Children's Book Festival

I feel hesitant to post the following pictures because after my recent famous people posts, I don't want you to think I'm totally starstruck. It's just that we live in the best city that has the most amazing family-oriented activities. This weekend, it was the Target Children's Book Festival. If it weren't for the rain, this would have been the best, but we didn't melt and still had a great time. The kids got all kinds of free backpacks, jump ropes, animal bookmarks, etc. and participated in art activities and bounce houses. And, it was all free! One thing that is very important to me as a parent is to emphasize to my children how fun and exciting books are!


The highlight, for me, was watching Lisa Loeb perform. You may know her from her hit in the 90s "Stay" (I missed you). Now, she's performing children's music. I loved it -- very folky and soft and not annoying like so many children's records. So, I broke down and bought her CD and got her autograph.

I was so impressed by her. Mostly because the rain saturated the stage, so they had her perform in this tiny, makeshift tent with no microphone, and people just sort of gathered around it and listened. It was intimate, and I thought a bit demoralizing for a huge star. I was surprised that she still performed. She was great with the kids and even had a little 9-year-old come up and sing with her. It was refreshing to see a star be so real. Even when I got her autograph she seemed down to earth.


And, the kids were excited because they got to meet Linny, Tuck and Ming-Ming (The Wonder Pets). These three girls are the voices of the characters from one of their favorite Nick Jr. shows. It was fun to hear them say, "What does it take? Teamwork!"

Emotional Marathon Week over, hopefully

I let Aubrie ride the bus home, and it was so stressful and emotional for me. Everything went just fine, despite my anxiety. In the car, while Aubrie was at school, we were listening to the "Mamma Mia" soundtrack. There's an ABBA song on it that goes like this:

Schoolbag in hand, she leaves home in the early morning
Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile
I watch her go with a surge of that well-known sadness
And I have to sit down for a while
The feeling that I'm losing her forever
And without really entering her world
I'm glad whenever I can share her laughter
That funny little girl

Slipping through my fingers all the time
I try to capture every minute
The feeling in it
Slipping through my fingers all the time
Do I really see what's in her mind
Each time I think I'm close to knowing
She keeps on growing
Slipping through my fingers all the time ...

Well, as we were listening to it, Ellie said in a sad tone: "Mom, when I listen to this song, it makes me feel like my big sister is growing up too fast."

Holy cow! I burst into tears. How could my three-year-old come up with that one?! I was pondering that and my heart was warm. But then later in the day when I told Aubrie what Ellie had said, she laughed and responded:

"She said that because she just wants to be able to keep up!"

Where do these silly girls come from? I love them to pieces and hopefully they don't slip through my fingers.

Marathon Part III: Teyah's surgery

Today's adventure began at 5 a.m. when I took Teyah downtown for her ear tube surgery. Fortunately, this is the first surgery for any of my kids. I was totally dreading having to do this myself, but I realized it was probably best for Aubrie and Ellie so they didn't have to get hauled out of bed in the wee hours of the morning and taken to someone's house (not to mention the stress on whomever would have watched them). Dave got Aubrie and Ellie up and off to school OK (Aubrie did Ellie's hair -- I maybe should have had Dave take a picture of that one!)


We spent most of the time in the waiting room because the surgery is actually very short. I was most worried about being there when the anesthesia put her to sleep. But I think I was well prepared for that aspect, but the worst part for me was when she woke up in so much pain. It was hard to see her hurting. Finally, the Motrin kicked in, and we made it home for her to have a nice nap (and me too since the others were at school!). Yeah school!


I had to post this pic too because I'm so proud of Ellie. It was her first day of dance class and this is a LONG time coming. She attempted dance last year, but was too nervous so we stopped and joined a parent/child gymnastics class. Then, after 5 weeks of refusing to join her independent gymnastics class this summer, we gave that up. By the end of the summer, she wanted to do swimming. After that success, she was all business today! Hooray Ellie!

Emotional Marathon Part II: Aubrie's First Day of Kindergarten

I have been dreading/anticipating this day for a long time. You would have thought it was my first day of school because I did NOT sleep last night. I jumped out of bed an hour before my alarm clock after having nightmares. As most of you know, I am NOT a morning person so this is quite a big deal. When it was all said and done, I think it was pretty anti-climactic.

Part of this is due to the change of events we had last week. We have had Aubrie on a waiting list to go to a specialized public school that is run more like a private school. It draws from several school districts and has combined-grade classrooms and flexible grouping. Aubrie was still far down on the list two weeks before school was supposed to start so we prepared her for the neighborhood school. But then, the night before her first day (Thursday), we got a call inviting her to attend the specialized school. We jumped at the opportunity. So, her first day was not on Friday, but today. The rest of this school has actually been in session almost a week now. Because we missed all the meet-the-teacher activities, all the parents and their cameras, and there was no big yellow bus involved, it was all about business and less about drama. I think that was good for me.


