The Niederer Family

Christmas Memories

2012-01-23T10:21:00.001-08:00

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Little Drummer Boy

2011-12-21T13:48:00.001-08:00

Brock's Piano recital was last week. Of course I think he did great, but I'll let you decide.

Its begining to look a lot like CHRISTMAS!

2011-12-21T07:57:00.000-08:00

I have so many pictures from this time of year, but my computer is getting old and crotchety and is running really slow. So I am trying to only post a select few...which is still kind of a lot.

Christmas tree at City Hall.

2nd Grade Christmas program. (Where's Waldo?)

Jake and I went to see "Sherlock Holmes, Game of Shadows" and right before the previews began a few ladies from a college singing group sang some carols, they were very good! Great harmony.

Sugar cookies! I think I finally perfected my recipe and technique. They were yummy and adorable!

Even my frosting was decent. I don't like frosting because of its sheer sweetness, so I add just a touch of lemon extract. Scrumptious!

Jenna wanted to use each color of frosting on her cookie.

Here are some of the finished product!

Hey! Quit eating and get decorating!

Oh? You didn't know that Santa's house is in Wichita?

During Andover's "Hometown Christmas" Mrs. Clause was at the library! So of course we chatted with her and took a picture. Allie told Mrs. Clause she must make the yummiest Christmas cookies since Santa's tummy is so big. Mrs. Clause told her she was exactly right! ;)

Oops. The library was having cookie decorating that night. Brock wanted just a few red sprinkles and WHOOSH, the shaker lid fell off and out came the sprinkles. Having Brock around is like being in a Looney Tunes Cartoon.

Time for some crafts at Hometown Christmas!

Brock was thrilled to make a Christmas book.

Look what we made!

Jake's customers seem to prefer to send meat as a Christmas gifts. We got three different coolers delivered from Omaha steaks this year. So come over for some grillin'!

Christmas cards! I love sticker stamps and the envelopes with the peel and stick opening. I love my friends and family, but not enough to lick 75 envelops!

Look at that sweet face! I was shocked Jenna climbed up on Santa's lap... so I hurried to document this moment!

Only 4 days until Christmas!

NOVEMBER

2011-12-08T12:31:00.001-08:00

Well November came and went in a hurry. What did you do last month? We...

killed time during Brock's basketball practice...

...showed Brock how to shoot a BB gun.

Then Pop to showed Brock the "RIGHT" way to do it...

Finally, Brock's turn!

We also spent some time eating Thanksgiving leftovers...

...decorated for Christmas...

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...shopped with Aunt Holly!

We got to eat delicious pies thanks to Jake's sister, Holly! They were fabulous!

We celebrated cousin Carson's birthday!

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Here's the birthday boy causin' trouble on the bumper boats - Happy Birthday, buddy!

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The family that plays together, stays together! (and uses a lot of tokens)

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We did a bit more decorating...

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...had a 24lb Thanksgiving turkey!

...drank soda with cousins... (I call these two the twins since they are only a month a part)

...played some B-Ball...

...fought for rebounds...

...uh...MORE decorating...

...we watched people go NUTS-O for cheap waffle irons on Black Friday...

...we snuggled...

...and warmed our... ourselves by the fire. ;)

Hope your November was as fun as ours, and we hope you are enjoying the anticipation of the Christmas season and the New Year that is quickly approaching!!

Soccer!

2011-12-01T11:32:00.001-08:00

Yeah, I am playing a bit of catch up. We had all three kids in soccer this year... what a busy - but fun time!

Brock got a lot better at controlling the ball this year, but boy the field is A LOT bigger at this age level...so he and his teammates really got better at passing the ball.

Protecting that goal!

Allie is such a go-getter! She is aggressive and quick, I'm proud of my feisty little girl!

Jenna played this fall, broken arm and all!

Fighting the crowd!

Little Jenna adored her coach which is the guy in the yellow jersey and wacky red hair. (Jenna is in the light blue shorts and her shoes have pink on the bottom.)

Practicing goal kicks!

Time to stretch...

Jenna insisted it's ok to play soccer in a skirt.

Allie's coach had the end of season award banquet at Pizza Hut. Allie really liked her coach and was thrilled to hear they were having a pizza party!

She was so happy!

Brock's coach bought the boys burgers and ice cream after their final practice. I think Braum's is still recovering! Brock was recognized as having the most "take downs" this year. He tended to "accidentally" tackle the kid with the ball. He is a lineman at heart.

Well, soccer season is over, now we are in the thick of BASKETBALL.

Pumpkin patch !

2011-10-16T20:01:00.000-07:00

We went to our favorite pumpkin patch on Saturday and 0f course we had a blast! It was warm and sunny and fabulous, so take a look at our fun...

Brock shooting the gourd gun !

In search of the perfect pumpkin.

Plenty to choose from!

Allie sees one!

Jenna found a keeper.

Pumpkin bails!

Of course the inflated jump....thing is a hit. I don't really know what to call it. Its like a huge tarp with air being blown underneath. Either way if it involves bouncing, my kids are all about it.

Let's jump!

I love this action shot if Brock.

Allie preferred a less populated area to really get jumpin'!

Jenna got a bit overwhelmed and couldn't stay up on her feet with all the turbulence.

But, her ever sweet super hero brother came to her aid and helped her up and steadied her for a bit...

...then she had the confidence to really get going!

Brock loves the zip-line and this year...

Allie wanted to try! She loved it too. I told Jenna to wait a year, I didn't trust her fresh out of the cast wrist to hold her weight.

Conquered the corn maze with good buddy Noah!

$2 to shoot a pumpkin from a cannon? Uh...YES PLEASE!!

Allie had a go with the gourd sling shot, she did a lot better than I thought she would...if you hit the target you won a free funnel cake...she came really close.

Taking a train ride with our sweet little friend Jade!

The water pumps send water down the pipe to send little rubber duckies to the other end. It was fun to race the little ducks over and over. I love Jenna's "game face".

Play time!

The newest item on our wish list! A GINORMOUS slide! (Allie is at the tippy top on the right, Jenna is just finishing up, and Brock, on the right, is headed back up for another turn!)

Who says Kansas isn't pretty?

Getting some fish food for the fish...although we never saw any fish. The food just floated away. Oh well. So I was taking some pictures of the kids at a cute little spot, and nice old man walking by offered to take a photo of the whole family. How kind! So he did. So enjoy the photo of the five of us... (scroll down)

(lol - oh well!)

Happy Birthday Jake!!

2011-10-16T19:29:00.000-07:00

Ug...I always seem to forget that pictures upload in the opposite order I chose them. So these pictures are in reverse order. Sorry!

Happy Birthday, Jake!!

Woah! Watch out...those mighty flames might grab your eye brows!

Jake's family might guess...but this is a "Loraine" cake. Half with her frosting, and half plain so I could pour on this warm icing stuff Jake loves (shudder)... its really rich. I just put Cool Whip on mine. Everyone liked to be able to choose their choice of cake topping.

A handful of presents. We also surprised Jake with a leather recliner. I had to re-arrange the basement furniture, but we made it work. I was afraid he would want to take it back 'cause he is kinda picky about furniture, especially recliners...but he is sitting in it right now while I type, and it seems to be his new spot of choice...if he can beat the kids to it. So I guess its a keeper!

The trash is the best part!

I liked this picture because it shows how Brock and Jake have basically the same face. Jake was actually in Chicago for business on his birthday, but before he left I made him one of his favorite meals and a cake. Then we snuck in the chair while he was away. Hope you had a good birthday... LOVE you Jake!

The Kansas State FAIR

2011-09-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

We hadn't been to a state fair in about 3 years, so we decided it was time to get there. Kansas proved to put on quite the fair, we had a great time.

In we go!

First, we checked out the farm equipment...

Hmm... what's in here?

Two ladies ready to work in the field!

Hey! A tire as big as me!

Now thats a BIG JOHN!

After the commercial buildings, we headed off to the Mid-Way for rides.

Of course the girls went on the Merry-go-Round.

Allie and Jenna on the bumble bees. You can't see Jenna, but she is in there.

Brock and Jake are in seat 3 & 4 from the right.

Eventually the ride did this.

My successful salesman husband totally got the kids free turns at popping the ballon until we left with a prize. This Carnie didn't know what hit him. Its about time THEY get swindled.

I went on this canoe ride thing as a kid and I was terrified, I was for sure I would fall out. So of course I said "no" when Jake handed me a ticket. Nevertheless, Jake took Allie and Brock on it. (Jenna was too short) They loved it. (they are on the very end, way up in the sky)

Ok so I BEGGED Brock not to go on THE ZIPPER. But he INSISTED he wanted to. I was so afraid that he would be scared and scream for me to help him...but he laughed and hooted the whole time. This is him getting situated in the cage. Seriously - who wants on a ride that involved being in a tiny cage on hinges?

How is this fun? Oh well, Brock loved it.

While Brock was on the Zipper and I was in cardiac arrest watching him, Jake took the girls on the Ferris Wheel. I wasn't thrilled that they were in seat #13. (superstitious, I guess) Also, as I watched, I could see Jenna hanging over the edge looking down. Eeek! Jake assured me he had a hold of her...by now my blood pressure was sky high. Can we just go eat please?

OK, so I am not a complete ride scrooge. I went on this sort of "Splash Mountain" water ride thing. Of course the drop was nothing like the one at Disney World, but it was pretty fun and got the ol' adrenaline flowing. I am in the back of the boat, with Allie and Brock in front of me...plus 2 other random kids. It was a good ride.

Mmm! Roasted Corn! We also grabbed some cinnamon almonds and BBQ sandwiches. Oh! Of course cheese curds, too. Yeah, fair food is sinful and delicious. It was a great day. If you ever visit Kansas, stop by the state fair!

Life moves pretty fast...

2011-09-16T18:35:00.000-07:00

Just a few random photos of our every busy/crazy life...

This enormous grasshopper rode on my hood from my driveway to the local YMCA. I was sad when I returned and he was gone. Ok, I was pleased 'cause I found him kinda creepy.

