Blah Blah

 - So Steve's step-sister got married on Saturday. We were invited and we never really even thought about going. He isn't close to her (didn't even know her last name when I was tried to look up wedding registries!) and I've only met her three times in 10 years. However, we found out Saturday morning that we were the only ones of his family NOT going! OOPS! I'm sure she didn't miss us and didn't think twice about us not being there. I bought the card, how long before Steve signs it and mails it?

- Miss Piper was throwing peas on the floor tonight. She isn't a big fan of real vegetables yet, but we keep trying. I sternly said 'NO!' to her...she got so sad and started crying! I'm her momma and she is my sweet girl, I shouldn't tell her no! :)

- When Steve drops P off at preschool tomorrow he is going to ask about her teachers. We literally haven't seen either one of them in a week...since she started her 'senior' class. I'm guessing she is doing good, no news is good news right? The teachers in her last room were so welcoming and nice and just thought she was the sweetest thing but now I have no clue what is going on, how she is doing, if she is talking, participating. Hopefully this is just a temporary issue, if not guess I'll be emailing and be that obnoxious parent.

- Presley told me last week and the teacher said they have to wear sandals or tennis shoes but no flip flops (which is normally what she wears). I asked her why the teachers didn't tell the parents that and she said Miss Cheri was going to text message me! Sure! (but I guess since we don't see them, texting might be the best option!)

- I'm reading Divergent...thank you Holly for suggesting it. Super good! Three books in the series and there will be a movie next year. If you liked the Hunger Games...read this!

- So my dad and uncle were adopted when they were 8 years old. My dad has wanted nothing to do with his 'real' family since (besides his twin brother of course). I've never met any of them....well things happen, things change and after meeting one of his sisters earlier this year he decided that he'd open up a little. Well this weekend 7 of the 9 of them got together! I think this is so awesome!

Weekend Update

We had decided that this house needed a serious cleaning. It was almost embarrassing how dirty and messy it was. We took turns in different rooms and went after it! Bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, all toys picked up, all things dusted, floors cleaned, laundry done, things half way organized! Feels good!
We had a last minute invite to a friends son's birthday party Saturday afternoon (sorry Aiden, you get no present from us!), they were grilling out so we decided to stop by even though we knew we wouldn't know anyone but them!  Steve and I worked with Brent at Von Maur and before that I actually worked with him at Dillards in Waterloo, we've basically remained in contact thru Facebook and his son just turned 5. It was fun! The girls were good and it wasn't too awkward not really knowing anyone!
After that we headed to the campground where some old coworkers Katie and Traci were camping with their family and friends! And there I ran into a guy that looked familiar...turns out I worked with him 10 years ago! It was fun to hang out with people that we don't normally see, the girls were fairly good. Presley got scared of Traci's dog and I don't blame her. The dog was as big as her and I'm sure could sense her fear. At one point P had a ball and wanted to play catch....but the dog went after the ball, totally playing but Presley was scared! I knew she wasn't going to get hurt but seeing her so scared like that was sad! So needless to say that started her breakdown and it was time for us to say goodbye and head home!

Sunday we did some more hanging out, Steve went to the grocery store, I went to Target, he made a good dinner and then of course, had a fantasy football draft. Overall a nice weekend! Not too busy and we got a lot done!

Here is some of the nonsense that goes on at our house. P trying 'nicely' to stop Piper from crawling past her.

I got the camera out to take pics of Miss Piper and Presley says "Mom, take my pic! Here is my nice smile!"

Miss Piper must crawl over, around, in and on anything and everything.

Piper is our little monster...the happiest little monster there is though!

Week in review

Tuesday I had a dermatology appointment at 4 and a hair appt at 7.....and time in between to enjoy to myself! The dermatologist removed one mole on my side, mostly b/c I had noticed it itching over the last year. I then went to the mall and did some shopping, got a pedicure and then ate at the sports bar near my hair dresser. It was so nice to pamper and enjoy time to myself! :)

Well, it has become quite apparent when Presley is tired....overly tired. Wednesday night Steve had to work late and I wanted to take her to visit a different gymnastics place. Both girls were good, the place isn't air conditioned so I knew we wouldn't stay the whole time b/c it was HOT. P spent most of the time getting drinks out of the water fountain and watching the cheerleading group not the gymnastics group. So when it was time to go....she freaked out for no apparent reason besides just NOT getting her way.
So with Piper in one arm, I took my other hand to drag her out of the building kicking, screaming and crying. I put her down on the sidewalk where she continued her fit, I started to cross the parking lot and she ran after me, then sitting down in the middle of the parking lot to scream at me so I continued to drag her the rest of the way across the parking lot. I put Piper in the car, turned the car on and then proceeded to pick her up and wrestle her into the car seat.
We got home about 6 and she proceeded to cry off and on about EVERYTHING for over an hour. It was fun. Piper was good and we mostly just ignored Presley (which made her scream more!). But both girls ate dinner, they both got baths and both were sleeping by 8 pm! It was an exhausting 2 hours!