What Kindergartner gets her own locker? Crazy!


Her teacher is Mrs. Comisar. Aubrie's especially excited to switch schools because her best friend happens to be in her class! Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the pair.


She's feeling giddy at the end of the day! She said her favorite part was "everything"!


We had to celebrate and go out to eat for lunch. She chose, of course, pizza. Daddy was able to join us which made it extra special.

Emotional Marathon Part I: Ellie's First Day of Preschool

We have lots of "first" things going on this week at our house that are all weighing heavy on my heart. The first is my doll Ellie and her first ever day of school. She turned 3 1/2 on this day, and she was VERY excited about both events. I'm happy to see her finally able to have some fun activities that are just hers. I feel like most her life she's sat around patiently waiting for Aubrie's activity to conclude.


I think she has the tilt head pose down.



The kids were ready for her arrival. (It's Joy School).

Labor Day

As you can see we definitely rested from our labors over the weekend! It turned out to be amazing! We had PERFECT weather, and planned a super fun trip. We explored Milwaukee where we toured the Jelly Belly Factory and went to a cool Science Museum on the pier. Our first day there, we did end up in the walk-in clinic with Teyah's 6th ear infection since March! Good thing her tubes are scheduled for next week.

The highlight of our weekend was definitely the Blue Harbors Resort in Sheboygan. This place is magical! Even though it's on the shores of Lake Michigan, it felt like the Caribbean. The weather was perfect and it smelled and sounded like the ocean. The resort had an indoor waterpark, games and activities for the kids, nightly bonfires with Smores, a killer view, and much more. Aubrie actually won the coloring contest and also the daily drawing of a free backpack with goodies! What a lucky girl! I am already planning our return trip. Anyone want to join us?!

Saying goodbye to Grandma Joines

Grandma Joines passed away last month. She had been ill, hurting, and ready to meet her Savior. She lived a wonderful, selfless life, and we will miss her but know she is happy. We traveled to Peterson, Iowa, for her memorial service a couple weeks ago. The crystal blue skies, the Spirit of the memorial service, the time my extended family was able to be together made it a perfect day that will stick with me forever.



This is the church my Grandma was baptized and also married in.


I also enjoyed seeing the places that I have heard so many family stories about. This is my Grandpa's farm that is right near the church and neighboring farm to my Grandma's. It was amazing to realize they were next door neighbors growing up!

New Kids on the Blog

This is a self-taken portrait of Ellie and I giddy because all of our families' dreams came true in one day at one very special mall.

The story starts last Friday in the morning hours. Dave took a long lunch break so he could see his all-time idol Magic Johnson.


The girls and I met Dave there, and we listened to Magic give a motivational speech in conjunction with the Grand opening of a huge Best Buy at Mall of America.

Our second trip to the mall later that day was for a grander purpose....


We witnessed the "New Kids on the Block" singing, dancing, and grooving like it was 1989! They were surely "hangin' tough."


I was impressed that those old guys could still dance! My favorite moment of the concert was watching the lady in front of me (probably 5-10 years older than me) screaming her head off, jumping up and down, and crying! Woa!


Aubrie was also screaming and waving her hands with the rest of the 3o-somethings around us. Later on, Daddy asked if she likes the "New Kids." Her response, "New Kids? Those guys weren't kids!

The following morning Aubrie piped up with another question that had been troubling her overnight, "Daddy, what blog are the new kids on?" Well, Danny, Donnie, Jordan, and the other "New Kids," welcome to 2008. You are now on "the blog."

Tag, I'm it...

•I'm happiest when...I am with my family doing something fun.
•Someday I'm going to...lose all my baby weight (I'm close!)
•When I'm really down, what I want to do is...talk to my hubby.

•A person really should....travel. You learn so much about yourself and make wonderful memories. Plus, you don't have distractions so you become closer as a family.

•I feel anxious when...I prepare to travel and have to remember a million details
•It would really be wonderful if....all my goals and dreams came true.
•I like people who....are laid back, accepting, good listeners, honest, and follow through on their promises.
•I'm afraid that....my bad habits might wear off on my children.
•All it takes to make me happy is...feed me some ice cream.
•I just hate it that...I never feel caught up with my housework, and I let it define my feelings of "success". (I stole this from my sis, but it is exactly how I feel too).
•What I really want to do is....play all day.
•I wish that... I lived closer to retail and the girls' activities.
•I don't like people who... lie.
•I'm really hoping to... raise confident, loving, smart, honest, and compassionate children.
•I have everything I need, however....a maid and/or a professional organizer would be very helpful.
•If I could do whatever I wanted, I would...go out to eat every night of the week! I love eating yummy food, not having to cook or clean, or wait on everyone else.

