organized CHAOS

Bitter sweet

2012-02-14T08:48:00.004-06:00

We lost an amazing and beautiful woman this weekend. She was smart, kind, stubborn, fiery and someone I loved very much. And no...I'm not talking about Whitney Houston. :) But instead my great grandma Corinne Hoskins.

In her lifetime- she witnessed World War 1, the sinking of the Titanic, the stock market crash and Great Depression, Pearl Harbor, World War 2, Kennedy's assassination, the Korean War, Vietnam, man landing on the moon, and more. She lived and raised three children through the dust bowl and dealt with segregation first hand. She married at 18 and spent the next 69 years with Harold until his death in 1999.

My favorite memories are of visiting them in Kansas, playing marbles and pitch, snacking on her wonderful baked goods, waking up to the smell of pancakes, eggs and sausage and listening to stories of her life. Although I didn't truly appreciate the old stories until I was mom myself. Hearing about how she raised my grandma and great aunt and uncle, what life was like and what hardships she was dealt- how much she has witnessed and how times have changed. In her later years she let me in on our family's dirty little secrets and our skeletons...I LOVED it! I loved her...I still do!

I will miss her but have peace knowing she isn't trapped in an aged body. That now she is with her friends and family, whole and happy. She lived an amazing life and left an amazing legacy!

Co-existing

2012-02-05T16:44:00.003-06:00

We have over 600 photos of Evie...an average of 4 photos taken every day since she was born. And this is the only one with both Evie and Emma in it. And the only reason we have this one...is because just to the left of the photo- just out of shot, Kwynn is holding Emma in place.

Emma wants nothing to do with Evie. She didn't smell her when she came home from the hospital. Doesn't lay with her on the floor. Doesn't lick her face while she's in the walker. Emma even makes a special effort to avoid Evie. I conducted a little experiment a few days ago...Emma was laying on the floor- so Evie and I sat down next to her. Emma immediately got up and found a new spot. So we followed her. And again she moved. We did this about five times until finally Emma went in her kennel.

The strange thing is Emma is super protective of her. Emma's protective of all our girls...Evie too. She will lay on the floor next to Evie's bassinet. She will lay in the kitchen when Evie is in her carseat on the table. And if someone comes near her...someone who is not 'Emma approved' she will growl and put on her mean face.

Weird.

Evie doesn't really have any interest in Emma either. But I have a feeling things might change when she starts crawling...I think Emma will be a bit more interesting. But until then...they are just co-existing.

Never ending

2012-02-03T15:58:00.002-06:00

I seem to be having some time-management issues... maybe you know what I'm talking about. You know- where your daily to-do list seems to keep rolling over into tomorrow and you feel like your never going to get it all done. Well, that's where I'm at.

And my blog seems to be suffering the most. See- I'll have a great idea for a blog post and have it all planned out in my head. But actually getting to the computer and posting it...well, not so much.

And then when I finally do get a chance to sit down and blog...I forgot what was so great about the post in the first place. Words won't flow like they did and the humor is long gone.

Take last night for example. All day I had this awesome idea for a post. But we were in Omaha visiting my mom and I wasn't near a computer. It marinated in my thoughts and just flowed so effortlessly together in my head as I ran through it. I couldn't wait to get home and write. BUT we got out of town later than expected and I needed to run and get the kids from school. Then there's the after school snack and home work time, and cleaning up after all that. Second cousins were over so games and things were everywhere. Mean while trying to care for Evie and pick up the kitchen. After dinner, I called my mom to get an update on her afternoon and then relayed the message to my grandma (who, by the way, is a super talker). After 30 minutes of talking to her on the phone and answering emails simultaneously- it was time to feed Evie dinner. Then I had to fold laundry and start another load. I ran back downstairs to wash Evie's bottles and start the dishwasher. By then it was a little after nine and time to put Evie to bed. After twenty minutes of rocking and cuddling - she finally went to sleep. AND I was EXHAUSTED and couldn't even remember what I was going to write about. So no post.

Sad thing is...its not just the post that didn't get posted, its the grocery list that didn't get written, the front room that didn't get vacuumed and trash that didn't get taken out to the curb...all of that was crammed into the morning routine this morning...eegads!

I guess what I'm saying is...I'm overwhelmed. There are only so many hours in the day and only so much that can be done. It will all get done eventually and there's no reason to stress! Right!?

Thank goodness there is a snowstorm this weekend- because I will playing catch up!

Old Souls

2012-01-19T16:52:00.003-06:00

Do you ever wonder about those spirits we knew before we came to earth to be born? Well, I do.

Past family members, loved ones and ancestors...possibly my great great great great whoever telling me stories about their life and how wonderful life will be. Kindred spirits that we are destined to be with in this life. Our siblings and our parents.

Incase you are thinking I've completely lost it...my faith believes in a pre-existence. A place where spirits congregate before they are sent to earth. I also believe that our ancestors and all those that have passed before us also reside there. Preparing us for our journey here.

Do you ever meet someone for the first time and it just "clicked"? You just knew that you knew each other in another life? That's exactly what I'm talking about!

Evie has been to visit her grandma Tillie a few times since being born four months ago. And I love how they look at each other- their expressions. Like Evie was meant to be a part of our family. That John and I were meant to be together so that Evie could be a part of gma T's family. That there is chance they knew each other way back when and now they have met again.

That's what I believe.

There once was a girl...

2012-01-10T15:58:00.004-06:00

There once was a little girl who loved (I mean LOVED) her binky! She and her bink were inseperable. Eventually she reached the age for the beloved bink to be retired. So her parents asked her to throw it away. Defiantly she grabbed her binky, shoved in her mouth and walked the other way. But everyday her parents persisted...and insisted that she throw it away.

Then one day that two year old little girl was waiting for her sisters to change after swimming lessons. She nonchalantly walked over to the dressing room trashcan and tossed the bink in. Her mother looked on quizzically...not sure of what had just happened. That night the little girl's parents worried what hellish hours awaited them, but the little girl went right to sleep and never asked for her bink again.

During the next six and half years, that same little girl once again took a defiant stand. Her parents continually asked, but never pressured, her to get her ears pierced. Every time they would go to the mall- her parents would casually ask if she wanted to stop and get them pierced and each time came the same definitive answer, "NO!"

UNTIL last Thursday. The little girl, her sisters and mom were at the mall. Her mom mentioned how she wanted to by a store and pick up some earrings for her sisters. When out of the blue the little girl said "I'm going to get my ears pierced today." And just like that we walked to the store and the deed was done!

***Side note...the photo for 1/7/2012 is one of 4 month old Evie...starting to sit up on her own!

Science class project

2012-01-05T09:44:00.004-06:00

The girls needed to make an instrument for science class- and they needed to be able to play a tune on it...which requires distinguishable notes. HOLY CRAP! That's pretty crazy...especially when they only had a week to work on it i.e. finding or thinking of an idea, making it and then learning to play a tune on it.

And we have twins...so I was freaking out thinking that both girls had to come up with two different instruments! Luckily their teacher let them work on it together- they just needed to play different songs. Wphew!

So the twins searched the internet...google- its a miracle machine! Searched "home made instruments" and they decided on a pvc instrument. They can be crazy complex...check this one out! We scaled down the instrument to include only one octave. The girls played Jingle Bells and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. And they received 105/100 as a grade! Can you say BONUS POINTS! :)

Twins' Room REdo

2012-01-04T13:26:00.002-06:00

John and I are letting the twins redo their bedroom. We have given them a budget and basically that's it! They have free range....eek!!!!

For their first art piece- we made these super sweet origami butterflies. We weren't sure if it was going to be a chandelier or a mobile or hanging in the alcove where the desk is...they finally decided to put them on the wall.

They are super simple and perfect for teenage girls! I also love how they span the colors of the rainbow in order instead of just being randomly displayed. We used small sewing pins to affix them to the wall- that way you won't need to fill each hole when its time for them to come down. Just put up a fresh coat of paint and the wall will be ready for its next design.

The girls are scanning the internet looking for bedding, other wall art and a light fixture. I think it's great that they want to make the decor instead of buying everything...such creative little squirts! LOOOOOOVVVVEEE it!!!!!

1/3/2012

2012-01-04T07:54:00.002-06:00

Can you sense the sarcasm? And can you guess who she's looking at! ? :)

I think she will fit in just fine with our family!

1/2/2012

2012-01-03T09:00:00.002-06:00

The photo from 1/2/2012....

Only four months and already hooked!

Wonder what ipods will be like when she's ready for one!?

a NEW year

2012-01-01T17:10:00.003-06:00

Welcome 2012!

I've come to realize that I don't keep my resolutions...so why make them. BUT I am hoping to be more healthy and more happy!

How do I hope to accomplish this?

Well, exercise is a must. And eating healthier. We're making it a family effort- so it should be FUN!

I'm also hoping to blog more...I really fell off the blog wagon this year. I'm doing the 'picture everyday' experience. I'm hoping this will give me ideas for blog posts and a way to remember all small things that happen as well as the big.

Happiest of New Years to everyone!

1-1-2012 photo:

cheering up gma ski at the hospital

Christmas 2011

2011-12-28T18:58:00.001-06:00

Vacation...Destination Park City!

2011-11-29T15:54:00.003-06:00

We spent last week in Park City with family...and it was ALOT of fun!

Cousins

and more cousins

Evie handled the drive superbly...in fact this is what she did the whole time in the car!

This is a photo of the twins and what they wore on the ride home...I think this is a gas station in Wyoming or western NE...love the boots, shorts and tanktops!

It was a great week...full of swimming, snow tubing, shopping, hanging out and just relaxing!

New wheels

2011-10-12T13:35:00.003-05:00

Evie got her first set of wheels this weekend...a Jeep! So we took it for a spin at the zoo. It was such amazing weather that we just had to take advantage of it!

The twins took turns pushing their little sister around and Pucca loved getting her picture taken! Our animal lover Kwynnie desperately wanted to share her popcorn with the primate - dang glass partition anyway!

Loved the falling leaves and crisp autumn weather! Also loved that the twins weren't too old to feed the goats!

I have no idea who this child is- but the structure is our next project at Davey! We agreed that it would be the perfect 'fort' for the kids!

We also strolled over to Sunken Gardens, which are still BEAUTIFUL! There was a wedding going on so we didn't stay long- but WOW! We will definitely be taking some family photos there again!

I've taken Evie for a few walks around the neighborhood and she loves it! I pull down the canopy so she can look up at the sky and trees...she just stares in awe! Wish I could know what she was thinking! :)

Is that what I think it is?

2011-10-10T20:21:00.003-05:00

Does that look orange to you!?

I think I see a carrot top emerging...or maybe she's just being festive for Halloween!

Over the river and through the woods...

2011-10-03T12:52:00.004-05:00

...to grandmother's house we go!

We ran back to GI town and Hastings to see the grandmas. Our children are extremely lucky to have two grandmas, two great-grandmas and one great great grandma! That's 5 lovely ladies...perfect examples of love, kindness, strength, humor and goodness for our girls to look up to and to be genetically connected too. Like I said- super LUCKY!

Here are some photos from our latest gma run:

p.s. Now I'm not saying that the men in our lives aren't special and wonderful too- because they are! I simply adore my father-in-law and think he's the best grandfather in world to his grandkids! And my grandma's husband has many special qualities too...hard work ethic, a no nonsense type of mentality and an awesome great-grandpa to the girls! We love our grandpas!!!!!

