First day of School!

It's amazing how the pliable the human brain is. So easily conditioned. When I was in college and even after Jacob was born I detested quiet. I wanted noise all the time, it's probably because that was what I was raised with and worked with, and lived with. I would go out of my way to make it noisier, like turning on the TV, simply for background noise. I rarely actually sat down and watched it at all. Now it's 1:40 in the afternoon on the first day of school 7 years later, Maddie and Annabelle are napping and I have had peace and quiet for almost 2 HOURS! And I love it. Obviously I miss my children, but just think what a happier mom I'll be at 2:45 because I had time to regroup in silence. Ahhh...don't you love school?

Here are a few pictures of my BIG kids going off to school. Jacob started 2nd grade and Lorelei started kindergarten, and Madalyn, she was a little bummed that she couldn't join them. The first picture is of our back to school party we had on Friday night. It was a blast!


It was torture for them to wait until I found my camera, they wanted that school bus cake!


Madalyn


Lorelei - Doesn't she look the part of a little school girl? As soon as I saw that outfit I knew it was meant for us. LOVE IT!


I wish the full body shot of Jacob hadn't come out blurry because then you could've seen his awesome shoes he picked out. Come to find out - Jacob has pretty good taste.

Even more pictures

Here are a few more random pictures from our trip to Nebraska. We just got back from our last trip of the summer and I have to say I am glad that we won't be stuck in the car for hours at a time for at least a couple of months. Now we just have to get ready for school (when did that happen?)


Lorelei and Madalyn after swimming at Star City Shores


Pondering even in her sleep (Annabelle)


Did you see the size of this bone???!!!


Having a "mammoth" good time


My kids loved hanging out with Uncle Jimmy

Finally She's Five Years Old!

Lorelei has been waiting for her fifth birthday since she found out 2 years ago that that is how old she needed to be to start school. It finally came! We got to celebrate in Nebraska and what a celebration it was. She got to open her presents with lots of family around, go to Toy Story 3, ride on a merry-go-round, eat pizza, and have this, if I do say so myself, fabulous cake. She was a Happy Birthday Girl. We love her sunshine and easy going spirit.



Madalyn was a little upset that it wasn't HER birthday!

On to the next...

These are more pictures from Nebraska. We went the the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo one day. It was hot, but not terribly so. The zoo always wears me out, yet for some reason I keep taking my kids there. We went with my parents, and my sisters and their families. Good times, good times.

Grandpa in charge of the stroller


Silly Lorelei


Happy Annabelle (not taken at the zoo though)


Greg trying to keep track of Madalyn


Us (Annabelle was waiting out with Grandpa) in a big tree


Jacob and Lorelei, Jacob says he was pulling that face because he was embarrassed because he was getting wet. I'd be more embarrassed about that face.


With Uncle Victory - How many chances do you get to take a picture with
someone taller than a giraffe?


With Grandma in the aquarium - Watch out a shark might get you!

So much to share

We have been crazy busy. In the last month we have only been home a week. Which translates into lots of pictures and lots of fun things to share. We spent two weeks in Nebraska visting my family. I love Nebraska. I can leave for two years and come back and it feels like I've never left. I loved being there and my kids were excited for all of things we got to do. We got back from Nebraska and then a week later packed up to go to Bear Lake with my family for our family reunion. So much fun! Now we are finally home to stay for at least 3 weeks and I hope my kids find their routines again. We are on "detox". That's what my friend Lisa calls it anyway. We have to wean the baby off of being held constantly, my kids off of chocolate milk that was plentiful at Grandma's house, and the grown-ups have to start going to bed at a decent hour. Here are a few pictures of our adventures, I'll have to post them in seperate posts. If you don't hear from me for awhile it's because I am trying to find my house under all the suitcases and dirty clothes.

Children's Museum




Catching Fireflies

Diamond Hair

This is one of my favorite things to do. It takes some time initially but it stays in good for at least two days, and it's carseat friendly if you know what I mean. In these pictures I did one row too many, from the front it looks like she has a mullet. Technically this is called smocking, some people call it a net, we call it diamonds. You start with an odd number of ponies in the front and then divide them into two and combine them to make the beginning of your diamond and an even number of ponies. Split them again and combine them to make the bottom of your diamond then back to an odd number. I would stop there. You can add the clips if you want that was Lorelei's addition, we were feeling funky that day. You can leave the hair down or put into a messy bun, or whatever else you feel like. I get more comments on this hair do than any other one that I do.

Betrothed

For the last few months Lorelei's preschool group has been pairing off. While teaching one week I overheard this conversation:

Julie:"Wyatt and I are going to get married."
Wyatt: "Yep."
Dylan:"I am going to marry Brooklyn."
Lorelei: "Bradley, would you marry me?"
Bradley: "Nope, I am going to marry Claire (his older sister)."
Lorelei: "Then I have NO ONE to marry."

There are only five kids in their preschool group, Brooklyn was in with them last year and not many other kids around their age so Lorelei was devastated by this conversation. She would bring it up all the time and cry real tears that she didn't have anyone to marry. It broke her little heart not to be engaged like the rest of her friends. She even enlisted Jacob and Greg to help her find a mate. They both agreed to help, but apparently they aren't moving on it fast enough for her. She seems to think that if she hasn't gotten this taken care of before she turns five, there is no hope. One day while on their way home from a field trip, Lorelei tells Bradley that he can't marry Claire and that he has to marry her instead. Bradley says, "Just go up to someone on the street and ask them if they'll marry you." Lorelei indignantly responded, "That would be a stranger!" But apparently they've worked out their differences, for the other day while playing at the park, she asked him again and her persistence paid off. Bradley agreed to marry her, and they even held hands while they slid down the side by side slides. The following picture was taken today at their Moving On celebration, Bradley is the little boy second from the left. Isn't adolescence going to be fun?