Zachey's Birthday

 We kept his party pretty simple this year. I figure that when they are 4, then maybe it is time to have friends, games, the whole shi-bang. Well - with the weather being so amazing, we just had a picnic in our backyard. The whole fam came, including Gramma Rue! And Andersen's came as well....Can't believe how big everyone is getting! The kids played in the playhouse, blew bubbles and ate cupcakes. Great day!

Made these Toy Story cupcakes

Supposed to look like this?

 

Lucy REALLLLLY wanted to blow out the cupcakes!

 One of many serious Grayson looks

 Happy boy, green face

 

I kept fogetting all day that it was my birthday too! I got exactly what I wanted....a slushy maker..it is awesome, can't wait to try it out! Josh also got me a squishy mat for the kitchen floor...my feet always hurt after standing and cooking for hours in there...it is awesome!!

Zachey got spoiled (as usual.) Everything from toy story shoes, money, potty book, dinosaurs, spiderman car, art supplies, silly putty, monster bowling and clothes....so fun!

Zachey next to his tree

First Bike Ride of the Season

I can't believe I am posting this in March! We took the boys on a ride. Grayson loved it, Zachey required a snack. McKenna is much more fearless this year. We went on an almost 5 mile ride together the other day and she was pretty positive! Grayson looks so big in this seat...hardly a baby anymore! It has been in the 60s - 80s here almost all month!!

Dance

Kenna had Peyton over to spend the night a few weekends ago...finally got Zachey's bootie shake on camera, and caught the girls having a dance off in the living room.

Such great friends!

Funny Sister

Grayson loves his sister. She is always being silly with him (sometimes WAY too loudly!)

Both she and Zachey say "whatta you lookin at?" and it always makes him giggle..so cute!

My Poor Sweet Zachey

Today was a really hard day for me. Last night I picked Zachey up at Eski's and she asked if I had noticed anything weird with his eyes? I said that I hadn't, and she had me look at them. His right pupil was way quite a bit smaller than his left. I sort of internally freaked out, and looked at the time. My pediatrician is open until 8 every night by friday....they close at 5. It was 5:30....ugh. I talked to Tara to see what her advice was, and she told me that without a head injury or other behavioral changes, not to worry, and call the pediatrician in the morning. (They are open weekends for sick kids.)

I felt a little guilty, but Josh and I went out to dinner as we had been planning and left the kids with Baca and Gona overnight, knowing that they would call if anything was wrong. When I picked Zachey up this morning he was definitely warm. He has been up a couple times at night and was acting off. I got him into the doctor at 9, and ended up taking all the kids because Josh was at work. 

They were very good, but what a long wait..after about an hour we discovered that there was really nothing wrong that they could tell at the doctor office. He did have 103 degree temp, was very lethargic, but they thought it was because of a cold. I LOVE Dr. Gavin....she is amazing and called the ER. After speaking to them she recommended we go in for a CT scan and xray just in case. She was worried that it might be something bigger.

So, I again start to freak out. I called Josh, he hurried home and Gona came to watch the other two so we could take Zachey to the ER at Blank hospital. We get him checked in and they take us to a small room and two different doctors check him out, watch his pupils, check his vitals, check his tummy, circulation, all the normal stuff. 

After that they took xrays of his chest. Daddy helped him and he started crying. I am sure it was really scary. Then to make matters worse, they made him ride on the gurney all the way downstairs to the CT machine, which scared him more. He was still really feverish and upset. We got down to the machine and he was just sobbing. He was scared and didn't want to lay still and "go in the tunnel." I got in and showed him it was okay, but it didn't help. He was nearly hysterical. Then they brought out a plastic wrap that constrained his arms and legs. Think a giant plastic burrito with velcro. He was so scared, kept yelling "mommy, get me, mommy." We were both in tears and I just held his hand. When they started the machine we started singing songs and he calmed down...that two minutes was so long...poor guy!