GO BIG RED!

2011-09-25T12:46:00.004-05:00

Evie needed something Husker-esque for the game yesterday. She has two NU onsies but nothing really girly. SO the girls and I decided to make her a Husker tutu.

I forsee a future of many tutus...in many colors! Too sweet!

love

2011-09-23T10:56:00.002-05:00

Hard to believe its almost been 4 weeks since this little wonder entered our lives! She's a doll and loved by many!

Especially her big sisters- they have been super great helpers! All of them have really taken to her and help me out when I'm trying to do other 'mom' stuff. They hold her, snuggle her, 'shhh' her back to sleep and have even changed a diaper or two. We are really lucky to have such great kids!

Adding a baby to the mix can be tricky- but the family seems to be adjusting well. Its crazy how everyone can just readjust and fall back into a routine (all be it slightly changed).

Crossing my fingers and knocking on wood that this transition continues to be easy peasy and fun!

my feets

2011-09-19T15:53:00.003-05:00

My poor poor footsies went from this during my pregnancy

to this after my c-section

and are now back to this!

It was so bad that my crocs barely fit and would leave little diamond bubbles of raised skin from where my chub was squeezing out of the tops of them once I took them off. THEY WERE SO GROSS!

I think I seriously freaked out some family members last week at Evie's blessing when I squeezed my elephant chubs into dress shoes. I was actually told to take my shoes off while at church...by several people! Owell- my pretty skinny feet are back! I'm going to enjoy every day of sandal and pedicure weather- up until I have to tuck these beauties away for winter! :)

Evlynn's birth story

2011-09-16T12:05:00.005-05:00

Evlynn was scheduled...a c-section due to her estimated size and my previous difficulties birthing large children. An ultra-sound performed a week prior, estimated her size to be about 9lbs 2oz...with a variant of 12 ounces either way. So she could be anywhere between 8.6 and 9.14. My dr was quite certain she would be on the lighter side due to her bone length. After considering everything...I decided a c-section would be best for the baby and me.

August 29th- be to the birthing center by 5:30am

That was one of the longest weeks and shortest weeks I've ever experienced. LONG because I couldn't wait to meet her! 40 weeks is LONG freaking time! And SHORT because I was scared to death of surgery and recovery. I kept myself busy that week prepping the house and making sure the house was stocked with groceries, lists of 'family' that would be helping with the kids and those bringing meals. Every night that week I would think to myself- this is the last Tuesday we'll be a family of 5...this is the last Wednesday we'll only have 3 children...this is the last Saturday I'll be able to nap whenever I want.

Early Monday morning (8/29) after a less than perfect night's sleep (anxiety and nerves...and having to pee every hour!) John and I kissed our sleeping beauties goodbye, gave them hugs and headed off to the hospital. My mom stayed with us and was bringing them up after awhile.

John- he kept my spirits light. Made me laugh and for the most part put me at ease. The prep lasted about an hour...probably would have been shorter except they couldn't get my iv in- OUCH! After three tries- it finally went. John had to change into surgical scrubs...he modeled them very well! Loved the booties and mask too...but the hat was the BEST! I sure do love that man!

Then they took me back to the surgical room. It was only about 50 feet down the hallway but my knees went weak and I tripped. I could feel myself starting to breathe fast. The nurses were sweet and kept reassuring me. I asked for my husband- they said he would be there as soon as the meds were in and I was numb. I started to cry. I said a quick prayer "Please, God!"

Then the doors to the operating room opened and my panic eased a bit. The room had a bank of windows spanning an entire wall. The sun was coming up and the light was beautiful and calming. The room was white and tiled with cool green...not sterile and scary as I was expecting.

The nurses were patient and kind. They helped me through the spinal block and talked me through everything was going to happen. They helped me lay down and the dreaded sheet was put in place. The sheet that they put up to keep the surgical field sterile and to keep me from seeing too much. I'm extremely claustrophobic and began to panic. One nurse quickly went to get John to help calm me.

The actual c-section was so surreal. You can feel but you can't. I think it probably helped that I was more concerned about that darn sheet being in my face. I kept pulling at it, crying because I was scared and freaking out and thinking this can't even be real! Finally, my dr said there was going to be alot of pressure because the baby didn't want to come out- so she was going to have to force her. She asked for a foot stool so that she could position herself up on my upper abdomen and push down on the baby to force her out through the incision.

Just when I thought I was going to pass out from all the anxiety, pressure and just the whole situation...I heard her cry. And everything seemed to stop.

John popped up and took a quick pic. Then one of the nurses brought her to the side so I could see her...she was a big chub ball! I mean HUGE! Her face was smooshed- her nose off to one side and her lips all squishy. Poor thing was cramped to say the least. All I could do was cry and I might have uttered something like "wow- she's fat!" I blame that 'loving motherly statement' on the meds.

All 9lbs and 14 ounces of her were completely healthy! All 20 fingers and 20 toes were accounted for! John was able to cut the cord and held her next to me as they stitched me up.

I am so thankful that John was there with me. I know I didn't converse much with him during the surgery- even though both him and the anesthesiologist were asking me questions to keep my mind off the sheet. But he held my hand and kept telling me he loved me. Which helped me the most. It must have been hard for him to sit there and not be able to do anything to help...and I appreciate that he went through that for me. And that he didn't pass out with all the blood and needles...that was really great too! :)

Recovery has been brutal...at least for me. I am a wuss when it comes to pain. And even though I've recovered quicker than expected...it was still horrible! For the last 7 years I've been telling John that our family isn't complete- that I've felt like someone was missing. Our family is complete now. We are all so happy to have Evie in our lives- its been along time waiting!

Mr. Man turns 4!

2011-08-21T13:28:00.006-05:00

Our nephew on John's side turned 4 this weekend- and it was a family affair!

Of course there was singing and cake!

And gifts galore!

Fishing at the lake with the cousins.

We caught a rope, a stick, a tree and two itty bitty fishies.

Never the less, Mr. Man was happy- and that's what counts!

Happy Birthday!

First Day 2011

2011-08-17T06:50:00.003-05:00

WOW! Another school year has begun! We officially have two 8th graders and a 3rd grader! Kind of NUT-SO!

The twins are super excited about being top dogs of the middle school! They know the layout, classrooms and have all the procedures down- so not many nerves at all! They are taking some accelerated classes (called 'diff' classes) which are considered 'high school' level- but they seem to be taking it in stride.

Pucca is back in her school- a new school...kind of. It was completely gutted and renovated last year so its basically a brand new building. Lucky for her - her classroom is right across the hall from the door she enters. She's starting her first year of 'diff' classes.

Back to school shopping wasn't well executed this summer. I managed to get all the supplies, new shoes, manicures and haircuts...but definitely slacked in the clothing department.

I told them I'd take them this fall and make it up to them...just too much for this mama...three girls in three different areas of each store at the mall...I didn't last long! So only a few new outfits. Each girls picked out their own 'first day' ensemble!

Here are the first day photos:

Twins...check out the necklaces! They ordered these from an Etsy shop with their own money- they are CUTE!

Pucca- she wanted to be 'casual- not too fussy!' ...those were her exact words!

She calls her new shoes 'twinkle toes' because there are sequins all over the toe area. Very Pucca-esk!

What's in a name?

2011-08-09T17:06:00.003-05:00

Naming a child is always a big deal. It will be your child's moniker for their lifetime and a permanent branch of the family tree. Will it be conventional? Trendy? Unisex? Picked for a special meaning? Picked solely because you liked it? Was it the result of a family vote? A name you've imagined naming your child since you were once one yourself? Is it a family name? OR was it randomly picked out of a 'Baby Names' book on 125th page fifth from the bottom because you were tired of looking through names?

Lucky for us- naming our children has come pretty easy. We've picked names that reflect our culture and family. The twins both have Irish first names and their middle names are after women on my side of the family.

Pucca was named for the living matriarchs on both John's and my sides of the family. Which would be my great grandma and John's grandma.

This baby is named after women on John's family tree.

Evlynn Cecilia

We will most likely call her Evie for short or as a nickname while she is young. Evlynn is such a grown up name for such a little thing. Evlynn is pronounced like 'EVAN' but with the added 'L'.

Evlynn is Gaelic in origin. A great great great grandma of John's (although its spelled Evelyne- we had to keep the 'ynn' thing going! ). It also means 'the longed for child' which after all we've been through, seems to fit perfectly!

And Cecilia for a Kelly matriarch that encouraged her son to leave Ireland for America. With out which would have made it extremely difficult for me to meet and marry my bestfriend a 120 years later!

So now the secret is out. I initially didn't want to tell the name, but people kept asking and quite frankly wore me out. The girls played a part in helping pick the name as well, which makes it even more special.

Can't wait to meet you, sweet pea!

Nursery for baby E

2011-08-07T12:17:00.002-05:00

YAY! The nursery is ready for baby #4 !

Here's a picture of the mobile that the twins helped me with. Believe it or not the hardest part was figuring out how to hang strings with multiple cranes. We even GOOGLED it for goodness sakes. In the end we came up with our own plan...involving color matching buttons. Worked pretty darn good!

I made the curtains, the bedding, dust ruffle and baby blankets. I still have a few more blankets to make. If not for this little one- maybe as gifts for someone else's. I ordered all the fabric online for less than $100 and have a ton left over. That's pretty good considering the crib bedding sets we were looking at were like $150! Nuts-so! Oh and the yellow crocheted blanket hanging on the crib is from John's grandma...it was one of the twins's but they graciously offered to let the baby use it.

The twins made artwork for Pucca's room when she was baby and now all three were able to make some for this baby. Kwynnie made the zebra, Kynna did polka dots and Pucca went with fish. I think she's hoping this sister will like to fish more than her older ones! :)

The graffiti art that's framed says "We 'heart' you"...I already mentioned it here. We painted numbers on the drawers- deciding to spell out number four just for her. Kwynnie picked out the yellow piggy bank. As family project we painted the dresser- the girls picked the color and we changed out the knobs to a simple pewter. THIS dresser has had many lives! The white shoes are leather booties from an antique store. They were still in their box from the 1950s. You can bet she will be wearing them- they are so cool! I'm very into the classic vintage style!

And the bag on the floor is her overnight bag. Nice size and has a bunch of pockets going around the outside of it for all her little baby gear. A great purchase from 31.

And if you look really close at the bottom right you can see the tip of the sheep skin rug. We found the perfect rug but it was too small. So we bought two and whip stitched them together. You can't even tell! And we now have the perfect rug!

I wanted a tree mural for the blank wall we had. I decided on the one in the picture...its a small tree blowing in the wind. Small and petite for baby...and blowing to represent fall and change. I wish it was a bit bigger...but it really looks sweet!

I have a few blankets and pillows to work on still- but not vital to the room. The pillows would go on the window bench. Speaking of which...that bench is there kind of by mistake. Or just laziness. We are actually putting a bench style toy box there. I just haven't painted it yet, she won't need it for a while. And I'm too lazy to move the existing bench- plus I'm not even sure where we'd put it...so basically procrastinating and ignoring all that at this point!

All in all...its pretty much how we envisioned it to be. The girls love it and had a fun time contributing! And I'm glad its done!

Happy Birthday, twinners!

