergartener, and preschooler. That is just crazy! Maggie did excellent in kindergarten this year. She ended on sight word list 30 and was independently reading at I think a level 16 (kindergarteners are supposed to know the first 3 word lists and be reading at level 3).

That night Maggie had a softball game. Here is Alice sitting in her stroller watching the game.

Henry had to work late, so after Maggie's game, I put Alice to bed and the other kids and I went outside to play on the swing set in the dark while we waited for Henry to come home. They were a little scared at first because it was dark, but had fun telling stories in the tunnel with my phone for a flash light.

Nora Graduates Preschool

2011-06-20T14:38:00.013-05:00

Last day of school

Nora graduated from preschool on Wednesday, May 18th. We realized the other day that we will have a kid at the preschool 7 of 8 straight years. There will just be one year break between Henry finishing and Alice starting. We hope Mrs. Nelsen will be there all 7 years!

Where did our little Nori go?? For their graduation ceremony, they had a little program with some songs and a play and then got their certificate. Then we had time to take pictures and everyone's favorite, cookies. :)

Nora was a kitty in the play.

Nora and her friend, Alexis.

Our graduate.

'The 4 Musketeers' Nora, Grace, Bella, and Alexis.

Daddy and Nora

Nora and Mommy

Nora and Mrs. Nelsen

Alice playing in the 'water' from the play.

I missed getting a picture of her receiving her certificate from Mrs. Nelsen. I think that was right about the time Alice threw up on me. We are proud of Nora and how hard she worked and how much she learned this year. She is starting to read and I have no doubt she will do very well in kindergarten. She got to visit kindergarten on Friday, May 6th. She already knows the two kindergarten teachers, principal and secretary and she is VERY excited for kindergarten. It will be here so fast!

Softball

2011-06-20T08:21:00.002-05:00

This was the first year Maggie could play softball and she was very excited to try it. It is also the one thing so far that she has been willing to let us practice with her at home. She got to go to the store with Henry and pick out a glove, bat, and ball. She had two practices and her first game was Monday, May 16th. At her age they play other teams in town. They practice for 15 minutes and play for 45 minutes on Monday and Wednesday nights. It is coach pitch, so they get 3 pitches from the coach and then they hit it off a tee. Maggie usually hits it without the tee, depending on who is pitching. :) But she loves it and gets excited for every game.

Her ready position

No game is complete without playing in the dirt.

Here she is batting.

Maggie's Fun Day

2011-06-19T19:28:00.000-05:00

Maggie had her Fun Days at school on Monday, May 16th. Henry, Alice and I went to watch while Nora was at preschool. We watched Maggie at all of her events and then got to have a picnic lunch with her. She had a great time and it was a nice day for being outside.

Hockey

T-ball

Running hurdles

Soccer

Football

Her 'ribbons'

Swing Set

2011-06-19T14:13:00.000-05:00

The kids love their swing set. The spend hours a day playing on it when the weather is nice. The one we had was starting to fall apart. I think it would have lasted much longer if it hadn't been blown around right after we bought it 3 years ago. Remember this?

Well, we decided it was time for a new one. Henry mentioned to someone at work that we might get a wooden set for them and it so happened he had a neighbor looking to get rid of his set. So we bought it and Henry, Richard, and Matthew worked really hard on Saturday, May 14th. They got it taken apart, loaded up on a trailer, moved here from Omaha, unloaded and set up in our yard. It was a lot of work and the kids love it! We have a list of friends waiting to come play on it. :)

Impromptu Photo Shoot

2011-06-19T09:20:00.001-05:00

The kids and I went to the park with friends after dinner on Thursday, May 12th. My talented friend Diana snapped these beautiful pictures of Alice. I love how they capture some of her personality.

7 Months

2011-06-18T19:32:00.002-05:00

Alice turned 7 months on Wednesday, May 11th. She has worked this month to perfect her skills. She sits up completely independently, is sleeping in her crib pretty much all the time now, and she rolls everywhere! She weighs about 15.6 lbs and is about 25.5 inches.

5/2/2011

5/11/2011

Sitting up!

Here is a video of Alice rolling around. She goes everywhere, but as soon as the camera is out, she stops moving of course. :)

She also has a new habit of growling if I don't feed her fast enough. Funny girl! Stop growing up!

Busy Tooth Fairy

2011-06-18T14:25:00.001-05:00

We kept the tooth fairy busy at our house at the beginning of May. Maggie lost her 5th tooth, the first on top, on Monday, May 9th.

Nora lost her first tooth the next day! Her bottom two permanent teeth came in behind her baby teeth so she didn't really have a hole. But she was very excited.

The tooth fairy brought her a special present for her first tooth. It sings a note of a song every time you squeeze it's belly. Nora loves it!

And just because I couldn't resist buying Henry this shirt and the picture is too darn cute...

Mother's Day

2011-06-18T09:30:00.005-05:00

Being goofy

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Man, I love those kids! I couldn't ask for better kids. I am so happy I get to be their mom and try every day to be a little better. I had a nice Mother's Day just hanging out with Henry and the kids. And I was given the best present ever. I had Lasik surgery on Friday, May 27th. With my eyes as bad as they were, it is just amazing! I can see everything with no need for glasses or contacts. I had been wanting it for a long time since I had been in glasses for about 22 years, contacts for about 20 years. I love waking up in the morning, opening my eyes and being able to see everything! No more searching for my glasses in the middle of the night when one of the kids wakes up. Thank you, Henry! You have given me my sight back! I love you!

Derby Party

2011-06-17T18:46:00.071-05:00

Henry planned a fun day for us on Saturday, May 7th. It was the Kentucky Derby so he got some candy and we had a Derby Party. Mom and Dad came up and we bet on the races with our candy. Henry also helped the kids make fancy hats. We had a great time and I think it will be a new tradition. The kids really got into betting and cheering for the horses they picked for each race.

