Alayna and Tyler at the track meet
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Monday, May 23, 2005
May 23, 2005
May 23, 2005
This has been such a very busy week. Where do I begin? Well,
Bob had a car accident on the way home from work on Tuesday. He calls it a fender bender. He pulled out by Rockwell and didn't see another car coming and it hit him. It is a hard intersection where you can't see oncoming traffic. Thank heavens it missed his door and smooshed the door behind him. The side of his face hit the window so his jaw and neck hurt for a day or so. It worried me to death. I felt like Debra did on the last Everbody Loves Raymond! Plus Marisa was ticked that the car she gets when she can drive just got a huge dent in it- JK! Oh well!
On Thursday, it was Marisa’s birthday and she turned 11!! She also had 5th grade track day at school. For her, the fact that she survived it was a big deal. She had an enjoyable day and we even let her open a few fun presents. Then we finished "Phantom". The kids think it had the worst ending ever. I think I must agree.
On Friday, Corey and Hal arrived and Bob took the day off. We ran around for hours getting errands run and fixing things around the house. We got a great new patio set and grill. SO, we had a fun barbeque that night to try it out. Hal cleared our plot for our garden. We got a lot done!! We even went on a bike ride with grandma and grandpa. It was fun to have them along and it was a beautiful evening.
On Saturday, it was Kayla’s last track meet. She ran the 60 meter, the 100 meter, and the 200 meter. She did a great job and grandma and grandpa Hart got to come see. She has decided however, that it is not her thing. That’s ok, that’s why we try everything. On Saturday, it was also Marisa’s birthday party. I had been asking her for weeks if she wanted anyone to come to the party and she said "No- just family". Then all of the sudden on Monday she came home saying she wanted lots of friends to come. I wanted to throttle her. However, I said ok and she invited all the girls from her church class. 7 girls came which was so great. We had a big pizza lunch and then all watched "National Treasure" in our special entertainment room with surround sound. Amazingly enough, none of the kids had seen it yet, so it was so much fun. I HIGHLY recommend that movie. It was so awesome!! Then we had a giant birthday cookie (she preferred that over cake) and opened presents. She had a perfect birthday which made me happy too!
After the party, we went back to work with projects around the house. We put in two cool shelves in Tyler’s room to display his dinosaur collection and put in a bookshelf so he could keep his special books there. We ran errands at Menards. Bob and Hal fixed the door handle on the dented car and the navigation system in the van. It was a busy evening!!
On Sunday, in the evening, Corey and Hal gave us this fabulous slide show presentation of their trip to China. It was so cool. Then I made homemade guacamole and kid friendly margaritas and taught the kids how to make homemade tortillas. It all turned out so yummy!! Then grandma and grandpa had to leave. They are headed to L.A. this week. We love having then so close now.
In other news, Marisa was nominated for the People to People Leadership Conference in Washington DC. It is way too expensive, but she was still excited to be nominated! Alayna has started throwing tantrums. We all ignore and walk away which makes her more angry, Hopefully it will curb that behavior before it starts. She has been a handful, but is communicating really well now. She can almost sing her A,B,C’s. Thansk to Dora most of her singing is in Spanish!
Well, I guess that’s it. Our love to you all!
This has been such a very busy week. Where do I begin? Well,
Bob had a car accident on the way home from work on Tuesday. He calls it a fender bender. He pulled out by Rockwell and didn't see another car coming and it hit him. It is a hard intersection where you can't see oncoming traffic. Thank heavens it missed his door and smooshed the door behind him. The side of his face hit the window so his jaw and neck hurt for a day or so. It worried me to death. I felt like Debra did on the last Everbody Loves Raymond! Plus Marisa was ticked that the car she gets when she can drive just got a huge dent in it- JK! Oh well!
On Thursday, it was Marisa’s birthday and she turned 11!! She also had 5th grade track day at school. For her, the fact that she survived it was a big deal. She had an enjoyable day and we even let her open a few fun presents. Then we finished "Phantom". The kids think it had the worst ending ever. I think I must agree.