2011-07-16T20:53:00.003-05:00

Our twinnies turned 13 yesterday! Holy cow! TEENAGERS!!!!!!! TIMES TWO!!!!!!!

We picked up some of the twins' friends and headed to the salon. Manicures and pedicures all around! And then we went to lunch. It was fun, low key and easy on mama! Which is good because this HUMIDITY is crazy terrible! YUCK!

Love you McKynna and Kwynn!

photos

2011-07-14T13:13:00.004-05:00

We have this amazing rain garden...planted years before we bought the property. So the girlies and I decided to head out first thing this morning and take some photos. Nothing professional - just for fun and something to do!

Here's a few...

The twins

I had hoped to catch them 'casually' but Kynna snuck in a cheesy smile!

Kynna

Pucca

Having fun with an oversized frame I bought years ago on clearance...worked well for a photo prop!

Ems even got in on the action!

proof that they do LOVE eachother!

Weirdest thing!

2011-07-11T11:38:00.003-05:00

Pucca LOVES to ride her bike...up and down the street she goes! Even when its 98 degrees outside with 80% humidity- she's out there...just pedaling along.

Well, the other night she was riding her bike and she wiped out. By happen stance, John was walking out to the mailbox and saw her sprawled out on the street just between our house and the neighbor's. When he got to her, he noticed she was wearing flip-flops - which when riding a bike, is a NO NO in our house. It never ends well!

John realigned her handle bars and walked her bike home and she limped back to the house. When she came in she wasn't crying- in fact she looked upset more than in pain. I asked what happened, where the injuries were and what hurt.

Her wrists were sore from bracing herself during the fall and her knee was scratched. Oh and her toe was bleeding. I looked down at her toe and nearly threw up! It looked like a little bomb had exploded on the side of her big toe. Skin was shredded and mangled.

I had her hurry into the bathroom and I grabbed our first aid supplies. I started to rinse it with some water- so I could see what I was dealing with. I expected her to jump off the counter- butNOPE she just sat there looking at it and watching me. I continued to pull back shredded tissue and cleaned it the best I could. Still she just sat there...calm as could be. Peroxide...sat there and watched the bubbles. Neosporin...no reaction. Wrapped it in bandaids....she hopped off the counter and was out riding her bike the next morning.

Very strange...because she is our DRAMA QUEEN!

Then John and I realized that it was her right foot and the injury was on the outside part of her big toe. When Pucca had her nerve grafting when she was 3 months old for her Erb's palsey- they took the nerve that runs on the outside of her right foot that runs along the pinky toe and the nerve the runs along the inside of her right foot that runs along her big toe. We were told that by doing this graft she would no longer have sensation along those parts of her foot. Which isn't a big deal so we never really gave it any thought...until now. And boy did she luck out!

Because it was nasty and would have hurt like HOLY HECK!

(this is day two after she peeled of the mangled flesh that was hanging)

Weird, huh!?

Family Fourth of July FUN!

2011-07-07T13:03:00.005-05:00

Well, actually it was the SECOND of July fun...we had John's parents and his brother's family over for dinner and fireworks!

And of course a water fight!

Here's a pic of our nephew with his ear protection. He wore them the whole night...I think it was more for the comforting factor rather than function. For most of the night they rested around his chubby cheeks...so cute!

John and Uncle Luke helped the children light the fireworks.

And of course there's always the running away!

We had a great display going...

until a sill artillery shell decided to misfire in our direction and explode sparks all over us. I mean singed clothes and everything! It was crazy scary- but we're all good! Needless to say...that was the end of the fireworks that night! :)

On the third and fourth our neighborhood sounded like a war zone- no kidding! A couple of time our house shook and the sky was lit up so much that it didn't seem like night. There were spectacular displays in every direction as well as what neighbors were lighting off. It was quite the experience!

I love the fourth of July...the whole weekend! The feel of it, being with family, bbq and relaxation! Just love it! And this year added to my love of it!

Fishing Derby part 3

2011-07-03T15:01:00.003-05:00

My little brother and I are a little competitive with each other. One of our competitive streaks turned into an ongoing Fishing Derby between the two of us. Trevor won the first round. I smoked him on the second. So we decided we needed a tie-breaker!

We headed to Lake Milford in Kansas- just a few miles from the town Trevor lives in. We rented a boat, stocked up on worms, geared up the tackle and loaded the poles. Hopes were high that day! How many were we going to catch? 6? 8? 20? Who knew!?...but the lake was stocked and plum full of biters.

So we set out. Maranda (trev's girlfriend) gets the first couple of nibbles. Then Kynna catches one! Then Pucca catches one! All within the first half hour! WOOOOHOOOOO! It was going to be an AWESOME day!

Then an hour passes. And another hour. And another. All of sudden Pucca reels in her second little fish. Then nothing. After four hours of not catching anything....Trev and I call it a draw! And decided to quit calling it a 'derby' and instead we'll call it 'Just-for-fun-fishing!'

Eventhough the fish were few and far between...and for some of us...non-existant! We had a super fun time!

Ems gave up

The twins gave up

even Pucca called it quits

We really had alot of fun and can't wait to make it down there next summer! Hopefully the fish will be a little more accommodating!

Plus, there's always our Pumpkin growing competition we have going! Check in on October 15th to see who won!

Camps

2011-06-23T11:52:00.005-05:00

Last week was 'camp' week for our family. The twins went off to a church camp (tents, sleeping bags and nightly bonfires) and our little monkey went to GI town for Stuhr camp.

All the girls had a lovely week...lots of fun and lots of stories! The twins can't wait until next year and Pucca has already told me which classes she's taking next summer at Stuhr.

The twins had serious concerns about being away from their ipods, internet and friends...but they met new friends, learned fun songs and experienced a bunch of new things (like how to get lost on a hike, why its a good idea to have extra socks, and a new appreciation for showers!)

Pucca took two classes: A doll-a-day class (where each day she made a new and different doll that would have been common among the pioneers) and a Beginners Horse Class. She loved them both and learned alot.

I came down and spent half the week with Pucca in GI town. Spent time with family and fished with Pucca. We did amazingly well!

catfish

either a walleye or a bass... all I know, is that it had HUGE teeth and there was no way I was sticking my finger/thumb in its mouth!

I really hate touching fish! Can ya tell!?

Birthday Bash- just for gpa!

2011-06-13T08:30:00.006-05:00

We all went home to GI town on Saturday to surprise the birthday boy with a day packed full of family fun!

Family fishing derby

Silly string war

birthday hats!

more fishing!

sand castles and volcanoes

memories and sentiments from family members

hula hoops and backyard fun

and yummy icecream cake!

Just for you!

2011-06-10T21:46:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday, 'Elvis'!

We love you and wish you the very best birthday ever!

Something new!

2011-06-06T07:25:00.004-05:00

Our family has NEVER been to the strawberry patch - can you believe it!? Which is crazy because its only like ten minutes from our house!

The strawberry picking season opened yesterday at Roca Berry Farms. So we loaded up the children and headed out on our little adventure.

It was HOT and dirty and there's lots of work and crawling around involved in getting those little nuggets of sweet goodness. BUT WELL WORTH IT!

We only lasted about a half hour out in the field (going around noon wasn't the smartest choice- I'm guessing first thing in the morning feels much better!)- but is was a FUN half hour. Lots of talking and laughing and me keeping the troops on task.

We ended up with a basket just shy of 8 lbs. They were cleaned, divided into 2 cup portions and thrown in the freezer. Can't wait for strawberry shakes, smoothies, shortcake, topped on some yummy cheesecake or even just vanilla icecream! YUM! YUM! YUM!

family fun

2011-05-31T13:47:00.004-05:00

We spent the holiday weekend out at Camp Davey...our family cabin just outside of town. John's parents and his brother and his family were there as well. It was a lovely weekend filled with rain, fence pulling (for the guys), yard work (for the ladies), fishing, lake time, relaxation and good food and company.

We attempted roasting marshmallows with the children one evening, trying to squeeze it in quickly between two developing storm fronts. And while doing so - I tried out a night time shutter setting on the camera. I managed to get great shots of all the kids...except of the little man. Well, let me just show you what I'm talking about...

For example, in one shot there was...

a flaming marshmallow...

and then a roasting skewer...

and then an arm.

Owell- good thing its only the start of summer vacation! I'm sure by the end we'll get a shot of the little guy covered in the ooey gooey goodness of melted mallow!

Seriously!?

2011-05-25T06:34:00.002-05:00

Can this week drag on any slower!? It is the girls' last week of school and its feels like its just going and going and going. I can't tell how much I'm looking forward to a lazy summer. No big cross country trips. Only one child participating in a sport (Pucca in softball...and I'm totally going to have to post a video of her grand slamming that ball in the front yard! Serious power!). A smaller more condensed garden to tend. And only one week of camps (we were lucky enough to be able to schedule all the girls' camps in the same week!).

This summer couldn't be anymore low key! And I'm not the only one looking forward to it! I asked the girls what they had planned for the summer...

Kynna: "I'm going to try and do a little exercise everyday" A perfectly responsible Kynna response

Kwynnie: "I'm going to read, listen to my ipod and hopefully get a tan." A perfectly typical Kwynnie response- realistic and understated.

Pucca: "I'm going to try my best not to annoy you, play with my friends and get ready to be a big sister- cuz that's serious stuff you know!" A perfectly adorable Pucca response

BRING ON SUMMER ALREADY!!!!

baby #4...It's a GIRL!

2011-05-16T20:27:00.004-05:00

So we will soon be the parents to FOUR wonderfully talented, beautiful lovely ladies! We are super excited! Good health and no birthing complications are really all we were hoping for with this pregnancy...so far so good!

So nursery ideas...

here's the color palette I was thinking...

These fabrics will be used on the crib bedding (a blanket and bumper). One will be used to make a cushion for the antique wooden rocker. And maybe for the curtains...but that's not for certain yet.

The dresser is a 4 drawer chest of drawers we bought at a rummage sale a few years ago. perfect height to attach a changing cushion to the top and make a changing station. It will be painted dove gray with white print numbers on the right side of each drawer front numbering them 1-3...and on drawer #4, we'll spell out 'four' in script font. A little nod to the little one's place in the sibling order.

I also have an antique rectangle mirror that will go above the crib. I'm sure there will be some fabric pendant banners looped around the room as well. Origami cranes (about 50) hanging at different heights above the crib and the girls' artwork hanging in a collection on one of the walls.

The walls are already the perfect shade of gray...so we lucked out there! I did find a really neat vinyl wall sticker that would go from floor to ceiling...a white silhouette of a tree....thinking that would look rather smashing in there as well!!

SO that's what's been floating around in my noggin!

by the way...anyone want to show us how to make origami cranes? Better yet...anyone want to come over and help us!!!! (jess, we're already counting on your help!)

Its better...finally!

2011-05-13T23:13:00.004-05:00

I'm finally getting out of my pregnancy slump. You know the one where you are dead on your feet- so much so that you could sleep away an entire day and still go to bed before 9pm. And the ones where your mornings...and afternoons....and sometimes evenings - are plagued with nausea and hovering over the sink or toilet knowing with out a doubt that death HAS to be better than this.

Anyway- I think I'm finally rounding the curve (second trimester my a*#!). I'm now starting to think about and plan the nursery. Still haven't bought anything- though. Not quite there yet. Still scared and paranoid and just wanting to take it one day at a time.