Well, Allie has lost her first tooth. She was very patient with her wiggly tooth. Brock wiggles and wiggles his and within 2 or 3 days its out. This tooth of Allie's was loose for like a month! Today she was like look mom- its sooo wiggly! And it was like hanging out of her mouth - eek! I tugged it right out so we could be done. So there ya go, she'd gettin' older :(

So, little Miss Jenna took a spill off some monkey bars and broke her wrist. Our doctor says is a common "easy" break that will heal easily. Jenna didn't have pain for too long and she plays just fine with her cast. Biggest issue was that she was in swim lessons again this month, but the Y will let her join back in after the cast comes off at no extra charge. She loves the cast's bright color and her friends just gush over her and think its pretty neat. I am grateful the injury wasn't worse.

Nice thing about a cell phone with a camera is being able to take random pictures of cute stuff while grocery shopping. I loved this cake. The black polka dots were Oreos. I was tempted to pick one off to munch as I continued shopping.

What? I like chocolate and its marketing tools.

Book worm Brock can't even eat his breakfast without needing a book.

I caught Jenna dipping into the picnic basket a bit early when we went fishing!

Allie loves to accessories so of course she was thrilled when we found these brightly colored hair extension clips.

"I am washing my feeties, Mama!"

Thanks for catching up with our shenanigans!

Gone Fishin'

2011-09-16T18:01:00.000-07:00

On Labor Day, we took the kids fishing. It was a BEAUTIFUL day, and we had so much fun. (the pics are out of order...I forget they upload backwards... but I don't care enough to delete them and start over, so I hope you don't mind.)

Little Jenna always manages to find these tiny flowers. So sweet.

Jenna was very patient and still with her pole.

I love fishing. I could do it all day, its so peaceful. Well, its peaceful where we were 'cause nothing was really biting.

Alli was more interested in holding the net than anything else.

I love the Mid-West wind mills.

Woo-hoo! The biggest catch of the day - haha! (look closely, its there)

Stop by and see us, we'll take ya fishin' !!

What a Summer!

2011-08-26T11:24:00.000-07:00

It was a HOT and dry summer. But we made the most of it. LOTS of swimming!!!

Whoosh! Love that bucket!

Headed in the water! (Andover YMCA)
Lots of picnics!

Lots of time at the little lake.

A trip...
Lots of fireworks!
Lots of games together...
Another trip...

Are we there yet?

Tow Mator came to Wichita during the Cars 2 premier!

Lots MORE swimming! (North YMCA)

Fun in the sun!
More water. (this is the pool in our sub division.)
The girls both passed swim class this year and are on to their next levels. Brock is in the highest level, but the teachers says one more time will do him good to build endurance. His class met in the large lap pool at the Y, and he could go "down" but had to rest before he could come "back". But his strokes look good.

We invented an "under water tag" game this summer. It has been so fun. Jake is great at it! He is fast and can dodge attacks really well. It was fun to spend a lot of time together as a family this summer.
Lots of BUNNIES?! Jake found a nest of bunnies when mowing...we took a few pics then shooed them away, hope they found a new home with mama. (Who ate my cherry tomatoes by the way.)
Lots of silliness. I found Jake sleeping with some high heel wearing blond!

LOTS and lots of corn. Gotta freezer full now.

Lots of stories! Brock is quite the book worm! I didn't enjoying reading much a kid, but Brock and I found some great series and he has TORN through books this summer. His favorite are Junie B Jones, Bob and Hot dog, Captain Underpants (I drug my feet with this one but its quite funny and very popular at his school) Box Car children, and Justice League Pets (popular super heroes, but as animals, I haven't read any, but Brock keeps getting those at the library.) I used to read to him, but now he'll finish a whole book in 2 days before I get the chance! He is always begging to read his sisters stories too before bed time. I have a hard time saying no. Its nice to have him read to the girls while I make dinner or am busy with something else.

Allie and Brock both had "summer school" classes at the local community college. Brock went to "Lego Mania" and "Animals & Bugs" He got hands on with a snake, tarantula (eek!), a ferret and some exotic birds. He even made "cockroach art". They took live cockroaches, dipped them in paint, then let them run on a piece of paper and VIOLA art. Icky, creepy, creative art. In Lego class they built robots with real motors and functions. Allie went to "Cooking Fun". They discussed nutrition, food groups, made snacks and baked cookies. They are already asking what they can do next summer!

We had a great summer, did you?

School Days

2011-08-23T11:18:00.001-07:00

Allie is officially a

Kindergartner!

(sniffle!)

Sir Brock, all set for Second grade!

Hello Mrs. Kim!! Our bus driver is so sweet.

Allie and her friend Katie from across the street, ready for the first day.

Allie wanted Jake to driver her the first day, so here she is ready to go.

Off they go!

All set at her table, she was a little quiet, but walked right in and was ready to dive into her play dough. Well... its just me and Jenna now. Guess I'll have to get a puppy when Jenna heads to school ;)

Our Trip to Illinois! (the "S" is silent :)

2011-07-10T14:31:00.001-07:00

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Idaho Slide show

2011-07-10T13:39:00.001-07:00

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The Drive Inn

2011-06-10T18:42:00.000-07:00

Well, as part of Brock's birthday celebration we grabbed a bunch of blankets and pillows and went to the Triple Feature at the DRIVE INN! If you have one near ya, you should go! We had a blast!

Here is Jenna on the way to the big screen. She didn't have much of a view.

All tucked in! Jake and I sat right behind them in lawn chairs. Yeah, we're old.

Waiting for the sky to get a bit darker. They showed fabulous old cartoon ads from like the 50's, I love retro stuff! There was a green pickle named "chilly" that sang some songs about all the food at the concession stand. The weather was perfect, it was in the 60's with just a touch of a breeze. Perfect snuggling weather.

View from my chair.

We parked in the last row, so we could exit quickly, but we could still see perfectly.

After "Kung Fu Panda 2", there is a 10 minute intermission (with more retro cartoons) for potty breaks and snacks. Jake danced with Allie to get her hyped up enough to stay up for "Rio." By now it was 11:30pm.

Jenna didn't make it. Actually, Brock and Jake were the only ones who didn't fall asleep. But at 1 am, when "Rio" ended, we left. We didn't stick around for "Thor." Who starts a movie at 1:30am? We called it a night. We will definitely go again - we loved it!

Brock turned SEVEN

2011-06-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

Well, time flies when you are having fun. My first born is seven years old. I am not panicked yet, to me - seven is still little. I mean he can read, play piano and build Lego sets intended for 12 year olds, but he is still little...right? RIGHT?!

Birthday dinner: lasagna (of course) and carrots and cucumbers in "Italian sauce" which is just Italian salad dressing.

I am glad that Brock prefers a birthday cake that tastes good, not one shaped like a cartoon character or toy, that doesnt necessarily taste yummy. I am not a crafty baker, so I am better at ugly cakes. Brock was happy with green candles and the simple family tradition of putting the candles in the shape of their age number. So here is a pic of Jake lighting the green seven.

Yummy~ no complaints here!

Lets dig in!

We ordered Brock some Boise State Bronco gear for a birthday gift...he was THRILLED! One evening I noticed he and Jake were both decked out in their BSU stuff, like father like son. GO BRONCOS!

I found some cool camo wrapping paper, it was a nice change to paper with ballons or characters on it. This was his new Star Wars Lego Turbo tank. Built and completed a few days after his birthday.

Woohoo! A Lego City Fire Station complete with a truck. Started and completed on his birthday. Thanks Granny and Pop :)

Alright! Finally, after about a year and half of talking about one, Brock finally got a PAPER JAM! A super slim guitar that really JAMS! Brock has really shown a love for music and his latest request is guitar lessons. Hmmm...

Happy Birthday, Brock!

YMCA Spring Sports

2011-06-07T12:48:00.000-07:00

(Just a little peek at my rose bush. Its been 100 degrees for a couple days here and now they are all shriveled and droopy :( At least I got a photo before they got baked.)

Well I did a poor job documenting this season as far as photos go. Mostly because it was SO cold the first few games, all I did was huddle in my winter coat and blankets, not wanting to let my hands feel the cold wind. Each game, I thought, "I'll get more pics next game"...well I said that all season until I only ended up with a few photos. But seriously, if I had a ton of pics from each game, each season, my computer would crash, since we are a sport loving family. So, this will have to do.

Jake was the assistant coach on Brock's team this year. Jake wanted to just be the head coach, but I talked him out of it, I knew he would end up needing to miss a few practices and games for work stuff, (which I was right about) so he helped when he could. The other parents were grateful since Jake doesn't put up with much guff and he whipped those boys into football shape.

Brock is a great defender. Here he is in the red shorts about to grab a kid's flag. He also made about 6 touch downs this season. Brock really loves soccer, but after this season of football, he loved it and is ready to try it again.

"Sweet!" Admiring his medal.

Little Miss Jenna. A close up after she applied some glitter lip gloss, all by herself. Yeah, that's not sand or crumbs, its glitter.

Allie kicked some major pre-school butt this year in soccer. She loves soccer and has conquered her fear of being on front of other people. I am so proud of her bravery! I was so crippling shy as a kid, I am so pleased she is overcoming her fears already. Not to mention she is scoring and stealing machine!

"Look what I got!"

A bit of piano...

2011-05-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

Brock had his Spring piano recital on Sunday, and he did very well. His teacher gave him a more challenging piece than he had for Christmas. It is called "Sonatina". He was so excited to perform at Christmas, since he had his piece mastered and memorized, but since this piece was more complicated and much longer he was kind of nervous. After some comforting and assurance that everyone makes mistakes and it is OK if he messes up a few notes, he felt better and went up with a smile. But of course, I fumbled around a bit and didn't get recording until about 5 seconds into his song. Sorry - someday I'll get it right!

Brock signed himself up for his school's talent show, he filled out the form at school, so it was completely his idea. I am so happy that he likes to perform! I was so debilitatingly shy as a child, I NEVER would have considered it. Anyway, his paper was cute, under "other members of group" Brock wrote "myself". Anyway, he chose one of his favorite peices from his lesson book, called "Indian Song". (i think i posted him playing that song at home on my blog already)He had to audition...but I doubt they told any of the kids they couldn't perform. Perhaps it was to weed out any jokers or inappropriate performances. He was a little shakey at first but then got his groove and even looks at me and smiles while playing. His little classmates were so sweet and told him he was the best of the whole show. The talent show was so fun, there were a lot of Taylor Swift songs sung, a boy who did tricks on a bogo sticks, yo-yo-ers, Irish dancers, Tae Kwan Do-ers and a 5th grader totally rocked out "Sweet Home Alabama" on his electric guitar...he was so good! So of course, that is Brock next idea for music.

