Florida Trip

In February we took a whirlwind trip to Florida for Roy's cousin Carolina's wedding.
The Plan: Rent a minivan with Roy's parents and drive to Florida all together
Monday: Snafu with rental place, Roy's dad found a better deal online, with pickup in CR
Wed-Thurs: Driving straight through to arrive in time for Rehearsal at 5 p.m. Thursday. We tried to see a lunar eclipse on Wed night (in Tennessee), but the clouds got in the way.
Thurs Noon: Arrived in Coral Springs, FL. Spent time at Tia Ligia's house, where the kids got t-shirts from Carolina saying "Coin bearer" and "Ring bearer". Checked into La Quinta Inn, very nice accommodations. Went to Aaron's tux fitting, minor tailoring to be done by Friday. Lily's dress fit well but straps were too long - dropped it off at the seamstress' house, to be done by Friday. Rushed to hotel to get ready for Rehearsal. Kids did a great job at Rehearsal, of course! Rehearsal dinner afterwards at Romano's Macaroni Grill. VERY good food.
Friday: FUN DAY! While Grandma Myriam stayed behind to do the wedding cake, Roy, me, Aaron, Lily and Grandpa Dale went down to the Miami Seaquarium, about an hour away. A relative's mother-in-law works there, so we had free tickets!! LOTS of pictures from the Seaquarium in the video at the bottom.
Friday evening: Pickup Aaron's tux and Lily's dress. Kids go swimming in Tia Ligia's pool, with quick warm-ups in the hot tub!
Saturday morning: Aaron gets into his tux, dubbed "The Monkey Suit"; the pants are a little short, but the jacket sleeves are better. Lily's dress straps are just right, and her dress looks good. We have a family photo shoot in Tia Ligia's backyard. Aaron and Roy's cousin Daniel head to the groom's house for pictures. Aaron is SO excited about riding in Daniel's Mustang.
Saturday afternoon: Lily gets to ride in the limo with the bride and her 5 attendants, the junior bridesmaid, and Tia Ligia and Uncle Pat too! The wedding starts about 20 minutes late, but it's Florida time! The kids do a wonderful job. Aaron is the ring bearer, and Lily is the coin bearer or "treasure girl" as she calls it. She carries the "arras", which is a small ornate box that holds thirteen gold unity coins (arras) which are given to the bride by the bridegroom, signifying he will support her. This represents the bride's dowry and holds good wishes for prosperity. These coins become a part of their family heirloom. The kids walk down the aisle together, and Lily later brings the "arras" up to the stage. Carolina and Carmine are married in a traditional Catholic wedding.
After a few pictures at the church, the wedding party sets off in the limos to Carmine's parents' house. Lily rides in the limo again, but we're going back to Tia Ligia's house! Roy's cousin Christian volunteers to drive behind the limo and pick Lily up, just so she can have another ride in the limo.
Saturday evening: The reception has a "Rockstar" theme, complete with VIP passes for every guest, CDs of Carmine & Carolina's music, and party favors. The kids each have gift bags waiting for them with activities to pass the time. Myriam's cake is gorgeous, and she even had time to make a groom's cake for Carmine. It's a replica of his favorite black hat, complete with silver buckles. The wedding party is announced, and here comes Aaron, with Lily on one arm and the flower girl on the other! Carmine and Carolina have their first dance with the guests surrounding them. Dinner is excellent, with choices of Prime Rib, chicken or salmon. There is a slideshow of Carolina and Carmine growing up. Carolina's family is Latino, from Nicaragua. Carmine's family are New York Italians. And there was an Irish priest! Sounds like the setup for a joke, right?! We dubbed the reception "West Side Story", as the two families were seated on opposite sides of the room, with the dance floor in the middle.
The DJ gets the music started early. Aaron and Lily love to DANCE! And they're pretty good at it, too! Roy even gets me out on the dance floor a few times. Finally, at 10 p.m., Myriam asks why the cake hasn't been cut? Oops! The bride and groom cut the cake, and it is delicious! We get back to the hotel very late and fall right into bed.
Sunday: We mentioned going to the beach today, so Daniel (Roy's cousin) and his girlfriend Angel volunteered to take us to their favorite beach in Fort Lauderdale, about an hour away. The ocean is calm and we can see the sand on the bottom. Aaron and Lily get in the water, and Lily sputters, "Why'd they put salt in it, Mommy?!" I told her GOD did, and the ocean has the most colorful fish because of the salty water. The kids swim and collect seashells. Aaron makes a friend but doesn't ask her name. They start digging in the sand until the waves get a little bigger and start filling in their holes. Lily takes some time to tan. Even with SPF 50 she already has a tan line going.
We walk to a place called Sloppy Joe's for lunch. It's a restaurant on the 2nd level of a store, so we can see way out in the ocean. Gorgeous! The food is excellent. Aaron even had popcorn shrimp! After lunch we start looking for t-shirts for the kids. Lily finds a pink and blue tie-dye one, but Aaron wants one with sharks. When the beach starts to get insanely busy, we had for the van. Parking is so scarce by now, that we had three cars waiting for our spot. One woman spotted Roy with the remote in his hand and asked if we were leaving. When he said yes, she jumped out of the passenger side and came and stood by the van, then blocked the spot so her husband could park there. Yikes! Another car had to back up just so we could get out of the parking space.
Then we went to the Discovery and Science Museum. WOW, that place is cool! Lots of hands-on activities for everybody: fly an airplane, test wind resistance, take a ride on the NASA moon rover, check your weight on different planets, and even a volleyball game on a big screen! Aaron found a shark t-shirt in the gift shop too! Daniel bought some Astronaut Ice Cream (freeze-dried), which wasn't too bad, but the Astronaut Strawberries were better. We spent so much time on the exhibits, we didn't get to the IMAX movie we had planned to see there. Luckily it rained while we were at the museum, and it had stopped by the time we left. We got back to Coral Springs later than we planned, but we had a great time.
Monday morning: One last breakfast with Uncle Pat, Tia Ligia, Abuelita, Christian and all of us (including Roy's parents). On the way back, we managed to stumble upon the Russell Stover Factory Outlet somewhere in Florida. Not very much chocolate made it all the way back to Iowa though.
Monday-Tuesday morning: Driving home. We came up through St Louis to avoid driving through a major snow/ice storm. The roads were cleaned off by the time we made it to the Missouri/Iowa border. We were NOT excited to see all that snow again. The next day, Lily begged to wear just a jacket and sandals, because she missed Florida so much! Enjoy the video of our pics:

Ah, water.....

Sometimes nothing feels as good as a hot shower!! And brushing my teeth!!! We had our water back on by 8:30 this morning, despite my pessimisticly whiny last post. The Water Dept guy was very nice and fixed the problem - the master valve was off (outside where the city had been working before), so he had to put a very long pole down the valve and twist it on. He came in to check the water pressure to make sure it was full blast, which is was! He even patted Loki a couple of times. The roadblocks were removed this afternoon too, so we can get to our driveway from either direction again. It was weird having our street so quiet, with no buses or cars zooming past us.

Later on the kids and I discovered the only toilet in the house wasn't
filling with water - uh oh! So, we spent the day at Aunt Sarah's!!
Roy got a replacement part at Menard's and the toilet should be working
much better now. Hopefully our water woes are over?!

My new 2008 Scion xB was delivered yesterday, and as soon as it's not minus bazillion outside I'll take some pics and post up more details - YAY!!!

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Like Moses in the desert....I need a rock!

The City of CR has been doing some repair work to a water leak on the city's side of our yard and our neighbor's yard. (i.e. Not our cost!) Our street is blocked off right after our driveway, and they had a huge hole dug down to the water main.

On Thursday, our water was off from 11am-7pm, but they told us it would be. It was back on Thursday night, and everything was fine yesterday morning.

Lily and I got home around 5 yesterday to find the street still blocked, but no work trucks or backhoe, and the hole was filled back in. The water pressure was low, but working in the kitchen. We weren't home very long, and though nothing of it.

We went to Scion Hockey Night in Ames, where the Cyclones suffered a last minute defeat by 1 point. We hung out at Old Chicago with our buddies, and headed home.

We got home very late, around 1:30 am. Guess what? NO WATER, NO NOTE, NOTHING.

I woke up at 5:30 am very thirsty, and found we only have milk (eww) and Dr Pepper Cherry Chocolate (EWW) to drink.

So, at 7:15 this morning I called the Water Dept Emergency Line and someone is coming to check it out.

It's 8:03 and he's not here yet.

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Warning! Undersocialized Homeschoolers

While at a local restaurant, I saw a middle schooler with a t-shirt that read, "Warning! Undersocialized Homeschooler." We love our homeschool friends and all they do, even if it's not a choice I'd make myself! This video pokes fun at the "cliches" surrounding homeschooling, from a homeschool dad - comedian Tim Hawkins.