Friday my friend Nicky had girls night IN at her house. Her daughter Avery was going to be there so  I took P with me in hopes that she would play with her. The company, the food and the drinks were great! Thanks again Nicky! P did minimal playing and by 7:30 she was pouting and screaming. So we quickly proceeded to leave, I didn't want to ruin girls night with my crying kid. And she fell asleep in the car on the way home! Oh Presley!

Hopefully this is all just an adjustment to her new teachers and classroom and no naps at preschool, and we'll have a better week this week!

'Senior' preschool

So Monday was P's first day in her senior preschool class. They get 'dollars' for good drop-offs and Monday she did great! (the last two days haven't been so good) We figured this would entice her to be good b/c they get to 'buy' prizes with their money.

Of course I got to work and was looking at FB and noticed all the pictures of all the kids on their first day of school...so I emailed Steve.

Me: 'Are we bad parents b/c we didn't take a picture of P on her first day of preschool?'

Steve: 'Yes, we are bad parents'

Me: 'You were supposed to make me feel better about this!'

 

So we are bad parents. Oh well. So we got home and I told her she couldn't come inside until I took picture of her on the front step, so that I didn't feel like a total failure!

 

She enlightened me with her smile with the occasional roll of the eyes! :) Love this girl!

Piper

So big!

So sweet!

So tired!

Saturday

We had Miss Mary's 6th birthday party on Saturday afternoon. It was at a park so the kids could play, the weather was amazing, the people were great! It was a perfect birthday party....and I didn't get any pictures of the birthday girl!  LOL! Of course, I didn't really get any pictures of my own kids either!

Here are the ladybug cake (donut) balls that Holly, Samantha and Amanda (Mary's mom) made! Aren't they so cute?

Even Pa had a good time on the playground!

Besides cupcakes and cake balls they had popsicles for the kids. Of course, Boston wanted blue.

So many freaking CUTE kids at this party! This is Jerry's niece, so sweet and cuddly!

Saturday night we didn't really have any plans. We mentioned to Holly and Jerry that they could come over for dinner and drinks so they stopped by. It was a lot of fun just sitting, talking and drinking. The weather was just perfect for sitting outside! We have yet to use our fire pit this year, we are just too tired by the time the sun goes down! Man, we are old.

 

Sunday I had plans to meet Holly and our friends Lyndsi and Andrea out for lunch! Get my margarita and cheese dip fix while talking to some of my favorite peeps! I'm so glad that we can find the time in everyone's  busy schedule to meet up every once in a while!

After lunch we had preschool open house for Presley. We got to meet her new teachers and see her new room and locker! She had two new teachers, Miss Cheri and Miss Coleen. Both are older ladies which I think is good b/c they won't baby her as much as some of the younger teachers do. They split up the 'senior' class into 2 different classes depending on age, Presley is actually one of the younger ones in her class with most of the kids being born in 2008 (then Jan-March of 2009). I know she'll do great, I think she is right on pace with what they will be learning to get them ready for kindergarten next year!

Iowa State Fair

Normally I love the state fair. I can't wait to go and I want to eat everything...however this year I just wasn't feeling it. Taking Presley would be fine but Piper is just a lot of work b/c she can't sit still, so I decided I needed to get over my own issues and we should just go. Friday night we headed out after work. The girls did good, we didn't eat as much as I wanted and I'm glad we went. I had one bite of a corn dog (that P finished), one mini donut (that P ate and then threw the rest away! I was not aware of what was going on or I would've stopped it), the fried pickle dog (the regular pickle dog is better), bacon wrapped riblets and then Steve got the shrimp dog (like a corndog but with shrimp).

We did some walking around, saw a couple things, Presley wanted to ride the rides (which we didn't do). We tried to listen to Firehouse play, Presley thought it was too loud but Piper loved it. Steve is teaching her how to 'rock and roll'...then she nods her head up and down like she is head-banging!