(Mr. Kaus is the elementary music teacher sitting behind the piano.)

Zoo Picnic!

2011-05-09T13:54:00.000-07:00

The Koch Ind. company picnic at the Sedgewick County Zoo was a few weeks ago and we had a blast, as always. But first a couple photos from Mother's day.

My kids B-line it to their room each Sunday after church to change, but at least I was still able to catch Jenna before she changed. Jake got me a corsage to wear on Mother's day. I felt pretty important!

Here's the gang toiling in the kitchen while I sat around and did nothing! Steak, pepper, and onion shish-kabobs, grilled spuds, corn on the cob, salad, biscuits, and a new punch Jake made up. He is so funny in the kitchen! He just starts throwing stuff together. After dinner, he cut an apple in half, removed the core...then sprinkled it with cinnamon and brown sugar wrapped it in foil then tossed it on the grill. 20 minutes later he put a scoop of ice cream on it and I was in dessert heaven! He is a culinary genius. Anyway....on to the zoo!

After seeing a few animals and our BBQ picnic dinner compliments of Koch, we ventured over to the bounce house area. Here is Allie and Jenna waiting for the obstacle course. Brock was busy playing games, he is getting to old for the "little kid stuff." (sorry for the black, sometimes my shutter sticks)

Finally - our turn!

Woah! This is high up!

Woohoo -We made it!

Time to head up to the top of the slide...

... watch us go down!

This bounce house was called "Jurassic Adventure" and had volcanoes, trees, and dinosaurs in it, pretty cool stuff! Brock decided this one was ok to climb in.

I thought this one was sort of weird. An elephant head? But the girls liked it...

...inside there were balloons to toss around.

By far, this bunjee bounce was the hit of the evening. Brock didn't get the hang of it as quickly as Allie, but he is hoping for a longer turn next year. The guy running his bunjee was not helpful at all and by the time Brock was getting some decent jumps, the guy brought him back down. The line was ridiculosly long, or else I would have tried - it looked super fun!

Now that we have a zoo membership, I dont really take a ton of pictures of the animals anymore since we go quite a bit, but here are a few I did take.

The "big cats" have been my favorite since I was a kid.

Aww! These 2 guys made me think of Simba and Mufasa.

This and That

2011-05-05T17:12:00.000-07:00

(Blogger is being weird, I cannot see my photos until its posted, so I will just have to explain each one ahead of time.)

We went to Leatherby's a few weekends ago, and I thought the big huge ice cream sundae on the wall was fabulous, perfect for a photo op!

While waiting for our food, Jenna accidentally a knocked glass of water on the floor. They sopped up the spill then left a HUGE orange cone. We thought it was so funny! "Um, excuse me, don't you have a LARGER cone? I'd hate for someone to not see this one and slip on the water."

We visited Jake's grandma Niederer recently, and she has a cute little green bird! Uh...parakeet perhaps. I don't remember. But of course when the opportunity came to have the bird rest on their finger, Brock and Allie were game to try.

Jake's Dad turned 60 in April. His kids threw him a surprise Chinese birthday party. Good times. Yummy times. Hilarious times.

Easter 2011

2011-05-02T12:35:00.000-07:00

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Allie's birthday!

2011-04-18T13:59:00.001-07:00

A little photo flashback of my first little girl, Alexandria Jayne...

I LOVED these little shoes. She kicked one off once while I was shopping and I didn't notice until we got home...I was sad for days :(

Blessing Day.

Big brother's shadow...

Where has the time gone? Allie turned 5 on April 7th. Yikes! Kindergarten here we come! Here are a few pictures of her birthday...

We grabbed Brock from school at lunch time and Jake snuck home so we could have a little mini party with our lunch.

Getting ready to start, Brock wrapped this one for her all by himself.

Flynn Rider from Rapunzel! We have a zillion Barbie's but not very many "Princes" so she was happy to have him.

Thanks brother!!

Little Mermaid Ariel and her sisters, Polly Pocket size- perfect for taking a swim in the bathroom sink!Woo-hoo, a Barbie kitchen! Thanks Pop and Granny!

Since we were having cupcakes at her birthday party with her friends on Saturday, Allie chose to just have her favorite ice cream, cookies and cream, with a candle of course. I can't believe she is 5!

Music Maestro

2011-03-31T11:40:00.000-07:00

Here are 2 of Brock's new favorite piano songs. He loves now having pieces with parts for both hands. He is almost done with the first book, and his teacher says kids don't usually get through the first book so quickly, so she isn't sure if she will start him on the next book already, or wait until lessons resume in the fall (she doesn't teach over the summer.) I guess we'll wait and see.

This is my new favorite of his songs, called Willie and Tille. A cute little song about an old couple and what they like to do to pass the time.

This is the Indian Song. It has really funny lyrics. One night when the missionaries were over for dinner, (one was a really good piano player and he asked Brock to play him a few songs. He was singing along and we realized there is a line "I watch the big chief smoke his peace pipe" we were all stunned then cracked up laughing. Some kid book, huh?

Thanks for listening! He has another recital in the May, so I'll post that as well.

Spring Break!

2011-03-31T08:12:00.000-07:00

Spring break came and went in a flash, as all aspects of my life it seems...but I wanted to share some photos of our week. It was rather chilly and a bit rainy off and on, so I was thrilled when my friend invited us to go play at the swing set display store. All the park fun without the crummy weather! I had no idea this place existed so I was glad she called us. Thanks Kim! Tower of monkeys. Swingin' monkey! Slidin' monkey!

After some fabulous in-door park time, we slipped next door to see the baby chicks at the tractor supply store. I love their little "peep peep" noises. So cute!

Another cold day we went to the book store. We could easily kill HOURS there. Love it!

Allie's tracker beam took her straight to the princess books...

... Jenna too. I was drawn to "Frog and Toad" and "The Berenstain Bears" two of my favorites from my childhood.

One night we had pancakes for dinner. A definite favorite at our place! Our Saturday mornings are busy with YMCA sports, and our church used to begin at 9am, so there wasn't much time for a formal breakfast. Our ward recently split so instead of 9am start time, we now meet at...8am! Ah! My kids will be lucky if I give them cereal. : )

Allie is defiantly my little shadow, wanting to help and try to do everything herself! She does very well.

Brock has really been into chapter books. The "Captain Underpants" series was a new favorite, although he is growing weary of them. Obviously by the title, you might imagine they are very silly and ridiculous. Brock prefers a more believable adventure over lots of booger jokes, time travel, and brain swapping. Any suggestions?

When there was a window of nice weather, we were outside in a flash.

" Bed, Bath, and Beyond" is a rough store for kids because they pack so much in the place, and a lot of it is not kid friendly, but they found a way to pass the time while I shopped.

One evening Jake assembled and installed ceiling fans in the kids' rooms. Isn't he handy? The girls fan is so ridiculously cute I had to get some pictures. Can you believe Jake picked it out? He just came home one night with 2 fans and said, "I am going to put fans in the kids rooms." Well ok then.

Everyone needs to help!

Cute, huh?

Brock was invited to a different friend's house almost each day of spring break, except for one day when he had a friend at our house...so I told the girls we would have some of thier friends over for a picnic. And we did. It was super windy that day, and during lunch, a random grocery sack came flying in our yard and kept right on going over the fence. So we decided we would fly our own bags - it was hilarious fun chasing plastic bags in the yard. You should try it.

Of course there was some serious Lego action going on last week with Brock having more spare time. How about a Star Wars restaurant? I mean come on, Storm Troopers need to eat, too. Allie was more than happy to donate some doll house furniture to the cause.

Building the burger joint. Jedi's love a greasy spoon burger and shake. Who doesn't?

Hope those Jedi's leave a tip. How was your spring break?

Family Fun

2011-03-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

Jake had a business trip to Chicago last week and he brought home a crystal making kit for the kids. Our jade crystals are growing as we speak! (or as I type, I suppose)

Any crystals yet?

Can I stir?

My brother James came for a visit last week - we loved every minute of it! I hope he did too. He was such a good sport to play all sorts of girly games with Allie and Jenna. His commentary was hilarious, I loved listening to the conversations between his princess, and the girls' princesses.

I drove James down to Oklahoma so we could see our sister Patti. This is her cute little Genevieve gnawing on a chicken leg. So cute!

Who doesn't love a picnic?

All the kids love going on "adventures" in Patti's backyard.

We went to the zoo on Thursday. Here is the gang checking out the lions...well, I guess Jenna was checking out James' hat.

The tiger exhibit is one of the newest parts of the Sedgewich County Zoo.

Watching the penguins swim.

I usually don't take pictures of just the animals...but this baby chimp was sooo cute!

And this Gorilla was just chillin'...waiting for a photo.

Of course we took James to one of our favorite parks...

Come back soon Uncle James! We miss you already!

Playing Catch Up

2011-03-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

I have quite a few photos I wanted to post, so I thought I should use up some of my older pictures first. Remember the video I posted of Jenna doing a puzzle? Well she has pretty much been obsessed with them ever since...

See. Even her stuffed puppy looks exhausted from all the puzzles.

Brock's school had a carnival, so of course that was a big hit. There were games, prizes, jump houses, karaoke, cake walk, soda walk, basket auctions, a book fair, face paintings, food, and free tongue piercings. I threw that last one in to see if you were paying attention.

If you look closely, you can see all three of my kids on the wall. Brock has a brown T-shirt, Allie in a pink top, white flowered skirt, and Jenna has a greenish blue top...but she blends into the wall, look for her hair.

Allie had a butterfly painted on her face, I was shocked that she asked for a blue one, not pink...but I am glad she is branching out.

Duck pond - everyone's a winner!

Two of our favorite people, cousins Carson and Jayson came to visit us for a few days. There was a lot of fun going on over here!

We had a huge Super Hero battle...

Here is some of the after carnage.

Carson with Cyborg Super Man, the utimate destroyer.

And friend and I were in charge of the Valentine's Party for Brock's class, so since I was hurrying from task to task, I didn't think to take too many pictures, but I did manage to snap this one with my phone. Brock was working on the Valentine pig craft, they turned out super cute! We also played BINGO (using heart candies as the markers) and decorated a sugar cookie. Of course a few more snacks like cheese, ham and crackers - and VIOLA! A fun party.

