Three day weekend...

We started our weekend a little early by going out to Latitude 41 on Thursday night with the girls to watch our friend Baird play guitar and sing there. It's on the water and like 5 minutes from our house. The girls love to feed the fish and even though the weather wasn't that great and was raining most of the time, we still went, hung out under the canopy, ate dinner and then headed home about 7. Perfect! We'll definitely be going out there again when he or his other band Oreo Meatwagon play! Check out their calendar (or Facebook!) and join us sometime!

Friday night Steve got some guys together to go tear down, haul and put back together a swingset that he found on Craigslist. Ours was old and was falling apart, it has been moved twice and the wood was splitting out and it was just NOT sturdy enough for our kids as they get older. He got a good deal on it and was willing to put in the time and effort to get it to our house, so I stayed out of it! Thanks to all the guys who helped too! (Daddy, Uncle Leslie, Brock, Kyle and Matt!)

I picked up the girls from school and headed home. The neighbors came over for pizza and smores and for the kids to burn off some energy and that they did! Piper had a MELT DOWN about 9:15 and that was the point we knew it was time for bed!

Saturday we got up and hung out. Presley and I went to the mall, I needed a new cell phone and she needed some more summer clothes. She was very good and very patient with me during the cell phone process so I was happy! :)
Steve headed out to take our old swingset to a dumpster and the girls and I went to a graduation party for my godson Colton. I feel bad that I NEVER see him but he is so cute and tall and smart and has such cool, different hobbies of which he has displayed for everyone to see. It was nice seeing his whole family who I have grown up with!

After the party we went home and did some more stuff around the house, Steve smoked a brisket for dinner and we had corn on the cob, it was great! Until Presley bit into her and loosened her bottom tooth...she said it hurt so bad she couldn't swallow (Drama queen!). I do think it hurt but I think she was more scared that her tooth was loose. This is her first loose tooth and it is NOT as exciting as she thought it would be!

That night we had Brittney come to watch the girls. Originally I had wanted to go see Gary Allen at Lakeside Casino but it was sold out by the time we went to buy tickets, so we kept our sitter anyways and we headed back to Latitude 41 to watch the band Toaster play. It was a little chilly out but it was busy and we saw some people that we knew, so we hung out until probably 9:30 and then headed to Thunderhead in Ankeny in get something to eat and our friends Brock and Jackie met us there. We haven't seen them out in forever so it was nice to catch up!

After dinner we swung by Carney Tap in Ankeny to see our neighbor Kyle who works there on Saturday nights and we went in and Steve's cousin Jill was there! Small world, good night and fun catching up with people we haven't seen in a long time!

This happened.......

At the beginning of April I decided I was going to schedule a time to get my tattoo. I've always wanted one but I just never knew what to get and obviously I'm not going to pay $ and waste my time on something that has no meaning that will be on me for the rest of my life! So finally I made my appointment for the day we got back from Mexico b/c I knew Steve would be able to go with me. So one month ago....this happened.....

 

This is me...in pain, so much pain. P.A.I.N.

 I was a little more comfortable (and I say that very loosely!) after I almost passed out about half way thru....once I got over that feeling, then I was good to go!

 And the result, I love it!

So hopefully my kids don't decided to legally change their names some day!

Spring Fling

I warned Steve last week that this Sunday was my day to sleep in since I've been working weekends (I didn't work at all this weekend! So nice!)...but of course I was awake from 6-6:30, finally fell back asleep and then we were all up about 8:45, mainly due to the sound of rapid gun fire from Camp Dodge....those machine guns are so loud sometimes!

 

Really we just hung out most of the morning. Steve cleaned out the garage, I did laundry and read my book on the deck, the girls played on the Ipads and played outside for a while. We ate lunch outside and then got ready to head to Presley's Spring Fling for gymnastics.

 

Now this is the first time she had done this and we didn't know REALLY want to expect. I didn't make it a big deal b/c I knew it would scare her. They have been working on routines in class and told them about getting bleachers for parents to sit on but I think she was very overwhelmed when we got there. There were 40 girls and you have to think there are at least 2 people for every girl, watching the gymnasts. This is for fun, to help expose them to what a real gymnastics meet might be like and Presley froze when we got there. I took Piper and went and sat with my parents while Steve help Presley calm down and relax. Finally one of the coaches came over to comfort her and they were able to get her to join her group. So once they actually started she was sitting with her group and very sad, but she did it! SHE DID IT!

 

There were 4 groups of girls on 4 different events going at the same time, so not ALL eyes were on her. :) She started on the floor....her backbend, the ONE thing she can't do yet!

and her roundoff, which she can do like a champ.

Then they went to the vault....at this level it's pretty standard stuff but they work on power and form off of the trampoline.

Then the bars...this is what she loves the most!

Then the beam, which she did great on too! And she did her round-off off of the beam, which was awesome to see!

Miss Piper actually did very good at sitting and listening during this time!

One of her friends Olivia was there watching her sister too, they were too cute!