Newsweek Video

A couple of weeks ago a reporter from Newsweek came to our church to interview some of us for an online piece on Iowans in preparation for the caucuses. Roy and I were army-volunteered to interview (thanks Sarah!), but thankfully we made it to the cutting -room floor.

The video prominently features our pastor, Richard Marsceau. It also happens to show lots of our friends at church, plus Sarah holding David, and me holding Zoe. The reporter told me my little baby was so cute, but I had to correct her - "She's my niece!"

Click here for the video (updated link).

Whiners on Parade

Sick, sick, sick! Everyone in my house is sick, except me! Could it be a flu shot? Nope, only Lily got one of those, and she was vomitus muchus yesterday. Papa Bob watched her for us, which consisted of snuggling on the couch most of the afternoon. Roy is very ill today, and Aaron seems to be hopping on board too. Me? Nope! I think it's all the Airborne I've been cramming down my throat. I got the Target/generic brand, which just isn't as tasty, but I've been drinking it anyway. Get away Sickies, eww! And wash your hands WITH soap!

So, everyone except Mommy is sick. What does that mean? WHINERS ON PARADE. Lily was sick yesterday, so Roy kept her home today. Lily was feeling better today, but Daddy wasn't. When I called to check on Lily, she said there was nothing to do, and Daddy wouldn't play any games with her. The guilt trip earned her a quick game of Candyland before Daddy said it was naptime (for both of them). I got an email from him this afternoon that said, "I just want someone to take care of me." WAAH, you're a grown up! He went up to bed at 6:00 p.m.

Since no one was hungry except me, I ordered a delicious pizza with
mushrooms, ham, black olives, and green olives - YUM!! The other
members of my family are boring pepperoni-pizza only people. Eww.


Aaron and Lily are on the couch fighting over who gets to pick the TV show. Aaron has a temp now, but no upset stomach - yet. Lily is still Miss Whiney-pants because she feels better but not 100%. They're both trying to eat some ramen noodles and/or Jello. Eww. Is it possible to whine and eat at the same time? YES IT IS.

I'm counting the minutes until bedtime.

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Aaron

Drama Queen

Since Lillian is starting Kindergarten next year, it was time for immunization shots yesterday. She was all geared up for it, and Papa Bob had promised he would take her our for ice cream if she didn't cry. She brought her Carebear along for moral support.

The first part went fine. Her height/weight ratios are great, and she's very smart. The doctor we go to often has students working with her. The student doc asked Lily what a curtain is, and she said, "It's so people can't see you, for your privacy." That one wasn't a typical 5 year old answer! He asked her to copy a square, then to draw a person. She did all of it, but acted like, "Duh, I can do that, can't you?" She also hopped on one foot and did the sobriety-check walk (heel-toe, heel-toe steps).

The time came for shots. 4 immunizations plus a flu shot. The flu shot was the one that did it, I think. They did them all at the same time, with both the nurse and doctor each taking a leg. She said she only felt one poke, but they kept "pushing on it, and it really hurt, and I DON'T want any ice cream Mommy." She alternately fussed and wailed out of the doctor's office, even when I told her she might scare some "little kids", which usually gets her to put on her big girl/brave face. NOT TODAY. She said her leg burned and it felt like a bruise too.

I promised to get her some pain medicine, then we'd go to McDonald's. We went to Walgreen's for some children's ibuprofen, and she wouldn't even walk! I put her in the cart, but it bent her legs too much. She finally sat up on the edge of the cart, holding on with both hands. Not the safest position, but by this time I was picking my battles. We got drivethru at McDonald's, then came home to rest. She was all propped up on the couch, with her blanket and her Carebear. She called Papa later and said maybe she was ready for ice cream, but we were watching the twins last night, so maybe tonight or Saturday.

When we were watching the twins, her pain reliever wore off about 8:35 p.m. Whew! She turned into a puddle, couldn't sit, couldn't walk, she was done. I know she's dramatic, but WOW, that took the cake. She fell asleep on the way home, so I carried all 43.6 pounds of her in the house, dosed her up again, and helped her into her pajamas, since she wouldn't do it. Drama Queen!!!

From my all-time favorite movie scene - You know you love it too!

This is SO wrong, but SO funny

There goes the neighborhood

Our neighbor had a Haunted Yard for Halloween this year. He made everything himself, out of wood, PVC pipe, and styrofoam, including the fence. Take a look:



Bill had planned this for months. He waited until the kids were in school to set everything up, so they were VERY surprised when the got home from school. He had a crew of 8 actors to jump out, stalk, and otherwise scare people from 5:00-10:00 p.m. Two air compressors were in our shed, so no one could hear them, and he even changed our front porch bulb to a lower wattage blue bulb, to create more of a shadow on one side of the house (Roy ok'd that, but didn't tell me!). The only thing that didn't work was the lightning effect, due to a blown fuse. Otherwise, it went off without a hitch!

The faith of a little child

On Sunday morning, Lillian brought her little pink purse to church, with her little pink wallet. Usually we'll give her a dollar for the offering plate, but she said she had money already - she put in her only $2 bill.
Then at lunch, Papa Bob had a $2 bill for each of the grandkids! I pointed out that she gave her money to God at church, and he gave her another $2 bill!!

Then on the way home Sunday evening, we saw lots of black smoke up ahead-something was on fire. We turned off on our exit before we saw what it was. The kids were riding with Roy, and he told me Lily said, "Daddy, should we pray for the people in the fire?" So they prayed. Turns out it was a semi that had flipped on it's side and was completely on fire. But you know what? The driver made it out before the truck caught on fire! I told Lily later that the driver was safe - her prayers worked!!!


If you're up for a heart-wrenching, completely inspiring, guaranteed bawl-out-loud crying jag, click here.

Knobbly Knees

What do two Scottish descendants and their lad and lasses do on a sunny Saturday afternoon?
Sarah and I took Lillian and the twins to Celtic Fest at Usher's Ferry in CR! We saw our cousin Pete in a kilt (yikes!) and learned a lot about our Scottish heritage and traditions.

One tradition that I had no clue about was the Knobbly Knees Contest.
Somehow I was picked out of the crowd to be a judge - maybe it's the reddish hair?? Now, having never seen a "Knobbly Knees" contest, much less even heard of one, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

It's a contest where men or boys (kilts required) come up on stage, and a judge or two feels their knees to see how "knobbly" they are. Yes, I was a judge, and I felt lots of knees, including some very rough knees, and some very ticklish knees, and some very knobbly knees! Bribes were abundant - a dollar for each judge tucked in the top of each stocking, a bit o' whiskey offered from a flask pulled out of a sporran. There were lots of taunts and barbs between the contestants too, such as, "A real Scotsman would never give away TWO dollars."

The man that won the contest had very knobbly knees, it felt like 3 knobs on each knee! His prize was a bottle of Scotch or whiskey and the title of reigning champion for the year. All I got was a dollar!

Pics are posted here.

Small World

Due to my work schedule, and Roy being in Kenya, Dale and Myriam took the kids overnight Friday. We met in Manchester for the kid hand-off, and I stayed at home Friday night. Saturday I drove up to Garnavillo after work and stayed last night. The kids and I drove back today. That's WAY more driving than I'm used to, usually Roy drives when we go up there. I finally found my way around the construction in Strawberry Point, so was later than I planned last night. On the way home, we took the posted detour. Duh, me.

We went to the Elkader Evangelical Free Church today. We've been there a few times, when we're staying in Garny for the weekend. I mentioned to a friend there that Roy was in Kenya, so he added him to their prayer requests during the service. It went something like this:

"This lady over here is a Duff from the Volga Duff's, and her husband Roy is on a mission trip in Africa with some eye doctors. She has that square car out there." After the worship service, a man from the Volga area talked me up about the Probert and Duff families being the first in Volga, about how they inter-married between the families, etc. He mentioned all the work my cousin Pete had done in Volga and that I should go see it sometime. Then he said I got the Scottish red hair, so I talked about the Celtic Fest, and they wanted to go but didn't this year. SO, after we left Roy's parents' house, we went to Volga and saw the new fountain, and we went to the Highland Cemetery and found pretty much all the Duff tombstones, including my Grandma Lillian's. There were lots of Robert Duff's there, kinda weird. Aaron was fascinated by all the tombstones. We saw old tombstones from the 1800's. Visits to the cemetery may seem morbid to some people, but I think it gives us a sense of our history, and respect for the people who lived before us. I only wish we'd gotten some flowers for Grandma Lillian's stone. It's been 5 1/2 years since she was gone, and with our Lillian's 5th birthday this week, I've been thinking about her.

He's a traveling man, made a lot of stops, all over the world...