Oscar Night

2011-02-28T13:35:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed watching the Oscars the other night (especially with DVR so I can watch the whole thing minus boring categories and speeches), so in lieu of all the movie hub bub, I wanted to post a few videos of the kids. The first two are of Brock and Allie eating a "War Head" for the first time. If you are not into candy very much, war heads are SUPER sour and more exciting to eat than actually yummy. Take a look.

Allie's turn...

I did not give Jenna a war head, I thought it would be cruel. One evening while I was sorting through some piles of clutter collecting in the guest room, I noticed Allie and Brock playing in the toy room, but no sign of Jenna. I ventured back upstairs, fully expecting to find her up on the kitchen counter rummaging through the cupboards. I was very surprised to find her doing something else...

Barely three years old and slapping together a 40 piece puzzle. Her great Grandma Corinne Pales (my mom's mom) would be so proud!

My last video clip is dedicated to Uncle James, (my one and only brother) He and my sisters may be the only ones who get it...enjoy.

and the Oscar goes to...

Bowling for Bonzos

2011-02-19T13:18:00.000-08:00

I am not really sure what "bowling for Bonzos" actually means...but Jake says it a lot so naturally, now I do as well. Jake went out of town last weekend, so Friday night before he left for the airport, we all went bowling. It was a blast! We went on the "cosmo lanes" with black lights and music.

The lanes we went to had little metal ramps that kids who have trouble hefting a heavy bowling ball. Here Jake is helping Allie line up her ramp.

Jake going for another strike!

I want this one Daddy!

We ordered a pizza and the timer/buzzer thing was shaped like a slice of pizza! Cute idea.

Real pizza and a soda the same size as Jenna!

Brock went to a book fair last month and he chose a 3D dinosaur book, a new family favorite. The pictures are quite gruesome, which Brock loves.

Jenna calls them "scary glasses."

We had 4 snow days this year, and so we had a lot of fun outside but some days the wind chill was so cold we stayed inside. I would often find Brock reading to one or both of his sisters. They especially love the ones he brings home from his school library. Lately he has been picking books he thinks the girls will enjoy. Warms my heart to see them all snuggled up reading together.

Big Girl, Jenna

2011-01-25T17:09:00.000-08:00

Well, now that Jenna is sleeping all night without the need of a Pull-Up, we got her, as promised, a big girl bed. She couldn't be more pumped! As you can see in the picture below...Allie could be more pumped. She snapped out of it once she saw the colorful ottoman's we got for them to use as a bedside table/toy box.

Woohoo- so excited!

She slept in past 9am the first morning in her bed! I guess having blankets that are large enough to not slip off, and enough room to roll and stretch really helps catch those Z's. (You can see their boxes in this photo. I intended for Jenna to have the pink, and Allie the blue since they match their fuzzy blankets, but Allie kept switching so she could have pink. I left that battle alone. I don't care that much.)

I have posted a video of Jenna singing in the past, but here is her latest hit. Enjoy!

Winter time Fun!

2011-01-11T13:09:00.000-08:00

Well, Kansas finally found some winter. It is super cold and we have about 4 inches of snow.
Brock has enjoyed staying in on cold evening and getting some serious Lego time in. He finished his Star Wars Walker in 3 evenings with no help, except once I helped him find a piece that was missing...he was sitting on it.

A work in progress...

Ta-Da! All done. It even opens so you can put the little Lego fighter guys inside.

When Brock got home after the first day of snow, he was so anxious to shovel, he wouldn't even take off his back pack before starting!

Today school was cancelled. Not so much for the snow, but because of the extreme wind chill (14 below zero) But we got a phone call inviting us to go sledding with a bunch of friends from church. Count us in!!

Allie and her friend Rozlyn - they discovered they have the same coat, Allie in blue, Roz in pink. Cute little snow bunnies.

It was bitterly cold and the wind was wicked! This is little Jenna chasing down a run away tube flying in the wind. Luckily our friend Michelle was there to help!

Brock and Allie headed down, Jenna headed up.

This was the cutest sled. It's called a "zippy". Its basically a seat with a joy stick looking handle. Its small and light which makes it so easy to carry back up the hill. Little kids, big kids, and adults fit on it. My friend said she has seen them at Target, I might go get a few!

A picture of the whole gang. Not a bad turn out for considering it was 10 degrees. (at one point, my camera froze...literally! Once it warmed up it turned back on.)

Double the fun!

Brock's friend had a snow board and let him have a few tries. After a few wipe-outs, he could make it down the whole hill. He certainly loves to try everything.

Here is a super short video of Brock on his second attempt on the snow board. And yes, I... his mother, sort of laugh when he wipes out. Forgive me.

After we sledding we headed home for lunch. I spread a table cloth on the floor by the fireplace and we had a picnic on the floor by the fire to warm up. What a great snow day!

Happy Birthday Jenna!

2011-01-05T19:26:00.000-08:00

Well, my baby is three...so I guess that officially makes me an old nag. Jenna birthday is December 28, so since we were in Idaho at Jake's parent's home for the Holidays, we had a little birthday bash for her at Granny and Pop's. We started with a fun game of Hot Potato! My parents gave my kids the game for Christmas. It comes with a plush "hot potato" that plays music when you squeeze it. However, we misplaced it when it came time to play, so we had to use an actual potato and a CD player. Equally as fun.

Here we go - hot, hot, hot!

The boys are still goin' strong!

Even Pop played a few rounds!

After Hot Potato, we had some pizza on Minnie Mouse paper plates. We got tiny little root beer cans for each of the little kids, they were pumped! After pizza, a few gifts of course.

UNO MOO! This game is super fun, I wanted to buy it ever since I saw the commercial. It is perfect for preschoolers. Jenna loves it, she calls it "barn game". I love it since my kids can set up, play, and clean up all without any help. Go grab it if you have small kids!

A Bitty Baby from Granny and Pop! Jenna was thrilled. :)

"Daddy! That's not a hat!"

"I three!!"

Happy Birthday, Jenna!! (aka: Wuzzy, Fuzzy, Frenna, Jenna-Liz, Meepers)

Christmas in IDAHO

2011-01-05T15:34:00.000-08:00

Free digital slideshow made with Smilebox

Hope you have a minute to watch the highlights of our Christmas in Idaho. The only thing I missed was the New Years Eve party, since it was bitterly cold (like -10 windchill) and I didn't want to venture back outside for my camera. There is music so if you tend to leave your computer speakers on really high - you might get startled. Enjoy!

Christmas in IOWA

2011-01-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks before Christmas, Jake had some business in Iowa. So we decided to have my parents to drive from Illinois to meet us for a mini Christmas in our Hotel. It was fun to see "Froofroo" and "Pa", although I would have liked more time with them! But a little is better than nothing. Upon arrival at our hotel - we spotted the Oscar Meyer Wiener Mobile! It was like 12 degrees and windy, but we had to take a few photos. Jake was in the hotel checking us in, and I didn't want to ask one of my kids to stand in the middle of the road to take my picture, so alas, I was unable to pose by the enormous hot dog. Maybe next time.

I was surprised how small the base is...its as if it is on an el camino, but altogether its huge, Allie looks tiny next to it.

Brock of course had to be silly and want to take a bite of it!

Snuggling with Gramma Froo froo!

An early Christmas? Sure - we'll participate!

Lots of great stuff from the grandparents!

On the way back home, we stopped at the LDS visitors center in Independence, Mo. Allie was thrilled to see this nativity.

There are lots of tiny hands-on pioneer cabins to look in.

A well, complete with bucket.

Horse and buggy.

Dishes and veggies.

Also, there was a new bronze exhibit with gorgeous art pieces illustrating the life of Christ. I took a picture of each one, but I didn't post them all. The one above is of raising Lazarus from the dead. I loved the expression of the woman's face.

Jesus with some birds.

Walking on water.

First Vision.

We had a great trip. The beginning of our very busy holiday season.

Christmas Performances

2010-12-12T14:57:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share a video clip of Brock performing at his very first piano recital. I was slow getting my camera ready record, so I missed Brock introducing himself and his song. plus the first few notes. But at least I got something!

"Good King Wenceslas"

This is Brock and his fabulous piano teacher, Mrs. Cole. Brock started lessons in September from a wonderful woman from our church, but after abut 4 lessons, she moved out of state! We were sad, but found Mrs. Cole from a list of music teachers in the area provided by the middle school. I just started cold calling some of the teachers, and Mrs. Cole just happened to have a student recently need to withdraw, so she had an opening, and it happened to be on the same day Brock was already used to having lessons. Just seemed meant to be! We couldn't be happier. I love that the student having lessons right before Brock is older (maybe 12 ish?) and Brock can see what a few years of lessons can lead to. We are so proud of his hard work and willingness to practice and even perform in front of a big crowd! (his teacher has 21 students, and each one had several family members attend so that adds up!)

We like to get our kids each a chocolate advent calendar each December. One evening Brock realized he had missed a few days. (He is not that into candy - he still has Halloween candy left) so he asked if he could get caught up and open a couple doors. I said sure, and to our dismay...most of his chocolate was already missing! No doubt his 2 year old sister had something to do with this. I expected Brock to feel sad, but he thought it was funny.

This was my favorite song of the night. Sorry it is bouncy, Jenna kept tapping my arm and trying to climb into my lap so my arms were bouncing all over. But be sure to watch until the end, they had a little surprise in store for us!

Santas of Christmas Past

2010-12-10T12:02:00.000-08:00

2007. Allie was not quite 2 years old and would not even consider sitting with Santa, but Mrs. Clause gave her a candy cane and bear to hold, so she reluctantly agreed to at least sit with her. Brock was 3, and totally willing to sit with the Jolly Old St. Nick. (I have yet to visit a Santa as authentic looking as this one. He and Mrs. Clause were at the Christmas craft show in the Idaho Center arena in Nampa, ID.)

2008. Brock was 4, perfect age for cheesy forced smiles. Allie was 2, still young enough to be nervous and reluctant. Jenna was just shy of a year old...young enough to not know what was going on.

2009. Brock is now 5 and really gets it. Allie is now 3 and so shy she wont even look at Santa. Two year old Jenna follows big sister's lead and needs to sit on Daddy, not the strange man in red.

2010. Brock is totally over sitting on a grown man's lap. Allie gets the tradition, but would rather stand by brother than sit on Santa's knee. Jenna, now almost 3, is strong enough to really refuse to go near the man. Maybe next year. Merry Christmas!!