On Friday, Corey and Hal arrived and Bob took the day off. We ran around for hours getting errands run and fixing things around the house. We got a great new patio set and grill. SO, we had a fun barbeque that night to try it out. Hal cleared our plot for our garden. We got a lot done!! We even went on a bike ride with grandma and grandpa. It was fun to have them along and it was a beautiful evening.
On Saturday, it was Kayla’s last track meet. She ran the 60 meter, the 100 meter, and the 200 meter. She did a great job and grandma and grandpa Hart got to come see. She has decided however, that it is not her thing. That’s ok, that’s why we try everything. On Saturday, it was also Marisa’s birthday party. I had been asking her for weeks if she wanted anyone to come to the party and she said "No- just family". Then all of the sudden on Monday she came home saying she wanted lots of friends to come. I wanted to throttle her. However, I said ok and she invited all the girls from her church class. 7 girls came which was so great. We had a big pizza lunch and then all watched "National Treasure" in our special entertainment room with surround sound. Amazingly enough, none of the kids had seen it yet, so it was so much fun. I HIGHLY recommend that movie. It was so awesome!! Then we had a giant birthday cookie (she preferred that over cake) and opened presents. She had a perfect birthday which made me happy too!
After the party, we went back to work with projects around the house. We put in two cool shelves in Tyler’s room to display his dinosaur collection and put in a bookshelf so he could keep his special books there. We ran errands at Menards. Bob and Hal fixed the door handle on the dented car and the navigation system in the van. It was a busy evening!!
On Sunday, in the evening, Corey and Hal gave us this fabulous slide show presentation of their trip to China. It was so cool. Then I made homemade guacamole and kid friendly margaritas and taught the kids how to make homemade tortillas. It all turned out so yummy!! Then grandma and grandpa had to leave. They are headed to L.A. this week. We love having then so close now.
In other news, Marisa was nominated for the People to People Leadership Conference in Washington DC. It is way too expensive, but she was still excited to be nominated! Alayna has started throwing tantrums. We all ignore and walk away which makes her more angry, Hopefully it will curb that behavior before it starts. She has been a handful, but is communicating really well now. She can almost sing her A,B,C’s. Thansk to Dora most of her singing is in Spanish!
Well, I guess that’s it. Our love to you all!
Sunday, May 15, 2005
May 15, 2005
May 15, 2005
Well, I traveled with the Stake RS today to a town called Waverly. It is about
1 ½ hours North. The Waverly branch just broke ground for a chapel, they have been meeting in the town hall which has a gorgeous view. The fun part is that one guy there is a guy I went to college with and haven’t seen since he sang at our wedding. It was fun to see him and meet his family. We were asked during sacrament meeting to speak for a couple of minutes. I think I may need to start coming prepared to speak!!
On Monday, Marisa had a combined Orchestra concert with Indian Creek Elementary. Bob took Kayla to go see it and I heard it went well. She had a huge final concert with all elementary and middle school orchestras. Kayla and I went to go see that one. Once again, it was an amazing performance. We found out only 2 middle schools in Iowa have a full orchestra and ours is one of them. We also heard all the awards they have won in competitions and found out that the program is ranked one of the best in the country. How lucky we truly are! Marisa did such a great job!
On Tuesday, we thoroughly enjoyed the finale of "The Amazing Race". The kids and I were literally on our feet jumping and cheering . We have such fun together!
We spent some time bike riding again this week. However, the temperature dropped and then it rained for several days, so we weren’t able to go out then. But we love to go out and Tyler finally figured out how to get on and start riding by himself. Before, we had to hold it til he started pedaling. Hopefully the weather will cooperate more this week. We make a huge train of bikes on the road. We hope to branch out to some fun trails soon.
