Too Busy to Update

Hello?  Is this thing on?  Is anyone still out there?  I'm sure you've all given up on me and my blog.  We're boring, I know.  It's not that we're boring and have nothing to write about, we're just too busy to write anything.  So here's the reader's digest update:

*Braden is looking to go back to school for a second Bachelor's degree, this time in accounting.  He applied to a university here in MN and was accepted.  As long as the classes can work out, he will begin classes there at the end of August and should be done with his degree within 18 months.
*Because this university is 1 1/2 hours away from where we currently live, that also means we'll be moving!  At this moment, I am organizing our yard sale which has been planned and scheduled for about 3 months, and conveniently will be perfect just in time to move.  After the yard sale, I will devote all my time to packing and getting ready to move.  We are excited for a new adventure.
*Keara will be starting kindergarten in the fall and a move means finding ANOTHER school to enroll her into.  But thankfully, the area we'll be moving to has a spanish immersion program!  Yeah!  I would have been VERY sad to give that up for her.
*Taryn is loving summer time and the lake.  If it were up to her, we'd be there every day.  Unfortunately, this summer has been "weird"...just like every where else in the country and just like every year is "unusal".  But there's been a lot of ups and downs in the temperatures as well as a lot of rain, so we haven't been to the lake as much as we'd like.  We went last night and today and we may go again tomorrow, but we'll have to see.  Taryn hates having her hair washed with shampoo, but after a while, she either smells like a dog or fish, so shampoo is very necessary, much to her chagrin.
*Avery is very nearly two, and you can tell.  She is the sweetest angel and is so delightful, but then all of the sudden she'll whack her sister in the head or pull their hair or, like last night during dinner, stab them in the head with her fork.  She's testing her limits, but thankfully, she's doing it with absolute cuteness, so we can't be too upset.  She doesn't throw fits or anything...yet.  She's just an angel baby, with a two-year-old mean streak.  This too shall pass, I'm sure.
*Baby Girl #4 is growing and moving around.  I'm 25 weeks along and I'm grateful I still have 15 weeks to go!  Sometimes I think I'd take another 25 weeks, knowing how much needs to get done between now and then.  But I'm sure that the time will fly by faster than I want it too.  I am a little (or a lot) sad about moving right before having a baby and not having all my dear friends around when she's born.  I appreciate all the support and help my friends give me.  I really do love all the people I've met here. 
*Next week, we're going to Nauvoo for my friend's wedding.  I am very excited to take the girls there, but particularly Keara.  It's been fun to talk about church history a little with her.  I'm also excited because my sister and brother's families will both be in Nauvoo that same weekend, by coincidence, so we'll have a little family reunion too. 
*After Nauvoo, I'm planning on taking the girls down to Chicago for one last visit before who knows when.  I just can't imagine that we'll really be going down there within the next 9-12 months, and perhaps 18 or more.  We'll see.  But I haven't been to Chicago in the summer for an extended period of time in over 8 years, so I'm looking forward to spending time at the lake and doing the summer things we used to do.  I'm especially looking forward to being at my parents' house.  I love it there...so edifying.
*We'll get back from Chicago one week before our projected move (as long as everything sifts out right for his schooling).  It'll be a crazy time.

So there you have it. That's what we're up to. Here are some pictures to prove that we're still alive.

The REVEAL!

Check out this video to find out the answer to the big question...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUm9bHDpilY

Let's Try This Again

Presentation.  It's all in the presentation.  Let's try this again.

WE HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT.

Check out this AWESOME video...and you have to watch all the way to the end.  This was sent in preparation for our family reunion, in case some of the text doesn't make sense.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25Wmz-RplSg

The Silent Killer

A few years ago, my mother in law and I were having a discussion about what natural disaster was the most deadly.  I thought earthquakes would be pretty horrible whereas she thought tornadoes were much worse.  Interestingly enough, I grew up where there were tornadoes and she grew up with earthquakes.  At the time, we both lived in Arizona.  Imagine the humor we discovered when we learned what the true most dangerous natural disaster was?

HEAT

Check out this article on weather.com to learn more--very interesting
http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/us-weather-deaths-perspective_2011-06-15

Remind me again, why are we visiting Arizona next week?  Yeah...me neither...

(besides, of course, our WONDERFUL family that we'll spend 10 days with!  Can't wait!!)

Check out this AWESOME youtube video

I love practical jokes.  And this one was funny to me!  Turn up the volume and watch the whole thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25Wmz-RplSg

Popcorn Balls That Smell {and Taste} So Sweet

Braden needed to take a treat to a youth activity...but we didn't remember until 1 hr before he had to leave.  Thank goodness for popcorn balls!  We used a great recipe with a couple modifications and we LOVED it!  And of course, we just had to share it too...