BUT that doesn't mean my head hasn't been full of fun projects and ideas for the nursery! SO I took a huge step (at least for me)....I made something for the baby's room! A photo collage that I framed and will hang near the artwork project the girls are making.

What do you think?

I used a simple black frame with a thick white double mat. I'm thinking gray, white and butter yellow for nursery colors- but will add pops of color through out. I think this picture will be perfect!

Now for painting the dresser, buying a crib (and mattress), making the crib bedding (found the cutest fabric...I'll share in a future post), painting the cradle (and possibly raising it), finishing up the girls' artwork, making about a gazillion origami cranes in lieu of a mobile, getting a carseat, clothes, stroller, and..and...and...

And now you know the rest of the story....

2011-05-08T20:20:00.003-05:00

Typical me...I have a wonderful, totally awesome idea, however I don't quite think it through before jumping right in!

I had this idea for our Mother's day cards this year- I was going to have the children spell out "I heart u"! They could lay in the yard and I would climb up the ladder to the necessary height and VOILA! A 'Happy Mother's Day' card that was completely original!

I was super excited about getting this done and getting in the mail...that as soon as everyone returned home from school- I hurried them out into the front yard! My ladder plan wasn't going to work because it was WAY TOO WINDY and I thought I would blow over...ladder and all. So INSTEAD I climbed up on the courtyard wall. It wasn't by any means graceful, but simple enough.

So there I am standing on the wall, when I notice that I can't get the whole set-up in the shot! NOT even when I held the camera WAAAAAYYYY over my head and prayed for the miracle snap.

Well, as luck has it our courtyard wall has pillars in it- which would give me another two feet in height. That may just work! So up I go...another two feet onto a pillar that's not more than 18" by 18". Phfew! I made it! Still not tall enough but I had to make work! So once again I held the camera WAAAAYYYYY above my head and started snapping random shots, hoping and praying one was usable! Then the wind picked up even more, our fabric heart started blowing everywhere and I was getting wobbly. Time to get down!

Anyone see a problem!? 18"x18" pillar...lots of wind...imbalanced pregnant lady...5 1/2 feet off the ground. I had no idea what to do! Kynna suggested I jump. Kwynn asked if we should call someone and Pucca told me to "wait it out" until dad came home.

Just as I'm sending the girls in the garage to get the ladder, John gets home from work and saves the day! He didn't even looked surprised- he just shook his head at my craziness and helped me down. I had just finished explaining the whole story- beginning to end, and asked him if he had anything to say (fully expecting to be reprimanded or the receiver of sarcastic criticism)... "I hope you got the shot." and he walked in the house.

Well, luckily I did! And I love it!

BTW I'm totally hoping one of our neighbors got it on video- because it would definitely go viral on Youtube! :)

To all the lovely ladies...

2011-05-06T21:41:00.004-05:00

I 'HEART' U...all!

To mom: YOU are amazing and we LOVE you very much! I couldn't have been born to a more wonderful lady and our children couldn't have a more wonderful grandma! Thank you for the many qualities you instilled in me...strength, confidence, love and kindness. I think the big man upstairs knew I was going to be a stubborn, head strong and opinionated handful...and we were put together so you could show me kindness, patience, and seeing past 'right this minute'. Thank you for being my mom!

To Nancy: YOU are wonderfully superb in so many ways! Thank you for raising such a kind son- he's the best husband and father. I know we had you worried in the beginning, but thanks to you and Jeff (your tough love, support and example) we've made an amazing family! You are an excellent teacher- you've taught me how to cook, keep house, fun crafts and projects with the kids and how be organized...mostly just by example. Even John's surprised at how far I've come! :)

To Gma Scarborough: YOU are a blessing! I've always loved you...I think you won my heart when I was 4 and you let me dust all your 'pretties'! OH! how I looked forward to coming over and rearranging and playing (and dusting) all your glass and crystal baubles. You helped raise us- and to this day macaroni in a mug is the ONLY way to eat it! As I've grown older- I've come to admire your dedication (your flowers are always gorgeous!), your devotion (to mom and family) and your strength and grace (your battle with cancer).

To Gma Tillie: YOU are my SUNSHINE! I love you, woman! I love talking with you, laughing with you, listening to your silly (and sometimes dirty) jokes and stories, and watching you light up when the grandkids come to visit. You've always welcomed me and made me feel apart of the family and I will never forget that! Getting you as a grandma- was the best wedding present I received!

To Gma Hoskins: YOU are my rock. Through your stories and our conversations- I've learned what a strong woman you are. In so many ways, I think I'm most like you. BUT even so- I'm no where near the woman you are! Your posterity is amazing...and how much we all LOVE you is incalculable. You gave everything for your family, put the needs of other's first and stuck to your convictions in trying times. You were a hardworker- doing what needed to be done no matter what. These character defining traits are portrayed time and time again in all the stories you've shared. Your honest and candid- which I love! I'm so thankful to have you as the matriarch of our family!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Easter 2011

2011-05-01T20:27:00.004-05:00

I'm really don't like spending holidays at home- not that I don't love my family...because I DO! But there is just something about having family together for holidays and lately we haven't been able to do that. Spent Thanksgiving at home...I had to make the meal and clean it up-blah! Spent Christmas Eve at home...we woke up and were like "huh!? so its Christmas...now what!?" and now an Easter spent at home...we didn't even dress up...I didn't even buy the girls Easter outfits.

We still had fun and made the holiday our own. We slept in late and had yummy fruit topped waffles for brunch. Ran over to redbox, rented a few movies and family movie day. A quick Easter egg hunt for pucca (for which we used camouflaged eggs- and hid them super well...it took awhile to find all of them...even the Easter bunny forgot where they were hidden!) and a confetti Easter egg fight between the girls.

The day before Easter we did run back to GI town and had lunch with my grandparents and little brother. That was nice! We were going to have this big fishing derby - because my brother seems to think he's a better fisher than I am...HA! Well, it ended up being a really crappy day for fishing- too cold and nothing was biting. He caught 2 and I caught none...zero...zilch...not even a nibble. He kindly offered me a rematch this summer. SO ITS ON!

Here are a few pix of our family fun!

and here's one of our apple trees blooming...so pretty!

retro baby!

2011-04-14T09:24:00.003-05:00

We are gearing up for my mom's 53rd birthday bash! Its a volunteer party! She's been doing these the past five years...she picks a non-profit or organization near and dear to her heart- then invites all her friends and family to come volunteer for the day doing various tasks and handy work.

This year we are headed to Stuhr Museum!

Its a Vol-a-palooza theme- so as thank you's/party favors...we tie-dyed shirts for everyone! I know - you're thinking "Are you nuts!?" and yes we are!

It was one of my famous 'sounds good in theory but underestimated the complexity of carrying it out' projects. Gets me every time!

Here are some photos of the craziness!

these beauties were hanging from trees all over our back yard! I'm sure the neighbors LOVED it!

mom...sitting on a toilet...in the middle of our garage! It was really funny at the time!

first photo of 'the belly'

Pucca's BIG day!

2011-04-11T13:55:00.003-05:00

Pucca was baptized this last weekend (in our faith, children can choose to be baptized when they are 8 years of age).

It was a sweet service with some of our friends and family. Grandma Ski and my dear friend, Kristina spoke and Pucca was baptized by a friend of the family. She made it throughWITHOUT wearing goggles! thank goodness!

More duckies?

2011-04-07T11:06:00.003-05:00

Look who's back!

Daddy duck kept guard outside the courtyard while mama duck was walking around scoping it all out. Maybe this means more duckies this spring!

Birthday girl

2011-04-06T08:03:00.004-05:00

Pucca seems to be having a week long birthday celebration. It started with her party this weekend, dinner and family festivities last night, today she gets to be class helper and special student of the day (it was supposed to be yesterday, but the teacher forgot her birthday-oops!), grandparent gifts are in the mail and will be here this week- so more gifts to open and then her baptism is on Saturday!

After John and I serenaded her with Happy Birthday...twice! We let her open her birthday gifts.

One of her gifts was a skate board- complete with wrist guards, elbow and knee pads and a sport helmet. (because this is the child who jumped up from a standing position, landed wrong and broke her foot...can you imagine what could happen on a skate board!? )

Isn't she a cutie!

Birthday Party!

2011-04-04T19:34:00.009-05:00

Pucca's turning 8 this week! We had her party this weekend...a 'Minute to WIN it' party!

We chose 7 games that would work for 7 and 8 year olds...and modified a few to make them a bit easier!

(you can click on the links below the photos to find out more about the games)

Face the Cookie

Chocolate Unicorn

Breakfast Scramble

Moving on Up

Defying Gravity

We also did Dizzy Mummy, but I didn't get a photo of it! :(

oh and Junk in the Trunk...I know I snapped some photos of it but can only find video...hmmmm??????? I'm losing my mind- have I mentioned that already!?

Then we had treats, snapped a few group photos and I sent all the children outside to enjoy the 70 degree day!

And here's a peek at what we sent home as party favors...

It was fun...Pucca had a blast and that's all that matters! Love you baby girl!

Our Spring Break

2011-03-29T20:44:00.002-05:00

We headed down to Texas over spring break to visit the Kelly's (Gma and Gpa Kelly who are John's parents). The day after arriving, we heard some tragic news about a long time employee and friend. The rest of trip left us with heavy hearts and minds that were elsewhere. We made the best out of the time we had- as we all headed back early to make the funeral.

Enjoy every moment with family and friends- because you just never know!

Another thing they told us she'd never do...

2011-03-17T21:35:00.003-05:00

We accepted a long time ago that there would be limitations to the things Pucca would be able to do. Monkey bars, tree climbing, jumping rope, the crawl stroke in swimming etc.

Well, as you know from previous posts...monkey bars and tree climbing have been checked off that list- she has mastered them! Even rock climbing which she did at least twice a day during our cruise last summer.

Last week Pucca was very upset because she couldn't jump rope. It was the focus the last two weeks in PE and she was the only one who couldn't do it. You had to be able to jump rope 10 times in a row to pass. Her teacher told her if she didn't do it then she would fail that focus for gym class (her gym teacher is very aware of Pucca's condition and would never punish or fail her for activities she physically can't do- I'm 100% sure she was trying to motivate Pucca into at least trying).

The first week she came home all upset and teary eyed. Basically a pity party. We kept telling her to try- there are lots of things you aren't supposed to be able to do, but can! So just try!

By week two this is what she's figured out. (and yes she's doing that in our living room- what can I say!?)

C2S2 Summit

2011-03-17T14:44:00.003-05:00

Here are some photos of the twins presenting at the Student Summit.

Here's a photo of the other sites in Illinois, Alaska and Virginia with whom we were conferencing with via satellite.

And here are the twins and their friend Avery presenting.

And here's there powerpoint. I was trying to get their voice over on the slide show, but I haven't quite figured that out. But the message still gets through!

C2 s2 water wars

View more presentations from audraekelly.

****I noticed some of the photos and graphical information isn't coming up- sorry! Like I said...haven't quite figured it out yet! ;(

NOT AGAIN!

2011-03-14T16:19:00.006-05:00

Remember this little incident involving pond water, jugs, mud and a missing shoe!?

Well...they must not have, because the twins came home last week with two jugs requesting more pond water for science class.