Atumn Catch-Up

2010-12-07T17:44:00.000-08:00

I am afraid I haven't been the most diligent blogger as of late, so here is a smorgasbord post of a bunch of random things! Enjoy.

Jake has become quite the shot gun fanatic with all the business trips to various hunting lodges. Doesn't he look dangerous in his orange vest? I love that he gets to go have some man time to kill things, but I have a freezer full of pheasant I will probably never prepare. Come on by and get some if you'd like.

Allie has completed her "green book" and can move up to the yellow book. She really wants to keep tumbling and definitely wants to play soccer again.

Woohoo - the foam pit! During Jenna's mommy and me tumbling class, I jumped in too. Its so fun, but there is a trampoline under the foam cubes and every time you move, its sort of like quick sand, its a fight to pull yourself out - its awesome!

The ladies in our ward have a play group once a month, usually focused on the holiday (if any) for that month. My friend Heidi had this adorable craft at her Thanksgiving play group. You stick some tooth picks in an apple, then place some fruit loops on the picks, top it with a marshmallow and you have some feathers. Then add candy orange slice for a head - and viola! A turkey!

Completed turkey! Jenna's didn't have a head or marshmallows on the feathers, because she ate those parts. Allie was more interested in a completed turkey.

Since the weather has been so nice, I took the van through the car wash the other day. I heard Allie say, "Jenna I will hold your hand so you won't be scared." This is what I saw.

Something about getting out the Christmas stuff that makes my kids go nuts. Does this happen at your house?

About to load the Christmas tree. It was super cold that night. Perhaps someday I'll post some pictures of the tree all decorated...but don't quote me on that. Happy Holidays!

My Spider-Man

2010-11-10T12:13:00.000-08:00

Brock has a rock climbing class once a week at the YMCA. He had been asking about one for a while, and since we are only doing one session of Bball in the winter, I figured this fall was a good time to sign up for a class. He loves it and got a lot higher than I ever imagined for a beginner. I am not hugely afraid of heights, yet i never really go anywhere high, so perhaps I am a big chicken and I am just in denial...but Brock seems to have no fear in that department - see for yourself...

More than half way!

This is a video clip of him making some good progress, then slipping off!

But he made it!

This video puts the actual size of the rock in perspective. Brock makes it about that high each time its his turn, but hasn't quite made it past that ledge to the cave. Maybe by his last class. I am just glad he enjoys it. The day I told him I signed him up fro rock climbing class, he about tackled me with a big bear hug and repeated Thank you! over and over. Well, I aim to please. The girls are currently in another round of tumbling classes. I hope I remember to bring my camera to a class or two this month. Allie is one move away from completing her "green book", which is the beginners class. Jenna and I do the mommy and me class with the other 2 year olds. At first she was afraid of the huge foam pit at the end of the trampoline, but now she begs me to throw her in! And I do.

The morning after the Trunk or Treat party, we woke up to this mess, and this story from our little miss Jenna.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

We had lots of Halloween activities this year. I don't have the patience to post a ton of pictures for each event, so you'll have to settle for just a couple from each.

I planned some Halloween activities to play with the kids to help pass the time until time to go Tick or Treating. I printed off some Halloween BINGO cards and we used marshmallows as the markers. It was fun, we played 3 games because we were having such a blast.

I was surprised that Jenna didn't just eat all her marshmallows...she really enjoyed the game, and was even the first winner.

Here are the girls all set for trick or treating! Brock was having some costume malfunctions and needed a couple more minutes.

Our first stop!

Some of the houses in the neighborhood were quite spooky - we loved it!

This house, the "Dracula house" as we call it, gives out full size Snickers each year. We never miss this house. :)

Really cruising now!

At church, I teach the 7 year old primary class. I invited them over for a Halloween party. Tons of fun! This photo is of "pin the face on the Jack-o-lantern" game.

Decorating cup cakes.

Trying to pop orange and black balloons with no hands- So funny!

Waiting for the Trunk or Treat at church to begin.

This is my friend Diane and her family. They usually have clever coordinating costumes, this year was no different! I love Pac Man! Last year (I think it was last year, maybe 2) their three girls (this was before the baby girl was born) were little pigs, and their son was a wolf. Wish I was creative and dedicated enough to make the costumes ;)

I am a co-room mother this year for Brock's class. So me and one other mom were in charge of the Halloween party. Since it was in the morning, we had muffins, fruit, ham and cheese for a snack. We figured that was better than a cupcake at 9am.

We did toilet paper mummy wraps (they even got to wrap thier teacher), we had a candy corn relay, decorated a picture frame (we even took their photo and had them developed by the end of school) and each kid got a balloon with a few prizes inside they had to pop.

It was a good Halloween weekend. Hope your's was great too!

This and That

2010-10-30T18:57:00.000-07:00

Koch Industries had a Fear Factor fund raiser. Employees would purchase a vote for the person they wanted to see eat a bunch of super nasty food...so naturally Jake was voted to participate. Everyone new he would be a great competitor and hilarious- which he was. He didn't win, but I am just grateful for the photos. Take a look at what my poor husband had to eat! (And no Pam, pigs feet do not smell like bacon.)

He said by far...the fermented bean were the most difficult to eat. I googled them to read about what exactly they are - the photos look repulsive! They are basically rotten pinto beans in a sticky stringy sauce. Ick!

Here he is trying to get them down - poor Jake!

On a less disgusting note, we have had a fun month of Halloween activities. Brock has chosen to be Darth Vader, Allie is Ariel, and Jenna is Minnie Mouse. In this photo, Allie wanted to try out the ears that go with Jenna's costume.

The day I drag out my Halloween tubs is always a fun one at our house. The kids scurry around trying on the costumes from past Halloweens, and its a messy, noisy, fabulous time.

Bat girl Allie with bunny ears, Buzz Lightyear Jenna, too tight Iron Man Brock.

I like to have a treat baking while we decorate the house, this year was chocolate chip cookies. Simple, but a favorite. Jenna, as bat girl, was really wanting to grab a cookie hot off the tray!

Soccer season is officially over, but I did get this cute picture of my girls climbing in a tree at Brock's last practice.

Jenna is finally tall enough to pedal Allie's old big wheel. We have gone on a lot of bike rides now that the icky 100+ degree summer is over. Its been gorgeous here! You can see Allie up ahead on her bike in this picture.

Jenna has a new disdain to holding my hand in parking lots and stores, I guess its an "I am too big for that" thing, but she will hold Brock's hand. I am so glad he is always willing to hold her hand when I ask him too, he is a great helper for me!

In closing, here is a little diddy, by my favorite two year old.

Granny and Pop

2010-10-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

Jake's parents came from Idaho to visit for a couple days. It was fabulous and we loved every minute of it, I hope they enjoyed it as well!

Early morning session of Wack-a-Mole with Pop.

Heading home after Brock's soccer game.

They brought us some Halloween goodies that Jake's sister Pam sent for us. These huge gooey eye balls were included. The green one burst while Jake and I were wrestling for it...hope that liquid isn't toxic - it got all over me! It was pretty funny.

We went to the Apple Jack Pumpkin patch, which is my favorite pumpkin patch of all the ones I have visited. I forgot my camera, so I made everyone pose after we got home. It was such great weather this year, last year we went in our winter coats!

I LOVE the look on Jake's face in this photo! It seems like every year I am surprised by how disgusting the inside of a pumpkin smells.

We got 6 pumpkins this year, but we only carved 4 so far. Here they are - which is your favorite? Can you tell who designed which pumpkin?

Happy monkeys with the jack-o-lanterns.

Larry brought us some of his Idaho potatoes. I put it next to one of my store bought spuds (grown in Texas). Hmmm...can you tell which is which?

And speaking of photographing produce....I bought a bunch of strawberries to make some jam (so my mother-in-law will think I am domestic). This was one of my berries. I thought it was cute. I pushed up the leaves to make it look like it had spiky hair. Then I chopped him up and tossed him in the jam. Que sera sera.

Birthdays and a BIG bug.

2010-10-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

Well, some wife I am. Jake's birthday was last month and I never made a post. So here is a couple pictures from our celebration. Jake's birthday was on a Sunday this year, so the Saturday night before, we went out on a date. We headed out to a huge spook alley in Wichita, which is one of the top ten in the nation. (apparently, people travel all over and rank the spooky attractions. who knew?) Anyway, it was closed since it had rained a bunch earlier in the day, and it was a muddy disaster since most of it is outdoor. We were a little bummed, but went and saw "Money Never Sleeps" which was super good, so we were happy.

Sunday morning after opening presents. Yes, Allie has purple vampire teeth.

Jake's sister Kristi sent him this card. I thought it was HILARIOUS!!! (the inside says, "be careful what you wish for")

Home made chocolate cake...guess who decorated it?

Brock is really diggin this reading thing. On nights when he just doesn't feel tried enough to sleep by bed time (which is most nights-haha) and the girls are all giggly in their beds,I let Brock read them a few books, but he then has to tuck himself back in...that's the deal. He loves it, and so do the girls.

We went to Oklahoma last weekend to celebrate my niece Lily turning three. Her mother, (my genius sister) threw her a Wonder Pets party. It was a huge hit!

Here is adorable Lily rescuing an "animal in trouble!" My sister hid a bunch of stuffed animals around her yard, and all the kids has to try to "rescue" them. They all had a blast!

About 20 minutes into the drive home, this was the scene in our back seat. That was some party!

I help in Brock's classroom twice a month and I saw this huge horrible bug in the parking lot of the school one afternoon. Eeeeee!

Picnic Time

2010-10-04T12:06:00.000-07:00

My mom came over a for a quick visit this weekend. It was fabulous! It just happened to be during "Andover Days"! So we went to the parade on Saturday morning, and after 2 soccer games, we went to the Andover Days carnival. That evening Jake went off to the Priesthood session of conference while the kids and I took Froo froo over to the fireworks. It was a busy, but fun day.

Sunday, after General Conference, we drove out to Lake Afton for a picnic. It was a gorgeous day, in the upper 60's, slight breeze, lots of sun. Not to mention football shaped Oreos!

No mountains, but I still think it is beautiful here...

Here is the whole gang, diving into the picnic basket! The girls went straight tot he Oreos. My mom is showing the tiny flower Jenna picked for her.