After all of that I jumped on the gurney with him and just held him when we went back upstairs. He was much better with that idea. We brought his "jaffey" and that helped too. We waited for the results and were SO relieved to find out that there was nothing wrong. They said that some kids have this and it can be aggravated by sickness or stress. So, with that we are making an appointment with a pediatric eye dr. and just keeping an eye on him. No one seemed worried, and that makes me feel better! In talking to Tara it is really something they see a lot.

I took a picture of my sweet feverish boy. He still has his hospital bracelets, and 3 different stickers from the 3 different times he did different things today. This was really one of the worst days for me...what an emotional rollercoaster for a parent to deal with. So happy he is okay!!! Love you my sweet boy!

First week of Teaching

This week Marisa had her baby. I did my internship with her in elementary guidance last year. I am going to cover for her for 7 weeks while she is off with her new baby boy, Drew.

I was SOOOO intimidated! 50 little eyes staring at me, for 30 minutes, waiting to be taught. But I think I did a really good job! I got there super early and reviewed the lesson plans for the day, reviewed all the caseloads of the kids that I would need to see, and just got settled. Luckily I watched Marisa teach all of these lessons last year, so I feel fairly confident in the material. And, I teach the same curriculum each day, so after the first run, I have the timing down pretty well.

I am super excited for the opportunity. I am a little nervous about balancing work and this new undertaking, but am excited about the experience, the chance to make a difference (especially with the kids that are having a really hard time), and to just see if this is what I want to do when I grow up :0)

Silly Boys

Grayson is into everything. He will quietly crawl from one room to another almost like a ninja...but we are so lucky, because he really doesn't get into any trouble, just curious. He likes to play with the big kids stuff and LOVES his jumper :) He also spends a good deal of time looking out the window, especially when someone leaves....I wonder what is going on in his head!

 Tried to get him to say "la la la" been chatting it up lately

Most 2 year old boys are caught stealing cookies, candy, cake...something they aren't supposed to have...my little two year old boy sneaks lettuce...what the heck is this? He usually sneaks it out of the container I keep it in, runs off and eats some of it..gets about halfway through and realizes its not that good. Still funny :)

Up to our eyeballs in babyfood!

The last few weekends have been spent making mass quantities of baby food. I am really happy to say that Grayson has probably had under 10 servings of store bought baby food his whole life. I feel good knowing that he is getting the good stuff without preservatives, and that we can try lots of different things that you can't find in the store! So far he has had butternut squash, sweet potato, carrot, peas, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, avacado, peaches, pears, apples, bananas, beets, mango and kiwi. Some has gone over better than others, but kinda fun experiment! The only thing he really hasn't cared for so far is kiwi...but worth a shot!

Look Who is STANDING

Its been going on for a couple weeks now, but starting to get pretty frequent these days. Grayson is pulling up on everything. He has a sort of banshee call when he pulls himself up (think incredible hulk yell) almost like "I am UP now!" He has sort of started scooting along furniture as well...I think he is going to be ahead of his siblings in walking. Usually just content playing with a pile of toys, he is so easy going we lose him half the time!

Went on an adventure to monkey joes today. I made lunch because I really don't want them eating pizza and like $10 pizza at that! Good for them to run off some energy! Almost everyone was asleep by the time we got home :)

Kenna helped me make oreo brownies for daddy's poker game tonight. Other than that, lazy saturday, recuperating after my work trip!

SOOO Proud

I missed McKenna's TIP testing for Karate last week. I was on a three day trip to Texas for a meeting, but she did SO amazing. Once every 6 weeks they get tested to see if they have mastered the skills necessary to receive a stripe on their current belt. She is obviously a white belt, but they can earn 3 stripes before they move on to the next belt category. To do this, they have to do a kata in front of all their peers (a routine that encompasses between 5-10 different moves.) The one she had to do started with a courtesy bow, then a 3 punch rotation facing all 4 walls. That transitioned into a hook kick, then roundhouse kick, upward block and punch. She knew the whole thing...and did so well! She had to line up with 30 kids and they each did it separately. At the end they rated all the kids. First they called all the kids that scored over 9 (on a 10 point scale.) There were 4 kids, and she was one of them! They spoke about how hard work and practice can make everyone have a high rating. She did so well. I spoke to her that night and she was beaming with pride....just loved it!! I hope that this mentality translates to other things in life as well!

