Blizzard 2009!

Riley in the frontyard playing!

Shoveling and more shoveling!

3 hours later and I am really hating the snow and the cold, brrr....

All bundled up!

December has brought us snow and lots of it! We got at least 12inches if not more and then the wind started! It truly was a blizzard. They actually closed schools down for 2 days and then my work was closed for one of those days.

Movin' on! Our new place...

The kids bedroom, just need to add wall art!

It's amazing to have my own room again:)

One of my 2 1/2 bathrooms! This one is the main one on the upstairs floor.

Living room!

Kitchen! Cead Mile Falite...

It's been a month officially since the kids and I moved out on to our own. I have to tell you how exciting it has been and how lonely. WE had to establish our ne patterns all over again, like just the right time to get up in the morning and be out the door to go to daycare, school and work. The kids love there play room in the basement, and so do I since that is where all the toys live and I mean all of them. between 7:30p and 10p are my quite hours. And I enjoy them but miss having other adults around to vent or just discuss the day with. Also living on your own with 2 kids truly makes you grateful for any extra help you can get. Even though I confess to be super mommy alot, Parenting truly takes 2!

Dad's surgery-Triple Bypass!

Mom and Dad before Surgery.

Dad being prepped for Surgery!

Gotta love him!

They aren't nervous, well maybe a little:)

Trying to get some work done before the big surgery!

My dad has been having chest pain for the last couple of weeks and he went to the doctor and had some blood work done. The blood work came back elevated, so they had a chemical stress test ordered . That also didn't go so well. So on Wed, of last week Dad went in for an Angiogram. A couple hours later I recieved a frantic call from mom saying that they were taking dad by ambulance to another hospital in Des Moines that is considered the Heart Specialty hospital. We were then told that Dad would be undergoing a Triple Bypass. Which is a open heart surgery. Needless to say we were freaked out. My dad is 53. And this seemed way to much! On thursday he underwent the surgery, Dr. Pandhakar performed it. They harvested a vein from his right leg, left arm and used one from his chest. They then rerouted his arteries and closed him up. The surgeon said everything went very well. We then got moved to ICU. My mom wouldn't leave my dad's side and needed to sleep, so I stayed at night so she could go sleep in the waiting room, since they wouldn't let us sleep in the room with dad. For 2 days I ran on 2 hours of sleep. Now I remember why I don't work the night shift anymore. But I did get some major reading in:) Dad then got moved to Cardiac/Telementry unit and has steadily made progress. He will be coming home tomorrow. Yeah! I never want to go through that again. It's amazing how you look at life and the things that are the most important to you are relized when a person's mortality is at stake. I love my dad and am so glad that he is in my life!

Pumpkin Patch and the Corn Maze!

The hay ride, except it was dark!

This is the actual corn maze. It was awesome!

Saturday was a busy day for us, we also attended the Geisler Farm Pumpkin Patch with our ward singles group. The kids ran looking at pumlins or getting pulled in the wagon by "uncle Levi". We also did the corn maze that was incredibly hard. At one point Mckenzie and I got lost, she thought it was great fun, running around in the mud. Riley on the hand didn't like it so much once it got dark and he started to slip and slide in the mud. So "uncle" Levi carried him, until Riley got so scared and he peed on him. Levi took it very nicely, his girlfriend Nicole thought it was a great deterant, oops! We finally made it safely out, some a little drier than the rest. Hot Chocolate and Apple Cider was bought and then we went on the hay ride through the dark. Better watch out for those corndogs, they'll get ya! I'm pretty sure I have been banned form attending any more singles activites with my kids but we had a good time!

Disney LIVE!

Cinderella- I actually teared up when she sang the "the wish" song!

Buzz and I love these martians...

Tigger-bounce baby bounce!

Mickey Mobile-coolest car ever:)

Riley and his $8 drink!

Mckenzie or Tigger, could be the same!

Riley is saying, I'm #1!

Saturday the kids and I attended Disney LIVE! in Des Moines. The kids really enjoyed it. I was a little nervous about Mckenzie since we are in the "can't stand still" stage but she did pretty well. They really enjoyed the music and characters.

Home sweet home-our new place!