This was the same week that it was 15 degrees outside with wind up to 30 mph. I immediately said "no." (in as cool and collected manner as possible- with out totally wringing their necks!)

Then as I thought about it more... I decided to make them go with me to collect the water this time and maybe this lesson would teach them to think twice before volunteering their mother to do things.

So before school one morning, just before 7 am, we went over to Holmes Lake. It was a lovely 12 degrees outside, spitting rain and wind blowing so hard it nearly knocked you down. LOVELY I thought- it was so perfect!

Now take those conditions time 5 and that's what it was like going down to the lake front and feeling that frigidness blow off the water. Pure ice to the bone. I was going to make them crawl down the rocks, but my 'OCD-motherliness' (totally not a word but owell!) kicked in. And I started worrying about all the mud they would track in and how dirty they would get. And then I started factoring in that Kwynnie is klutzy (with a capital KLUTZ) and she would probably end up falling in the lake and then I would have to fish her out and then I would be even more cold and not happy and we'd have to go home which would make us late for school and...you get the picture.

So I drove to the boat dock (much easier!). But it was still freezing and a horrid experience. I don't think they will be volunteering for more pond water anytime soon!

Kwynnie is laughing hysterically because I told her to be careful and not fall in! Then as she was bending down to fill her jug she about fell face first in the lake. Kynna and I just watched and shook our heads- no way we were going in too!

Yep- this is how dark it was and just as cold as it looks! Brrrrrr!

Here's Kynna making sure her jug is COMPLETELY full so she for sure has enough and doesn't have to come back for more. I definitely think a lesson was learned!

Birthday breakfast

2011-03-14T16:07:00.003-05:00

John's birthday was a few weeks ago and the girls made him breakfast in bed! It was really cute...

Kwynn made the eggs:

Pucca made the pancakes (kynna helped mix them and pucca did the flipping):

Kynna also helped prepare the tray...it ended up looking very good! Notice how she garnished the eggs with fresh cut chives!? A little martha in the making!

Not really sure why Kwynn is making that face...probably because I told them "to act like you like eachother".

John's birthday was a quiet day at home doing not much of anything. It was nice...really nice actually! I might start requesting that for my birthday too! :)

The twins have been busy!

2011-02-28T07:41:00.003-06:00

Lots going on in our home and family! One of the very coolest things is the project the twins are working on.

They will be presenting at the Climate Change Student Summit at UNL this weekend! So cool! And there will be students from Lincoln and Omaha- and students from Chicago, Alaska and Virginia via satelite! SO SO COOL!

The whole summit is too have students (grades 7-10) get together, discuss and brainstorm strategies for preserving the planet and its resources. Global warming is affecting every part of the world...and getting students together from all parts of the US will be interesting. As global warming progresses- Alaska is beginning to flood. The harsh northern winters are getting pushed farther south due to the jet stream moving. So the winters that were typical the last 50 years in ND and SD are going to be what we'll be getting. Which helps explain why Arizona and Texas have been getting snow and freezing temps!

BACK TO THE TWINS...the twins will be presenting on water conservation. Many think oil is the most valuable resource...but its not! Water is! And its in VERY limited supply. So the girls will be talking about why we should use tap water vs bottled water.

Making the plastic bottles AND recycling them causes massive amounts of pollution which contributes to global warming.
Bottled water takes water from its natural sources (say Michigan) and then transports and distributes it all over the US and the world. That water can not recycle itself back to its origin. And did you know that most of Nestle's bottled water (and its subsidiaries) get its water from Lake Superior and Lake Michigan! Those lakes are shrinking and fast!
If you like distilled or purified water...get an RO system or purifier that attaches directly to your tap.

Here's a photo of the girls conducting a blind taste test (tap water, Aquafina, Figi and store brand distilled) at their school last week.

Tap water received 64% of the votes making it the winner!

We are so proud of the girls! This isn't a school project or a class requirement...just something they are interested in and feel strongly about! Last year they convinced the school to stop using Nestle water products...this year they are hoping to approach the school board to make it district wide.

The girls have passionate ideals...but to see them actually vocalize them- publicly...is amazing! Love you twinnies!

a failing effort

2011-02-18T18:56:00.002-06:00

I'm not quite sure how this week just flew passed me so quickly! It seemed like everyday there was stuff going on.

I was hoping to get back into blogging regularly again. Obviously, I failed this week! :(

I don't want this to turn into a pregnancy blog- because I'm really just trying to focus on my health and family right now. Hoping this will help the ump-teen weeks I have left whoosh right by. Plus- I hate complainers! Women who are pregnant just need to suck up the suckiness of morning sickness, nausea, back pain, headaches, swelling feet and ultimately - transforming into a whale. It sucks...but SO worth it!

Friends were getting pregnant on a seemingly constant rotation and some would 'complain' - I just wanted to say "I would give anything to be puking my granola cereal into the kitchen sink and have an expanding belly with a growing miracle inside- SO STOP COMPLAINING!"

And even after today (a horrendously bad day- sorry to the lady on 48th street in the tan van that had to watch me throw up out my car window during carpool this morning!) I'm still so so thankful for this chance!

So on the list for next week:

A post about Vegas (a few more pix and a story or two)

A funny little story about taking pucca and the neighbor boy out to dinner.

A way past due Vday post for my family

and how we're planning for Pucca's baptism! (can you believe she's almost 8!?)

Oh and I want to post about the twins- they are presenting a video/slide show presentation at two different LPS functions for their Water Conservation quest! Pretty cool!

Have a great weekend!

Run run run

2011-02-08T19:29:00.003-06:00

I have been on the run since we returned home from our little holiday away from this bitter freezing ice land we call home. Hosted a baby shower for a friend, entertained children and tried to keep my sanity during a few snow days, helped during a few shifts at the book fair at Pucca's school, planning Valentine parties for the entire second grade (on a $60 budget), trying to get caught up on laundry (seems to be a losing battle), hosted a 'Hooters' party and had a great time, had some friends over for the Big Game, parent teacher conferences...this list could really just keep going and going.

And just off the top of my head for this upcoming week...HOA meeting, Valentine Parties, KSC end of the year party, 'little friends' over a few days, PTA meeting, service call on the frig and LOTS OF LOVELY SUNSHINE! YAY!

I want you to know I'm not complaining - because most of these things are things I enjoy doing and helping with. Its just when they all come in the same week...that it just kills me.

My big plans for the weekend: sleeping in and finishing up projects! So forgive me if I seclude myself in the house and don't answer my phone! (I get easily distracted these days!) :)

See you Monday with some funny stories about the girls.

blessings

2011-02-04T13:59:00.004-06:00

In 2008, John and I went on a cruise to Alaska to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. We did plenty of shopping on the trip...touristy-gotcha type shops, local markets and art studios. We were walking around Ketchikan, taking a little adventure through the residential streets when we came across this little out of the way artist studio. There were gorgeous art pieces of all kinds- paintings, wood work, jewelry, cut stones and rocks, drawings etc. One artist specialized in leather work.

I was drawn to this little pair of moccasins sitting on the shelf. How adorable! So tiny and perfect. John and I were still trying for a little one at that point so I bought them...in hopes of the best and that someday soon our little one could wear them.

Then came the miscarriages. Completely devastating.

After the miscarriage last summer, I decided I was perfectly happy with my family of five. And despite always feeling like someone was missing from our family- we were done trying. I couldn't go through another heartbreak and either could John.

About two weeks before Christmas, I wasn't feeling well and thought I might be really sick. I called my doctor and she said to come in and she'd run some labs, but first she wanted me to take a home pregnancy test. On the way to the store, I had to stop, pull over and throw up. I never throw up...unless I'm pregnant. I started hoping...

The test was positive. I called John. "Oh. Honey I'm so sorry!" were his first words. I think we women forget how hard miscarriages are on the husbands. They've lost something too and yet there they are supporting us, focusing on us and carrying the load.

Slowly the holidays passed and the weeks began to pass. Lots of labs and ultrasounds. At my last appt the dr gave me the official go ahead to be excited and hopeful! "This ones a keeper!" were her words.

So now, after nearly 3 years- we will finally be able to use these adorable little moccasins. Our little one is expected in August!

Vegas, baby!

2011-01-30T22:12:00.003-06:00

John and I were supposed to go on a little get away to Vegas- but plans changed and we ended up taking the girls with us. My brother and his girlfriend met us there too! It was a week of fun!

The week entailed a trip to Red Rocks National Park, The Hoover Dam, a night time limo tour of the strip and all its glory, a ride up the Stratosphere, a trip to Gold and Silver (the pawn shop from Pawn Stars...we saw the Old Man and Chumlee! Kwynnie got an autograph), Circus Circus, the arcade at New York New York, the M & M store, visited Fremont Street (the girls went zip lining down it!) and much much more!

I went out for a bit one night with the adults and won $600 on a penny slot machine...craziness!

The resort we stayed at was very family friendly- an amazing pool and lazy river, beautiful landscaping (palm trees EVERYWHERE!) and a wonderfully large room with amazing views! Did you know a plane lands in Las Vegas every TWO minutes!? Well it does- trust me!

We took the girls out one night (not real late, like 7:30 but it was already dark. It gets dark around 5:30) We took them to the M & M store and met some very interesting characters on the strip! I thought the girls might be getting freaked out (because I'm talking 'crazies') but no- they were filming them instead. Kynna said we should put them on the internet! :)

So we decided the new Las Vegas slogan is now "What happens in Vegas...ends up on Youtube!" Think it will catch on!?

Here's the first set of photos...we had a total of 10 photo taking devices in our family alone...so the rest of the pix will be up soon!

to lighten the mood

2011-01-12T17:08:00.001-06:00

Aren't we just lovely!?

Hard to believe...

2011-01-07T12:06:00.003-06:00

Its hard to believe things like this happen.

Just a few days ago we had a school shooting in a city not far from ours. A kid was upset for being suspended. So he went to the office. Met with Vice Principal and shot her. The principal came running in to see what was happening and the student then shot the principal. He then ran out of the school, drove to a near by parking lot and shot himself. The Vice Principal died of her wounds. The principal is in serious but stable condition. And the saddest part is....is that the overall consensus from students, parents and teachers was that he was a good kid! Funny, involved and a good guy. Its hard to imagine what happened to this boy that caused him to think there was no other way to handle it. I feel for all the families involved in this tragedy.

One of my favorite blogs (that I read daily) posted this story. The post yesterday asked for prayers and good thoughts for healing. Today we learned Kate passed away - a result of her injuries. What possessed that man to invite his family over for a celebration, then spray them all with kareosene and set them on fire? Its hard to believe that people would even consider this an option to deal with how they are feeling- let alone actually do it.

I'm at a loss.

As a parent, how do you explain things you can't even comprehend yourself? I feel there will be no understanding of events like this. Because in order to understand you need to rationalize and make sense of it. There is no rationalization here. There is no sense in it.

I hope and pray 'our' children (this entire upcoming generation) is equipped with the right tools and can change the world. A lot of pressure I know, but I fear its our only chance.

2010...points of interest

2011-01-05T12:24:00.002-06:00

I can't believe how fast this year seemed to zoom by! Has me a little worried for this year...my children are just growing up too darn fast! Come April- our little one will be getting baptized and come July- we'll have teenagers in the house! Jeeeshhhh!