Roy leaves for Kenya with a medical missions team on Thursday and will be gone for 10 days (until Oct 7th). He's going with his boss Dr Fitzgerald and 4 other people, a PA, and RN, a photojournalist, and another optometrist from their office. They are going as a humanitarian mission through Dr Fitzgerald's non-profit organization, but they are partnering or being sponsored by Empowering Lives Int'l (ELI).

They are going to a village called Kipkarin, which has a medical center. Part of ELI's mission is to train native Kenyans to sustain themselves, while still spreading the Word of God. The team plans to set up an optical lab so they can manufacture their own lenses after the team leaves. So far the only electricity is generator power, but the village is supposed to have electricity soon (as in within 5 years??). Roy has extensive lab experience, so he will be helping mostly in this area. He is very excited!

We would appreciate everyone's prayers for Roy and the team as they travel and work over there. Last year no one got sick and everything made it (27 boxes!). This year they're taking 25 boxes so are in the same situation. Please pray for protection from injury, disease, and no tariffs/taxes on the boxes.

Thank you,

Bridgit

They Say It's Her Birthday!

On Sunday we celebrated Lillian's (it's no longer Lily if you ask her) 5th birthday. Her actual birthday isn't until Wednesday, but Roy is leaving for Kenya, Africa on Thursday, so we needed to have it this
weekend. Her brother gave her a present of his own choosing - a Transformer toy of his that she always plays with. She was NOT pleased about getting a "boy" toy and stared him down a couple of times until they both started giggling.

She also got LOTS of High School Musical (HSM) stuff - blanket, dolls, singing card, handheld game and even an HSM UNO game. Also Barbie clothes, My Little Ponies on top of her cake, an art set and paper, her very own scrapbook with paper and supplies, and a picture album of her very own. A Sorry game, girly stuff like lip gloss and headbands, and various other items that a spoiled 5 year old girl loves.

We got her some books for her LeapPad, a bike helmet and new knee pads, elbow pads and bicycle gloves. But no new bike? Well, Papa played along with us and pretended he was going to the bathroom, but he really went outside and got her new bike (from Mommy and Daddy). Papa teased her as he brought in the bike, and said "Lily, look what I found in the bathroom!" She was confused for a little bit until we told her that Mommy and Daddy bought the bike for her! She was wearing a long straight skirt, but she still put on all the gear and tried out her new bike!!! The training wheels will come off very soon.

Lily, oops, Lillian starts Kindergarten next year since she has a late September birthday. The babysitter's daughter is a year older than her, but she's in school most of the day so Lillian gets to be the big helper and she loves that position. They do lots of phonics and one of her favorite quiet activities is writing letters and short words on "school" (dash-lined) paper. The fall and winter seasons also mean lots of crafts.

Aaron is 8 1/2 and in 3rd grade. He is becoming a block-out-everything reader. We have to call him a couple of times to get his nose out of a book. He tends to choose books that are too easy, so Roy got him the first two Harry Potter books. Of course, Roy read them first since they were really for him anyway!

Be sure to checkout lots of new pics in PARTY TIME and DAVID & ZOE!

I can't possibly sleep Mommy

Since Lily has a sore throat, we went to HyVee for some pudding. After taking her sweet time eating 2 cups of pudding - 1 lemon and 1 chocolate, I told her it was time to lay down. She begged me to let her sleep on the couch with the TV on. An hour later, she informs me that she just can't sleep, it's too hot, and she can't sleep with it noisy or quiet. I gave her the choice of laying down in her bed in her room, or she could clean her closet. She huffed upstairs and told me she would try to clean her closet all by herself. It's been 30 minutes, so I just checked on her.

Yeah, you guessed it:


She's asleep.

Who knew the last 2 weeks would be so......?

My twin niece and nephew were born on August 14th, and both got to go home on Aug 17th. Since then, life has been somewhat chaotic!
Monday the 20th I drove my sister to the hospital, where she was admitted for 2 days due to fluid retention in her lungs, high blood pressure, and a host of other complications. Diuretics, blood pressure medication and 2 pints of blood later, she's home by the 22nd.

Tuesday August 21st Aaron starts third grade. The ensuing attitude of a sophisticated young man develops rather quickly (see previous post).

Thursday night something possessed me to think I could stay overnight and help take care of the twins. It went fine, I'm just out of practice! Luckily I had Friday off to sleep, right?
Um, no. I went shopping at this great consignment store, and it was fill a bag for $20!!! I even got a box of free plastic hangers! Then i had to eat lunch, and finally laid down for a nap around 1:00. Then I read my book until I fell asleep around 2:30. Then I had to get up at 4 to pick up Lily & Aaron. So Friday night Mommy was CRANKY! Saturday morning came too soon, but I was doing better.

The kids and I spent Saturday with Sarah and the twins, and the kids noticed David's diaper contents were orange. They teased Aunt Sarah about feeding him carrots!

Sunday at church was great, we had an excellent sermon from one of our "young" elders - I think he's about my age. His sermon was initially about grief, but developed into more of a message about hope.

By Monday the 27th, David's diapers were looking red, as in blood. Sarah and Brett took him to St Luke's hospital here in CR, where they conducted lots of tests. The likely culprit was a severe milk allergy. Amazingly, David was calm and not fussy or screaming, like most babies do with a milk allergy. He is a laid back little guy, but this was definitely the Hand of God for him not to have any pain. Monday night David was taken to the U of Iowa Hospitals in an ambulance, so he could see the pediatric gastroenterologist there, to confirm the milk allergy. Sarah and Brett had a hard time finding the UI Hospital, as St Luke's gave them the wrong map, and valet parking was closed by the time they got down there. David, Sarah and Brett spent the night at U of I. The grandparents took care of Zoe back at home.

Tuesday the twins were 2 weeks old! David had an endoscopy (scope up his bum), where the doctor found a small inflamed area that was likely causing the bleeding. They also took a couple of samples for a biopsy to be on the safe side. The specialist was reasonably sure the problem was the severe cow's milk allergy as suspected. They sent him home with a special formula called Similac Alimentum. Sarah says it smells like dog food, but David likes it, and his diapers are now a weird greenish color, much better than red!

Papa Bob and Grandma Iris got to take Zoe to her regular 2 week check up on Tuesday. We joked that people wouldn't be able to guess if they were the parents or grandparents! David weighed 6 lbs 10 oz at the hospital on Monday, and Zoe weighed 6 lbs 10 oz at the doctor's office on Tuesday. They're twins, but who knew they'd weigh exactly the same at 2 weeks old??!

Due to all the hoopla, we didn't see the twins until last night (Wed the 29th). Wouldn't you know, they both look BIGGER?! David's cheeks have even filled out, though I doubt his cheeks will ever be as chipmunky as Zoe's! She was born with those cheeks! When I changed Zoe's diaper she peed on me as usual. She's peed on me more than anyone else I think. Luckily I'd taken off her sleeper since i knew she had a nasty #2 in there. She still managed to soak the changing pad and table cover. David likes to pee on people too, as he has a boy shooter. We told Sarah she should put a target up on the wall by the changing pad.

Sarah got a call from UI last night that David's biopsy was normal!! They can continue on the Alimentum formula, or try breastmilk or another formula. Miss Cheryl from church was there dropping of a meal, and she shared how 2 of her grandsons had milk allergies, and it took months of switching formulas to figure it out. Brett and Sarah have decided to leave David on the Alimentum, as it's working well and he's not having any problems. God has blessed in so many ways!

It amazes me how much our kids love taking care of David and Zoe. There's still some boy/girl favoritism, Aaron wants to hold David first, and Lily wants to hold Zoe first. They both love to feed the twins their bottles, and change diapers. Aaron didn't even mind too much when David peed on him. They can't stand it when we get there and the twins are sleeping, but we just explain that babies sleep - A LOT!

Today (Thurs the 30th), Lily's babysitter emailed me that Lily had sore throat and a low grade fever. I picked her up and took her to the doctor. She was really brave when they did the strep swab with the giant Q-tip. She even got a Barbie Fairytopia Mermaidia sticker! (That's VERY cool). Luckily it's not strep throat, just a virus. We'll have to stay away from the twins for awhile.

Wow, long post, and that's not even everything. I forgot how exciting baby diapers are, right?! If anyone is grossed out, you've probably stopped reading a long time ago, so no apology here!

Bridgit

Photos!

Our kids, Sarah & Brett's babies, etc. Click HERE! and on the album below. Sorry it's such a cheater post, I'll actually type more later, I promise.

Photobucket Album

On the first day of 3rd grade...

...my mom made my dad take my picture. He actually came in the building, in front of my friends and everyone. Don't they know I'm a third grader now? This is SO not cool. He even gave me a hug goodbye.

Notice his shirt says, "Parents for Sale: Buy One Get One Free".