Presley actually agreed to get temporary tattoos this year! Last year she was too shy? scared? but this year, she wanted them! She got two UNI Panthers and one Hawkeye tattoo, now we have to convince her to scrub them off!

Overall we all did a good job. I wish we would've had more time and I wish I would've eaten a few more thousand calories. Oh well, there is always next year!

Pinterest

Presley and I made this yesterday. Something simple, easy and good...best part, she can practically make it herself!  

Flatten a slice of wheat bread, cover it in peanut butter and roll it around a banana. Slice like sushi and drizzle with honey!

Weekend Update

So Saturday morning, we had our usual lay around morning. Piper and I napped and then Steve took her to the hospital to see his sister and I took P to the mall to waste some time and have spend some Presley/Mommy time together, which seems to be challenging these days to get pleasant time with her. I told her we'd have to look for new ears for her b/c the ones that she has aren't working very well.  She didn't hear me, I repeat myself and she just rolls her eyes at me.

That afternoon Steve took P to Brandon's campground and Piper and I had some time together. She is teething and has a cold and is just whiny...and of course, she wouldn't take an afternoon nap. So eventually we decided to join them at the camp site. It was fun! Piper was good for the most part, Presley was incredibly awesome! There were tons of kids for her to play with and she was more than happy to play (and talk!) to them! She answered questions from the other adults, she was helpful with the other little kids there...it was a breath of fresh air to watch her!
Though, I will say the 'camping' they do....is not quite my idea of camping. This is a step up from a hotel room. Four huge campers, a outdoor projection screen, an ice maker, 'camping' chairs that are just shy of being recliners. There are no tents, heck, there are no coolers...b/c each camper has an indoor AND outdoor refrigerator! (so now Steve has been on craigslist looking for campers!)

Today has been a pretty lazy day! We thought about going to the ICubs game but with high temperature we decided to skip it. So we did a lot of nothing, couple walks around the neighborhood, trip to the grocery store, Steve and P built a fort in the basement....Piper whined, I blogged and now here it is 8 pm. The house is still a mess, laundry still needs to be done and I really don't want to go to work tomorrow.

Before I left work on Wednesday we found out about some changes that were happening, which will include us taking on west coast business. Fine, but then the subject turns to requiring us to work 10-7 pm. Not happening. Sorry. I WILL NOT work those hours. So I'm not sure what is going to happen but if worse comes to worse, guess I'll be looking for a new job b/c those hours are not an option. We'll see.

10 months

Our pint-sized monster has changed a lot in the last month. We have also realized that as sweet as she is, she is still going to be a challenge for us. Presley was very shy and we never had to worry about her leaving our side or getting into anything.....cabinets, electrical outlets, toilets...she just never had an interest in them. However, Miss Piper is the opposite. She gets into everything with sheer determination. She isn't afraid of people or leaving our side. She is curious and funny and let's you know exactly what she wants!

Miss Piper:
- actually crawls now
- pulls herself up and walks along everything.
- knows sign language for 'bath'. You show her the sign and she takes off towards the bathroom!
- loves baths. This girl crawls back and forth as fast as she can, she lays on her stomach taking in mouthfuls of water...and she loves it!
- knows what a doggy says! She'll bark grunt and then takes off looking for one of her stuffed dogs.
- is moving on up to her 12 month clothes. We still use a couple of the 6-9 month stuff but only out of desperation!
- still only has her bottom 2 teeth. She's been working on her top 2 teeth for weeks now.
- really loves real food and hates the stage 3 baby food with the chunks! Pancakes, waffles, toast, cheese, mashed potatoes....you know, all real healthy stuff! We've tried some fruits and green beans but she just isn't completely convinced yet, so we'll stick to the baby food for now.
- she doesn't clap, wave bye-bye or do so-big (though she thinks it's funny when we do it!)
- is a trooper when Presley is carrying her thru the house, wresting with her, taking away her toys or dragging her around by her feet. Eventually Piper is going to defend herself and I'm secretly excited for that day!

Friday Fun

So since we originally were going to camp Thursday night and then thought about taking Presley to the fair Friday...but all of that changed. Steve took Presley to preschool on his way to work, once he got home we went to see his sister in the hospital (long story, but remember a month ago in Okoboji when she got her gall bladder out? She is still having issues and has never fully recovered from that!). Then Steve and I decided to just have a date day, with just the two of us. Both girls were at daycare and the weather was great so we hit up The High Life patio for lunch and beers and then went over to the rooftop patio at Mullets for more food and beers! It was good, fun and relaxing for a couple hours!

Adventureland!