But I'm getting ahead of myself...the point of this post is to reflect on 2010.

This was the first year in our new HOME!
Great Gma Hoskins turns 98 (and now it will only be a few more weeks until she's 99!)

Mom was really sick and almost died! A year of growing up for me and a year of healing for her.

Birthdays and parties! John's mini surprise party, Pucca's 'buggy' party and the twins' twilight party.
Field trip with Pucca's class to the Nature Center. Complete with a jumping pass across this bridge. The same bridge that collapsed with some children on it a few weeks later! Scary!

Courtyard renovation and baby duckies!

My bestest friend had her fifth baby boy!
A quick trip to CO, Garden of the Gods and a Renaissance Fair with the girlies and my mom.
A trip of a lifetime to ALASKA with the family! The twins spent their bday in Glacier Bay!
Pucca had Stuhr class and a week of fun with her grandparents!
Our beautiful garden flooded....sad...very sad!
John and I celebrated our 12 year anniversary!
Trip to CO with John and the girls. Emma gets sick and John broke his foot...kind of a lousy vacation overall! Too bad because we love it there!
Pucca's big Halloween party!
Big Thanksgiving shin-dig with my whole family!
A very lovely holiday spent with our amazing families!

SOOOOO much more happened last year...and it was difficult to narrow it down. As I was going through photos and blog posts I noticed my post count for the year was low. I've tended to blog less as the year progressed. Busier? Not enough time? Nothing interesting? Too lazy?

Most likely a combination of 'all of the above'. I didn't make any resolutions this year. I never keep them so what's the point- right!? But I do promise to be more regular about updating ya'all about our family happenings and moments of interest! Happy 2011!

Holiday fun-ness! (and yes that's a word)

2011-01-01T11:29:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas (a little late) and Happy New Year! We had a wonderful holiday spent with both sides of the family. We visited my mom and grandparents in GI town and John's family at Camp Davey. We also made a quick trip to Hastings to see Gma T and sing carols. Its so fun to be with family and to just spend time together- visiting and reminiscing. We also met up with some friends and had a fun evening...its great having all the kiddos together! Wish we could do it more often.

Now can you believe we did that all in just 2 and half days!? Seriously- we got this holiday traveling bit down pat!

I can't believe how fast Christmas vacation went! The girls only had this week off and are back to school on Monday. But we do get a week long spring break in March and they are out before Memorial Day...so I can't complain too much!

Here are a few pix of our holiday goodness....(I didn't get any photos with our friends- because I was too busy holding a cute roley poley baby!)

What do you think?

2010-12-21T12:44:00.004-06:00

Found this old photo and saw some definite similarities!

The brow is different, but the eye shape, the nose, the cheeks and chin are very similar! I think these were taken at about the same age too. Very cool!

Gma T is 95!

2010-12-19T16:57:00.005-06:00

(Isn't she cute!?)

This sweet lady is now 95! She is John's grandma on his mother's side. The only living great grandparent on John's side! We love her very much!

The whole Kelly clan headed to Hastings yesterday to celebrate with her! We partied with hats, blowers, balloons, a crown for the birthday girl, beautiful flowers and yummy cake and

ice cream!

It was a wonderful day... celebrating the life of a wonderful lady!

Things I love right now

2010-12-15T06:45:00.002-06:00

I love Christmas! Not the commercialism and extravagant gifts, but the true meaning of Christmas and charity. Giving truly is better than receiving! And spreading peace, joy and love to all those around you.

Here's a few other things I'm loving right now!

The twins donated 66 new books to their school book drive for needy children! We've been buying books all year- and they were so excited to take them in this week. I'm so proud of them!
this 'Home for Holidays' candle I have! YUM!
Finding the perfect gift for your loved one
and all the built up anticipation as you wait for them to open it!
Watching a child's eyes light up when they talk about Santa
Knowing all the chaos leading up to Christmas is totally worth it!

And to top it off my mom will be home for Christmas! Its been a long tough year with a third of it spent in the hospital.

I have a feeling its going to be a truly wonderful Christmas and an even better NEW YEAR!

Christmas decorations!

2010-12-09T18:38:00.005-06:00

Our house is beginning to look all Christmas-y and I'm lovin' it!

Here's a sneak peek into our home!

Wreathes are obviously one of my favorites! Wintery, plain and understated- perfect for the whole winter season. In the future I would like my 2nd story window wreathes to be on the outside...but with John's bum foot and my inherent clumsiness....I think I'll live with them on the inside this year!

No Christmas lights...which is fine- we never had them growing up either. But I do like this idea...and maybe instead of wreathes on the second story we do these swaggy things...

Saturday is baking day so not only will the house look festive- but it will smell yummy as well! Gotta love the holidays!

Beginning to look alot like Christmas!

2010-12-06T18:46:00.004-06:00

Pucca and the little neighbor boy were playing in our bathroom (they like the big tub and often play 'Santa' in it!). It usually ends with all of Pucca's stuffed animals displayed neatly around the tub and the tub itself filled with every toy imaginable. Not sure how they came up with that idea...but they love to play it!

Somehow wanting to play Santa became wanting to be Santa...

I heard lots of giggling as I walked passed the stairs- so I headed up to investigate. Low and behold - Santa was in my bathroom! Two of them!

Lewandowski Tailgate

2010-11-28T08:39:00.011-06:00

My side of the family came down and spent Friday with us- which was so much fun! My older brother lives in Utah and my younger brother lives in Kansas...so getting all together is wonderful!

Here are the three eldest grandchildren... Notice the guilty looks and slingshot!?

Pucca and her 'friend'

These three spent two hours digging for worms in the gardens- thank goodness for the beautiful weather!

My grandparents!

All of the grandkids minus the littlest one...he was done with all the picture taking

Both my brothers and their families, my family, my grandparents and my mom

AND the newest addition to our family....my nephew, Stanley! Isn't he cute!!!!!

Kelly-pa-looza!

2010-11-21T19:17:00.008-06:00

We had our Kelly family Thanksgiving/cousin get-together this weekend at Davey. It was really alot of fun!

Here's a quick recap!

Playing Uno with gma Kelly!

The "twins"...Pucca and her second cousin kept family confused...from the back they look identical...same haircut.

Trying to get some family photos...and avoiding deer poo at the same time!

cousins and second cousins chillin in the hay

Oooops! This is an attempt to get the whole Kelly clan on the stairs, but accidentally blocked my flash- thanks Luke for the heads up!

Much better!

It was a great weekend...would have loved a Husker win, but we're looking towards the Colorado game and trying to put that horrid display of playing, coaching and reffing behind us! Sheeesh!

Love you Kelly Clan!

Reflection on recent Mayo Visit

2010-11-17T10:01:00.004-06:00

Pucca went back to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN to visit the uber talented neurosurgeons that helped her to regain use of her right arm. Pucca was injured during birth- her injuries resulted in a condition known as Erb's Palsey.

She had surgery at 3 months of age. And since then we have been going back to Rochester to check in and make sure her progress and development are on track.

Before this visit I was a bit apprehensive and had several specific questions regarding her present condition and shoulder usage. All the answers we received were great and positive. She's a super star! Some of the best surgical results they've ever seen on Erb's Palsey patients. One doctor even called her a miracle...which is pretty impressive coming from a science-fact based neurologist. She can climb trees, go across the monkey bars and even do pull ups. She was flipping over the trapeeze bar on the swing set when she was two. She crawled at the normal age. If you didn't know she had Erb's Palsey- you would NEVER know there was anything wrong with her.

Which makes how I'm feeling, conflicted, all the more upsetting. I should be happy she's done so well. That we were blessed with such talented doctors and that she healed so well. But I can't help feeling frustrated that they can't make her perfect. Which is very selfish- I know that. But she wasn't just born this way...someone made her this way. And when she comes home upset because she can't jump rope like her friends or when the swim teacher flunks her because she doesn't do the swim strokes correctly...well I sometimes just want to scream! Its definitely harder on me than on her...she doesn't know she can't do things. She's been this way for as long as she can remember.

Her right shoulder has become distended (her shoulder blade sticks out abnormally far in is rotated up because of weak muscles) and one shoulder is visibly shorter that the other. Both things will become less notable as she grows, matures and puts on a little more weight. The orthopedic dr wasn't concerned with her shoulder and said it look perfect. And when I should have been over the moon thrilled with her prognosis...I was actually upset that they didn't say - oh that's an easy fix...surgery or physical therapy or stretches...or just anything to have us work on to help her.

I'm a horrible person. I should be overjoyed and thanking my lucky stars...and I do! I DO! But I also wish I could do more. And maybe that's it. Maybe in some remote way I feel responsible for Pucca and her condition. If I would have insisted on a c-section, or did more during the delivery to facilitate a less stressful birth, or if I had been born with good baby bearing hips. UGHHHHH....

A boringly serious post...but one I want in writing. I write how I feel...and this is how I feel.

Choir

2010-11-15T19:03:00.004-06:00

Kwynnie had her mid-semester choir concert...and somehow amidst all the chaos and craziness that has enveloped our lives...I was able to attend! A freakin miracle, really!

I was so excited that I brought our little flip to immortalize the event!

Battery charged- check!

Empty memory card- check!

BUMMER! I didn't consider that a gi-gantor 7 foot bald man would sit 2 rows in front of me. So after the first song- I moved to the only empty seat left. LOVELY- chronic cougher lady was sitting right behind me...you know that loud-hacking-want to pass them a hanky for all the phlegm they must be spitting up- kind of cougher!? Ya...she was sitting right behind me!

And as if that wasn't bad enough...gi-gantor's son was standing in front of Kwynnie.

See...

Kwynnie is in a yellow shirt right behind the boy in dark jeans, glasses and tshirt in the middle. If you can't find her- uh ya...like I said "gigantor"

It was a great concert! They even sang Green Day...complete with guitar solo and bass!

In the end- I think Kwynnie was glad I couldn't actually get her on tape singing, but still managed to tape the concert. A happy medium!

rantings of a diva

2010-11-02T17:52:00.003-05:00

All three girls had their semi-annual teeth cleaning and check-up yesterday.

Pucca comes out of the office into the waiting room with a scowl on her face... the dentist following behind. She raises her left hand and points at me, saying "It's all your fault mom! Who schedules a dentist appointment the day after Halloween!?"

YEP, she has a cavity and its my fault.

Gotta love how little kids rationalize things!

Halloween Party 2010

2010-10-30T22:23:00.001-05:00

Today was Pucca's Halloween party! CRAZY CRAZY!

We were moving last year and so I bought a bunch of stuff after Halloween for a sweet bargain. But I packed it away and forgot just how much crap, uhhh....decorations I had actually bought.

Needless to say we were covered!

We bobbed for apples, had face tattoos, wrapped a few mummies, played Zombie Zombie where's my brain and a few relay races. We also made a 'scary' magnet for the parents.

Yummy mummy cupcakes were the treat of choice!

Kids packed up their own goodie bags with their choice of pencils, erasers, silly bands, candy and other halloween goodies.

Check out the costumes!

and yes...that mean looking green witch is me! Why not...after the last few days I've had- I was feeling a little witchy!

ah haa haa ha ha ha ha ha (my witch cackle if you couldn't tell!)

halloween party progress

2010-10-22T06:27:00.005-05:00

I have a week to put the finishing touches on Pucca's Halloween party...I'm working on the treats.