Little Mama Lily

Lily and I spent the day at Brett & Sarah's. Lily was a BIG helper - held the babies, helped change diapers, washed dishes, and helped me boil bottles and put them back together. No wonder she fell asleep on the way home!
I am a terrible Auntie though, I forgot to take my camera! We took lots of pictures on Brett & Sarah's camera, so they'll be posted soon enough.
Aaron is at Adventureland with his best friend Trey, for Trey's birthday. They are very excited, as they are in the same class this year - 3rd graders already. They haven't been in the same class since Kindergarten, so this was a big deal. School starts Tuesday. Summer flies by so fast!

The Hansels are home

Sarah, Brett, David & Zoe are at home! We stopped by so the kids could meet David (he was in the NICU before), and hold Zoe again. They both held each of the babies a few times. Those little ones sure do put up with being shuffled around! Auntie Bridgit was a little too quick with the camera, so there were a lot of blurry pictures. I've posted the best (viewable) pics here.

Lily really really really wanted to be home in time for the premiere of High School Musical 2 on the Disney channel at 7 p.m., but guess who didn't want to leave the babies?!! We had to drag her home!

TWINS update!

Hello everyone,

Both babies are doing very well. David is still in the NICU, but breathing on his own, they will keep him there for a total of 48 hours. Tomorrow evening hopefully he'll be back with his sister and parents. Zoe is a little ham, making lots of faces and expressions. Her cousins Aaron & Lily got to hold her a lot tonight, and Aaron said he likes her even though he thought David would be better since he's a boy, but now he changed his mind.

On the way there, I told Lily she could hold Zoe, and said she'd need to be very careful and use a pillow underneath. Lily assured me she "knows how to hold a baby Mommy". Oh yeah, she does that all the time right?! When she got to hold Zoe, she looked over at Uncle Brett and said, "See Uncle Brett? This is how you hold a baby." I think he's got the hang of it already!

Sarah is doing much better today, she feels like herself again. Brett is a proud daddy!!

Brett took me upstairs to see David in the NICU. David has his own little room where it's nice and quiet. He looks smaller than Zoe, but I think it's because he didn't have a hat on. His nose is a little different from Zoe's, and his hair looked darker to me. I hope I can compare them side by side sometime soon here. Either way, they're both CUTE!!

CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES OF THE TWINS!

Babies!

Hello everyone, Auntie Bridgit here! My twin niece and nephew were born today, whoo-hoo!!

Zoe Elizabeth weighed 6 lb 1oz - 20" long.
David Jacob weighed 6 lb 5oz - 20" long.

The babies are doing fine. Sarah is very groggy and tired. Brett is a proud daddy! Grandma Iris says the babies both have dark hair, and they look so much alike you'd think they were identical (they aren't!). Zoe was sucking on her fingers like crazy.

Update:

Zoe is doing well under the warmer in the nursery. Once her temperature is stabilized she'll have a bath! David had a little trouble breathing and is in the NICU for the night as a precaution, but should be fine. Both of the babies are so long!

Sarah is still groggy, but the nurse was getting ready to help her up for walk when we left tonight. Brett is beaming! He took us (Roy, me, Lily & Aaron) to the regular nursery to see Zoe. When we got to the nurses station, he said, "I'd like to see my daugh-daughter." It was so cute, it was the first time he'd said "my daughter"! Zoe has plump little cheeks and long feet, and Grandma says David looks just like Zoe. We can't wait to see David tomorrow, and hopefully hold them both!

I'll post a few pictures of Zoe, hopefully I'll have pictures of David tomorrow!

G'night,

Auntie Bridgit

A dash of sarcasm

On the way home from Garnavillo today, the kids were playing "I Spy". Roy and I joined in...

Daddy: "I spy with my little eye, something blue."
Aaron: "My butt?"
Daddy: "If your butt is blue, we need to get you to a hospital!"

A few minutes later...
Mommy: "I spy something orange."
Aaron: "My butt?"
Lily: "We need to get him to a hospital!"

Our children are thoroughly brainwashed, and we like 'em that way

This weekend was Scion-filled family fun time! Saturday we stayed out in the cold pouring rain for the first Cedar Rapids Scion Show. Everyone got a t-shirt, stretchy wristband, backpack, hanging dice, and other miscellaneous items of frivolity. For the raffle drawing, Roy brought home a 12" subwoofer & amp! It was cold and wet, but we all had a great time, especially afterwards at Granite City.

When we got home, the kids had their sweatband/wristbands on, and Lily's boyfriend Austin was all concerned and asked her, "Lily, what did you do to your arm?!" He thought she had a cast on, because it covered her whole forearm. Lily & Austin are so cute, they have no idea what boyfriend/girlfriend is, but their older siblings seem to think it's funny, so they say keep it up. Austin is 5, and Lily is 4 1/2. At Vacation Bible School, I picked Austin up to wipe his face, and Lily came up to me a little while later and asked, 'Why did you have your hand on my boyfriend?" SASSYPANTS!

Anyway, back to this weekend.......We had planned to have some Scion buddies staying with us, so the house was moderately clean. Then no one stayed with us, and we had a clean house, so we had a bunch of the Scionoids over on Saturday night. Being the old married couple w/kids, we stayed at home when they left to go to a bar at 11 p.m. When they all got back for their cars at 4 a.m., we were very glad we stayed home in bed like normal people. They assured us they'd been at Perkins for a couple hours, and were sober enough to drive. Hope so!

Aaron had a great time with G&G Brandt in Garnavillo. He and his cousin Mitchell got to stay Thursday-Saturday. They went to the Clayton County Fair both Thursday and Friday nights, which Roy said was totally unfair- he never got to go for two nights when they were kids!
Aaron also came home with a new pair of Crocs (yess!) and a CD from the Coupe Devilles, who were playing at the fair I assume. Aaron is less than forthcoming with all the fun details, as he is an 8 year old almost 3rd grader with a mini-attitude. Grandma Myriam also washed all his clothes - bonus!!!! Aaron was back for roughly 20 minutes when he and Lily starting picking on each other as usual.

Lily leaves for G&G's on Wednesday, but she's convinced she's leaving tomorrow. She's already packing! She gets to go to G&G's with her two cousins, Laurelle (5) and Adriana (a young 4). Usually Laurelle and Lily are little mommies to Adriana, so they should be fine. We made sure her flashlight is working, as nighttime on the farm is pretty dark - I'm still not used to it up there, although the morning sun seems to stream in without much difficulty.

Anyway, back to this weekend........on Sunday, we went to the Quad City area for a Scinergy meet/picnic. I went to HyVee with another wife and we decided a cake would be a great idea. There isn't an official Scinergy chapter there yet, but I dubbed their club, "ScinergyQC", which we had them write on the cake. It was cool.
While we were at the park in Milan (hello Uncle Keith & Aunt Michele!), one of the guys who happens to be an electrician and Best Buy employee installed Roy's new subwoofer & amp (see above). The ride home was thumpin'!

As we got close to home, my sister (pregnant w/twins and on bedrest) called and said Brett was extremely bored, so we stopped by. Stopping by ended up being supper and a couple of baby-prep chores. Roy and Brett installed the bases for the carseats, and Lily and I helped pick out the babies' outfits for coming home from the hospital. Sarah keeps getting the runaround about when the babies will arrive, but it should be soon - she's 36 weeks already, with high blood pressure/pre-eclampsia. We can't wait to see David & Zoe in person!!

When we were leaving, Roy and Aaron went out the car and set the music thumpin'. Lily and I came out and started dancing in the headlights, until Roy busted up laughing. We didn't know that Brett had stuck his head out the garage door to see us bustin' loose! oops!

On the way home we discovered the radio was set on "Neutral", so we bumped it up to "Hear". WOW, big big thumps now!! We're obnoxious and we now it, clap our hands.....

What NOT to do for family fitness

I had a great idea last night - let's walk down to the nicely paved Cedar Lake Trail. Of course, that meant Aaron rode his bike, Lily rode most of the way in the wagon, and hyper-dog Loki came along on his leash. One lady said I needed another arm - no kidding! Especially the 180-degree rotating kind of arm! At one point, we had Loki's leash looped through the wagon handle, and he was helping me pull the wagon. Did I mention Loki likes rabbits and squirrels?!!! He only got off track once, but he is quick!

AND, it's 6 1/2 blocks to the trail each way, and we walked maybe 2-3 miles on the trail. UGH! I'm not used to exercise!

P.S. Definetely sore today too - must try again tomorrow, but maybe without the dog!

Roy and Bridgit, the Twilight Years

http://www.thatvideosite.com/video/4552

Passing fancy..

Why is it that our neighborhood popularity (with the kids anyway) depends on the size of our pool?!!

We had a pop-up pool, the kind with a pump and chemicals, but it started leaking around the hoses and we took it down. So yesterday Roy got a regular inflatable pool for the kids and set it up. One of the older neighboor kids came over in her swimsuit and asked why we got rid of our old pool. I explained, and told her she was welcome to swim in the new pool. She did for awhile, then went to play with another girl who has a BIG pool. Whatever!!