We did a bit exploring,

kicked the soccer ball around,

walked on the dock of death (very wobbley),

had silly string wars (Jake was drinking an IBC root beer, I promise),

and we played hide-and-seek...

...Jenna is so cute when she "hides"(notice the Oreo on her face). It was a great day! Thanks for coming Froo froo! On a side note, our little Allie has really become quite the little soccer player. Her first game, she just sort of followed the other kids. The second game, she cried and walked around the field. So we practiced with her everyday that week, and talked a lot about not quitting, trying hard even when you're tired, and having fun!

The third game she scored 2 goals, and stole the ball from the other team quite a bit. This past Saturday she also scored 2 goals and smiled and ran hard the whole time. Which is what I really wanted the most, her to be happy and have confidence in front of other people. I am so happy she was willing to keep trying and now she loves it!

Here she is pulling away from the other players and going for the goal! SCORE! And yes, she prefers to play in a hot pink skort. That's my Allers!

Piano Man

2010-09-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

Can you name that tune? (Hint: its NOT Mary had a Little Lamb)

Just in case you wondered...

2010-09-14T20:15:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when a 2 year old decides a singing Sleeping Beauty doll needs a bath.

Surprisingly, she dried out and sounds fine now.

Fun with Family

2010-09-14T12:33:00.000-07:00

My parents came to our place for Labor day weekend. They brought my Aunt Nancy with them, what a fun surprise! Then a couple days later, my sister Patti came with her family, and my brother arrived later that evening. We had such fun!

My mother is a great story teller (she can make up the best adventures!) and book reader. She has been having some issues with back spasms, but nothing would keep her from reading stories when there are small kids around. She would usually begin a book brought to her by one child, then within a few moments, all other activities were abandoned in order to hear the story as well!

With Uncle James around, there is always some fun to be had! We drug out the jump house and got to jumpin'! You can see James under attack in this photo.

Cooling off after a rousing game of freeze tag.

James is super fast, so we all had to work really hard! We discussed how bizarre it is that we both prefer to run bare foot. Makes us feel faster.

Giving the 4 wheeler a try. Brock is funny, he kept saying things like, "this is how you steer", "this makes you go", "if you wanna stop, take your foot off the pedal." Funny how kids get excited to give an adult instructions, even though its not necessary.

We got some great wind one day while my parents and Aunt were here, so of course I grabbed our fabulous kite. Jake bought it when we were newly weds, and I never opened it until last summer. We love it! It was strangely chilly that day, you can see my mom and aunt all covered up with a blanket on my porch swing. I guess I did a poor job taking pictures of my aunt and father. Guess you'll have to take my word for it that they came! We got Papa Johns Pizza one night, since its my parents favorite pizza joint and the one in their home town closed down. Guess there's at least one thing keeping my father coming back - haha!

Sunday Afternoon Carnage

2010-09-08T12:31:00.000-07:00

Often on Sunday afternoons, Jake will organize some sort of house wide toy session. We usually choose superheros, but last week we set up a huge war zone. See for yourself...

It was Brock and I versus the girls and Jake. There was a foam block wall seperating the opposing sides. Its funny how we spend like 30 minutes setting up, and the actual battle only lasts about 5 minutes!

Loading up the tank!

Iron Man's missels on the attack! Even though, these two were on the same team. We decided that Jenna is really her own side. She was attacking everyone!

Look closely...can you see who is driving the tank? (Hint: she lives under the sea...at least until she was turned human to marry a prince.)

Watch out for the land mines!

All that carnage can be exhausting! When I came upstairs to make dinner, I found Jake all tucked in...his little girls are such little mommies, always looking to make someone snuggly and comfortable.

Now that is has cooled off, the girls and I like to get some exercise outside rather than inside the gym. So I had them grab a sun hat and they decided they also needed strollers, and we headed to the track.

Down the hill!

They walked with thier dolls a bit and rode thier bikes. I also brought them some snacks to keep them busy between laps.

Notice Allie's Spider-Man training wheel....Jake backed over one of Allie's white wheels, so he took a wheel off of Brock's old Spider-Man bike. Hooray for being resourceful!

Jake bought the girls huge lollipops...they look ridiculous, but the girls were so happy.

Summer is about over, we sure had fun together.

Always ready to pose! Hope you all had a fabulous summer. Happy Autumn!

A little girl time.

2010-08-25T12:55:00.000-07:00

With Brock at school, the girls and I have been trying to be as girlie as possible! OK, well its mostly the girls' idea, but I have fun, too.

One night when Jake was away, Jenna came in our room about 5am, so I just tossed her in bed with me. When I woke up later, she was laying sideways and taking every advantage of a king size bed. Move over, Jenna!

Last week on the way to church, I turned around to answer a question of Allie's, and I noticed her Hello Kitty doll had a seat belt on....so cute! (Look at Allie's long hair! I miss it!)

Saw this at Wal-Mart and I had to get a photo. Seriously, Barbie? No one really thinks you are a rocket scientist.

I was surprised that even though Brock was gone, the girls wanted to play super heroes. Of course they had to dress the part.

Well, with no boy, naturally we had to have a tea party. I filled the little pink tea pot with some V8 punch and let them pour away! Plus we had some "crumpets" (golden grahams, which Jenna calls "grammy grahams") and "bisciuts" (pretzels) we felt so fancy! Come over for tea sometime!

Back to school.

2010-08-20T13:53:00.000-07:00

Although its still pretty hot, school has begun. I love the randomness of summer, but I think my kids are craving a bit more structure, so I am glad school has started.

Here is my boy, all grown up and mature. ;)

Another T-ball season has come to a close. It was too hot this summer to really enjoy the game. I would bring a huge jug of ice water...not to drink, but for the girls to play in like a wading pool. Brock would come dunk his head every now and then as well. I was seen splashing a bit too. When its 97 degrees and humid, you do what ya gotta do to keep sane!

Again, with the thumbs up. Happy to have another medal to add to his collection.

Brock has become quite the reader this summer. We read a few novels together (Charlie and Chocolate Factory, The Twits, The Witches... I know there are more, but I am drawing a blank) but he gets level one readers from the library and reads them to the girls. Its cute.

Here he is reading a Richard Scary busy town book to his baby neice Genevieve.

All set for the first day! Again...with the thumbs.

Waiting for the bus...

Right on time!

Turns out this year she (the bus driver) comes from the opposite direction, so the bus stop is the bottom of our drive way, pretty convenient! Jenna, pictured still in jammies, loves to wave bye to brother and wave to the bus driver who knows my girls by name since they liked to greet Brock last year upon returning home. Allie was asleep so she didn't get to see him off on his first day.

I took this photo at "meet the teacher" night, getting settled at his desk.

Lunch Time!
I got an email the night before the first day of school asking for a few moms to come help in the cafeteria the first day. So I got to sneek a picture or two with my phone of his first lunch at school. He took a lunch the first day, but today he wanted to purchase a "rib sandwich, veggie medley, and frozen cherry treat" Hmmm. That meal cost me $2.00. It was $1.10 when I was a kid. And get this, I saw several kids just sit and stare during lunch. Didn't eat a thing -nothing! Later I was helping kids dump out and return their trays, and I was shocked by the amount of uneaten food. Like 6 little first graders didn't even taste the food! It was untouched. Its a crying shame that kids (a) don't eat AT ALL and (b) are wasting so much food! That doesn't apply to Brock, I have to convince him its time to stop eating.

So there ya have it. He is in first grade and loving it. If he is happy, I am happy. :)

Business in the Front....Party in the Back.

2010-08-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

Well there ya have it. Allie decided to cut her own hair. About two weeks ago, she got a cute little hair cut, with layers in the back. She had much more volume and since it was shorter, there was way less complaining during brushing and drying. I was finally happy with her hair. While doing the dishes Allie went into the bathroom. So I figured....she had to go. Then she exited the bathroom. Went back in bathroom. Exited. Re-entered. So I ask, "Honey, what are you doing?" I got the famous pause, followed by, "Nothing, Mom" Mmhmm. Nothing. I approached her and couldn't figure out why her cheeks looked so prominent. Yup...it was gone. The hair that was layered so cute, which framed her face was gone clear back to her ears. See for yourself.

Nice. So (taking the advice of my sister-in-law, Holly) I told her to get her shoes on so we could go get her a nice short boy hair cut since she wants to have it so short. Until I mentioned that, she was stubbornly insisting that she liked the way she cut it. Not wanting to look like a boy, she decided she would retire her scissors and give an apology.

So I washed it and trimmed it myself. Too short for my liking, but at least it is more symmetrical.

The back is longer than the front, but not as dramatic as a mullet. I have seen a lot of little girls with this style, so its not like she is in a freak show, but its not a "do" i would have chosen. But it could have been a lot worse. It was fixable and hair grows. So does my patience...but at a very slow rate.

Beauty and the Beast

2010-08-09T12:04:00.000-07:00

Well I just realized I never posted photos of the kids having a tea party with Belle! (although there was no tea involved.) Before we watched Disney's Beauty and the Beast at the PlayMill, kids got to meet Belle and have a treat. (well, kids whose grandma purchased them a tea party ticket- thanks Granny!)

Here is the gang on the cute little chairs.

Belle taught the "princes" how to bow, and the "princesses" how to curtsy.

Each child got to choose a crown. Notice someone is missing from this photo.

Little miss Jenna needed some coaxing to go anywhere near the stage, but eventually she decided a purple crown would be nice.

and perhaps even a hug.

Summer time fun.

2010-08-01T15:44:00.001-07:00

Welcome home Monga the Monkey! Monga is Jenna's pride and joy. He was left behind at Granny's house after getting lost under the bed. We are so happy Granny mailed him home!

Here he is! Jenna says, "say Cheese Monga!"

Giving Monga a huge hug before we head off to the pool.

One night while riding his bike (we have to ride bikes at night because it is waaaaay to hot in the day time) Brock saw a little toad hopping around. Luckily my animal loving sister, Patti, was in town visiting with her kids, so she scooped up the toad into a bucket, and before returning to our yard, another toad showed up, so we ended up with two icky, I mean, cute toads. I am not a toad/frog fan. I find them creepy.

Brock and cousin Lily loved watching the toads for a while. Look at Lily's spiral curls - her hair does that naturally, she is such a cutie!