AWESOME POPCORN BALLS


¾ cup corn syrup
¼ cup butter
2 tsp cold water
2 ½ + 1/8 cup powdered sugar
1 cup mini marshmallows
½ Tbs vanilla
20 cups popped popcorn
1 cup mini marshmallows

Pour popcorn into very large bowl and set aside. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine corn syrup, butter, water, powdered sugar, and marshmallows until melted and bubbly. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and stir well. Pour sugar mixture over popcorn. Stir well, making sure to coat all pieces, including bottom of the bowl. Add remaining cup of marshmallows and stir to evenly distribute. Form into balls by pressing into lightly greased measuring cup, removing, and placing on piece of waxed paper that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Sorry there are no pictures...he had to run out the door!

We Love Family Visits!

My brother's family drove out here from Colorado for the week before Memorial day and we LOVED having them! They have 3 teenage sons and 2 younger daughters (6 and 3). Keara and Taryn were in heaven, both with the girls AND with the big boys. They love their cousins. And I absolutely love how my teenage nephews play with their little cousins. They are great guys.

We took them to the lake on a very windy and not so warm day (too bad the gorgeous weather came the day before they left).  My brother brought his human rubberband to play with.  It is SO fun!  Kai got the girls together to play with them after the adults had their fun.

Such great girls and fun cousins!  We definitely miss them!

On Memorial Day, we ran over to the splash park between the rain episodes for some water fun.  I was surprised that the big boys wanted to come along, but we all had a GREAT time.

Of course, the big boys enjoyed the water gun sprayers...even if their opponent was 1/3 their age and 1/2 their size.

They also tried to see how they could affect the water pressure in different spots by covering up holes.  Hours of endless entertainment.

Can I jsut say how much I love ruffle bums!  That, and curly hair!

Keara loved splashing around in her rainboots at the splash park and thought it was hilarious when they filled up all the way.  What fun sounds and feelings that made!

Keara and I found a dead baby painted turtle at the beach.  She thought it was awesome (and it was).  Too bad it was dead.

Talon kept Keara entertained by doing that silly hand game with her.  You know the one, where you cut off the blood supply to the hand, squeeze it, rub it, and then "pull" something out of the middle of it?  She loved it.

Avery loves everyone and sure thought it was great to have a playmate who didn't beat her up!  Lily is 3, but Avery didn't care!

Memorial Day means making ice cream!  So Braden and I stayed up way late on Sunday night making pistacho, rocky road, and white chocolate oreo.  Delicious!

Avery definitely agreed.

And so did Lily...who is just too cute!

It was a busy, crazy, fun week and it went by WAY too fast!  We miss you guys and can't wait to see you next summer!  Thank goodness for family reunions!

Nutty Girls

These girls are nuts.  One of the first phrases we teach them as babies is "I AM A NUT!" becuase they are.  Here's a little of what they've been up to lately.

Sure, start with the nut-free picture.  I love moments like these when the girls just love each other and take care of each other so sweetly.  Keara is my little mommy and thankfully, Avery loves her too.

I tried, really, I tried to get a good picture.  But this shows their personalities way better.  Keara, my grown up girl.  Avery, my excited beauty.  And then, there's Taryn.  The nuttiest nut of the bunch!  She keeps us laughing and definitely on our toes!

Taryn has taken up drawing real things instead of just scribbling lately.  This was her first "family portrait".

My reader.  I just loved that she found a seat for herself and plopped down with a good book.  Too bad it was in the middle of the kitchen while I was making dinner, but it was so cute!  BTW, her seat is my scriptures!

The second nuttiest nut of the bunch.  Our girls are monkeys  by nature and love hanging on everything.  Avery has joined the circus and looks for anything she can hang on.  This day, she discovered the car handles worked pretty well.

We didn't plant a garden this year because the girls won't stay out of the garden pots.  I mean literally...

So we're not growing any veggies, but what we are growing sure seem to be doing well!

Braden Makes Springtime More Beautiful

Way back last fall, Taryn and Braden planted bulbs and we waited (a LONG time) to find out what kind of flowers they were!  Oddly, only half of them grew, but they were fun and different!

For Mother's Day, he ordered some flowers for me (thanks Living Social!) which started out a bit...white.  But ended up BEAUTIFUL!  Check out these lilies!

He also made a wonderful dinner for me and while he was cutting the broccoli, he had a flash of creative genius.  He got the girls together and helped them work on this before dinner craft.  What a great mother's day gift!  It was so fun! 

They painted cotton balls, stuck them on toothpicks and stuck the toothpicks in the broccoli stems.  Who would have thought?

My Latest Projects!

I have developed a new passion lately...making swimsuits!  This is SO fun.  I've made about 7 or 8 of them already, but today's was the best so far.  I absolutely love it.  I can't wait to get more fabric and make some more!