I tag whomever reads this and wants to do it too!

Just because

I have the best husband in the world!!! I'm so lucky that he is better than any vampire out there. Thank you! Love you!

I hate Vampires!

...Any other husbands out there, a little lonely over the past few days?...

Teyah's first steps

This video is probably a month old and becoming quickly outdated as our cutie is becoming a pro walker. There's just something so magical about watching a baby learn to walk. I am amazed at how she can fall and fall and fall (sometimes horrible tumbles), but she will always hop right up again without being discouraged in the least bit. What a lesson to us all! Can you believe how much babies learn and accomplish in just a year of life! Wow!

Our July

I've found that when I have a blogging lull, it's not because nothing is going on, it's because everything is going on! Then, I don't even know where to begin to blog about it all. This weekend we had a great visit from my Dad and Debbie and also Dave's niece Becca has been here too. It's fun having an excuse (like we need one) to go out and be busy.

Becca has been a huge help with the kids!

Aubrie asked me why it's called 'Stillwater' because the water looked like it was moving.



Papa took the girls fishing for their first time, and they caught about 10 fish a piece! Even Dave caught one! Go Dave. This was one of my favorite memories of the month.

Minnehaha Falls is gorgeous!

We all enjoyed rides at Mall of America, until my cell phone fell out of my pocket on the roller coaster that loops upside down! I filed a report, the maintenence worker went looking. He found it, without a battery and pieces hanging out. Needless to say I'm in need of a new phone. The part that was a bit tricky was that David and the girls were not in the same store when we went to find them. He had kept my purse for me, so I didn't have any money. His phone is long distance, so my call wouldn't go through in the mall office phone to reach him. Remember this is the biggest mall in America, so finding him wasn't really feasible. Finally, I got the idea to ask someone if I could use their cell phone and fortunately he answered and we met up. That was quite the adventure!

Aubrie has turned into an impressive soccer player! Go Aubrie!

Our family visited Nauvoo, Ill, for the first time. What a treasure of a town! Isn't the temple beautiful?

We ventured with two other families and our kids loved it.

Notice the hole in the door from Carthage Jail.




With all the family-oriented activities, our kids still chose the hotel pool as their favorite. Oh well, what do you do!?



What a delight to be able to catch up with some old Tokyo friends in Nauvoo! Who would have thought?! We spent a great evening with the Stouts and Gloria Rodenberg catching up.


Here's our cutie enjoying our neighborhood parade during the Fourth celebrations.

I apologize for the LONG post, but truly this is a brief summary of our past few weeks!

The Man Project

I (David) will take a brief detour from the normal theme of our blog, and post one of MY grand accomplishments that I am pretty darn proud of. Keep in mind that I am about the lamest handyman out there, and prior to this, my grand lifetime achievement in building was the little footstool I built in High School wood shop. Enjoy my before/after pics of the new and improved garden.

Adventures in Modeling

Check out this coupon from Mall of America's Amusement Park and notice the girl in maroon! Look familiar?

Since my little girl is as famous as SpongeBob now, I'll tell you how she ended up on these coupons that are all over town.

Since the MOA is basically our second home, when I found out the kids could ride the (expensive) rides for free by participating in the photo shoot, I thought it would be fun to sign up Aubrie.

Then, after arriving at the casting call, I found myself second guessing this great idea. There were overly-excited moms primping their well-polished model kids, and we were far from fitting in. I realized I would have a hard time if Aubrie wanted to pursue modeling. The process of having my daughter feel like she has to be judged by her looks is not something I feel comfortable with. Fortunately, this casting call was selected on only a first come basis, so I tried to downplay her observations of the others' fancy dresses and well-done hair.

Aubrie was selected for the kid bumper cars, and she ended up riding them for about 45 minutes! She loved it and had no problem flashing her smile for the camera.

At one point, they lined up the cars with just one in front. They specifically picked Aubrie for the front car and took a handful of just her pics for that. The photo assistant said to me: "It must be rough to have your daughter be a star!" That was a total compliment to her and fun, but I have to say I still don't feel like my self esteem has to come from her succeeding in a photo shoot and (hopefully) neither does hers. This probably says a lot about me, but we were there for the free rides, free prizes they gave her for doing it, and a new experience.

I figured we may or may not ever see her in promotional materials, so I was surprised when (less than a month after the shoot) our neighbors told us she was on a coupon! Then we found the same coupon on the website. The thing I'm surprised about is they probably took thousands of pictures of all the rides over a course of three days and hers was the one selected for the coupon!