Kayla had a fun assignment for school this weekend. She had to take a historic tour of Marion. SO, bob took the 3 older kids out to do that on Saturday. They had a great time and learned a lot more about Marion. (Basically driving in the car following a paper she had) Yesterday was a very busy day!! Marisa and dad mowed the lawn, I did the grocery shopping, they went on the historic tour, cleaned the house, got Wendy’s for dinner, made homemade frosty’s, then watched some movies. Crazy day! We started watching "Phantom of the Opera" and the kids have LOVED it so far. They love the music too. I have never seen it so hopefully the rest is ok for them to watch.
The kids have been putting leftover salad from dinner in the bunny holes in the backyard and we seem to have bunnies back there all the time now. The kids love it, Bob is not so thrilled. Alayna is always back there chasing birds and bunnies.
Well, I can’t think of much else going on. Have a wonderful and fun week!
Well, I traveled with the Stake RS today to a town called Waverly. It is about
1 ½ hours North. The Waverly branch just broke ground for a chapel, they have been meeting in the town hall which has a gorgeous view. The fun part is that one guy there is a guy I went to college with and haven’t seen since he sang at our wedding. It was fun to see him and meet his family. We were asked during sacrament meeting to speak for a couple of minutes. I think I may need to start coming prepared to speak!!
On Monday, Marisa had a combined Orchestra concert with Indian Creek Elementary. Bob took Kayla to go see it and I heard it went well. She had a huge final concert with all elementary and middle school orchestras. Kayla and I went to go see that one. Once again, it was an amazing performance. We found out only 2 middle schools in Iowa have a full orchestra and ours is one of them. We also heard all the awards they have won in competitions and found out that the program is ranked one of the best in the country. How lucky we truly are! Marisa did such a great job!
On Tuesday, we thoroughly enjoyed the finale of "The Amazing Race". The kids and I were literally on our feet jumping and cheering . We have such fun together!
We spent some time bike riding again this week. However, the temperature dropped and then it rained for several days, so we weren’t able to go out then. But we love to go out and Tyler finally figured out how to get on and start riding by himself. Before, we had to hold it til he started pedaling. Hopefully the weather will cooperate more this week. We make a huge train of bikes on the road. We hope to branch out to some fun trails soon.
Kayla had a fun assignment for school this weekend. She had to take a historic tour of Marion. SO, bob took the 3 older kids out to do that on Saturday. They had a great time and learned a lot more about Marion. (Basically driving in the car following a paper she had) Yesterday was a very busy day!! Marisa and dad mowed the lawn, I did the grocery shopping, they went on the historic tour, cleaned the house, got Wendy’s for dinner, made homemade frosty’s, then watched some movies. Crazy day! We started watching "Phantom of the Opera" and the kids have LOVED it so far. They love the music too. I have never seen it so hopefully the rest is ok for them to watch.
The kids have been putting leftover salad from dinner in the bunny holes in the backyard and we seem to have bunnies back there all the time now. The kids love it, Bob is not so thrilled. Alayna is always back there chasing birds and bunnies.
Well, I can’t think of much else going on. Have a wonderful and fun week!
Sunday, May 08, 2005
May 8, 2005
May 8, 2005
This is my favorite week of the year. I get my birthday and Mother’s day rolled together in one. It has been such a fun weekend. I turned 34 yesterday and am proud of it! Bob took me to Olive Garden for lunch while Marisa babysat the kids. That was so nice. Then Bob and I stopped off at Kohl’s and I bought myself an adorable summer pajama outfit. Then I promptly came home and changed into it. We watched a movie and in lieu of birthday cake I had kitkat bites and chocolate chip cookies- now that is heaven!!
Today, I wore my new outfit I bought for my birthday and Marisa and Kayla made me corsages in Activity Days that matched what I wore. I loved it! So- all of us girls went to church matching today. I also helped teach the RS lesson which I think went well. Sometimes I can be funny and I actually pulled it off today. The kids stayed quiet so I could get a nap and enjoy the day. A special HAPPY MOTHER’s DAY to all you moms out there!!
On Monday, we had one set of missionaries over for dinner and then they stayed (along with my VT companion) to watch "The Work and the Glory". We absolutely LOVED it!! What a wonderful movie. The kids loved it so much that I am going to start reading the books to them. The next night, the other missionaries happened to stop by on their bikes, so we had them stay for dinner too. These poor guys are not getting fed enough...