So Jake told me a few Saturdays ago that he bought some corn on the cob we could cut up and freeze to use in the fall and winter. I am not much a canner/freezer, but I figured no big deal. Then Jake unloaded the EIGHT DOZEN ears of corn. Yup, thats 96. It took a while. But Jake isn't the type to just bark out orders then hit the couch, he got busy husking, cleaning, and cutting the corn. I did the boiling and bagging (well I husked too, we all did). Fun times!

What a good lookin' team! (Brock is in that "I have to have a thumbs up in all my photos" stage. Does anybody else have kids that do that?)

My hope is that someday everyone gets to spend time with a two year old. Although often loud and messy, age 2 is one of my favorite ages. 2 year olds are so funny and sweet, and always manage to surprise you! Jenna has recently loved singing her ABCs, and can count to ten. Of course, I can never manage to video record her on her "A" game, but I got a few clips to give you an idea. She would only count to three, but thats ok. When she sings the alphabet, instead of LMNOP she says "L M N O B-O!" but of course she didn't for my film, she just skipped it completely. Anyway, just wanted to share a bit of toddler cuteness. Hope everyone is enjoying the fleeting summer!

Cabin Trip (Island Park, ID)

2010-07-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

So not only did we get to have some fun in our old stompin' ground of Easter Idaho, we then trekked up north a bit with Jake's whole family to stay in a fabulous cabin that Jake's father Larry has access to from time to time. I am not sure why its called a cabin, should be called mansion in the mountains. I don't have a picture of the outside, but it is very lovely. Larry even borrowed a boat for added fun on the lake.

One of the mountain views....I know, gorgeous right?! Post card for sure!

I love my man in Mickey Mouse. Love this guy!!! Look at that vacation scruff - what a dream boat!

Another view.

This is the view from the upper level deck. Gorgeous! I wanna go back right now!

Yep, a moose and 2 babies. Ryan (Jake's brother in law) and Jake were enjoying dinner on the covered deck during a brief rain storm, and Ryan came busrting into the cabin to announce the moose sighting. We all scrambled for cameras and chance to see them. One of my favorite books as a kid was "Morris the Moose Goes to School" and I have loved moose ever since.

We visited a placed called Mack's cabin, which was the first cabin built in the Island Park area, and they have restored it and have some of the original furniture and stuff inside. You can go inside and look around. They have newspaper articles inside full of more info about the cabin.
It was so neat, I love historic sights.

Here is the outhouse for the original cabin. At least I think it is. I was not sure if the guys were joking about it being an outhouse or if perhaps it was more of storage shed. I was distracted because if you look closely, Brock fell shortly before this picture and scrapped his knees. We went into the original cabin in search of a band-aid (they had a first aid kit and were very helpful) so I spaced getting a photo of the original (Johnny Mack's) Island Park cabin, and checking the accuracy of outhouse claims. Phooey. Oh! There was this outrageous coat rack made out of goat legs and hooves. Ewww! That would have been a great addiction to a Christmas card photo! Owell, maybe next summer we can go back for more pictures.

I tried water skiing, what a work out! I was very sore the next day from all the muscle strain to hold the skiis straight with your ankles, keeping the rope tight with your shoulders, squatting with your quads, and trying to keep everything in line with your core. Great fun though - minus the first wipe out giving me a nose, mouth, and lungs full of water.

Aaaalllmost there....

Nope, not quite.

Woohoo! I made it! Very briefly though. :) Ryan was driving the boat with Pam running the rope and flag - and she was a great cheerleader. Jake was on the jet ski coaching me along the way, as well. Thank for the help gang!

I tried Jet skiing too. I was not a very good driver, so I didn't like it much. I felt like I was going to sink the thing. I suppose more practice would be good.

Allie LOVED boating!

The banana boat was a big hit, super fun! This boat load includes Carson, Allie, Austin, Brock, and Jayson.

So exhausted! Out kids slept great in our room of the cabin after playing hard all day.

I thought this was cute. Brock and Jenna are in almost the exact same position.

This years cabin trip was super fun, (as always) complete with skits, ancestor stories, trip to the play mill (photos to come) boating, jet skis, tubing, fabulous food, and overall fun times with family. Can't wait until next year!

Granny and Pop's house.

2010-07-17T11:16:00.001-07:00

We spent some time in eastern Idaho at Jake's parents home. We had fun (of course!) and there was always something to do!

Allie "helped" Aunt Pam mow the lawn.

"Allie, what is that black stuff all over you?" "Um, I don't know?" We figured it was soot from the burn pile.

Allie and her new cousin Sonnet enjoyed playing "house" in Granny's toy room. Here they are all tucked in by Jenna, who was the mommy. Not sure who decided Jenna would be the mother, but it was cute to watch them play.

We went to one of cousin Austin's baseball games to watch him pitch. It was great weather, almost chilly!

After the game, we grabbed an ice cream cone from Reed's Dairy. Mmmm- chocolate!

We went to Idaho Falls one day to see Toy Story 3. Afterwards, I took my kids and Adam (2nd cousin to my kids) to a playground. It was a big one - we had a blast! Yeah for Idaho and its lack of 95 degree humid weather! We spent so much time outside, just like you should in the summer. It was fabulous.

Independence Day

2010-07-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

July 4th is my favorite holiday. I love summer, cook outs, flags, fireworks, USA, all the aspects of our Independence day.

Allie and Kyla, great buddies, watching the fireworks together. Allie gets nervous during the loud ones, so Kyla was quick to pull Allie into her lap. Seeing these 2 together melts my heart!

Pyrotechnician Jake enjoyed giving his nephew Austin (who is now as tall as I am!) a behind the scene look at a firework show.

Here are the boys in the Hamer, ID parade. A Marine (Brock) an Air Force Pilot (Peyton), and 2 Army soldiers (Jayson and Adam) to remind us "Freedom is not free!" Their float won judges favorite! Holly made the pickup so festive with all the red, white, and blue tinsel and other sparkly things - I have no idea what to call them!

Pop with a 4 wheeler full of kids. Carson, Hailee (2nd cousin), and Allie.

We got up early to attend the Idaho Falls Freedom Celebration parade. It was really long! We had to leave early to get more fireworks before noon, but we saw some neat stuff!

This BMX group would stop periodically to do flips and stuff - so cool, but the guy after this kid in my photo, wiped out and hobbled into the pick up, we are pretty sure his knee snapped - it was quite gruesome.

Slug bug limo!

Proud to be an American!

Jake loves the sound of Bag pipes and I love men in skirts! (just kidding!)

Woah, baby! That's what I want for trips to the grocery store!

I love huge Clydesdale horses, and this one was so patriotic!

Brock requested a picture of the army tank- so neat up close!

Jenna loves Mickey Mouse, so this was her favorite part of the whole day!

Ready for more! Hope you all had a great fourth of July!

Headed West

2010-07-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

The night before we headed to Idaho, our kids were so excited, dinner got a little silly. Allie and Brock took turns wearing our silly glasses with the nose and mustache, but Allie took it to the next level and wore them upside down.

So silly!

The morning of our trip, I discovered Allie packing up her Barbie suit case. While I had her distracted with breakfast, I took a peek at what she packed. SIX pairs of shoes, a baby doll, 2 shirts, 1 skirt, and care bear slippers. What a cutie.

Jake bought some fireworks to take on our journey, but he and Brock decided that they should try a few out before we left for Idaho. Jake let Brock light a couple off. Pyro Jr in the making.

Run for cover! Brock did a good job and kept begging for more.

Jenna and Allie watched from inside...in case there were loud ones.

Family Ties

2010-06-17T13:48:00.000-07:00

Well we have had some great times with both sets of grandparents recently. Jake's parents came a few weekends ago which is always a good time. We went to Hutchinson, KS where they have a fabulous Aero Space Museum! It was a great time.

Checkin' out the moon walker with Pop.

They had actual jets hanging from the ceiling, my camera makes it look small, but it was huge!

The museum had an old shuttle pod used in the past that kids were welcome to climb in and push actual buttons. Brock was a little botherd that his sisters climbed in with him, but he adapted well. He kept yelling, "ignicktion" instead of ignition. Cute stuff.

Here is Allie trying out the air force ejection seat.

Real astronaut suits!

Here we all are in front of a chunk of the Berlin wall. Uh, I forget why it was in the space museum. We were in the political section, it made sense at the time.

Random photo of my new favorite spot.

My parents came up for Memorial Day weekend. Allie was their little shadow from day one.

We took little cousin Lily on a bike ride with us. She and Jenna are only 3 months a part and great little buddies.

Cute little baby Genevieve!

Lily was so cute about the water. The water was pretty cold, so she would go down the slide then take an immediate exit stage left to avoid landing in the water - you can see her leg darting off the side of the slide in this picture.

Uncle James! My brother was an instant hit (like usual) with my kids. One night after doing the dishes, I came out of the kitchen to find him drowning in toys Jenna kept bringing him. It was adorable. We went to the park the next day and Uncle James climbed up all over the playground equipment chasing my kids - it was so fun to watch. Usually I am the one sweating all over chasing the rats. I enjoyed the shade and watched the fun for a change. We sure love having family come over!

Our dad and our dentist!

2010-06-10T08:51:00.000-07:00

I love to catch Jake doing cute things with the kids. He really embraces the whole "princess" thing Allie is into, and one day I found him and Allie playing "ballroom". Little Allie has really shown and interest in dance lately, so she was THRILLED to have a real live Prince to dance with. Prince Daddy and Princess Allie.

Jake is very good with babies. Our new little niece Genevieve really seemed to like him. Jenna was really into the baby as well, and Jake was great at helping Jenna learn to touch and interact with babies.

Jake loves chess, but doesn't like to play with me too often, since I beat him so quickly. (or something like that...right, Jake?) But he taught Brock and they enjoy the time together.

First trip to the dentist! Allie chose strawberry fluoride, and a princess toothbrush. Shocker. Notice the cute sunglasses they get to wear.

Brock chose cookie dough fluoride (gag me!) and was excited to hear that after his X-ray, he does in fact have top permanent teeth. He has had the cute gap for about 5 months. They are just about there, the dentist assured us! In fact, just yesterday, one started to break through. Soon he'll have the uneven scraggle tooth look. Oh, to be 6.

Bumps, Bowling, and Birthdays.