After all the girls had done all their events they had the award part of it...each girl got a white, red or blue ribbon depending on how they did and they got a medal and then they stood on the 'podium' for pictures....So yes, our daughter who didn't want to do ANY of this and then DID.....THEN we make her get up in front of EVERYONE to accept her medals. TORTURE!

There are no words to express how proud we are of you Presley! It brings tears to my eyes to think about how hard this was for you! It is very hard overcoming your fears and you should be very proud of yourself! You did an amazing job and we love watching your hard work in gymnastics payoff! XOXO

I love this girl!!!

Her ribbons...she got blue ribbons on the bars and vault and red on the beam and floor!

We got ice cream on our way home and once we got home she changed for swim lessons and we headed to her last class of this session. She had done such a good job at becoming more comfortable! Her coach said she did amazing once she relaxed a bit, she didn't pass her level but she only has 2 things to work on which I know she'll be able to do during her next lessons in June!

 

Finally as our weekend came to an end we ate an awesome dinner of grilled fish and potatoes on the deck, the kids ate good and then we headed over to the neighbors to play outside for a little bit. We got baths done and got them to bed early!!

Busy Busy Bee

Friday night we had Lisa, Jared, Colton and Jett over to hang out for a bit since the weather was so nice....we just ordered pizza and hung outside and talked while the kiddos played. Then our neighbors Matt, Kari, Bryn and Bara come over to play for a while too! We didn't get the girls to bed until almost 10 which was  little late considered we had a busy weekend ahead of us.

 

Saturday morning we got up (Yes, I had to set an alarm on a Saturday) and headed to the cystic fibrosis walk at 9.  I didn't get as many pictures as I wanted of our Andrea's Angels group but got a couple of us.

Spiderman was there....my kids made sure to stay far away from him

My mom's reaction seeing some of the shirts and signs of the teams. One little girl of maybe 1 year old was wearing a sign that said 'I'm walking in hopes to out live my parents', all their shirts said 'Sometimes it's okay if the only thing you do today is BREATHE'.....heart breaking!

Superhero Grandma!

Superhero Samantha!

Playing on the playground.

Doing a round-off, off of this balance beam...we didn't even know she could do this!

Picking flowers (weeds)

Cousins playing in the water.

 

 We got home from the walk about noon, put in some laundry, Steve mowed the yard, the kids hung out. And then we headed to take Presley to a birthday party and the 3 of us headed to a patio to enjoy some time outside for a late lunch.

We picked Presley up at 3:30 and then headed to our babysitter Brittney's house for her graduation party.....a short walk across our backyards. Piper even saw some of her friends there! :)

We got home and we had to clean the face painting off of Presley, she changed into her swimsuit and we headed to lessons. We got home from lessons, picked up Steve and Piper and headed out to Ankeny to do dinner at Sports Page for Jerry's birthday!

Piper fell asleep on the way there! She needed the cat nap, I just can't believe she can fall asleep with the top down on the jeep and the wind blowing like crazy!

We had dinner with a group of like 20 (Jerry's family and friends), the kids did good and we headed home about 8:30. Piper went straight to bed and Presley and I tried to watch a movie...but I was falling asleep before she was!

Another week of fun?

Monday I actually left work on time to pick up the girls, Steve was meeting with Jerry to go over their part of our family 'talent'. Presley had her 'art' show at school so the 3 of us girls walked around and looked at her art and all of the other stuff around the school. So cool to see what they have been working on....and I took no pictures, bad mom! Then Piper wanted chips and salsa and convinced me and Presley that we should go. They weren't GREAT for me, but they were ok so I'll take it. When we left the waiter said 'See you next week!' to us! HA! So funny and so bad!

Tuesday I worked until 7:30 (meaning I get home just in time to help with bedtime at 8).

Wednesday Presley had gymnastics so I picked up Piper and we went home and just hung out (no chips and salsa this night!) Steve dropped off Presley at home and then went to some concert with his friend Brock, so it was me and the girls again. Luckily they are fairly good at bedtime they just both want me to lay with them and it's impossible for me to be in two beds at once! I've tried, it doesn't work. There is alot of compromise, bribery and promises that I'll come back into their bed in a couple minutes if they close their eyes and are quiet.....and usually they end up falling asleep while waiting.

Thursday I worked until 6:30 and then went home and helped with baths and quiet down time before bedtime.  They are such mommy's girls these days....ever since vacation, which I don't mind sometimes! I do feel bad that I'm gone so much right now!

Friday we went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse right after work, the girls were good, Piper ate almost nothing and we had a good waitress...Rose! If you go and get her, you are in luck! Then we headed over to Sarah and Kyle's house so the kids could hang out and keep each other occupied and run off some energy!

My pretty princess!

Saturday morning I got up bright and early and was at work by 6:30! WTF am I thinking?....everyone in my house slept until 9:45! I got home about noon and was just exhausted! I had a terrible headache and just couldn't keep my eyes open. I layed down for an hour or so (didn't sleep, of course!) and then was ready for the day! I got up and started laundry, cleaning, organizing (the typical fun!) while the girls played and Steve smoked his bacon! Yes, he has cured and flavored and smoked and sliced his own bacon! And it's actually really good!