Earn a Trip to Grandma's House

The girls set a goal (well, I set it, they earned it) to improve in their bedtime routine with the reward of earning a trip to Grandma's house if they did it.  We worked for 8 weeks and in that time they (re)learned to sleep together, not have a potty in their room, not have sippy cups at bedtime, not call us, not cry or scream, not play, and go to sleep within 30 minutes of being put down for bed.  It was wonderful!  So in the middle of April, I took them down to Chicago to spend a few days with my parents and also my sister's family.  We had a blast!  Too bad I didn't take many pictures...


My parents' basement: complete with juke box, disco ball, checkered floor, and swings!  A favorite every time...



My mom is such an involved, active grandma and I love that.  She never tires of playing with her grandkids and I love that she is always willing to make things special for them.  I love her!

At the end of the week, we met up with Braden and my brother's family at Wisconsin Dells.  It was our first time and we had a great time!  The big girls especially loved the wave pool, while Avery preferred the wading pools. 

In fact, the wave pool was just too exhausting for her and she actually fell asleep!

Again...too bad I didn't take more pictures.  Believe me, though, it was fun!

Playing Catch Up

I have been SO busy and just haven't taken the time to update from the last couple months.  So lucky you...you get a summary in picture. 

Last year, at the end of April, our home and street looked like this.  It was STUNNING!

This year, spring decided to take its time, so we had 2 feet of snow covering the ground until the end of March, and then got hit with another 6 inches in the middle of April and a slight dusting on May 1st.  Boo.  At the end of April this year, our home looked like this:

Thankfully, it suddenly decided to warm up and May was STUNNING!  We now can spend all our time at the lake, the splash park, in the yard, at the playgrounds, on bike rides, and outdoor concerts!  It's also yard sale time and ice cream time!  We also get lots of thunder storms, which I love!  The girls get to play with the hose in the backyard and help daddy with the yard work at the same time.  Hooray for summer!

What Would You Think?

The other day, I took the girls to the lake to play in the sand.  Keara asked me to check what it was she was feeling under her hair, so I took a look.  What I found was a clump of dried blood.  Strange.  I looked at Avery and she had one too, in about the same spot.  Double strange.  Then I looked at Taryn and she had one too, but on her temple, under her hair.  Triple strange.

I didn't think too much of it until the next morning, when my sister in law came to pick up the girls for a play date and I noticed Avery was dripping blood all along her hairline on her neck, around her ears, and near her side burns.  What the heck!?

 It was SO bizarre.  I had no idea what could be suddenly causing all these sores, but I did know that 30 minutes before this, when she got out of the shower and I did her hair, none of these sores were there.  So what was happening?  What would you think?

I called the pediatrician later in the day because I thought maybe there was some sort of bug infestation going around that many parents were calling about.  Sure enough, there was.  GNATS.  Nasty gnats.  I never knew those little suckers (literally) could work this kind of damage this quickly.  But apparently, they bite and the bleeding starts immediately.  Once it bleeds out a little bit, it stops, clots, and dries.  End of story.  As long as the bites don't get infected, its no big deal.  None of the girls have complained about them itching or hurting and usually, they don't even realize they're there.  It just looks a lot worse than it really is.

I realized that the girls had been playing outside in the yard during those 30 minutes before my SIL picked them up, which would explain the sudden attacks.  I checked the other two girls and sure enough, they had dried blood all thru their hair too.  Avery's show the worst because of her blonde and short hair.  I've counted at least 25 bites.

This afternoon, as we sat down for lunch after the girls helped bring in the groceries, I noticed a gnat in Avery's hair.  I flicked it then squished it.  Blood spurted everywhere so I immediately checked her head.  Sure enough, a little bubble of blood started to appear right where the little bugger had been.

It's been 36 hours since they played in the yard and now Avery's sores look like tons of moles.  Just blood spots all over her head.  At least they aren't scabbing or raised or pussing.  And at least the gnats life cycle is SHORT!  We really want to get outside and play again. 

Taryn's Faux Paux

Last night, the girls were having a hard time settling down for bedtime.  Taryn especially.  But what's new with that child?  She is a spaz from sun up to sun down and usually for a couple hours after that.  Anyway, Keara's been complaining about a tummy ache thru the evening so I wasn't surprised when she had to come out of her room twice to go to the bathroom.  True to girl form, whenever Keara needs to go potty, it becomes a sisters' affair and suddenly "WE" have to go potty. 

The second time they came down, I asked Taryn what was going on.  She answered "Keara has to do diarrhea."  Okay, fine.  Then Taryn says, "I have to do diarrhea too."  Rrriiighhht...So she goes running to the kitchen and I say, "Hey Taryn, where are you going?" 

