ENT visit/prayer answered!

 Today we had an appointment  to find out whether or not Jaeley’s tube had fallen out of her right ear. Her ENT had told me that if the tube was not out that she would need to have surgery again to remove it. (They are supposed to fall out themselves.) After checking it out he announced that it indeed has started to work itself out and that he wants to put off surgery and check her again in 4 months. YAY!!!  I proceeded to make the doc (who has never cracked a smile  with us) very uncomfortable by displaying my enthusiasm for this news while he sat stone faced and waited for me to be done. Oh well:)
The best part of the whole visit, though, was when the nurse finally called us to come back to be seen and I was trying to get the kids to move quickly across the waiting room. There, in mid-stride, with all the room watching, Jaeley launched into a somewhat awkward somersault. She then hopped back up and continued walking!  Not so out of place for a pediatrician’s office, but I bet they don’t get that a lot of that at the ENT:)

Frogs, Shingles, and Wrestling

There have been a number of frog sightings and chasings this summer, but this one ended up in a bucket. Brevin and Jaeley spent the afternoon with our neighbors Lexi and Brenna (as they often do) running between our backyards.

The kids with their new froggy friend.

 

 

In addition to running, helping a friend move, and playing softball; Adam put new shingles on the shed to match the ones on the house. Snazzy!

Wrestling with Daddy is one of the most common past-times for the children at our house. It’s pretty intense and is a wild and crazy free-for-all-and typically ends with either some sort of minor injury or the call “Get Mommy!”  That is sooooooo the cheater’s way to end a wrestling match:)

Lil’ Swimmers

 

Why don’t my kids need me anymore!? Last summer we couldn’t even go to the pool because they were both too dependent, and this year they abandon me the minute we get there! We went to the Winterset aquatic center today with our friends Erika and the Dawes’. I hope that at this time in two years we’ll be going to the ADEL aquatic center. (Adel residents vote “yes” in August!)

Jaeley was just fine navigating the big slide by herself, but still liked someone to catch her sometimes;)

 

Brevin always helping Bryce out…he loves babies and little kids:) (Although I’m pretty sure he dunked Bryce at the bottom!)

Blue Popsicles

Jaeley LOVES the color blue. It started last Christmas when she would tell anyone who asked what she wanted that she would prefer “Blue gocks (socks)” to any other gift. Lucky for her, Santa delivered 3 different shades of blue gocks that she wore everyday the rest of the winter. It came as no surprise that when she saw the blue popsicles in the store, she had to have them. It should also come as no surprise that it is not a purchase I will making again anytime soon…that shade is a bit bright to be wearing around on one’s face and hands.

Operation New Roof: Complete

 

Early this spring we realized that we were not going to get another year out of our shingles. We set about getting bids on the project of replacing them and quickly realized that slave labor provided by friends and family was a much better value. So on Friday our friend Zach (an expert in the field), Dad, and Judd showed up to get started. Two 12-hour work days, and the job was knocked out!

 

We are so blessed with a wonderful family and friends that were willing to help. It was not without some SORE feet, sunburns, and leg cramps. Ummmm, Happy Father’s Day!?

While the men were on the roof, Mom played with the kids for hours on end- and I turned out my first pie (strawberry) to feed the crew.

New bikes for all

We found out by surprised last weekend that Brev didn’t need training wheels anymore. You hopped on a bike at Ahnya and Papa’s and took off! So we scored a ‘new’ bike from our neighbor’s garage sale and your sense of independence has soared! Want to ride it EVERYWHERE:)

In the meantime, Jae hopped on Brevin’s old bike with training wheels and acted like she’d riding her whole life. Daddy even had to come home from work for a minute to see it with his own eyes. It’s been a bit of a hard day for me…hard to pretend they’re still my babies when they’re riding away on bicycles!

Jared and Sandy wedding

This weekend the we went to my cousin Jared and Sandy’s wedding in Kansas City. Jaeley found herself in a real-live princess land and was convinced that Sandy was Cinderella. When she wasn’t throwing a fit during timeout in the entryway (the side effect of a big day with no nap) she trying to crawl under Sandy’s dress so she could see her shoes. She kept saying “Where are your shoes?” We’re pretty sure she thought there would be glass slippers under there! She wouldn’t leave her side and gave her hug after hug all night.

 

While Jaeley was enjoying the fairytale time, Brevin was showing his moves to the ladies; literally dancing in front of them to get their attention. At one point he tapped me and pointed to a pretty young college girl sitting across the dance floor. She waved at me, and when I went over to talk to her she said, “I don’t know…he just wanted me to see you.” Oh Brev, that’s so nice that you wanted to introduce your girlfriend to your old mom! 

Congratulations Jared and Sandy!! We had an awesome time:)

Let summer begin!

Safety goggles are definitely a must in this Nerf gun set we picked out at our friends’ garage sale! Hmmm, there is probably a reason the box said ages 8 and up.  Hopefully all the “darts” will be lost soon and we don’t have to worry about injuries anymore:)

If the first two days of break are any indication of how our summer will be spent, here’s how it will go: wander downstairs with blanket in hand, park it on the couch for show while we wake up, request honey toast for breakfast, and then go outside for the rest of the day to ride bikes, play with Lexi and Brenna (neighbors), turn on the hose without permission, swing, play Star Wars, play princess/prince, go to the park, have a picnic, ride to the library, dig in the sand, get into the shed, practice baseball, and then be upset when Mom and Dad make us come in at night :)

Up and running

Finally! My first blog entry. I first decided to do a blog over a month ago and have since spent a lot of time messing around with the color, layout, and column width, fonts, gadgets (aka things that don’t matter.)  My challenge with getting the blog going parallels one I live everyday; learning to spend time on the important stuff!
My goals in doing the blog are:
A) To have record for the kiddos of their wee years (since I haven’t written in baby books for a LONG time)
B) To help myself pay attention to all the cute, funny, amazing, and blog-worthy things that happen everyday instead of all those other “to do” items that distract me
C) Give our family and friends who we don’t get to see everyday a chance to watch the kids grow up

Thank you SO MUCH to my friends Jessie and Amie for their blogging expertise and spending some time showing me the ropes!

Here we go..:)