Nora was upset because her horse never won.

"Pants on Fire" (notice the pants, on fire?) :)

Nana modeling Nora's hat, and Papa

THE RESULTS (winner at our house in bold):

Churchill Distaff Turf Mile

Henry bet on Never Retreat (6)
Joni bet on Upperline (9)
Maggie bet on Kiss Mine (5)
Nora bet on Fantasia (3)
Henry Max bet on Aruna (2)

Churchill Downs 7 Furlongs

Henry bet on Captain Candyman Can (4)
Joni bet on Here Comes Ben (7)
Maggie bet on Smiling Tiger (6)
Nora bet on Chocolate Candy (12)
Henry Max bet on Aikenite (1)
Papa bet on Captain Cherokee (8)
Nana bet on Mythical Power (9)

Turf Classic

Henry bet on Battle of Hastings (13)
Joni bet on Stately Victor (11)
Maggie bet on Get Stormy (1)
Nora bet on Memorial Maniac (10)
Henry Max bet on Rahystrada (4)
Papa bet on Moryba (6)
Nana bet on Prince Will I Am (5)

Kentucky Derby

Henry bet on Twice the Appeal (10)
Joni bet on Stay Thirsty (12)
Maggie bet on Pants on Fire (9)
Nora bet on Dialed In (8)
Henry Max bet on Mucho Macho Man (3)
Papa bet on Comma to the Top (19)
Nana bet on Midnight Interlude (16)

So Henry Max won 3 of the 4 races. I helped him pick the first two horses and he picked Mucho Macho Man. Guess I should have picked those horses for myself. :) Nora was upset her horse never won, but Henry Max did a great job sharing his winnings. Next year maybe I will research the horses so I know what I am doing!

We're Going to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo

2011-06-17T14:47:00.003-05:00

Maggie had her field trip to the zoo on Tuesday, May 3rd. Her and I were both hoping I would be able to go along with the class. But there were so many parents that wanted to go that her teacher drew names and I was not one of them. Maggie was sad and I was disappointed. But it was a beautiful day that day, so Nora, Henry and I took Alice for her first trip to the zoo. We ran in to many groups from Maggie's school, but never did run in to Maggie.

Maggie's favorite

Nora's favorite

Baby cheetas

This guy joined us for lunch after Henry threw bits of bread on the ground for the birds.

Alice mostly just enjoyed riding in the stroller all day.

Alice and her "first zoo trip" gift. She enjoyed it once she woke up.

Girl Scout Bridging

2011-06-17T10:26:00.000-05:00

Maggie had her bridging ceremony for Girl Scouts on Saturday, April 30th. Since it was a 2 hour outdoor event, I took Maggie while Henry stayed home to play with the other kids. Maggie has absolutely loved Girl Scouts. She has moved from being a Daisy and is excited to be a Brownie when school starts. Her one question, "So do I get to sell brownies then next year instead of cookies?"

The girls

*Troop leader Molli and Maggie

Proud Mama

The girls with Nana Monster (Molli's mom), Molli and Kristina Churchill (helper)

After the ceremony, we went back to Molli's house where the girls were given their rewards for cookie sales. Maggie received the badge and an owl necklace (which broke the next day).

*Pictures taken by Kristina Churchill

Enjoying Spring

2011-06-16T17:08:00.000-05:00

Spring had a hard time getting started here this year. So whenever it appears, even for a day, we head out to play. We had a beautiful day on Wednesday, April 27th, so we spent all afternoon outside after we picked Maggie up from school. The kids just wanted me to take pictures and video the whole time (all taken with my awesome iPhone). :)

Right before she hit the cat with her head.

Alice Meets Grandma

2011-06-16T11:14:00.000-05:00

I FINALLY took the kids to the farm so Grandma could meet Alice on Monday, April 25th. The girls didn't have school so we headed over to spend a few hours. I feel like such a loser that it took me six months to go the 45 minutes. Alice got to meet my Grandma Dea, Aunt Denise, Aunt Debra, and cousin Molly. And Maggie, Nora, and Henry had a blast playing. They love going there. I promise it won't be another six months!

Easter 2011

2011-06-15T21:50:00.001-05:00

Playing computer with Nora. 4/22/2011

This year we spent Easter weekend with Nana and Papa Dea and Uncle Jake. The girls didn't have school Friday, April 22nd or Monday, so we were able to leave Thursday night. It was a very relaxing weekend.

Coloring eggs 4/22/2011

Finished eggs

The kids were worried, but the Easter Bunny managed to find us. He actually came on Saturday. He must have known the weather wasn't going to be very nice on Sunday. ;) Here are some pictures from the egg hunt.

This next picture is fun. It makes Henry look like a giant and Maggie like she is hanging. Henry was standing on the retaining wall and Maggie was standing on something too. :)

Henry looks so calm in all of the pictures. Don't be deceived. :)

BEST. DAY. EEVVVVEERRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!

More Alice

2011-06-15T08:22:00.000-05:00

Sleeping with Mama 4/15/2011

Alice wasn't happy during dinner on Thursday, April 14th, so I was holding her while I finished eating. The kids got done before me and were trying to entertain Alice. They did an excellent job. (Ignore me, I was trying to video with my phone without getting myself in the video.)

Alice is finally sleeping through the night consistently so we moved her to her crib. She is sharing a room with Henry and it works great. She hasn't woken him up yet. And because she is so cute and I was playing with an app on my phone, I had to include 3 pictures. :)

4/16/2011

Alice doesn't sit in her swing a ton anymore and this is why. The girl never has liked lying on her back and now that she is sitting, she won't just sit back and relax in her swing.

4/20/2011

4/14/2011