T: I'm going to do diarrhea! 
M: Yeah, but the bathroom's not that way.
T: (running to the bathroom) When is Keara going to do diarrhea?!
M: Taryn, come here...(she comes and sits on my lap)...Taryn, do you know what diarrhea is?
T: Yeah, it's a game.
M: Um...no...it's not...

After I explained what it really was, she decided she didn't want to do it anymore and went back to bed.

Deep Thoughts By Taryn

T:  Mom, what will you be when I'm a daddy?
M:  Oh Taryn, you won't be a daddy.  You get to be a mommy.
T: But I don't WANT to be a mommy.  I want to be a daddy.
M: I'm sorry Taryn.  But guess what?!  You get to have babies.  Daddies can't have babies.
T: Why? 
M: Because their bodies aren't made to have babies in their tummies.  But mommies can and you get to be a mommy!
T: I don't WANT to have a baby in my tummy.  I don't want to be SICK!  I want to be a daddy.
M:  Yeah, I can see how that would be a turn off...

Oh well, it was worth a shot.

Taryn's Great Ideas

Taryn is going thru a stage where she's full of great ideas and solutions to problems.  The other day, we were getting ready to go on a bike ride when I had to get our trailer tires filled up by our neighbor.  While I was over at his garage, our other neighbor came to our driveway to stand with the girls while they waited for me.  Taryn found her to be very kind and friendly.

The next day, we were on a family walk.  Taryn said, "Mom, I think I would like to live with that nice lady who came to talk to me in the driveway yesterday."  I replied that I would miss her and would be sad if she lived with someone else.  She told me I could visit her, but I told her I wanted her to live with us.  Then she said, "I have a great idea!  What if that lady feeds me and plays with me and then gives me back?!  She could just BORROW me!" 

Great idea, Taryn.

All About Avery

It's been a while since I've posted updates on each of the girls.  Since most of my pictures are of Avery, I guess we'll start with her. 

Avery is just over 20 months old.  She discovered her independence a couple months ago and has made it clear that she has a place in this family.  She is still the most easy going kid and plays happily for hours without needing assistance for anything.  She is daring, brave, mischievious, stubborn, and yet loving, snuggly, kind, and a total joy to b e with.  We still find her with a book most of the time.  She also loves to eat and raids the pantry as often as she can.  This is her first spring being able to walk so she has loved playing in the yard, digging in the dirt, and climbing at the park.  She is absolutely and completely delightful.

She's talking up a storm:

• want more
• all done
• all gone
• let's go
• I love you
• woof-woof
• doggie
• meow
• cat
• qack-qack
• duck
• hear you go
• pants
• shirt
• socks
• coat
• shoes
• water
• milk
• yeah
• no
• more
• please
• thank you
• bye bye
• hello
• hi
• night night
• me!
• amen
• Jesus
• mama
• dada
• Keara
• Taryn
• Avery
• okay
• color
• blue/green/yellow/purple
• a book!
• up
• help
• blankie
• bunny
• sippy
• clean up
• mine
• bed
• uh-oh
• nose
• eyes
• ears
• hair
• mouth
• teeth
• diaper
• stinky
• all clean
• I'm pretty!
• I did it!
• yum
• happy
• owie
• shower
• balloon
• Jo-Jo (cousin Joseph)
• Na-Na (cousin Nathan)
• Jontan (cousin Jonathan)
• church
• where'd it go?
• here it is!
• here you go!
• I don't know
• gentle
• woo-woo
• Opa!
• stuck
• it's locked
• open
• circle
• ball
• cracker
• cookie
• more

I'm sure there's a ton more, but that's what's on the list for now. 

Her hair has suddenly started growing and her curls have grown in.  She is so beautiful!  And it is fun to do her hair.  She loves to get dressed all by herself (though it is unsuccessful still).  The other day, she insisted on putting on three pairs of pants on top of each other.  She loves to put her shoes on or anyone's shoes on her feet for that matter.  Books and shoes...her favorite things. 

She loves water.  We recently went to Wisconsin Dells and she could not have been happier in the wading pools.  She loves taking baths, kicking her legs, floating, and putting her face in the water.  She also loves tilting her head under the faucet and taking showers.

I can't say enough about this kid!  Braden and I were just saying this morning how nice it is that we're not having a baby next week (which would be the normal pattern for us) because we're getting to fully experience one of our children at 20 1/2 months old.  Our others, we've been too busy with the new baby to really pay attention to all these fun things that are happening.  And let me tell you...it's fun! 

Here are some pics of Avery.

One day, Keara and Taryn put tape all over Avery...and she let them!  On her hands, feet, fingers, arms, legs, cheeks, forehead...and then her eyes!  She thought it was so fun.

Showing off her new spring dress.

Look at her curls!  Darling!

Avery discovered how much she loves corn on the cob.