Parent Teacher Conference

McKenna is doing SOOOO well in school. Mrs. Stevenson said she is extremely impressed with her reading, writing and math skills. She says that McKenna has a desire to learn and work hard and that she always has very thoughtful responses in class. She needs to work on letting others have a turn to share. Mrs. Stevenson says that when they are reading as a group McKenna gets impatient and blurts out the word before other kids have a chance to sound it out. Part of me is like, "Nice, figuring things out really fast" and the counselor, inclusive side of me is like "everyone needs their turn and an opportunity to learn!" So we are talking about blurting and voice level at home. But we really couldn't be more proud of McKenna.

It is amazing how fast she has learned this year. She can read books that have 2-3 sentences a page, write short "stories" do basic addition and subtraction...I really am so very impressed at her progress. She really loves art, drawing on the computer and playing math games. My wish for her would be to always have a love of learning and to do her best in everything she does! So proud of you little bug!

On a fun note, Kenna has been complaining about the tangles she gets in her hair. She has wavy hair in the back and HATES combing it. So, we got it all chopped off! Cut 5 inches...she looks so grown up!!

S'mores!

Kind of a grainy pic...but the kids had fun with the small bonfire daddy built. S'mores for everyone!

Baby Shower

Charlene and I hosted a baby shower for a friend of ours. She runs the Best Buy in south Des Moines and is due in 3 weeks! I could not believe how good she looked! I always love to do the cooking part, and Char likes the logistics and party hosting part...so we make a good team ;)

pink brownie truffles, spicy chicken tortilla roll ups and veggie platter

raspberry punch, fried macaroni and cheese balls, potato rounds, pecan cheesecake bars and raspberry mousse

also made this delish onion loaf...yay pinterest!

 Angie seemed to have a great time and got the CUTEST clothes!!!

DMU Interview

Chelsey came to visit this last weekend. She was here for her medical school interview! Luckily they will let us know in a few weeks if she is in (sure she is based on how she was feeling after the interview! :)

We had a good time going to "The Vow." Pretty much the sappiest chick flick I have been to in a while, but sure that Josh was relived he didn't have to go. I really liked it! We also got to look at some potential housing options for her and a few for mom in the event she wants to live here (at least part time!)

She also was a HUGE help in getting ready for a baby shower I was co-hosting..who knew food prep would be so labor intensive!

Was so fun to see her as always, my kids really miss her after having her all to their selves this summer!! Good luck Chelsey, hopefully we will soon be neighbors!!

Isn't she cute all dressed up? I would totally pick her to go to my school!

Horn's Ferry Hideaway

I was working in Dallas all last week. I got in Friday night and Josh came and picked me up from the airport. I had planned a little getaway for the two of us and didn't tell Josh what we were doing. I booked a little cabin off of Red Rock Lake near Pella. Its called Horn's Ferry Hideaway. Such a cute little place! It is built by the old Horn's Ferry route and bridge. The bridge collapsed in the late 80s but it is still there for pedestrians to walk across. I am sure it is awesome in the non winter months. There is a bald eagle reserve nearby, lots of hiking and bike trails, and the lake is just a few feet from the cabin. It was so nice and cozy with a fireplace that kept the cabin nice and toasty. There was a double jetted tub, small kitchen and it was all brand new. We didn't use the screened in porch or BBQ, but maybe next time ;)

That night we drove into pella and had a great meal at a Greek restaurant, and drove back there for breakfast and ate at the windmill cafe. On Saturday we drove to Jordan Creek and did some shopping and saw Safe House, pretty good movie.