On Thursday, it was our enrichment night and I was part of the VT program. But the rest was all about Mexico. We had a lady who talked to us about her Spanish heritage (her ancestors were at the Alamo, etc) Then I learned how to make tortillas from scratch as well as homemade chimichangas and guacamole which was so awesome if I do say so myself. We also got the recipe for this yummy kid friendly margarita. Maybe I should post the recipes in case people want them? So, we decided we will do an FHE on that so the kids can learn too.
Kayla had her second track meet this weekend. We had MUCH better weather this time and it was at a big stadium. She did well, but it scared her that everyone was so fast. She wore out on the 200 meter (half track) so we couldn’t talk her into trying the relay run or the 400 meter. It really discourages her that others can beat her, but hopefully she will still try again for her last meet on May 21.
Marisa has been reading like crazy again and finished 2 Nancy Drew books this weekend. We went out bike riding a lot as a family and Tyler has finally learned how to turn as well as dismount without falling over. His knees and legs are horribly bruised but that comes with learning how to ride a bike right?
Alayna really made mommy and daddy mad this week. Sunday night, Bob was making homemade pizza. When he turned the oven on, Marisa kept commenting on a weird smell. I told her it was just misc. stuff on the bottom of the oven. HOWEVER, when Bob went to put the pizza in, we found my scissors and tongs as well as the kids plastic bead projects all on the oven rack. Of course the handles on my scissors and tongs had melted off leaving strings of plastic attached to very hot metal pieces. I swear, I hope she gets 5 kids JUST LIKE HER!!! On the other hand, she has LOVED going outside in the backyard to play and explore. Her favorite past time is chasing birds and bunnies. We just saw that there are baby bunnies now as well. She often goes out by herself and can actually play alone for a while without getting into trouble which has been so great.
Happy Mother’s Day!
This is my favorite week of the year. I get my birthday and Mother’s day rolled together in one. It has been such a fun weekend. I turned 34 yesterday and am proud of it! Bob took me to Olive Garden for lunch while Marisa babysat the kids. That was so nice. Then Bob and I stopped off at Kohl’s and I bought myself an adorable summer pajama outfit. Then I promptly came home and changed into it. We watched a movie and in lieu of birthday cake I had kitkat bites and chocolate chip cookies- now that is heaven!!
Today, I wore my new outfit I bought for my birthday and Marisa and Kayla made me corsages in Activity Days that matched what I wore. I loved it! So- all of us girls went to church matching today. I also helped teach the RS lesson which I think went well. Sometimes I can be funny and I actually pulled it off today. The kids stayed quiet so I could get a nap and enjoy the day. A special HAPPY MOTHER’s DAY to all you moms out there!!
On Monday, we had one set of missionaries over for dinner and then they stayed (along with my VT companion) to watch "The Work and the Glory". We absolutely LOVED it!! What a wonderful movie. The kids loved it so much that I am going to start reading the books to them. The next night, the other missionaries happened to stop by on their bikes, so we had them stay for dinner too. These poor guys are not getting fed enough...
On Thursday, it was our enrichment night and I was part of the VT program. But the rest was all about Mexico. We had a lady who talked to us about her Spanish heritage (her ancestors were at the Alamo, etc) Then I learned how to make tortillas from scratch as well as homemade chimichangas and guacamole which was so awesome if I do say so myself. We also got the recipe for this yummy kid friendly margarita. Maybe I should post the recipes in case people want them? So, we decided we will do an FHE on that so the kids can learn too.
Kayla had her second track meet this weekend. We had MUCH better weather this time and it was at a big stadium. She did well, but it scared her that everyone was so fast. She wore out on the 200 meter (half track) so we couldn’t talk her into trying the relay run or the 400 meter. It really discourages her that others can beat her, but hopefully she will still try again for her last meet on May 21.