On another note, Roy bought a new lawnmower at WalMart last night. It's so quiet, just putts along. Roy said it didn't shake and rattle like our old one, and his arms didn't feel like rubber when he got done mowing. This is the first NEW mower we've had, as family members (DAD) always seem to get their hands on a "good used one". WOW, new is nice!

Over their heads

Don't you hate it when you say something really clever, but the kids don't get it?!

We were driving by the credit union and I pointed out there was an ambulance in the parking lot with it's lights flashing. I said, "Somebody got a high interest rate!", but the kids didn't get it.

Renault R25 Formula One singing engine

I am a total car chick/geek, I am well aware. Keep your comments to yourselves.

Spot the REAL doll

Ever have one of those moments where your kids are doing something so innocently cute that you just have to get a picture?

Fasting

Yesterday at church, someone mentioned "electronic fasting" on Sundays. I had to agree with someone else who admitted "electronic fasting" would be harder than fasting (not eating). I find myself constantly checking the news websites, email, shopping, other blogs, etc when I'm home. I can waste hours online sometimes if I don't get interrupted. So yesterday, I half-heartedly tried to abstain from electronics, but failed. When we were out in the backyard, I used Roy's Blackberry to check my email. I read a couple sections of the newspaper at a friend's house. I checked the golf score on their TV.
Was I expecting an important email? No.
Was there an article that interested me in the paper? No.
Anyone I knew in the Milestones section? No.
Did I care who won the golf game? No, I don't even like golf.
Was it worth it? No.
When I realized what I was doing, it seemed so irrelevant. The news, email, etc will be there tomorrow. Who says I have to read emails immediately, or even respond immediately?
Today at work I realized I spent my morning and afternoon breaks (15 min each) just checking email and the news. I could have taken a walk around the floor, walked to the breakroom, chatted with a friend. Instead, I'll probably get eyestrain from no break from the computer screen! I also listened to my iPod most of the day to tune out the phone reps around me. Another way to drown in electronic media!

I'm realizing it's okay to not check my email every time I think of it. I don't need to know the latest news, and I don't care who won the golf game! Ironic that I'm putting this on my blog, I know, but I'm not going to check for comments until at least tomorrow. For me, that's a step in the right direction.

The jig is up!

So Lily and I are just nicely home around 5 pm, when 4 of Aaron's friends show up, with bathing suits on and towels in hand. One of their dad's had brought them over, and he was under the impression that I was aware of this whole plan. The only problem is - no I wasn't aware, Aaron hadn't asked or said anything about it! And, Aaron wasn't even home yet! So, I went to pick him up and he says, "Oh yeah, I meant to tell you I told them to come over to swim tonight". What??? You meant to tell me? We had a talk about asking permission first before he invites friends over. I let them stay though, being to cool, level-headed mom that I am (sputter-cough-choke).

The dad stayed for awhile too, so I wasn't the only adult to watch 6 screaming monkeys jumping in our little pop-up pool. All the kids were good, and they had lots of fun. Most of them only stayed an hour, and the last two were leaving by 6:45. By then the kids and I were starving, so I whipped up some Kraft mac & cheese on the stove. I'm such a culinary mastermind.

The whole summer better not be like this!

I'm Iowa-bred and proud of it!

You have 87% Iowa in you!

Wow! You're almost all Iowa. No wonder you're such a likeable person. Isn't it great being so close to the greatest state in the country!

Do you have Iowa in you?

Out of the mouths of babes

On the way to church Sunday morning, Lily asked, "Do I look stinkin' cute Daddy?". She got really mad when we started chuckling, but we assured her she looked "stinkin' cute".

She had on a black halter dress, with a ruffled hem and bright embroidery on the top. She looked VERY Latina in it, especially when she shook her booty.

Lime pickles

Tasty tasty. Dad brought over some lime flavored pickles from Arkansas awhile ago, but we all balked - lime pickles???? He left the jar here and I just tried them on some brat burgers - yummy!!!
We had another whirlwind weekend. Friday night was the fundraiser/comedy show for the next Kenya trip. The comedian was excellent, and the crowd was wild! I'm sure a lot of money was raised for the next trip to Kenya in October (see Roy's blog for info about the first trip).
Saturday the kids, Aunt Sarah and I made the rounds at Robins' city-wide garage sales. They were few and far between, but we got some great deals. The Peppy's ice cream truck seemed to be stalking us, but we didn't succumb to it.
One garage sale was finishing up, and had a big FREE sign on the rest of the stuff, so we got an Exersaucer for the twins F-R-E-E! That was the deal of the day. We found various other baby things, receiving blankets for 5 cents, outfits for Zoe, one measly shirt for David - poor kid, the girl always gets more stuff. We were on the lookout for a snowsuit for David, but the only boyish one we found was powder blue with little clouds on it - not exactly manly. We passed on that.
I almost made an offer on a dining room table, but it didn't have any leaves, and with the Duff/Brandt family, we need leaves for our table sometimes! I found an unopened audio Bible CD set called "The Bible Experience" (New Testament). The lady said she got it for Christmas but never opened it. It's a $50 value, and I paid $1.00!!
Aaron waited all day for a garage sale with boy stuff, and we finally happened upon a boys' size 8 Nike shirt/short set, which he changed into in the car. He also got a zippered wallet that fit around his Nintendo DS, including the games.
Lily picked out a green and navy dress for $5, and a flowered denim hat. At the last garage sale she got a flowered shirt and a crazy tiger-print skirt, which she promptly changed into in the car. It sure didn't match, but when you're 4 1/2, you can wear whatever you want!
THEN, since we had avoided Peppy's ice cream all day, we went to Dairy Queen the end the afternoon.
For supper, we went to Culver's, where the kids had ice cream AGAIN. I just couldn't eat any more ice cream in one day - ugh.
On Sunday, Roy and Aaron went to the Camp Courageous Car Show after church. There were 3 Scions, and 2 of them placed in their category. Of course, there were only 4 vehicles total in their category.
Lily and I went with Brett & Sarah to our cousin Alan's high school graduation party in Elkader. He's going to Coe here in CR this fall. Sarah made a list of contact numbers for those of us in the area, including helpful hints like, "Empty-nesters like to take you out to dinner." and "Jared will show you all the unsavory things your parents' don't want you to know about." Our cousin Jenni works in the dean's office at Coe, so he can also "name-drop" as needed. The party was great, with cake made by my mom-in-law. I haven't had her carrot cake in a long time, and it was GOOD!

Aaron is the biggest Scion fan

I can't believe I haven't posted about Aaron's birthday yet - shame on me!
Aaron turned 8 years old on April 27th.
For Aaron's birthday, he begged Grandma Myriam for a Scion cake. Roy just happened to have an extra Scion emblem, which ended up on the cake.
Aaron also had a sleepover with 3 friends on his birthday, which was intensely loud and boisterous. Whew! We won't do that again for a long time. They had a blast, but I stayed up with them until 2 a.m. we were TIRED the next day and the day after that too. Click below for pics of the whole birthday weekend.

Photobucket Album

Blank Park Zoo

Remember when I said the kids hadn't been to a real zoo? Well now they have! It was 2 1/2 hours of family fun. We fed a giraffe, and saw lots of animals. Both kids had a great time. Sometime soon we'd like to take them to the Chicago Zoo or Omaha Zoo, so they can see even more animals.

We were exhausted on the way home after the All Scion Show on Friday night/Saturday, and the zoo on Sunday. Driving home I chatted with my sister to keep me going, and Roy called his Mom (it being Mother's Day and everything).

Photobucket Album

All Scion Show 4.0

It's our 4th Annual All Scion Show in Ames, IA! The pictures pretty much tell the whole story, or you can go to www.allscionshow.com if you're really interested.

For the raffle drawing for all registrants, I won an xB steering wheel that doesn't fit my car. BUT, it fits Roy's car, and it looks good!

An xA owner/friend won Putco grilles for an xB (like $599 retail people!), and she actually gave them to me!!! Roy put them on yesterday, and now my xB looks fierce. That's right, I said FIERCE! I'll post pics soon, I promise.

Aaron was one of the first group of people to ride in the 2008 xB that was brought from out of state just for the show. It's a lot different from the original xB (1.0), but it's growing on me.


Photobucket Album

Alien babies, weekend plans

Today the kids and I went with Aunt Sarah to her ultrasound. Aaron seemed very interested, and he pointed out some things, a spine, a head, and then we saw Baby A's feet kicking. Both kids were excited about that! The ultrasound tech said Baby A was kicking Baby B in the head, but we couldn't really tell. Lily was more interested in looking at the ultrasound wand on Aunt Sarah's tummy. We dubbed them the "alien babies" the first time we saw the 3D pics. They looked weird!! I think Baby B (Zoe) will be a little princess. She was calmer than Baby A (David). Sarah said David keeps kicking her like crazy.