Was GREAT to get away for even just a little while. We sat at breakfast and watched a family eating. They had three kids about the same age as ours. We were laughing as they kept making them sit down, correcting bad behaviors, telling them to eat...we just sat there and enjoyed our breakfast...it was surreal!

It was just one big room and a bathroom, cozy little fireplace

Obviously a picture from the summer, not one I took, but you get the idea

Kaldera restaurant in Pella - great food and atmosphere and wine!

Little dive we found for breakfast right off the square

We are so lucky that Em watched Kenna and that Gona and Baca helped last week while I was gone AND watched the boys this weekend. So nice to get away and do nothing together...we never get to do that. Happy early Valentine's Day babe :)

SNOW!

It finally snowed the other day! We have had an almost entire winter with very little snow. Finally we had some snow last weekend! It was the great wet kind that was perfect for snowmen and snowballs! Daddy and the kids played outside for a long time and had hot chocolate. This kind of snow is rare in Iowa...usually it snows and freezes into ice before you can play in it!

--Daddy's "Mr. Peanut" snowman--

Family Fun NIght

Family Fun Night was a few weekends ago. I can say it was bittersweet because I volunteered to run the raffle. Little did I know that that meant visiting every business in Ankeny, endless phone calls, emails, follow ups....so glad its over! I did get 65 prizes donated though...and that was a win! That night I took the kids and Josh stayed for an hour before he went to his work party. Luckily Auntie Em and Kade came because handling all three of them with the carnival would have been nuts!

--each grade had a silent auction basket, from scrapbooking to camping themes--

--Kenna and I manning the raffle table. I got prizes like games, massages and photography packages--

 --Kenna enjoying her dinner--

--Zachey ate dessert first--

--one of the games (cakewalk)--

There were tons of games and the kids had fun. I don't think I will help with it next year....so much work! That evening we went to Josh's work party. It is amazing to see how far his company has come in just a year...hard to believe that there were only a handful of people when Josh started. There were like 400 people at the party. They flew in dueling pianos and piano players. Food was good, and fun to meet many of the people that he has been talking about.

Jaffey and Blanket

Meet Zachey's two most prized possessions - Jaffey and Blanket He sleeps with them, watches TV with them, brushes his teeth with them, you get the picture.

Last week he kept saying "Jaffey have boogie nose, mommy, you fix it?" I just thought he was pretending? He is ALWAYS pretending...he pretends he has a little "computer" that he looks at. He pretends that we need to be quiet so we don't wake up the dinosaurs. He pretends that he is a dog, frog, cat, (insert any animal here.) But he kept saying it so insistently that I finally looked at the giraffe.

In doing so, I saw what he was talking about. The string was coming undone on Jaffey's nose!

Well - we will have to fix Jaffey's "boogie nose" aka booger nose. Zachey, you are too cute!

Allie Comes to Play

Two weekends ago Kenna had a play date with her friend Allie. They have been in dance and soccer together and really just have never hung out outside of those activities. Josh usually takes Kenna to dance so he coordinated the play date. They played in the snow (we have only had like a week where we even had any snow!!) had a snack, played dolls and seemed to play really well together! Its funny how Kenna seems to gravitate to friends that hold their own, challenge her and don't cave to her very "in charge" attitude. I love that she chooses strong friends!

Grayson Pics

I feel like my little boy is growing up so fast! I need to take more pictures!!!

This one is what I call "Freddie Kruger" I must have missed a nail and he scratched the heck out of his face! They were gone in a few days.

He is loving his jumping jack. Will bounce in it for hours.

The poor guy has had so many ear infections...it seems that he just gets over one, starts sleeping well again, and gets another one. Hoping that with the antibiotic he is on now will kick it for good!

Look Who is Crawling!!

He beat the other two! I think Kenna crawled at 10 months and Zachey 9....Grayson is just 8 months and on the move!!

Rollin on the RIver

Impromptu dance party. Both Kenna and Zachey are in kindermusik and love to dance. Tina says that Kenna has "music in her blood" I love it :)