Marisa has been reading like crazy again and finished 2 Nancy Drew books this weekend. We went out bike riding a lot as a family and Tyler has finally learned how to turn as well as dismount without falling over. His knees and legs are horribly bruised but that comes with learning how to ride a bike right?
Alayna really made mommy and daddy mad this week. Sunday night, Bob was making homemade pizza. When he turned the oven on, Marisa kept commenting on a weird smell. I told her it was just misc. stuff on the bottom of the oven. HOWEVER, when Bob went to put the pizza in, we found my scissors and tongs as well as the kids plastic bead projects all on the oven rack. Of course the handles on my scissors and tongs had melted off leaving strings of plastic attached to very hot metal pieces. I swear, I hope she gets 5 kids JUST LIKE HER!!! On the other hand, she has LOVED going outside in the backyard to play and explore. Her favorite past time is chasing birds and bunnies. We just saw that there are baby bunnies now as well. She often goes out by herself and can actually play alone for a while without getting into trouble which has been so great.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Sunday, May 01, 2005
May 1, 2005
May 1, 2005
Marisa has been hiding out in her room all weekend. She just finished reading the 4th Harry Potter book just this weekend. She is such a fast reader. She also read two other books this week- two from the series of unfortunate events. She is like a reading machine, I tell ya! She has also been practicing the violin every day faithfully and is sounding pretty good.
Kayla gave a great talk in primary today. She and Tyler have been playing spies around the house. They can be very creative. Kayla took all the money she got for her birthday and bought a portable CD player this weekend. She LOVES it. It also plays MP3 disks so she is in heaven. She has been wanting one to listen to music on the bus home from school. Her best friend just got one, so Kayla decided she wanted to use her money to get that too. She has been in her own little "music world".
Tyler has been reading his new books about sharks and learning a lot about them. Looks like we will have to rent "Jaws" next!
Alayna has been a handful this week. I had a really good friend point out this week that I never write much anymore about Alayna and the disasters she causes. Well, that’s because she had been being pretty good. But, as if on clue, she started up again this week with a vengeance!! She ran out of our front door into the street and Kayla caught her just before she got hit by a car, she ran out again another day and the Mayor caught her, she emptied the sugar in the cupboard and then licked it off the floor (while the missionaries were here!), we caught her in the bathroom sink yesterday and she said "I am washing my hair"-she was covered in water and shampoo! So there! Psycho two year old is back!!
Bob got a new calling today. He is now 1st counselor in the Elder’s quorum. So, he will also be released as a ward missionary. I went to our ward today but then also visited another ward with the Stake. Plus, Bob and I sang with a octet in church today so it’s been a busy day.
This week we had all 4 missionaries over for dinner (since I am in charge of it I figured I could have all 4 over!) We had a fun dinner. It is always so wonderful to have them in our home. On Saturday, the CR missionaries came to teach a lesson in our home, but the family we were to help teach didn’t show, so we fed the missionaries dinner instead. Funny story: I went in to get out stuff to make chili dogs and found that the kids had eaten most of the hot dogs at lunch! So, I secretly sent Marisa running to the store to buy hot dogs. She bought a pack that was 59 cents- should be a big hint there. When I cooked them, they all blew up. The missionaries were sweet and ate them anyway. (They must have been very hungry)
On Friday night, we had a big ward FHE (family home evening). They decorated the church like a big park and had everyone bring their own picnic dinners for their family. Then our family was asked to do a presentation of our favorite FHE we have had. So, we did a fun skit about our family olympics. Then they had a fun scavenger hunt that took us around the church. The kids had a great time.
We spent lots of time bike riding again. On Tuesday, Marisa and I decided to go for an evening ride. It had been raining all day and it had stopped. Alayna begged to go, so I got her helmet on and wrapped her in a blanket. We drove out about ½ mile away and then it started to HAIL!!! Now, I don’t know how many of you have actually been out in a hail storm, but that is crazy! It was coming down so hard. I wrapped Alayna up like a big ball and rode as fast as I could. Marisa and I ended up soaked and pelted. What an experience that was!
