Parade and a Party

A few weeks ago we took the kids to the ISU Homecoming parade. We had a great time and the kids got lots of candy. We left halfway through it so we could go to our niece's 6th birthday party out of town. The kids had fun and it was nice to see Dan's mom and sister. We figured the kids would take a nap on the way back home. Wrong! Since they loaded up on cake and ice cream prior to leaving they were absolutely wired!! This was the first time that Bailey skipped a nap. It was an early bedtime that night for sure :)

Here are some pictures from the day. You'll see one picture of Jacob eating cake. The reason for the picture is because all the other kids were seated at two tables in the room and Jacob didn't have anywhere to sit. He quietly went to another room, grabbed a toddler chair, and brought it back and faced it away from everyone else and peacefully ate his cake and ice cream. He wasn't mad, but just handled the situation very maturely. It was almost sad to see him by himself, but I was also a proud momma for how he handled the situation :)

Fall 2011 Photo Shoot

We took family pictures a couple of weeks ago on ISU's campus while the weather was nice, the trees still had leaves, and while we had family in town. My sister was here for the day and my dad came for a few hours as well. I made the mistake of giving the kids a lot of juice beforehand, so they were hyped up on sugar. Bailey is also in the nose-picking phase and with having a cold, it didn't help the situation! Several pictures were ruined by her finger in her nose :( Any suggestions out there on breaking this habit? It's seriously a major issue right now. Anyways, afterwards we grabbed a quick dinner at McD's and then went to the Haunted Trail here in town. It was a fun, yet tiring day!

Photo Shoot Album

Fall 2011 Photo Shoot

Pictures while waiting for the Haunted Trail

Pumpkin Farm

We went to Rader Farms a few weekends ago while we had a free Saturday and nice weather. The kids could have played there all day! This is the fourth year in a row that we've gone and it just keeps getting bigger and better! One thing about having kids is that you get to relive your childhood again through them!

Rainbow

I took these pictures a couple of months ago. It was mid-afternoon at a time when noticed that the sun was out while it was raining. I scooped both kids up and took them outside so they could witness their first rainbow. Pretty neat!






I forgot about these pictures until the other day and thought I would add them to a post at which I am also going to ask for some prayers. There are a lot of people around me hurting right now and I wanted to mention a few of them in case you want to add them to your prayer lists.

My grandparents (paternal) are both really struggling with their health right now. Both have cancer, my grandma's is far more advanced, and my grandpa is currently recovering from a head injury he got from a fall. The swelling/bleeding in his brain caused some damage and he is working on regaining the ability to fully communicate. He seems to be mentally in tact, but he is unable to fully verbalize. They are currently in the process of moving into an assisted living facility as living independently isn't realistic anymore. My dad and each of his sisters have spent a considerable amount of time taking care of them the last year and a half, which hasn't been easy on them.

My 24-year old cousin was diagnosed with cancer last spring and he is currently undergoing treatment. His prognosis is good, but he has really struggled with his treatments.

I have a friend who just lost her mom and at the age of 24 has to deal with not having a living parent (her dad died when she was a teenager). She is dealing with this very maturely and is very strong. Whenever I see her, she always has a smile on her face, which is just amazing to me.

There are several others close to me struggling for other reasons and I just pray for their comfort, healing, and wisdom.

Inside the Heads of My Kids

I have often wondered what goes through Jacob's and Bailey's mind, particularly when they say or do something that doesn't make any sense to me. One example of this is from a conversation my sister and I had with Jacob on the way back to my sister's house from the Chicago beach we were just at. Both kids had been passed out in the back for about 45 minutes and all of a sudden Jacob woke up and said "Aunt Sharla, you only have two chairs (at the kitchen table) and there are four of us. Where we all sit for dinner?" Wow!!!! Where did this come from. We hadn't even been talking about dinner or anything before that. Is this the type of thing that he stresses about? How smart for a three-year old to reason like that!!

Anyways, I stumbled on these two blogs that were posted on a Facebook friend's page the other day. He has a realistic, yet hysterical take on the subject.


Inside the mind of a two-year old:

http://jasongood.net/365/2011/08/day-215-approximately-3-minutes-inside-the-head-of-my-2-year-old/


Inside the mind of a four-year old:

http://jasongood.net/365/2011/09/day-250-5-minutes-inside-the-brain-of-my-4-year-old/

Wisconsin Dells 2011

We took our very first vacation with the kids last week to the Wisconsin Dells. We stayed at the Kalahari resort at the recommendation of several friends. It was amazing! We were there for four days/three nights and never left!! My main concern was how the kids would sleep in a hotel room, but it went perfectly! We splurged on a two-bedroom suite that had a living area and kitchenette. We were able to eat lunch in the room each day and then put the kids down for their naps afterwards. They slept in the same room, different beds, and I think that since they were so worn out, they didn't fight it. I joked with Dan that we set the bar pretty high for what a hotel is like so next time when we are in a regular one, the kids will be disappointed :)

The resort had an outdoor waterpark, indoor waterpark, and an indoor theme park. It also had umpteen places to eat, so there was never a reason to leave. We had originally planned on going to an outlet mall and do a Ducks tour, but never had time for them. We lived in the waterpark for the majority of the time. Jacob was just barely tall enough for a few of the rides and Dan and I took turns going with him. Bailey was able to do a couple of family float rides, which actually had some thrill to them. The kids loved all of the fun areas for little kids. There were different levels spread out everywhere and we always had to peal them away so we could do some of the bigger waterslides. It also had a wave pool and two lazy rivers. Dan and I took turns doing the FlowRider, which is a surfing simulator. Below is a video of Dan doing it - he did really good!

The indoor theme park had a six-story ferris wheel, go carts, a million arcade games, a children's area with a carousel, boat ride, swings, and a humongous climbing structure that went on and on and on. We didn't find this until the end of our last day unfortunately. It also had a miniature golf course and bowling alley. The kids had never done either before the trip. Miniature golfing was a disaster since the kids didn't understand to keep their clubs on the ground or to not pick up the balls, particularly other people's! We quit on the fourth hole. Bowling was much more controlled and the kids loved it. They are still small for it, but really had a good time. Below is a short video of Jacob using a nine-pound ball.

Dan and I were able to take turns going on the "big people" water slides, which made our experience even better. We took turns standing in line with the kids for the family rafts while the other one raced to other slides. We also took turns while the kids slept going out to the slides. We had such a blast on this trip and will definitely be going back again sometime. I think we will wait until the kids are a bit taller so they are able to do most of the rides next time. It was such a busy and fun trip and now I am trying to think what we can do next time!!


Here is a photo album of our trip!

Wisconsin Dells 2011

Video of Dan doing the FlowRider




Video of Jacob Bowling

Night out with Reggie

We went to the ISU Fan Fair last week for the first time. There were lots of activities for the kids and they had a great time. They got to play in bouncy houses, got Reggie tattoos, visited with Reggie (only Jacob got close enough for a picture), and we ended the time eating pizza in a tent while a quick rain shower moved in. Afterwards, we went to get ice cream cones. It was Bailey's first! They got huge cones and ate all of them! It was a great summer night.