 

I finally got dressed when it was time to take Presley to swim lessons and after that we headed out to Sam and Scotts new house to grill out with them and my parents! It's so cute with so much land and space, it's perfect for them! The kids played good for a while and then they were just whiny and in tears, so we headed home!

 

Sunday I got up and went to work again...this time I waited until 7:30. :) I got home a little before noon....Steve left go to golfing and I did some more stuff around the house while the girls played.

Presley had a birthday party in Ankeny from 2:15 to 4:15 so we dropped her off then went to Target...we got done there about 3 and then headed over to Chili's for ice cream to waste some time. We picked up Presley about 4:05 b/c we had to drive home, emtpy groceries, change into her swim stuff and get to swim lessons by 4:55 and we had a whole 5 minutes to spare!

 

We got home about 5:45 and the kids went to play with the neighbors, we ate dinner and then headed back outside until about 7 for baths and bedtime! Overall a BUSY, exhausting weekend for this mama!

 

And tonight I worked until 7:00, came home and help with bedtime and now I'm drinking wine and watching my one show! Blindspot! I'm not working any more late nights this week or this next weekend so I'm excited! :) Work hard, play hard, right?? 

Weekend Update

Saturday I went to work for a couple hours (this seems to be a trend huh?) I got home and we got ready to head out to Kites on the Green in Johnston. You can make your own kites and fly them, they have 'professional' kite flyers flying amazing, huge kites. The weather was a little chilly and Piper was NOT impressed so we hung out for a half hour and headed to do our Target run.

 

 

That afternoon I did some cleaning and laundry. Presley went to swim lessons and then we went home and hung out. Some of the neighbors came over and we hung out by the shed (until it started raining) and the kids played SO good! They must have been exhausted b/c we didn't hear from them until after 9 on Sunday morning. Happy Mother's Day to me! The weather was nice so we did some time outside.

 

Photo courtesy of Presley.

 

Photo courtesy of Presley.

 

One of my favs! Photo courtesy of Presley!

We got our things ready for our mothers day picnic at Jester Park with the family. We ate, hung out, the kids played. The weather was a little chilly but that didn't stop us from staying out there for a couple hours.

I got some pictures of the girls.....

goofy girl!!

My sweet Presley Pie

Sisters!

Monkey bar queen!

Who knows what she's thinking.

Mi madre!

Mama, me and my girls (with Piper not cooperating!)

and now she smiled! Stinker!

My cute parents! :)

After the park we did swim lessons again, went home ate dinner and then went for ice cream at Van Dee's...because, why not?

Random

- My friend Colleen sent this link to me, she must know me really well! http://www.gettothebc.com/donut-trail

- I love the nice weather, love the kids playing outside....but I don't like the struggle for bedtime. Trying to get them in the house by 7 for baths, quiet time and bed time by 8 is HARD when the sun is still shining and the neighbors are still out. Maybe I need to lighten up a bit on the bedtime routine but when I'm the one having to wake everyone up in the morning and I'm the one always late to work b/c no one wants to get up.....it makes it difficult.

- My kids are obsessed with the 21 Pilot song Stressed Out! It's so funny to listen to both of them belt out this song in the Jeep with the top off for everyone to hear. Love it!

A week behind.....

 

Last Saturday seems like forever ago!! Since we recently were 'reunited' with my dad's siblings we have had the opportunity to get together with them for different things over the last 12 months. Saturday my parents had 35 of us over for food, chatting and hanging out. It was a good time! It is so nice to sit down and talk to these family members and get to know them better!

Then Presley had her first swim lessons of the season that evening....she did good! She just needs a little more confidence to get her back and front float down! Then we had another night in and watched the movie Home with some popcorn.

Sunday I got up and went to work for a couple hours, knowing I needed to get in some overtime anyway. Then we hung out at home, did some cleaning and got ready for our night out! Garth Brooks! We met mom and Susie at Saints for dinner and drinks and then headed downtown for the show. As always he puts on an AMAZING show!! This is my 4 time seeing him and he never disappoints!

Even Dallas Clark from the Hawkeyes and the Indianapolis Colts got up and sang a song with him...it was really fun to watch!

Tuesday I put in some extra hours at work to get more of my OT in and got home in time to help put the kids to bed. Wednesday Piper and I went to El Mariachi for chips and salsa, it is one of the highlights of her week (and mine too!) Then we had some time to play outside before Presley and Steve got home from gymnastics. These nights are always a little challenging b/c Presley doesn't have time to do the things she normally does b/c she doesn't get home until almost 7. Then she freaked out b/c it was my night to put Piper to bed and she had hardly seen me in 2 days! :(

Thursday I met Holly and Samantha out to go over the plans for our part in the talent show for our family reunion this summer! Oh we are talented, let me tell ya! And again I got home in time to help with bed time.

Friday morning Generation Next had Muffins with Mom for Mother's Day and we were lucky enough to see Grandma there and have our picture taken with her! Love it!

Last night we decided to hit up Prairie Meadows to watch the horse races since the weather was nice. We put down the top on the Jeep and headed out there. We ate dinner, did some small bets, watched a couple races and headed home about 8:30.