The ultrasound was at 8:30, so I called Aaron's school and said he'd be late, probably by 10:00. Aaron did not like the idea of being late for school, but he wanted to go with us. We brought his backpack with us to the doctor's office, and we got him to school by 9:15 - only 10 minutes late! He was very glad he wasn't that late, but anxious to get inside. As usual, I only got a kiss blown to me - you never know who might see you kissing your MOM goodbye - yuck!

Lillian stayed home with me for a little while. She helped me do dishes - I washed, she rinsed, and I helped put them in the drainer. I took her to Michelle's around 10, I have to work in a little while. It's nice to have the morning off, but the afternoon kind of drags once I get to work. At least it's not a full day!

We're looking forward to camping this weekend. It's our annual All Scion Show 4.0 weekend in Ames, IA! I'm doing lots of laundry since with camping we'll need to run the gamut of spring/summer clothing, including jackets, sweatshirts, jeans, shorts, tank tops, t-shirts, etc. You get the idea. The Scion Show begins Friday night with a "Night Glow" contest - best lights after dark. Then Saturday is the big show with judging beginning at 12:00. It will be a long, hot day in the sun, but a blast! COME ON OVER TO WILSON OF AMES FOR THE ALL SCION SHOW 4.0 on Saturday!!!

On Sunday we plan to take the kids to the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines. My G&G took my brother and I there as kids, and I remember loving it. We went to Living History Farms with G&G too, but I don't know if we'll have time to do both on Sunday. I thought about going to the zoo because Lily and I went to the Bever Park Old MacDonald's Farm "zoo" last week on my day off. It's a small farm zoo with just farm animals and ducks. She like the goats, donkeys, sheep, etc, but kept asking where the hippos and giraffes were, like Daddy saw in Kenya. Time for a "real" zoo!!

I love headlines....

Clinton would make husband roving ambassador

Didn't he kinda do that already?

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Cousins Weekend in Decorah

Check out the pictures, I'll post more after my nap!
Decorah Weekend

Lots of monkeys in the family tree

I'm working on a family tree online at http://mrsxb.tribalpages.com. I'm going straight from memory (and a quick phone call to Mom). If you are family, take a look and let me know about any errors and give me more info where needed. I especially need info on the out of state relatives. I blocked the birthdates for privacy, but if enough people are interested I can assign a visitor password.

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Overheard in the car...

Aaron: "Whew, what smells like horse crap in here?"

Lillian: "It's my nuts!"







She was eating peanuts, and Aaron thinks they smell bad.

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Grandma Rules

The kids and I went to 2 stores for groceries today. After arriving home and getting everything inside before it rained, I started putting away the fridge & freezer items. I opened the freezer, and there staring at me was a Dairy Queen quart of ice cream, with big giant block letters saying, "FOR AARON AND LILLIAN ONLY"

Thanks Grandma, now Roy and I have to wait until bedtime to sneak out for our OWN DQ treat.

We had tacos for supper, but due to a picky husband and son, we didn't actually use taco meat. I added sausage seasoning to the ground pork, which was pretty good. I also had my black olives, tomatoes and sour cream, so I didn't complain about the meat. Lillian is the only one in the family who likes refried beans, but I forgot to buy them. We all like different things. On pizza delivery night (usually Thursday!), we order a pepperoni for Roy and the kids, and I get my favorite pizza - ham, mushrooms, and black or green olives. SO weird, I know. Lately Lillian has been wanting just cheese pizza, so we'll take off the pepperoni. I'm NOT getting 3 pizzas yet!

Emotional Reunion - Sailor Suprises 6 year old Son at School

You will cry, trust me.

A random test for everyone

I see there's some country music fans out there. Anybody Old Skool? I grayed out the ones that have been guessed. I need the Song title, the Artist is bonus points. I added a few more words to some of them. There's always Google if you get stumped. Keep going!

I borrowed this idea from my buddy Chris, who got it from somebody else. Such is the Internet!
Step 1: Put your iPod on random.
Step 2: Post the first line from the first 25 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing.
Step 3: Strike out the songs when someone guesses correctly.

Either email me at birdit24@yahoo.com with your guess (with the correct #), or post your comment here. Thanks for playing!!

1. Take my hands, take my feet, take the music to the street
2. She grew up in a Indiana town, had a good-lookin' mama, never was around
   
3. Love is a burning thing, and it makes a fiery ring
   
4. Like a hawk on the wind and the sun on the rise
5. Darlin' you've got to let me know
   
6. Baby lock the door and turn the lights down low - Just to Be Your Man, Josh Turner
   
7. Shake shake shake senora
8. Go ahead as you waste your days with thinking
9. I beg your pardon - I Never Promised You a Rose Garden
   
10. Chrome, she can see herself - Chrome, Trace Adkins
    
11. We rock forever we stop whenever
12. He was sittin' there his brush in hand
13. I thought number one would surely be me
14. I play chicken with the train - Cowboy Troy
    
15. And I'm amazed by you
16. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, for our Lord God Almighty reigns
17. It's easy or not to be wise
18. Billy Ray was a preacher's son
19. Desmond has a barrow in the marketplace - Ob la di, Ob la da (Life Goes On)
    
20. Hello darkness my old friend - The Sound of Silence
21. Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling
22. In my hometown for anyone who sticks around
23. Pack it up, pack it in, let me begin
24. Save me from this prison
25. Long awaited rains are falling hard upon the thirsty ground
    

Kidbits

On Thursday night we went to Sarah's for supper. Lily talked to Grandma on the phone before we left, and promptly told her, "We can't come to your house tonight, Grandma. We are going to your other daughter's house, the one that's having twins." Grandma Iris was floored, as she hadn't said a word about coming to her house, and it's not like she has a ton of daughters either!

Roy and I had to work yesterday, so Mom & Dad (Grandma & Papa) watched the kids. I called over lunch and talked to Aaron first.

Aaron: "We're watching the St. Patrick's Day parade. We're in Chicago, and we took a plane here. We'll be home later though."
Me: "How did I call you on Grandma's home phone if you're in Chicago?"
Aaron: "She brought the phone with us."

Then Lillian gets on the phone:
Lillian: "He is LYING Mommy! We are NOT in Chicago, we're watching the parade on TV!"

I think sarcasm runs in the family.

An interesting article

A Peculiar Prophet: Meeting and Being Met by God

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Major silliness at our house

Roy has gained 40 pounds of LILLIAN!!!

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Getting big...

My firstborn will be 8 next month, as he keeps reminding me. He can't decide whether he wants a sleepover, a pool party, bowling, or skating for his birthday party. We'll narrow it down in a few weeks. I have limited the guests to 3.

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Cabin Fever

ICE STORM 2007 - as KCRG has dubbed this latest weather. Roy's office closed at 11 Saturday morning, so went sent him to the store on his way home, just for milk. Of course, he came home with 2 bags of stuff plus the milk. By Saturday afternoon, I was starting to feel icky like the kids did on Friday - upset stomach, etc. I'll spare you the details.

The lights were flickering all day, but we have a gas stove, so we thought it would be fine to cook a lasagna, because the oven would stay on even if the power went off. We lost power around 7 last night, and the kids immediately freaked out. Roy had plenty of flashlights to go around, so the kids calmed down with their own flashlights. Oops - the oven has an electric start, so when the power went out, the oven didn't stay hot. We did take the lasagna out and put in the freezer though. For supper, Roy lit a burner on the stove top, and made mac and cheese.

At first Aaron was reading a book to Lily by flashlight, then he got his Gameboy out and Lily started watching a movie on Roy's iPod. Roy was reading a book on his PDA, and I was just trying not to move because my stomach hurt so bad. I had some silent prayer time though, since everyone was absorbed in their own thing. After a little while, we realized how ridiculous it was to each do our own thing when we could be doing something together as a family, so we played a game of Pirateer by lantern and candlelight. We all headed to bed around 9.

When I woke up at 12:30 am the electricity was back on, and my clock was blinking 12:09, so it must have just come on. I keep hearing a buzzing sound, which turned out to be our oven timer. Aaron had made sure to flip his light switch so his light would come on, so I turned out the lights downstairs and his light, and went back to bed. It wasn't too much colder than we usually have it at night.

Church was cancelled, so we spent a lazy morning at home. After spending every single minute with the kids since Friday, I was about to go stir crazy! This afternoon we braved the roads to go over to Brett and Sarah's. We stopped at Handimart to get some pop, and Roy found a cell phone in the parking lot. He turned it in at the front counter, and it belonged to an employee who was very grateful! Brett commented that half of CR was either at Hardee's or Handimart, and I think he might've been right. It was packed!