As of Nov 1st the kids and I will be on our own. We will be renting a 3 story-2 bedroom duplex in Huxley, which is only about 3 mins away from my parents. It has a pretty decent basement that is going to become the kids playroom. It also has a shower and the laundry room. Then is the main floor that is kitchen, living room and half bathroom. Upstairs contains the 2 bedrooms and full bathroom(tub only). It has a huge backyard and decent front yard. I am pretty excited that we get to take this on, if not feeling slightly insane. It will need some work, but I think it will nicely for the kids and I. I'm grateful I was able to stumble on it, because it allows Riley to stay in the same school district.

Bowling and Pool!

Stix-Pool!

Ankeny Lanes...

Last night I went out with my friend Jim, aka Jimmy to me! We went bowling, he used to be on a league and is actually a certified bowling coach. So he felt that it was his duty to help me out a little bit. My game is a little off! But by the 3rd game I was doing much better. I told him I was good on the Wii but I guess that doesn't count. He set the game up so I could achieve a 7/10 split, which is pretty much an impossible strike but I got it in! Of course I am leaving out that he went and stopped the game, went down the lane, and then proceeded to knock all the pins down except for the 7 and 10 spots. Then he set a bowling ball between them. I then took aim for the gutter with all my strength, which wasn't hard since the gutter and I are BFF's now. And presto I hit both pins! Yeah!!! I even got some cheers from the other people that were playing. Thanks Jim, a once in a life time expierence I'm sure. Then we headed out to play some pool. I got my mojo back pretty quick with that game. Smaller spaces are better for me. And cleaned the table at least once. All in all it was a fun night and I enjoyed myself. Friends are good to have!

CenterGroveOrchard-2009

Giant trampoline...

Safe in the brick house-3 little pigs!

John Deere poster child-tractor races!

Mommy and Mckenzie-corn pit!

The corn pit!

For the last 4 years we have followed a family tradtion by going to the Center Grove Orchard in Cambridge, Iowa. It is a wonderful place to take the kids and only gets better as the years have gone by. They keep adding things to it every year and we have so much fun. We usually go a least twice in the fall. Mckenzie was just a baby last year. So this year was a lot more fun to watch as they ran around this farm. They have animals-horses, pigs, goats, chickens and elk that they raise. The 3 little pigs houses-straw, twigs and bricks(Riley really enjoys that part.) The corn pit, the giant trampaline, tractor races, tractor rides., pumpkins, apples. And then they have yummy food-cider donuts, apple cider, fudge, soups.,etc. We have a great time. More information can be found at http://www.centergroveorchard.com/ .

Trouble with Teachers....

I'm a little surprised by this weeks e-mail from Riley's school teacher. I typically get a weekly e-mail regarding how he is doing since he is considered "special" since he has an IEP(Individual Education Plan). This is due to his language delay. He has made huge strides in his speech and comprehension. But this week it was about his behavior. He has been, as the teacher regarded it "defiant"! What! Are we talking about my kid? Sweet innocent Riley? Yes, it has come to pass my mother says, he truly is my child... So she basically tells me, the teacher, that Riley refuses to do what she asks. He has an another agenda. Not sure what that means. He's five. So I tried to let my bristles go down before I respond to her e-mail , asking her to explain the situations that he is being defiant. And ask her what she is doing or wanting us to do to help the day go easier. Because honestly , he does pretty well at home. He's usually very helpful and follows my directions. So I'm not seeing the picture she is relaying. Also, she says he's been in the nurses office alot. Well, that is true. I have had 5 nurse visit slips in one month. 2 incidents were on the same day. So my kid is slightly accident prone, nothing new there. So I responded by saying, if he's not bleeding don't let him go. Brush him off and continue with the day. I haven't received a reply yet. Kind of scared to. Do you think I'm taking this wrong?

Bathtime bumbles...

We love baths at our house! Especially with bubbles:) Riley can stay in the tub for hours and Mckenzie gets on her tummy and does this "swim like a fish" thing! Plus if it gets really soapy, they slide around like little seals. They have a lot fun and make a BIG mess!

Chicago chaos, the meat market, and I just want to go home!

Thought this funny, this is in Iowa, who knew we had a Wyoming here!

