Pictures of the Week

Summer sure does keep a blogger busy. Here are some of the photo highlights from last week...

This picture reminds me of those "You know your a redneck when..." jokes. Maybe we have lived in Nebraska too long :)
We went fishing with some friends last Saturday back to the same lake where Brielle and dad went a few weeks back. Brielle fell in the mud at the side of the lake so thats why she has no shorts on. We didn't have much luck catching though. We only got two and we had 6 rods going all the time for a good 2 or 3 hours. It was still a lot of fun and a good fish education for all.


And then on to Fathers Day. Hopefully all the Fathers I know had a great day. I did the traditional breakfast in bed and then for dinner I made some unsuccessful steaks but a very successful dessert. Awhile back Kevin was ooowing and aaahing over a recipe called "Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova" in Food Network Magazine- so I surprised him with it for Fathers Day. Apparently Pavlova is a common dessert in the UK but not so big over here. It's a meringue type base with cream and berries. Traditionally its not chocolate but the chocolate made it, so I wouldn't do it any other way. Kevin loved it and now wants a new tradition where we do a new exotic dessert every Fathers day.

Monday through Thursday Brayden had basketball camp at the high school. He did it with the Williams twins which is good because otherwise he felt quite displeased with his shooting performance, making the whole camp a bit of a disappointment for him- at least he got to be with friends.

While Brayden was at camp one day, the girls and I squeezed in a little adventure to a place called "Tiny Town." It's a kids play place with rows of mini houses for them to play in and a lot of other random stuff like this motor boat and the school bus. Kids love to play in things like that so the girls had a blast.


We all attended Brayden's first cub scout pack meeting. Brayden received his first belt clip thingy- so now we better go get him a belt :) And he earned his Bobcat rank.

And Makenna and I enjoyed an extra special mommy daughter date on Saturday. The Musical "Beauty and the Beast" is in town so it was a fabulous treat to enjoy together. I love my little princess! After the show we stopped at Sonic for some yummy ice cream.

And then the best for last:

When I came out of my bathroom on Sunday morning, this note was taped to the armoire in our bedroom. In case you can't read it, it says
"Dear Mom and Dad: Here's 25 cents for letting me go to Canada. Here's 25 cents for letting us go to Sonic. Here's 50 cents because I love you and dad. Keep it please."

aaaaaaaawh... What a sweetheart he is. He has a very giving heart.

The other exciting event of the week is that we booked tickets for me and the kids to go to Canada later in July. We have been debating this for a long time and for a long time thought we would only go if we drove. In the end though we just decided to bite the bullet and fly. The kids are really excited. Perhaps I over emphasized that this is costing a lot of money and it appears Brayden might have a bit of guilt about it- which I certainly don't want him to have... yet another parenting blunder on my part- but I do want my kids to be grateful and it looks like he is.
So what will I do with my big bucks, you ask?
... I think at his next lemonade stand, I'll splurge and buy myself four big ones :)

Summer so far...

Like most moms I know, summertime can bring some anxiety. We love the nice weather and having our kids at home but honestly on the flip side we do worry about the kids getting bored and going crazy, driving us crazy, and never giving us a break.

So here's how it's going so far:

Really well. The relaxed mornings are my favorite. The older two have been sleeping in- especially Makenna who will sometimes sleep until 9. There is no rush to make lunches, eat breakfast, get dressed, brush our teeth, and go go go go. That part is really nice. We've had a full schedule so far with first the trip to San Fran, then the baptism, and then we started swimming lessons. All of us have been doing swimming lessons every morning at 11 (even me because Brielle is in a mommy and me class). That has kept me busy but it's been fun to swim with Brielle and for the most part the weather has been warm enough that I actually would rather be in the water than watching. After our lessons, its always hectic at home because everyone needs a shower and they are starving (my pregnant self included). What I have loved about that is we all eat together a nice yummy lunch at the same time. That has been a daily highlight for me.
Other things we have been up to include- lots of time playing with neighborhood friends, lots of running in the sprinklers (the water bill is going to be frightening this month), watching Brayden's baseball practices, a little "attempted" potty training, playground playgroups, BBQ's with friends, club penguin mania, Taste of Omaha, the Royals game, an afternoon at Papio Bay, and tonight a work picnic. Soooo fortunately, with the exception of one afternoon where all Braydens friends were MIA, I havent been hearing the dreaded "I'm bored"
The only summer negatives thus far- I never get any errands done ever- it's very very difficult to get out of the house unless we are going somewhere all the kids WANT to go (which unfortunately does not include Walmart), and I feel like I spend all day cleaning the kitchen as there is definitely an increase of mess -but I guess thats to be expected!

So how's summer going for you?

Baseball Game

Kevin took the older kids to an Omaha Royals Baseball game last weekend and brought their friends, the Hammers. They had a blast and even got to stay for fireworks.

Taste of Omaha 2010

Last year we went to an event downtown called "Taste of Omaha" and Makenna has been talking about it all year so we thought we had better go again this year. Of course, in keeping with tradition, it was super hot and humid but the kids still had a blast at what they call the "festival or festibal." I think it was better last year because there was more free food and drink and some great coupons and this time there was none of that. We still enjoyed some delicious food including gyros, thai noodles, corn on the cob and some New Orleans dish I can't remember the name of. The kids played it safe with hot dogs and pizza, of course. It was all yummy!And then on to the real reason we were there... according to kids...the rides. They have a few carnival rides that the kids had a wristband for (food and unlimited rides for $7- great deal). The kids loved these and would have stayed all day long if we would have let them.