We finished cooking the lasagna at their house, and Sarah had 2 loaves of garlic bread, so we had a nice supper. We watched some movies, played games, and looked at old pictures. We came home by Roy's work, just to make sure the lights were working there, which they were. However, the whole strip by Westdale Mall was dark - Wynnsong Movie Theater, Culver's, Applebee's, Texas Roadhouse, and may other businesses. It was so strange to see it dark, when it's usually very brightly lit over there!

Brett's parents still don't have power, so they're staying with Brett Sarah at least for tonight. We drove by their place, and about 2-3 blocks on one side of their street are out. It's weird to see lights on one side of the street, but dark houses on the other side. They said their house was 59 degrees this morning, and this afternoon it was down to 43 degrees. Barb said it was fine until you had to use the bathroom - too cold!!!

Time to put the kids to bed...

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A Day in the Life...

I'm home with both kids today, for the obvious reason shown below:







We've learned that trash cans double well as puke buckets. Lily needed one last night, and Aaron's been complaining of a stomachache, though no evidence yet (GOOD!). Neither one of them have fevers. Lily seems fine today, but you never know. The nasty flu bug has been going around at her daycare, so I didn't want to take any chances. We rented a ton of movies since we're home today and we're supposed to get snow/ice/freezing rain starting tonight. YIKES! Maybe Roy won't have to work tomorrow?? Not likely, it would have to be pretty bad to shut down businesses.



Hope you all are nice and warm! We had 1 gorgeous spring-like day this week, and then it turned cold again. I think it was up to mid-50's! That's Iowa for you, can't predict the weather, any time of year.

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Aaron's Debut

Aaron began his singing career on Sunday night, at our church talent show! The church seating capacity is around 230, and it was PACKED. He did a wonderful job, and was the youngest performer by far. We are SO proud of him!!!

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Charlie and Zoe

I got a voicemail from my sister while I was at work today:



"I can't talk much now, but we're having twins." She was calling from the doctor's office, and later told me she and Brett were just sitting there like two deer in the headlights. Brett called his mom, and she called our mom to tell them, and a lady sitting in the waiting room just started giggling because they were so funny. WOW! We're all still in shock. Sarah said when Mom told Dad he just laughed and laughed.



Sarah wanted to tell Aaron Lily herself, so I managed not to blow it. She showed them the ultrasound pictures, and saved the picture of them side by side for last. She asked Aaron to read the labels, "Baby A" and "Baby B". They didn't catch on at first, but then they both started jumping around! Then Lily showed Uncle Brett how to change a diaper, and how to change a baby's clothes, because he's going to be very busy with TWO BABIES! Tonight I think everyone is still in shock, especially Brett and Sarah!



We decided Brett's mom Barb and my dad Bob should open B B's Daycare.



My how God blesses us!!!!!!

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Little moments like this

Last night we exchanged Valentine's Day cards, since Wednesday evenings are so busy - Roy works until 8, and the kids and I are at church until 8:15. Lily's card said "From your little girl", which she usually doesn't like b/c she's a BIG girl, but she told Daddy she'd be his little girl.

I was telling Aaron that when he was a baby he had a cute little butt, just like his daddy. Lily pipes up, "Daddy's butt is NOT cute!"

This morning I stayed home with Lily since she still had a fever yesterday, and our sitter's daughter is also sick. She had a scary dream and slept with us most of the night. She and I slept in until 8 am. When she opened her eyes she said, "You're the best mommy ever." How's that for a good morning?!

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Here's your sign

Overheard at work yesterday:



"Did you hear school is cancelled?"



"All day?"

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It's a new car!

I got my new Scion xB on Wednesday, and I LOVE it. My mom and sister actually let me drive to Williamsburg on Friday for a quick shopping trip, and then to Iowa City for lunch with Gpa Louis. They both hate my driving, but they didn't get critical until the way home from Iowa City. I expected worse, really. Sarah said Baby Charlie didn't like my driving (she got sick when she got home).

Gpa treated us to lunch at the Mid-Town Cafe, which is on the east side of Iowa City. He said it's named "Mid-Town" for when it really is in the middle of town. The food was good, my burger was tasty and everyone else liked their food too.

After that we went to Grandpa's apartment, and I showed him how to send emails. He knows how to read them, he just forgot how to send them. I've successfully received 2 emails from him now, and I think Aaron got one too. Hopefully now he can keep in touch more!

Dale & Myriam got their Scion xB on Saturday morning, a week after it arrived. Unfortunately, the paperwork was several days late and they had to wait. Myriam drove it home from Dubuque, and she said it made it up the hills around Guttenberg just fine (whew!). It's a lot smaller engine than their BMW, but much more practical-gas mileage, cake transport, etc. Plus it's just unique, especially in their area. Roy can't wait for a photo with all 3 xB's in the family now! She even liked the color I picked out - Salsa Red Pearl - NICE!

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Another year older, but not necessarily wiser

I turned 28 on Sunday, and wasn't expecting much fanfare. After you turn 21, that's about all there is, right? I was very pleasantly surprised though. On Saturday night Roy and I went to a movie and then dinner. After the movie I got an unexpected voicemail from a friend I haven't heard from for awhile; she sang Happy Birthday to me, but didn't leave her phone number! Then on Tuesday we got a birthday card in the mail from her, with her return address. I'm definitely going to send a card or something.

At church on Sunday several people wished me a Happy Birthday, and my mom got me a funny card. On Sunday afternoon we went toRoy's co-worker's house for the Superbowl. Again, not expecting much, I'm turning 28, it's Superbowl Sunday, etc. Well, they got me a cake! And a card! And they sang Happy Birthday to me! WOW, I was not expecting anything at all.

At work on Tuesday, our workgroup ordered TACO PIZZA from HAPPY JOE's, the best TACO PIZZA ever. Roy and the kids hate taco pizza, so the only time I get it is on my birthday, or if someone else chooses it for their birthday lunch. WHOO-HOO! I even got the leftovers since it was my birthday lunch. Warmed up TACO PIZZA is not the same, but it's still so good! I might have some for lunch today.



Oh yes, why am I typing this when I should be at work? Aaron had a 102 temp when he woke up this morning. I think it's just a cold, he's all stuffed up and has a cough. That kid sure has high fevers when he's not feeling well. When he was 2 1/2, he had a 104-105 temp, listless and glassy-eyed. We went straight from the doctor's office to the hospital, with a nurse escorting us (it was just across the street). It turned out he had pneumonia, except the pneumonia was viral, not bacterial, so the antibiotics didn't do much. I remember him just watching and not flinching when they put an IV in his arm, and he didn't like the breathing treatments unless it was a mask, because my dad uses a sleep-apnea machine and Aaron thought the mask was cool like Papa's. He was in the hospital for 6 days, and I stayed with him the whole time. I hope to never have to go through that again, with either of my kids! Oh yes, I was a few months pregnant with Lily then, and the nurses kept giving me snacks to fight my nausea. I was usually fine if I could eat a cracker or fruit. It's funny seeing my sister pregnant now, and she has it worse than I did. If Baby Charlie doesn't like something, it's not staying down!

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Lily's Big Accomplishment

Not to be outdone, Lily made up a nonsense song.

Aaron's Great Accomplishment

Chillin' with Daddy

See post below for more info on Lily's face.

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Arkansas isn't the only place that's dangerous

We had church in the park today at Squaw Creek. Don't worry, it was nice and toasty in the lodge. After lunch, all the kids went sledding. The sledding hill is huge, and the snow was mostly ice.

As I understand it, Lily and Roy were heading down on a big green plastic sled, a fast sled. This was their last run, then they were coming back to the lodge. They were going really fast. Roy was in back with one arm around Lily, and he was trying to slow them down with his other arm. They hit a bump, and Roy lost his grip on Lily. She went tumbling over the front of the sled, and ended up with her boots up by Roy's face. He rolled off the sled when he realized she fell off. Her nose was bleeding all over the place and wasn't stopping. You should see her coat, scarf, hat, snowpants, and boots. We're attempting to wash everything in cold water right now.

Anyway, Pastor Nate was going up the hill and saw it happen, so he helped Roy get her to the lodge at the bottom of the hill. I was in a different lodge but this one was closer and occupied by another private party. Roy took Lily to the bathroom and got her somewhat cleaned up. She managed to stop crying so her nose would stop bleeding.

I was at the other lodge having a great time playing Scrabble with some ladies, when Roy came in with Lily. The first thing I noticed was her coat covered (okay - not covered) in blood! Her nose was still bleeding some, but not bad. She had some scrapes on her face and her left eye and cheek were swelling up. Roy had the first aid kit from the car, but we were out of band-aids. I cleaned her up with some wipes and put a butterfly closure bandage on the cut on top of her nose - that cured it all. She's pretty banged up, and she'll be sore tomorrow for sure. We're just thankful to God that she didn't break anything or need stitches. I'll try to post some "Before and After" pictures.