Yummy! Haagen Daas Ice Cream on the Pier...

Chicago Skyline...

Navy Pier! The girls...

Andrea, Mara, Me and Silara-Chicago skyline!

We stopped at the Chicago Temple, the girls needed some new G's!

This weekend I joined a handful of girls from the state of Iowa and we attended The Mid-Singles Conference in Chicago. We left Friday and arrived for the BBQ and dance at a really cool old golf club on Lake Michigan. It was actually the place where Pres. Obama got married. I would like to point out however that anyone who knows me and thinks I am a bad driver needs to drive in Chicago. They are insane! Now-the meat market! This is how I felt, it was like a heard of cattle being shuffled in and out. Over 200 people showed up and you could see everyone sizing each other up! It may have been that I was sick and I wasn't really in the mood to play the game, but for the most part I did not enjoy myself. Saturday was a little better mostly cause the girls and I left the rest of the group and did our own thing. No boys allowed! We walked Lake Michigan's beaches and went to a Latin Festival and then The Navy Pier which was my favorite! We went to Bubba Gumps for lunch. That was yummy. And just took in the sites. Sunday we went to church and then we headed home. But we almost didn't make it home. Since my car decided to start acting up. First it was electrical messages that started to show up and then one by one, my car started shutting down. First the air cond. and then the radio went. I'll I could think was, I want to go to sleep, in my own bed. Please, please keep running. We didn't even make it to Cedar Rapids. The car just stopped! By then I was in tears. We had to call a tow truck to come and get us out in the middle of nowhere. And then we had choices, do we stay in a hotel and hope they can fix my car or rent a car. Well, the tow truck took us to a dinky little town but we didn't have any way to get to the Cedar Rapids airport to rent a car, so a friend gave us a church members number who lived int he area and he came and took us to the enterprise rental place. Finally at 1:00am we rolled in. I was so grateful to be home. The only thing is my car is still stuck in Anamosa. And my Alternator needs to be replaced, oh joy! I'm not thinking all this running around to find "the one" is really worth it. If someone doesn't see your worth and isn't willing to take a chance than I am throwing in my hat!

Back to School!

Riley standing in front of his school!

See we are excited!

A new school year has started and Riley had his first day yesterday. Riley is going to Ballard West in Slater for Early Kindergarten. He goes everyday from 8am to 3pm. He has a locker for his coat and backpack and and his own desk. There are about 12 students in his class. His teacher's name is Mrs. Johnson. He also rides the bus. Riley really likes going to school!

Thai Flavors!

Pad See-Ew

Shrimp Wonton Soup

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

So on my own this weekend, I decided to broaden my horizons with Thai food. So I checked out the Thai Flavors Restaurant in Ankeny. Yum!!! It was a quiet little place with a nice atmosphere and great food.

Climb, monkey, climb!

Just Because... They are just so darn cute!

Mckenzie in her favorite boots. They are too big for her but she loves putting them on!

Getting ready for bed, having a snack.

Don't feed the animals, especially the monkeys!

I love my kids and they are just so cute! They really love each other and I'm glad they have each other for siblings and friends. I don't know what I would do with out them.

To Potty train or not to Potty train that is the question?

This morning Mckenzie had her usual diaper change from waking up. We were putzing in the kitchen or just getting breakfast ready. So we weren't really paying much attention to her. Mckenzie decided she wanted a little freedom, so she took off her diaper and then proceeded to pee on the kitchen floor. She then started to wipe up her mess with the diaper. It cracked us up. Is this a sign that she's ready to potty train? I'm glad it was only pee, anything else could have been really messy:)

"Hello, hello-um hello 911!"

Well, I have to say the day you get a phone call from a 911 operator is a day you won't forget! That day has happened for me. Mckenzie is my talker, she loves to talk on the phone. As soon as any of the phones rings she goes right for it and wants to answer it. It's the first thing she pulls from my purse and seems to have a sick sense anytime I lay it down cause she goes right for it and then "Hello, hello", we are calling china or 911! This evening I received a return call from a very nice 911 operator. She just heard a little person chatting away and then returned the call to make sure everything was OK. How embarrassing ! At least she was nice and we didn't end up with a whole crew of police officers knocking on our door.