After our successful trip to Adventureland last year and good results at Arnold's Park in Okoboji, we were pretty excited to take P back to Adventureland this year.  We took Piper to daycare and headed out!  We were hoping that she would have a good time! We noticed at Arnold's Park the 'kid' rides were a little too boring for her, as it turns out she is just about exactly 42 inches to ride the big rides...and that is what she wanted to do! It is just hard for me to fathom my baby girl is riding the big rides and WANTS to!

Steve was willing to ride most of the rides with her.  I can't do spin-in-circles kind of rides anymore

So I rode on the kiddie rides with her! LOL! The three of us did the Raging River and the Log Ride....she LOVED them all!

Our friend Brandon was in town for the weekend and his family was enjoying the water park there. So we joined them....I'm sure I mentioned it last year, but the water park is surprisingly awesome! There is so much for all kids and adults to do! If you are questioning going....just do it!

Am I wrong to think she is just freaking adorable?

She LOVED the waterpark too, she did the little kid slides and even rode down one of the big slides with Steve. We did the lazy river, the splash pad area, the little kid pool, the wave pool and we even had some moments of just laying out.

We left the water park about 5:30 and tried out a few more rides. Brandon and Steve wanted to ride this stupid ride.

Then somehow they convinced me that I should ride it too. Dumb.

Last year when she rode the planes she wouldn't pull the handle to make it 'fly'...this year, she didn't care. She was ready and willing to go on even more rides after this.

However, Presley took a hard fall on her way out of the airplane ride.....skinned up, bleeding knees...it was time to leave. It was 7:30, we got there at 10 am....she did SO good and it sucked that our day ended this way.

 

Originally we were going to try to tent camp with Brandon and had my mom watch Piper overnight for us!  But after a long, late day, scraped up knees and Steve ended up having to work Friday morning so camping was moved to the back burner. Overall, it was a fun, successful day with the three of us!

Weekend Update

Well, the best news ever! Holly and Jerry are engaged! We knew it would happen eventually! They really are SO good together and Jerry deals with Holly and her quirks like a champ! :) We are so happy for them and finally she found someone that Steve likes too! LOL!

Friday night was nice, we went to Olive Garden for Sam's birthday and then to Jerry/Holly's for presents. Piper is a pain at restaurants these days but overall it was fun! Happy Birthday Samantha!

Saturday Steve got the deck stained, Piper took a good morning nap, Presley was a pain in the butt (besides the hour she spent cutting paper into tiny pieces!) and I spent money at Target! We had tried to make a trip to Jordan Creek to have lunch and walk around the pond since it was so nice out, but we got a mile down the road and Presley was crying and whining so much that we decided to turn around and come home.
Steve made a great dinner and one of the neighbors stopped by with their little girl just to talk and play. It was a good night!

Today was more of the same. Presley was whiny and SO SNOTTY! The things that come out of her mouth, you would think she was 15 years old. It's sad and a little scary (I might share some of her comments when I'm not as embarrassed by her mouth). We did make our trip to Jordan Creek, did a little shopping for Piper (since we realized all the 12 month clothes we have are winter clothes), I got my ring cleaned, we ate lunch on the patio at Champps (and both girls were actually pretty good) and watched some people feeding the ducks at the pond. Then we headed home. The last 3 hours has included about 2 hours of whining from Piper b/c she was tired and about 3 fits from Presley b/c she didn't get what she wanted.

We are all tired, I'm hungry, the house is a mess, there is laundry to be put away and we have to work tomorrow. Hopefully I can sleep off this negative mood!

Five Question Saturday

1. What is on your Summer 2013 bucket list? We actually have a 'summer fun list'. A list on our fridge, and everytime we do something, Presley gets to color in the square. Simple things like catching fireflies and getting ice cream (done!) to going to Adventureland or the Omaha zoo!
2. What is the most useless item on your child's back to school list? We don't have one and I hope we don't need one for 4 yr old preschool
3. What is the one reality TV show that makes no sense to you? Easy. The Bachelor/Bachelorette. I just think it is pathetic to see these girls/guys  so desperate and crying over a relationship with someone they don't even know for 5 minutes!
4. What is one movie you can watch over and over again? Why? Two movies that I used to watch over and over again.....Major League and My Cousin Vinny. It must be the humor and being able to memorize the whole thing.  Now, I don't watch that many movies. BUUUTTTTT,,,,,I will admit, anytime Twilight is on, I will watch it!
5. What's your favorite back to school tradition? Should I have one?