2010-06-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

The day before Brock's birthday, i got a call from the school saying he fell off of an office chair, and hit his head on the edge of a desk, and that I should come pick him up. I asked if she felt he needed stitches, and she said no, but that I should still come get him. I wondered why they wouldn't just stick a band aid on him and send him back to class, but I grabbed the girls and headed on the 1 min drive to his school. I walked into the nurses office and immediately knew he needed stitches. He was calm, eating a Popsicle (good thinking school nurse!) but nervous about my mentioning stitches. He was concerned it would be more like surgery that he had at age 3. I assured him it was super fast and easy, so off we went to see his pediatrician. His Dr. was excited to have something other than looking in ears for a moment, and stitched him up great!

Above his left eyebrow, you can see the stitches. I can't even make out a scar today, but even with one, its under his eyebrow. He lucked out! Now he is a lot less rowdy and bouncy in spinning office chairs. He was trying to scoot up closer to the computer while bouncing in the chair, and it tipped forward tossing his head into the desk. I went to the class room the next day to bring Brock's birthday treats, and I was swarmed by a bunch of kindergartners exclaiming they never thought they'd see Brock again, and they are so glad he is not blind. I am not sure what they thought happened, but they were sure traumatized! I was told initially there was a lot of blood flowing down to his eye. Must have been quite the sight for the little group!

But he made a fuill recovery in time for his birthday party! We took a group of his friends bowling. We used the black light alley's so there was music and everything seemed to glow. Perhaps thats why my photos were so bad. It would have been better to if I had my camera, but I left my purse at home in my haste to leave on time. But I got some blurry shots with my phone.

Go birthday boy! He got a strike and thought he was hot stuff !

Brock chose cupcakes, so it filled up pretty quick with 6 candles! I love those long squiggly candles - they melt really fast though because they are so skinny.

Good Morning birthday!

Can't believe he is 6! Six just seems like such a big number to me.

But we did have another cake when my dad was in town for Memorial Day weekend. His birthday is 3 days before Brock's. The "6" is for Brock, and the "65" is for my Dad. Happy Birthday Brock and Dad! Two of the best guys I know!

Fun Times

2010-05-13T12:31:00.000-07:00

Here is a random update of some of our latest where-a-bouts.

Koch Industry's picnic at the zoo was early this year, which is nice, since one year it was really, really ridiculously hot. I had my monkeys pose with these monkeys. (Yes, Pheebs, I know gorillas aren't actually monkeys, but it makes for a better caption. ;)

They had some fun inflatable activities this year. The tiger slide was most popular with our kids.

"So big, Mama!" Jenna was very impressed by the elephants.

Loose monkey alert! They gave those hats to all the kids as a free gift.

One day I discovered that Jenna managed to squeeze into a size 18months butterfly costume. She made a cute butterfly.

Brock has become quite the swimmer. He and Allie are about to finish up their third round of swim class here in Kansas. They sure like it. Allie's newest teacher is young, blond, and quite tan, Allie told me on they way home that her teacher reminds her of Barbie. Funny, she has never mentioned that about me. ;)

One day I was puzzled when Allie was not in her usually playing areas - her doll house, bedroom, or back yard. So I increased my search efforts, and finally found her asleep in the castle in the guest room. Phew!

Last weekend we headed down to the OKC area to visit my sister and her 2 girls. This is Genevieve (Ginny) 2 months old. I LOVE huge hats on babies - so cute! She is a snuggly sweetie pie.

My sister has a cool storm shelter -aka -hole in her garage floor. Of course Brock wanted to go in it - what 5 year old boy wouldn't?

What exactly was in your sippy cup, Jenna? I thought she looked like she passed out in her cup - too cute to miss out on a photo. Just tired after a long day of playing with her cousins.

ORLANDO

2010-04-22T14:47:00.000-07:00

So we recently took a trip to Orlando, Florida. One of my dearest friends was getting sealed in the Orlando Temple, so we decided to make a family vacation out of it. I have made a few new posts about our trip, so be sure to keep scrolling down to see each piece of the trip. We had a blast, I wish we could go again next week!

Disney's Magic Kingdom.

2010-04-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

We were very surprised to wake up to clouds, because i had checked the weather all week, and it was suppose to be sunny and in the 80's. I wish I would have checked the night before, but I figured all was well. But we went, rain or not, and it was truly amazing. We LOVED it!

Almost there!

As you enter the gates, you see this Mickey rotating and "When You Wish Upon a Star" is playing - the instrumental version played before a Disney Movie starts...it gave me goosebumps!

Here we go!

We arrived just before the park opened, so we got to see the opening show, the characters arrive on a train. It was so neat! Its so nice to have a tall father who can hold you up for a better visual.

There's Mickey! Jenna was SO excited. She loves "Mouse".

Oh, there's Walt and Mickey!

Cinderella's castle at the end of Main Street Disney. I hear Aurora's (Sleeping Beauty) castle is in Disneyland.

I took this photo of Snow White while the girls and I rode "Snow White's Adventure."

All aboard Dumbo! Jake is in a red shirt with Jenna, and Brock and Allie are in front in their own Dumbo.

This ride was cute! The "hefalumps and woozles" part was hilarious.

Smee! On the Peter Pan Ride. One of our favorites.

You get in these little ships and fly above London and head off to Never Land. It was great!

Platypuses from "Small World"

The hula dancers were my favorite - so cute!

Ooo lala!

What a castle!

Getting read for the Monster's Inc comedy show, it was so funny!

Coolest ride - Buzz Lightyear! You ride in little space ships and shoot Zurg with your laser gun!

Get him!

Chatting with Ariel. What a dream for my girls!

All the princesses were gorgeous. A bit cheesey, but they were in character. The girls loved it! It was worth the 30 minute wait.

Belle was so sweet. She kept telling me how cute the girls were. Allie talked to Belle all about how the Beast was actually pretty nice and became a prince. It was cute.

So the brief on and off sprinkling finally became a down pour, but we kept going!

On to the Mad Hatter's Tea Party!

Cool Pirate of the Caribbean stuff! That was an awesome ride!

Brock and Jake loved the cannon.

So tired. What a great day.

While waiting for the parade, we were all munching some yummy churros, and since Jenna was all wrapped up in her poncho, she didn't have a free hand to hold one, so she would just open her mouth when she was ready for another bite. She wouldn't say a word, just sit there with her mouth open. Too funny!

Best seat in the house for the night time parade!

All lit up. A magical ending to a magical day.

Of course we went on Space Mountain, which is now my favorite roller coaster, and Splash Mountain, what a drop at the end - yikes! We actually spent the $21.00 on the photo they take of you looking ridiculous. I'll have to scan it and post it. What a fabulous vacation - you should go to Orlando!

Down Town Disney

2010-04-22T10:54:00.001-07:00

So the whole idea of a theme park is very great money making racket. Besides the actual them park with rides and such, there is a place called "Down Town Disney" which is just shops and restaurants. So of course, we went.

This awesome toy store had a Mr. Potato Head Bar, to custom make your own Potato Head! Great idea!

Working to make the perfect one!

Goofy has a candy store? Uh, yeah....we went in.

Jake was truly a kid in a candy store. He made me laugh so much with the things he bought. This wall of Jelly Beans pictured above made me think of my sister Patricia. She loves Jelly Beans. There were actually TWO walls of just Jelly Beans. Nice. Ooo-wee! Check that frosting on those cupcakes! And above those were some of the cutest carmel apples ever. Carmel apples - don't get me started on those. They were so good there! You could even get them sliced instead of on the stick - much easier way to share. Sooooo yummy!

We had 2 hours to kill in Down Town Disney while we waited for out RainForest Cafe reservation. The food is so so, but the atmosphere is pretty neat. If you have never been - you should go. Its pretty neat.

We had a great view of the gorillas.

Safari leader Brock!

There is a thunderstorm every thirty minutes inside the cafe, I filmed a tiny bit of one of the storms. It was pretty cool.

Donald Duck is my favorite, so I had the kids pose.

You gotta ride the merry-go-round. No brainer.

At one point we split up, and I was without my camera while Brock and I were in the Lego store. It had a wall similar to the Jelly beans, but it was all different colors, shapes,and sizes of Legos, so you can build your own custom pack. Brock picked out some great new pieces for his collection. He is quite the little engineer, he amazes me with his creations. I wish I could have gotten a picture of the huge Lego sculptures. There was a family of tourists, a huge sea monster, actually in the water, and a transformer. What a neat place!

Vacation!!

2010-04-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

Aboard the airplane! Flying with 3 kids sure makes the journey more "eventful" to say the least.

Our hotel had a fabulous pool that we visited everyday except the day we spent at Disney World. It had a slide, waterfalls, toddler area, playground, and of course a hot tub. We had a blast!

Jake is so funny....I love him! There was a private pool for the Villa we were staying in, which was nice to avoid the crowds, but there was a larger pool with extra features behind the main bulding so we ventured there a few times as well.

Hurry! The pool might not be there if we don't hurry!

Brock is such a fish. He would have swam all day if we would have let him.

Little Miss Cautious wore her tube, but he helped put me at ease so I could snap some pictures.

Dad took Jenna down which usually ended with "MORE!" from little Jenna.

Here is the kid area. There were some fun geysers outside of my camera shot, and behind those was the play ground for the chilly kids who want to warm up in the sun. It was on a sort of soft thick padding, so bare feet worked fine. We loved this hotel, other than the $14.99 a plate breakfast, it was fabulous!

Orlando Temple

2010-04-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

I have yet to visit a temple that is not gorgeous, and the Orlando temple is no different. Surrounded by fountains, lush greenery, palm trees, it was spectacular. My good friend April was sealed to her husband Joe in an amazing ceremony filled with the Spirit. I was so grateful to witness it, the most important part of the big day.

Here is the gorgeous bride pictured with the proud parents.

See...palm trees and fountains.

Couldn't help it snap a few pics of my sweet family.

Here's me trying to get the kids in a perfect pose. Yeah right.

This one makes me laugh, you cannot even see Jenna, but the temple is gorgeous.

Allie is such a Daddy's girl. I don't think Jake would have it any other way.

I thought this bench was so cool, I loved the shape - so we took a photo on it. Congratulations to April and Joseph! I didn't get any photos at their reception, but it was amazing! It was in Tallahassee at an old plantation home which was GORGEOUS! And the trees - you should have seen the enormous monstrosities of trees - creating a ceiling of leaves and greenery. It was breathtaking! My camera batteries were gone by then, other wise I'd have a bunch of tree pictures to share! Plus there was square dancing, hilarious square dancing. Fun times for sure.