I LOVE cupcakes for parties...they may be the trend of yester-year, but I still love them. They are just fun and the perfect size for kids!

Here are a few ideas Pucca and I found:

Image from bhg.com

image from familyfun.com

I've also found this fun treat...but I'm not a big fan of black licorice- Do kids like it? And what do you think they wrapped around the licorice to hold it together?

image from bhg.com

And of course sugar cookies...those are always fun and I love how simple these are!

image from bhg.com

I think I'm leaning towards the mummy cupcakes (the top one) and use pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting to bring a little seasonal flare. Pucca's having a blast helping plan the party and is super excited...and that's all that really matters!

Ca - Razy time

2010-10-19T22:37:00.002-05:00

Oh where! oh where has my little blog gone? Oh where or where can she be?

hmmmm....ever been so totally overwhelmed (not in a bad way- just the normal CEO of the family duties) that things get pushed off and off and off and then HOLY CRAP! its been a week since I last blogged!?

Well- guess what!? I'm there!

I'm not sure what happened...it all just snuck up on me. Fall break, vacation, Halloween, Halloween party, Pucca's sick (bronchitis- icky!), my mom went awol without telling me, meetings, meetings and more meetings, Husker football (blah!) and about 50 gazillion other little things that add up to 'NOT ENOUGH TIME IN THE DAY!'

Any who....I should be in bed right now, but I'm not, obviously because I'm writing this post. A post about nothing really- yet I feel it needed to be said. I love this little blog and promise to make more time for you...in between PTA meetings, piano lessons, dr appts and carpool!

Kisses you sweet thing! Now off to bed- need that beauty sleep!

Pumpkin Patch 2010

2010-10-13T15:44:00.003-05:00

what better way to spend Columbus Day (elementary schools were closed) than going to the pumpkin patch!?

Manners

2010-10-08T11:07:00.003-05:00

Kynna's Industrial Tech class has been a bit rowdy and the teacher is darn near fed up. NOT the WHOLE class...but its not safe to even have just a few kids acting up or not paying attention.

Well, her teacher had had enough. So ALL the students were required to write a paper on why its important to have manners in class.

Kynna was quite upset- because she wasn't being rowdy, troublesome or naughty. Why should she have suffer the consequences of someone else's wrong doings? You can bet I heard an earfull on that one!

Needless to say- she wrote the paper and I wanted to share it with you. I love the way the girls write, their perspective and tone. And this one cracked me up.

Mr. Applegate

Period 7

Why is it important to have manners while in the lab...

It is important to have manners because it all ties into being safe in the lab.

If we weren’t respectful we would not care and not follow the rules. We would not be respectful of one another tools or projects. We would not worry about each other’s safety. You need to have manners to show you’re at least a decent person.

At the worst we would fight, let’s say BOB and JOE are fighting in the lab over something. Bob pulls on the piece of wood and Joe lets go of the wood. Bob would hurl back and possibly damage the machine. Bob could bump someone who was working at let’s say the band saw. The working person would be pushed into the “ line of fire” on the band saw, which would potentially put the person’s fingers in harm. Plus where did Bob land? He landed on the floor where he probably hit his head. Now Bob was angry so instead of walking off and letting it go, he went over and hit Joe. A chain reaction to chaos! Not good!

So it is important to have manners and to be safe, If we do that we shouldn’t make stupid mistakes or get hurt. And we all get along happily ever after.

Thursday Night Lights

2010-10-07T09:12:00.003-05:00

my good friend and her little man

Its kind of surreal and weird that the whole city is RED on a Thursday! Our beloved Huskers are playing a Thursday night game against K State on ABC tonight!

We'll be tailgating and watching the game at home with friends- nothing like a house full of friends, kids running around, yummy football food and cheering on the HUSKERS!

GO BIG RED!

Fall

2010-10-01T17:22:00.003-05:00

Its Oct 1st- oh how I love FALL! I know autumn technically started in September...but it was still too bloody hot to be fall. But now that its October- all will be lovely! Today we awoke to gorgeous crisp morning and this afternoon was beautiful- all the sunshine you could ask for with a slight northern breeze to keep things comfortable! I wish I could press pause and it would stay this way forever!

I thought I would share with you some reasons why I'm excited about this fall:

Pucca is going back to Mayo...we've been worried about some of her muscle development and how its affecting her shoulder blades and movement. I was hesitant about making an appt because it takes FOREVER to get one and I thought our next scheduled one was November 2011 (we go every other year). Low and behold an appointment card came for her today and she has appointments and procedures scheduled for Nov 10- seven weeks from now! Wonderfully coincidental!

Our baby Emma will be turning 5 November 19th! And yes- we'll be having a little party!

Family is coming in to spend Thanksgiving with us! We love time with the cousins!

We're making a trip to Colorado...we missed the trip last year because of the house being sold and hectic schedules. But not this year...Can't wait!!!

Davey...so pretty in the fall! Every warm tone you can imagine, dotting the entire property...so so beautiful!

Happy fall, everyone!

missing her

2010-09-28T16:41:00.002-05:00

I think its time for another 'grandma run'! I seem to be missing this crazy (great) lady!

Family Fun

2010-09-22T12:40:00.002-05:00

Every year we face the same dilemma...what to get parents for Mother's/Father's Day, bdays and Christmas. We have it especially hard with Jeff...his birthday and Father's Day generally are just a few days apart. He's a hard one to shop for and you can only buy a man so much cheesy popcorn! :)

This year for Jeff- we made a family treasure hunt. I put out clues (using family memories/stories and random trivia) on little flags around the property at Davey. Each flag gave a clue which led you to the next point on the treasure hunt. At the end...there was treasure, of course!!

The summer was extremely busy for all three families and getting everyone together seemed down right impossible. It ended up being the end of August before we could give him our 'gift'. Our gift not necessarily being the treasure hunt- but rather something fun for him and the grandkids to do together! (and just so you don't go thinking we're totally cheap...we took him to a baseball game too!)

My original plan involved GPS coordinates and using the entire 80 acres...but because of time restraints and heat that day...I limited it to about 4 acres. It still worked out great!

John and the little man rolling hay bales...not part of the treasure hunt, but still fun!

It was a fun little adventure...but next time it will be "EXTREME treasure hunting" that requires use of the farm truck, satellite GPS and a map of the whole property! Just not in the blazing heat and stifling humidity of summer!

did I mention we love books!?

2010-09-21T14:10:00.003-05:00

Pucca is required to read 15 minutes a night for school.

Wonder if she fell asleep before or after she finished that goal?

Lovely morning

2010-09-19T20:40:00.003-05:00

This is what our Saturday morning looked like...

perfectly lovely!

OUR PARTY!

2010-09-18T19:54:00.005-05:00

The party was a blast!

TREATS:

PUCK-corn

grape slushie cupcakes

"cheerio" trail mix

Emma's PB & J (crustless on white bread)

FESTIVITIES:

Karaoke

Learned a dance to Don't Stop Believing

Ping Pong

air hockey

trivia

Here are some photos of the fun!

learning a group dance

the uber talented Mar girls belting out Hello Goodbye

decorations

some fellow gleeks!

And for party favors...each guest was given a GOLD STAR sugar cookie on a stick! Rachel would have approved for sure! :)

glee

2010-09-15T14:43:00.004-05:00

image courtesy of FOX

I'm a gleek. Yes I AM! And the new season starts Tuesday on FOX. We are all so freaking excited- I can barely stand it! In fact - we are having a GLEE party on Friday to celebrate!

You can bet there will be some great music (featuring Season 1's soundtrack), guests dressing as their favorite character (oh Sue- how I love to hate you!), yummy treats and fun games!

I'll definitely be posting photos of the grand-e-ose affair!

Here's a sneak peak at one of our sweet treats...

paying tribute to the slushie...you'd have to be a gleek to understand!

GO BIG RED

2010-09-12T17:36:00.005-05:00

The girls and I went to the Husker game this weekend! It was an awesome game- the girls had a blast and the weather was perfect!

maybe a little too perfect...we are semi-permanently showing our HUSKER spirit with our sunburns. Half our faces and necks are red...the other half not so much. The sun was on the south end of the field which was on our right...the whole game! OUCH!

Here are the girls and their great aunt Sheila:

(the twins are watching the jumbo screen- they were introducing our starters)

me and the girls

It was a fun game! The Huskers need to work on the penalties...holy smokes boys! That ain't gonna cut it!!

And the playing was sloppy...even Pucca in her cheerleading uniform and pompoms threw her arms in the air and yelled 'Come ON, guys!' when Martinez got sacked. BUT 5 interceptions...are you kidding ME!? That was pretty sweet!

I love Husker football and I love that the girls love Husker football. I think John was worried when the house filled with little girlies...but it seems to be working out just fine!

me time

2010-09-08T23:14:00.003-05:00

It was one of those days...

Something going on from the minute I woke up, one thing after another ... nothing major or time consuming- just go go go. all. day. long.

And a bunch of little things kept going wrong...for example I dropped my wedding ring in the toilet. lovely. Then when I went grocery shopping - my cart ran away from me in the parking lot. And then when I was preparing dinner, I dropped two dirty utensils on the floor on the way to the sink, my bag of rice spilled all over the counter and the stand mixer blew my milk/soup mixture all over my shirt...and the counter...and the floor... and the cupboards. As if that wasn't bad enough...dinner sucked! Really it did. So we had frozen pizza.

I needed some 'me' time. I pulled my ponytail holder out, whipped my mass of locks around like some crazy super model, grabbed my ipod and sunglasses and headed outside. Minutes later I was jamming out to my favorite songs with the wind blowing through my hair...

on my John Deere riding lawn mower. I needed some 'me' time and the lawn needed to be mowed...sweet serendipity or a multi-tasking mama? Who cares! Either way it worked...I had an hour and half to myself and the lawn looks GREAT!

Check this out

2010-09-08T06:35:00.002-05:00

My bedroom redesign was featured on this super awesome design blog! Woohoo! (you may need to scroll down a post!)

Its starting to look fall-y!

2010-09-07T20:10:00.006-05:00

I finally found some time to put out the fall decorations! YAY fall! I love this time of year...yesterday we had the windows open all afternoon and evening- IT WAS PERFECT!!

Last year at this time- we had our house on the market...so no decorating! Well, I made up for it this year!

Take a peak!

And that's just the dining room! :)

This is on my list of fun fall projects for the week...love the cornhusks:

From Martha Stewart Living

And aren't these such neat little pumpkins!

found here

Happy fall, everyone!

What will she think of next!?

2010-09-01T17:38:00.001-05:00

I walked in on Pucca the other night...this is what I found her doing

Girls Night

2010-08-31T09:35:00.005-05:00

The girls and I headed back to GI town last weekend to spend the evening with my mom and grandma. Four generations of women enjoying the evening together...just because.

My grandma is crazy! Not mentally crazy...but the kind of 'cool' crazy I want to be when I'm great-grandma! She goes on outrageous shopping trips with friends, drives a Lexus convertible and looks amazing! She's been through alot too- five husbands and counting (just kidding! Actually her and her husband are celebrating their 14 wedding anniversary today! I think that's a record for her- seriously! Congrats you crazy kids!) AND she's beaten colon cancer which reared its ugly head a few years ago.

This is my gma 'striking a pose' when I asked for a photo.