We saw "Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo" with the kids on Friday. It is such funny stuff- like you are in a time warp. Last night, Bob, Marisa and I watched "Ladder 49". It gave a great look at firefighters- was a lot like "Backdraft". We liked it. (Was irritated at the ending though!!) Well, we are off to make homemade pizza and watch "The Work and the Glory" which just arrived yesterday and we are dying to watch. Have a wonderful week. My new favorite song is from Celine Dion called "I’m Alive". It’s my new life motto! Hugs and kisses!
Marisa has been hiding out in her room all weekend. She just finished reading the 4th Harry Potter book just this weekend. She is such a fast reader. She also read two other books this week- two from the series of unfortunate events. She is like a reading machine, I tell ya! She has also been practicing the violin every day faithfully and is sounding pretty good.
Kayla gave a great talk in primary today. She and Tyler have been playing spies around the house. They can be very creative. Kayla took all the money she got for her birthday and bought a portable CD player this weekend. She LOVES it. It also plays MP3 disks so she is in heaven. She has been wanting one to listen to music on the bus home from school. Her best friend just got one, so Kayla decided she wanted to use her money to get that too. She has been in her own little "music world".
Tyler has been reading his new books about sharks and learning a lot about them. Looks like we will have to rent "Jaws" next!
Alayna has been a handful this week. I had a really good friend point out this week that I never write much anymore about Alayna and the disasters she causes. Well, that’s because she had been being pretty good. But, as if on clue, she started up again this week with a vengeance!! She ran out of our front door into the street and Kayla caught her just before she got hit by a car, she ran out again another day and the Mayor caught her, she emptied the sugar in the cupboard and then licked it off the floor (while the missionaries were here!), we caught her in the bathroom sink yesterday and she said "I am washing my hair"-she was covered in water and shampoo! So there! Psycho two year old is back!!
Bob got a new calling today. He is now 1st counselor in the Elder’s quorum. So, he will also be released as a ward missionary. I went to our ward today but then also visited another ward with the Stake. Plus, Bob and I sang with a octet in church today so it’s been a busy day.
This week we had all 4 missionaries over for dinner (since I am in charge of it I figured I could have all 4 over!) We had a fun dinner. It is always so wonderful to have them in our home. On Saturday, the CR missionaries came to teach a lesson in our home, but the family we were to help teach didn’t show, so we fed the missionaries dinner instead. Funny story: I went in to get out stuff to make chili dogs and found that the kids had eaten most of the hot dogs at lunch! So, I secretly sent Marisa running to the store to buy hot dogs. She bought a pack that was 59 cents- should be a big hint there. When I cooked them, they all blew up. The missionaries were sweet and ate them anyway. (They must have been very hungry)
On Friday night, we had a big ward FHE (family home evening). They decorated the church like a big park and had everyone bring their own picnic dinners for their family. Then our family was asked to do a presentation of our favorite FHE we have had. So, we did a fun skit about our family olympics. Then they had a fun scavenger hunt that took us around the church. The kids had a great time.
We spent lots of time bike riding again. On Tuesday, Marisa and I decided to go for an evening ride. It had been raining all day and it had stopped. Alayna begged to go, so I got her helmet on and wrapped her in a blanket. We drove out about ½ mile away and then it started to HAIL!!! Now, I don’t know how many of you have actually been out in a hail storm, but that is crazy! It was coming down so hard. I wrapped Alayna up like a big ball and rode as fast as I could. Marisa and I ended up soaked and pelted. What an experience that was!
We saw "Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo" with the kids on Friday. It is such funny stuff- like you are in a time warp. Last night, Bob, Marisa and I watched "Ladder 49". It gave a great look at firefighters- was a lot like "Backdraft". We liked it. (Was irritated at the ending though!!) Well, we are off to make homemade pizza and watch "The Work and the Glory" which just arrived yesterday and we are dying to watch. Have a wonderful week. My new favorite song is from Celine Dion called "I’m Alive". It’s my new life motto! Hugs and kisses!
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