Sioux City

Things have been a little crazy, but I'm finally getting around to posting about the trip the kids and I took to Sioux City to see my sister and her family.

Jocie turned 30 on the 25th of September so I thought what a perfect excuse to go and see her. And her sweet husband was planning a surprise birthday party.

I was planning on leaving right when we got up on Friday morning, but the weather had a different idea. We woke up to a huge storm with large hail and lots of lightening. Our electricity even went out. Once everything looked clear I packed the kids up and we headed out (did I mention that I was doing this 7 hour drive by myself?). Everything was pretty uneventful which is all we can ask for when making a long trek with three small children. We had one episode in an Arby's that involved a long potty break, a spilled cup of Dr.Pepper on potty-break floor, and a baby who loves playing with ice....oy!

We had a great time visiting and the kids loved seeing their cousins and were extremely please that Lauren could talk....lol! Also, while we were there we got to visit our friends who just moved to Vermillion and see their newest (#7!) little guy. Fun stuff!

The kids loved seeing Aunt Jocie's room at school.

We took the kids to make their own bears. They all had a blast.

Super Weirdo!

Aidan seems to be getting the spotlight in my blog today.

Yesterday we met some friends at the park to enjoy what will probably be the last warm day here until....uh, next July! :-) While we were there an "older" (like 10) girl came with her grandma and all of the kids started playing freeze tag. Every one was having a great time and then one of Aidan's friends came over to where we were sitting and told us, "That girl called us weirdos...and she called Aidan a super-weirdo!". Since Aidan was obviously not bothered by this at all I just laughed. He wore the title quite proudly and even reported to Brett later in the evening that he was called a "super weirdo!".

Thank you dear God for giving my son the ability to not be bothered by rude comments and to somehow be able to find pride in being a "super weirdo!"

(the super weirdo himself and the bear he made while visiting in Sioux City)

Chess anybody?

Aidan has been into chess lately. He's actually quite good and really enjoys the game.

He had his first "Blue Knights" meeting this past Monday and seemed to really enjoy himself. I asked him if he met a lot of nice boys.

"Oh, yes. All of the boys were really nice. But, one time the teacher had to leave the room to ask somebody a question and he said that we could all talk for a little while until he came back to the room. Well, I was really excited to see if anybody else was interested in Chess, but all the other boys just started yelling and screaming and making a bunch of noise...nobody was even intrested in having a conversation with me." Lol! I can just see him, "Uhmmm...yes, excuse me gentlemen...is any one else here fascinated with the game of Chess?"

Five year olds!

Go Green and Be Safe!

Just a couple of PSAs for ya'll!

#1 Crunch, crunch:
I was ecstatic last night when I had to run back to the baby area of Target to grab a different size of long underwear for Gigi, and discovered the best surprise ever! Wanna guess? Babycare diapers! I have yet to discuss my diaper obsession here so you may not yet be able to fully understand why this made me so happy. Over time you will get it, but for now I'll just have to say...I love 'em...not all of them, though...I love cloth and the kind that don't take 500 years to decompose and when they finally do decompose let out a toxic gas..lovely, huh. These diapers (did I mention they were at Target...yay!) are 100% biodegradable, and are the perfect solution for this mommy who has yet to find a good cloth diaper that works overnight. They are also a great solution for those disposable users who want a great diaper (it works really well...and overnight is a huge test), but want to be a little more earth savvy!

#2 Car seat safety:
Since moving up to the north I have been doing some research on winter and car seat safety. Did you know that you are not supposed to put your bundle in his/her car seat while bundled up in his/her winter finest? That's right. It's too bulky, creates too much slack and is extremely dangerous! Nothing thicker than a polar fleece jacket/pullover (which they make for 0 degree weather) is to go between the car seat straps and your kiddo! So...be safe and buy fleece!

Say what?

Aidan and I were playing chess (yes, chess) right before lunch today. I had to call Brett to clarify a rule we were unsure about since Aidan and my chess-playing skills are fairly equal to one another. He clarified while laughing at the fact that I had to ask and then walked through the door about 1 1/2 minutes later for lunch.

We were nearing the end of the game and apparently Aidan felt that he was stuck (although he was beating me) and exclaimed, "CRAP!"

(gasp!)

Knowing that I must have heard that wrong since we are a household that does not use the words "butt", "hate", "stupid", "shut-up", and other such words that are unsuitable for little mouths to utter, I asked Aidan to clarify, "CRAP!" he said as clear as day. "CRAP!" Emma repeated giggling because she could tell that Brett and I were absolutely floored and finding it difficult to remain composed.

"Uh...Aidan...we do not use that word in our house, okay?"

"Oh, okay!"

I have no idea where he learned such a word, and I have only one thing to say about this little incident....CRAP!

Happy 4th!

Happy Birthday!
And as you hear every night from your daddy....
May the Lord bless you and keep you,
May He make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you,
May He lift his countenance to you, Emma, and fill you with peace!

Afternoon with Gigi

Gigi on her biiiiiiiike!

This is Gianna's "I'm ignoring you" face!

That's all for now!