Going home usually means my mom will have a list of stuff she needs help with. And I help as much as I can because...well, because she's my mom and I love her.

So we tackled a few items; hanging a new shower curtain rod (which required the use of power tools- so of course!), staining the deck, and weed/volunteer tree patrol.

Kynna and Pucca trimming trees and pulling weeds

mom and Kwynnie staining the deck

Kwynnie forcing a 'pre-teen full of attitude' smile...lovely isn't it!?

It was a fun evening - one that when done again will encompass the whole weekend instead of just one night. There just wasn't enough time!

The LOVE of a mother

2010-08-26T14:20:00.003-05:00

The twins needed some pond water for science class. Most kids were going to a pond near their house or Holmes Lake to gather a sample...the twins wanted Davey pond water.

I had to run out there today so I said "Sure- I'll grab you some DAVEY pond water!" because that's what a good mom would say!

So armed with my gallon milk jug, I trekked out to the 1st pond aka frog pond (depending on who you ask). The pond is very bowl-like with steeply slanted banks and with all the rain- its quite full! You have to hop a barbed wire fence (actually climb a rickety old 'A' frame ladder dealy bopper thing that goes over the fence) to get there. I stood there and took in the whole situation and decided there were just too many variables and outcomes...outcomes resulting with me rolling down the banks and ending up in the pond... SO off to the cow pond aka turtle pond (again depending on who you ask).

This pond has a zero depth entry and looked much more manageable!

As I start towards the edge of the water - frogs the size of squirrels start jumping every which way! One jumped into my leg- and had my feet not been sunk in mud- I would have ran away, screaming like a little girl!

My plan for the zero-depth pond was not well thought! Because how do you fill a gallon milk jug in zero-depth water? Well, by now I'm muddy up to my ankles- so I figure what the heck...and I walk out into the pond. I'm now up to my shins in gross, disgusting, funky smelling pond water - and why? Because I love my kids.

As I'm hunched over filling my jug...I notice I'm sinking. Huh!? I try moving my feet...no luck! Well, crap! What now!?

I stand there holding my now full jug and wonder what to do. I'm thinking and I'm sinking.

Soon enough I realize- I'm already a muddy mess and it can't get much worse! I put the cap back on the jug and throw it onto the bank. I grab my left kneepit and pull up with all my might. I might have tried a wee bit too hard, because I lost my shoe. I looked like a not-so-pink flamingo stuck in a muddy yucky pond. lovely.

At this point I'm telling myself- its for the girls and I love them. Its for the girls and I love them. I throw my shoe on the bank, because I know if I try to put it back on- I'm going to end up on my butt.

Slop. Slop. Slop. I manage to get back to the shore. I empty out my shoe and put it back on my foot. Grab my jug of gunk and head back to the car.

Sure hope they appreciate this jug of DAVEY pond water!

Speaking in CODE

2010-08-25T09:13:00.002-05:00

It can be as simple as spelling out the word rather than saying it. We've all done it. Trying to convey something to someone without everyone else know what that something is.

For example:

When John asks "Do you want to go on a walk?" - what he's really asking is "Do you want to go Home Depot or Lowes and walk around and figure out which projects we're going to tackle?"

Now I admit- those stores are huge and walking around them for an hour can be quite the workout (especially if little ones are in tow). I haven't quite figured out why we use that code...is it because he wants to disinterest the kids from going or is it because phrasing household projects 'as good for your health' may interest me more? hmmmmmm Either way - it works!

A friend of the girls came to stay the night- her mom dropped her off and said her boyfriend was in town and they were going jogging, and if we needed anything we could reach her on her cell.

Now I don't know about you- but if my long distance boyfriend was visiting, I don't think we would be jogging! I'm just saying! We'd go to dinner, a movie, shopping, mini golf (keeping it G rated folks! This is family blog) Seriously hoping D was using jogging as a code word for something else!!!

I have a friend who will call me up and 'ask me to breakfast'...which is code for 'I need to talk to someone'.

Or with another friend...its 'needing pie' which is code for 'something crappy just happened' ...the kind of crappy that can only be fixed with pie or chocolate or chocolate pie.

There are more but I don't want to give away their meanings. They are private...like secrets. So much fun- I love the look on the other person's face when you use the code word...its like being a kid again.

As I get older I'm finding more and more joy in the little things and this is just one of many.

Fun in the sun

2010-08-22T19:41:00.008-05:00

The girls went swimming with their 'cousins' (not sure what level of cousins were talking about here...2nd or 3rd - removed, not removed...who knows! family is family) on Saturday...FUN FUN!

Here the girls are pointing out all the rules that were broken while we were there...oops!

Pucca and her cousin

Its so cute how they would hold hands and jump!

Pucca, L and A

The twinnies

It was a fun afternoon! Thanks cousin K, aunt S and girls!

First Day 2010

2010-08-18T15:41:00.007-05:00

Its finally here! The girls went off to school this morning....YEE frickin HAW! We were all excited! Especially since I found out that there is a bus pickup right by our house! (Pucca is being bussed to an off-site this year because her school is under construction)

Pucca had her '1st day outfit' picked out weeks ago. The twins didn't decide until this morning. Everything went well this morning- pretty smooth! Its crazy how easy it is to slide back into a routine!

And for the grandparents:

Twins

(kwynnie tied her strings before getting to school)

Pucca

(don't you just love her little bow! Too cute!)

Getting on the bus...first stop on the route and only one at this stop

Twins getting out at school...they wouldn't let me get out and take a pic- so I quickly took this one. Kwynn was mortified when the flash went off! It was kind of funny!

Kynna and Kwynn have most of their classes together- which is a change. We'll see how it goes...they're acting like they don't know eachother- wonder how long that will last!?

Pucca likes her teacher and is excited to be back with friends. She gets to ride the bus home with her cousins- which is always fun!

Here's to a SUPER FUN 2010 school year!!!!

Saying goodbye

2010-08-13T16:21:00.004-05:00

Pucca's bestest friend 'in the whole wide world' is moving...to Spain! Actually back to Spain- her family was here in the states for four years while her dad did some post grad work for the university.

Poor thing- she's going to miss her...but they are going to be pen pals- with all the benefits of the technology! Google Talk, email, snail mail etc...

(Yes- there really is that much difference in their sizes!)

With all the moping she's been doing- its a good thing school's starting soon! Only four more days...incase you were counting! ;)

Silly John

2010-08-09T21:47:00.009-05:00

So what happens when John goes out to water the front yard on a Saturday night?

This:

And this:

oh and this:

And all of this:

oh- there's more!

And to top it off...Ems 'somehow' managed to sneak in the house, upstairs to the girls' room. Her muddy little paws and puddles leading the way! Fun times!

Something WAY cool!

2010-08-07T18:20:00.003-05:00

If you live in the area and want to see something so fantastically awesome...stop by Gallery 9 on 9th street and see my brother-in-law's painting robot!

Not like C-3PO or anything...but a computer programmed machine that will paint any image you scan or upload onto it. The possibilities with this thing are endless! We are so proud of Luke and Doug- all the hard work they've put into it...its very COOL!

I seriously encourage you stop by- here's all the info:

Count down

2010-08-06T22:11:00.003-05:00

So not that I'm counting...but there's only 11 days left of summer vacation! YAY!!!! Our family is in desperate need of routines and schedules! Talk about 'drama' the past few days! And don't even get me started on the bickering...holy smokes!

I'll be getting back into the swing of things as well...resuming my 'schools in session' motherly duties...

I'm a parent volunteer at the twins' middle school (helping with teacher appreciation projects through out the year- including the cookie drive at Christmas that involves baking 9 or more dozen baked goodies), student council advisor and day time helper (which basically means they can call me to help out with projects during the school day since I'm available...usually things like popcorn Wednesdays, book drives, special projects etc)

For Pucca's school- I'm the secretary for the PTA , co-chair for the two book fairs, and co-chair of the Spirit committee (which is in charge of the year book, monthly newsletters, classroom parties, t-shirt design competition and much much more!)

Summer vacation was wonderful...but there's definitely something to be said for routines. Our family seems to function and mesh so much better when chaos ensues...sounds crazy, but its true! Being busy and involved makes us value our 'family' time so much more...family game nights, Sunday afternoon movies while vegging out in the family room, working on projects around the house, weekends spent at Davey, watching Husker football...

There's also something wonderfully fulfilling about seeing your family work together to make things run smoothly...everyone pulling their own weight and helping where help is needed. And knowing that despite the craziness of the school day or evening meetings and practices...we'll all be together for dinner at the kitchen table.

A WHOPPER!

2010-07-31T22:08:00.005-05:00

Pucca went to GI town earlier this summer and spent a week with her grandparents (John's parents). Gpa took her fishing and she's been 'hooked' ever since. She talks non-stop about going back to gma and gpa Kelly's and going fishing. And how we should call gma and gpa Kelly and make sure they know that we are coming fishing. And how we should get out the calendar so we can mark which day we're going back to GI town to go fishing....you get the picture!

Well, this weekend we made a 'grandma run'. (A visit to GI town where we visit all 5 gmas- a whirlwind adventure!)

Friday evening, we spent the night with John's parents (the fishing grandparents)...can you guess what the girls and I did while the guys were grilling!? I'll give you a clue...it starts with an F and ends in -ishing! :)

I'm a competitive soul and as soon as Pucca got the slightest nibble- I had my pole in the water, ready to catch my own great white! IT. WAS. ON

After casting and reeling and casting and reeling, for what felt like an eternity...I finally got a bite! "FISH ON" I yell (its what the master fishers say when they've caught something- I learned that off of MonsterFish on the Discovery Channel)

Anway- I'm struggling to reel in the massive gilled monster- so much so that I yell for Kynna to anchor me down and hold the back of my shirt so I won't get dragged into the lake. But Kynna doesn't have enough strength- the water-breathing beast is too much for us. Kynna wraps her arms around my waist and then Kwynnie grabs her by the waist...we can't let this devil fish win!

Finally, I get it close enough to shore - and we see that its 'this big'...you can't see but I'm indicating with my hands that its HUGE! So huge in fact, the fish is pulling the line back out of my reel, my pole begins to bend almost to the point of snapping...I'm trying with all my might to just. hold. on. I yell for Kwynnie to get John!

All of sudden my pole snaps back, Kynna and I go flying- the fishy little beast got away. Just then John comes out asking what all the commotion was about. We all start talking at once, our personal accounts racing out a hundred miles per hour. John catches enough of the story to know there was something...and it got away.

Just then the monster fish rises from the depths of Gma and Gpa's sandpit and crashes into a sailboat...It was crazy!

What!? Don't believe me! Lucky for you I took a pic!

And that's my fish story! (now about 99 % of this story is true...I'll let you decide which part is a minor exaggeration of the truth!)

Sumer pix 2010

2010-07-29T15:58:00.004-05:00

The girls and I went to Sunken Gardens this morning to take our annual summer pix. We usually take them in GI town...but its been a pretty crazy busy summer- and can you believe its almost time for school to start! WHAT!?

I can't quite comprehend that John and I are going to be the parents of two 7th graders and a 2nd grader...its nuts I tell ya- NUTS!

So for the sake of my EMS (emotional mommy syndrome)- here are some pix of my babies!

Why do they have to grow up so quickly!? I don't remember growing up that fast...