Our little Peanut isn't so little anymore

Isn't he just adorable?Yes you read me right. I said HE!!!!
We are excited to even out the score in our family with the addition of a new little baby boy.
All systems seem to be in order and baby looks like he is doing great. According to ultrasound measurements, he is due October 31.... yes a possible Halloween baby- which is of great concern to Makenna because she is very worried about who will stay home to hand out the candy if I am having a baby. I have assured her that we will do all we can to prevent such a tragedy. I doubt my doctor will change my due date (originally Nov 5) and with my tendency toward inductions, I am sure we can avoid any interruptions to trick or treating :)
Otherwise all went well at the ultrasound. The kids were able to be there and they especially loved the 4D view. Even Brielle understands a bit better now. Although, she did just come over to the computer and saw the pictures on the screen and asked "Where is the baby? Baby in the here (pointing to the computers' hard drive)?" So I guess there still might be some confusion on her part... But technology and babies are confusing- you've got to admit.
Head to toe this little guy is 8 inches- which sounds pretty big to me but he still weighs less than a pound. Apparently he is 95th percentile -which made me laugh- I know we always do the percentile thing with our babies but I didn't know they did that in utero too.
It's been eight years since we had a baby boy in the house so that is pretty exciting. The only tricky part is that now it's time for the name game....

Strawberry Picking 2010

We went to the strawberry patch over the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa to pick some berries for jam and Brayden's baptism dessert. Unfortunately I don't have great pictures to share which I will blame on the heat of the day. By the time I remembered to get out the camera, the heat had zapped all enthusiasm out of me. I still thought I should record that we went- as it is one of our Nebraska traditions. We did have a great time though and the berries were delicious!

Makenna got this new scarf from Grandma and she has been wearing it everywhere ever since.

The girls had quite a good time in a hammock they had there.

Baptized

We couldn't have asked for a better baptism for Brayden. It was very special. We were lucky to have with us both sets of grandparents. Both Grandmas gave wonderful talks. The Grandpas were awesome witnesses and even Makenna gave a very special closing prayer. Kevin gave him a beautiful confirmation blessing and I feel so grateful that Brayden has made such a good choice. He is a great example of faith and testimony and I feel so lucky to be his mom.

Wedding Weekend

So here is a photo recap of our weekend and Rob's wedding in San Francisco:

First, the hotel pool. Just a cold small rectangular pool but to the kids it was the highlight of the trip. We saw the sights and the attractions but no matter what we were doing the kids were constantly asking "Can we go swim at the hotel now?" Kevin was super dad to indulge them in this every day at least once.Another popular past time- chillin in the pull out sofa bed.
Our first day of touring we spent checking out the hip new downtown shopping centers, grocery stores and restaurants Kevin had previously visited on a "work trip"- (yes he has a cool job sometimes). We tasted the best Gelato in the world (that may be an exaggeration, I am no expert).That night was the wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. I don't have any pictures but it should be documented that it was a memorable dinner. Kevin was a good sport who attempted to eat some authentic Philippino food. He ordered Kare Kare (basically an ox tail stew with such special treats as tripe ie. cow stomach included). Lets just say it didn't go down so well but he was a good sport for trying.

Day Two of touring featured the infamous Pier 39. One of our favorite places.
Brielle was too scared to be in the picture with the giant lobster or "sea monster" as she called it.
Just looking at this picture makes me nervous she is going to fall into the water. You can see the Golden Gate Bridge off in the distance to the left and Marin County behind them.
And then on to the stinky but ever popular Pier 39 Sea Lions- (sorry this picture isn't the best.)
Me and my three girls??? or is it me and my two girls and one baby boy (we find out tomorrow).
And here we are at Ghiradelli square enjoying our ice cream. It was so good we had to go back for more.

And then we were off to Pacifica to spend some time at the beach.We walked the Pier where a lot of people were catching crabs. One fisherman was kind enough to let Brayden hold one of his catches.It certainly wasn't a warm enough beach for swimming but we just loved taunting the ocean until each one of us was surprised by a wave and drenched to our waist. It was a lot of fun (unless you were the wet one).
The kids loved the many treasures they found at the beach. I think this starfish was the best thing we found. We did spot a seal swimming not to far from shore. We let the kids each take one of their "treasures" home. Brayden took some crab claws and Makenna took a broken sea shell. Unfortunately they were both lost at the hotel and never made it back to Omaha.

And then on to the main event: Rob and Billie's Big Day
We took a few pictures at the hotel before we left. The kids just looked oh-so-adorable.

I decided to post a little clip of the kids in the wedding- since the still photos didn't turn out so well. Brayden was a ring bearer and at the last minute became the coin bearer as well when the 2 year old coin bearer just wasn't in the mood. Makenna and her cousin Aurora are flower girls.
Here is Billie walking down the aisle with her dad.
And here is the couple saying "I do."
The Wedding Party.

And then on to the reception... It was very beautifully done. The food was delicious and the decor was delightful!
Brayden enjoyed the appetizers (as you can see). He thought that was dinner so he was quite upset with me when I told him after his fourth plate that that was enough. He was relieved to learn there was more food coming.
Brielle was the dancing queen at this reception. I believe this is the only time she sat down at all during the whole four hours we were there. With a dance floor and music and so many adoring fans, she was in heaven! And that is sparkling cider she is drinking - so don't worry.

Here's our table with the Bride and Groom.

And the happy couple.
It was so wonderful to be a part of their special day and wish them all the best in their new life!