1. At the top of the hill.
2. Recuperating at home.
3. Put on a happy face. The redness on her cheek is all scrapes, it doesn't look so good in person.

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A Bit of Culture Wouldn't Hurt

Two castmembers from "How I Met Your Mother" sing an impromptu duet of "Confrontation" from "Les Miserables" on the Megan Mullaly Show.

Evolution of Dance

Found this again on YouTube, I LOVE this guy!

A Proud Moment

Aaron has shared his incredible talent at burping his ABC's, including the end:
"now-I-burped-my-A-B-Cs-next-time-won't-you-burp-with-me!

I have reached the pinnacle of my success as a mother.

Playtime 2007

The kids were making a racket upstairs, so I checked it out. They were playing "Dog the Bounty Hunter". Aaron was hiding in the pile of dirty laundry (EWW) and Lily was finding him. SHE was "Dog".

Now she's hiding under the computer desk and Aaron is "Dog". He asked me if I'd seen the fugitive, and I just couldn't point her out.


The times, they are a'changin'!

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Winter blues turn into blessings

Yesterday morning we woke up to several (?) inches of snow, and still falling. We planned to go to Ames for a Scinergyia (car club) meet that afternoon. The streets weren't plowed yet, but we made it to church just fine, even early for once! It turns out 1st service and Sunday School were as planned, but 2nd service and all other meetings were cancelled. We decided then to not try to go to Ames, even though we were all disappointed.
We met my family for lunch and then went to Target for a few things. Aaron wanted to look at XBOX games so Roy took the kids over to electronics while I browsed in purses & clothes. When I found them later on in Electronics, Roy told me they'd found 3 more crates of Nintendo Wii's in the back and were bringing them out now. WOW. You have to understand, around here the demand is so high that when a shipment of Wii's come in, people stand in line for a ticket, only 1 each, and they're sold out in no time.
We aren't in the market for a Wii (no $$$), but a family we're good friends with had been trying to get one for their boys since before Christmas. We gave them a call and they made it over in time to get one!
So we couldn't go to Ames, but we were able to help our friends. That made it all worth it for us, and what a great example to the kids! Aaron was still talking about it last night.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Awhile ago, the kids, my sister Sarah and I were driving along 6th Street SW. When we were passing the salvage yard, Sarah said, "Look, it's Papa Bob's favorite place," and Lillian said, "Arkansas!" We agreed! HA HA

I suppose you should know that Dad has been regularly going to Arkansas to help his friend Jack build and remodel a house and building for missionary work among the Spanish-speaking community in Springdale, Ark. Lillian is convinced Arkansas is dangerous for Papa, as he has had the following accidents or problems while there:

1. Flipped a pickup truck, and burned his leg getting out of the truck
2. Contracted a toe infection that resulted in hospitalization for several days and having 1/2 a toe amputated

Dad is leaving for Arkansas again on Saturday, so he came over for a "grandkid fix" last night. Lillian gave him another stern warning about being careful in Arkansas.
Aunt Sarah came over too, but she shouldn't have eaten any pizza. When she got home she called me to say, "Baby Charlie doesn't like pizza." At least she made it home first. It's so fun having a pregnant sister, since I get to share the experience without having to go through it myself again. HA!

Apple

Once you go Mac, you never go back!

Try this...

getamac

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School

We found out Lily won't be eligible for Alternative Kindergarten next year - her 5th birthday is 11 days after the cutoff date. That answers that question! We thought about preschool, but she gets a lot of phonics work and learning at daycare, plus we'd have to pay for both preschool and daycare since we both work full time. Lily is "top of the heap" at daycare now, being the oldest one there full time. She is officially "Michelle's Helper", and she loves it there. We've decided on 1 more year of daycare, then regular kindergarten just before she turns 6. Aaron didn't go to preschool and he didn't have any problems with kindergarten or school, so we're hoping for the best.



p.s. NO SLEEP for us this morning, I should have known better. I tried, but just ended up being grumpy. The birthday party for Great Grandpa Val was fun, with lots of relatives, some from Ohio and Council Bluffs. It's great to see everyone who lives far away. The kids held up, but were ready to leave when it got dark. Early to bed for all of us for sure.

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Tired

What a night! Aaron and I stayed at church all night for the annual Grade School Lock-in. It was a busy night, but everyone got some sleep. We watched 2 movies, made tons of crafts, had ice cream pop floats, and played some games. We finally settled down to sleep around 1:30 a.m. Sleeping on the pews is fine, but you have to be careful. No one fell off this year!

Roy brought Lily over to the church this morning around 7:15, before he went to work. We had breakfast there and then packed up and came home.

We have a family lunch for Roy's Grandpa Val's 95th birthday at 12:00 today, so I hope we all can take naps this morning!

Tomorrow Sunday School starts being 1 hour instead of 35 minutes. I think we'll be able to fill up the time, my 1st graders always need more time to color, etc anyway. This way we'll get done there instead of taking things home to finish. They're all reading now so we're playing lots of hangman games. Sometimes I only have 1 kid, but usually 2-3. It's a small class, but that's fine with me. That way everyone gets some attention.

Off to bed (maybe) now...

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New Year's Day

New Year's Day we went up to Garnavillo, first to my aunt & uncle's house for a gathering of my dad's side. We had lots of food (again!) and played "Catch Phrase" in the kitchen, while some people slept in the living room (Sarah). We always have a nice time up there, very relaxing.

Later in the afternoon we went to Roy's parents, who also live in Garnavillo. For Christmas we got them a new wafflemaker and an Alan Jackson Gospel CD. Their wafflemaker had died several months ago, and we hadn't had homemade waffles since! We got to test waffles from the new wafflemaker, and they were SO GOOD.

Roy's dad also made a copy of Alan Jackson's Precious Memories CD for us. We listened to it all the way home, over and over. There's nothing like pure gospel hymns, without any "artistic license". That was a very good CD, and I'm putting it on my iPod tonight.

We all had Tuesday off, so we went down to Iowa City to see my Grandpa Louis. On the way to IC we saw a semi full of cows on the Interstate. Lily reasoned, "They're going to the vet, because they're so hairy." That's totally logical to a 4 year old, because everyone knows cows can't be too hairy, right?.

Roy helped Grandpa Louis scan some family pictures and put them on his new digital picture frame. Roy wants one of those, of course. It was pretty cool. Roy's going to try to convert the format of the "Memories" DVD from my grandma's funeral so he can add that to the picture frame memory card too. I think it plays music, so that will be extra special. We all still miss her, but she's at home with Jesus, a far better place.

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New Year's Eve Bash

We spent New Year's Eve "supervising" the Youth Group bash at church. There were about a dozen of us, including our kids and the adults. We started out the evening with devotions. I think devotions for young people are the best. I always get something from it.



A short time later, little did I know that I'd have to be a participant in a barbaric relay game:



There were two very cold 2 liters of pop, 1 Pepsi and 1 root beer. Each 2 liter bottle was emptied into a shallow bowl and placed on the floor. After counting off into 2 teams, each person got a bendy straw. Then, one a a time, each person ran over to their team's bowl, sucked down very COLD pop for 10 seconds, then ran back and tagged the next person. I will not drink root beer again for a very very very long time. UGH. We couldn't stop burping for the next half hour, and everyone had stomachaches. But yeah, it was pretty fun. Lily did get sick after we got home, either from the pop relay or all the junk food.



The kids played various group games, including Sardines. That's a form of hide and seek, but only 1 person hides, and when you find the person hiding, you hide with them. The tricky part was it was completely in the dark, in about 4 Sunday School rooms. My kids were too scared since it was dark, and you couldn't see a thing. I stayed out of that one too (I'm chicken when it's dark!).



Later we watched "Over the Hedge" on the big screen in the sanctuary. That was fun for everyone. We stopped it about 5 minutes to midnight, and Pastor Nate led us in a prayer. We counted down the New Year, then finished watching the movie. We got home around 12:30, and the kids were still awake! They only slept in until 8:30 the next morning - ouch.

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Here's the big news!

My sister her husband are having a baby!!!! I'm going to be an aunt (again!). We are SO excited. Aaron Lily already know, how could we keep it from them? Brett loves the name Charlie, but Sarah hates it, so for now it's "Baby Charlie", until the baby is born. We've been praying for them for over a year, and God has answered favorably!

Now we're praying for a safe, healthy pregnancy and baby. Lily wants a girl cousin and Aaron wants a boy cousin. Aaron and Aunt Sarah keep emailing silly baby names back and forth. Lily has promised to change diapers, even dirty ones. They're very excited, but we keep stressing that it's a LONG time until Baby Charlie arrives - late August or early September.

Lily hugged Aunt Sarah, and Aaron cautioned, "Don't squeeze too hard, you'll crack his egg!" Now he's seen a few developmental pictures, and knows the baby is well protected and not really in an egg.

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