Gymnastics Pictures

Because I am a bad mom and don't want to pay for these expensive pictures (it was going to cost me $18 for ONE 5x7.....$36 for two pictures? Not happening) I just took pictures of the pictures so that you could enjoy the cuteness with me! :)

Weekend Update

Let me tell ya....I do love weekends that we have nothing planned but I do feel like I waste some of these days not doing anything productive. Oh well!

Friday night we had planned on going to Firetrucker to watch our friend Baird play/sing, but out of no where we got hit with snow and it was slick out for the drive home. Very slow going. Which is crazy considering we ate dinner on a patio two nights before?! Seriously, what is going on with the weather this year! I'm not complaining, I could totally bypass winter altogether if I had a choice (except snow on Christmas, that is the only time we should have it!) So we headed over to Sarah and Kyle's for a while, played games and hung out. Then we had a slumber party in the basement while we watched Trolls, which I fell asleep during most of. Oops.

Saturday we didn't do much.....hung out I worked on my puzzle some more. Did some reading, finished my book. Lazily did laundry, randomly would pick up a couple things but overall we just vegged out! Finally we decided we would leave the house *GASP!* Steve had already left the house earlier but the girls and I finally got out of our pj's and we went to Buffalo Wild Wings at about 4 to have a late lunch/early dinner and to watch part of the Iowa basketball game. We were there for about 2 hours and then headed home b/c I had plans for a friends birthday get together.

I headed over to Lisa's for her laid back birthday. She just wanted to have friends over to drink wine and watch Bad Mom's. It was fun, I was there too late but it was a good time hanging out and talking.

Sunday I was tired, with a slight headache! So Steve took the girls to run some errands and I laid back down to take a mid-morning/afternoon nap. Once they got home about 1:30, I was up and ready to start my day! :) We did some cleaning, laundry, the girls played so good, Steve worked in the garage and I worked on my puzzle some more (such a time suck, but I love it!). Another super laid back day!
On the plus side, I did finish my puzzle and finish my book, so I guess I did accomplish something!

Busy week

The week started off with awesome weather so we tried to enjoy it as much as we could. I took Piper to gymnastics on Monday night and then on Tuesday we had Brittany come watch the kids for a couple hours so we could go out to dinner with Sarah and Kyle for her birthday. We went to Greenbriar in Johnston. I haven't been there since high school and it was really good! The waitress brought her a dessert with a candle on it, so Steve and Kyle sang happy birthday too her. It was slightly embarrassing for sure!

 Can you tell she is thrilled with their singing?

 After dinner we stopped at Lynn's bar to have a couple drinks. Jimmy, who must be a regular there bought the bar a round of shot and then asked the birthday girl to dance! :)

Wednesday was National Margarita day! So of course Piper and I went to El Mariachi. Sarah and Collins were able to meet us also. We sat on the patio since the weather that day was in the 70's, but of course by 6 pm it was chilly sitting out there!

Yesterday there was a skating party for Presley's school. I really wanted her to go since I knew a lot of her friends go and she needs to be more social outside of school since she isn't in any sports. So I convinced her that we should go and try out skating. I did warn her that I hadn't been skating in like 25 years so I would probably fall (which I did).
I picked her up after school/work and went to dinner at Applebee's then headed to Skate North! It was busy and we did know a lot of people!

 Presley with neighbor Talia

 She is slow skater but she does okay, she just needs to get comfortable! But she had fun and got to see some friends from school and the neighborhood!

English

So we have always known we were German and English just by association of our families last names (Frederick and Kirschbaum on my mom's side and my dad's side was King). Holly just got back her results of her Ancestry DNA test and here is what she found out!

So here is the break down:

44% Great Britain

31% Europe West (includes Germany, France, Switzerland and a few others)

11% Scandinavia

7% Iberian Peninsula (includes Spain, Portugal and Algeria)

4% Ireland

2% Europe East (Poland, Czech, Ukraine and others)

and less then 1% West Asia and Italy/Greece

 

How cool is that? I want to get it done too, though it might be very similar. I might try the 23 and Me company/test and get the whole health DNA test done also just to see what it says.

I love genealogy and DNA crap. I have done genealogy for my family but it has been years since I have updated or researched for any more info (pretty sure Piper has never been added to my family tree yet, oops). I really should get back into it again with how much technology has advanced in the last 10 years!

Get to know me!

So I'm bored today and found these questions. I have no idea how many questions there are and I removed some of the ones I thought were a little dumb or didn't apply to me like 'Do you want to get married?'......so anyways, here I go! May you will learn something about me or maybe not! :)

Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? Open

Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel? Usually, along with the pen and pad of paper that are usually there also.

Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out? IN. I cannot stand sheets or blankets that are messed up and tangled!

Have you ever stolen a street sign before? Nope

Do you like to use post-it notes? Yes

Do you cut out coupons but then never use them? I have done this, yes.

Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of a bees? Oh man....a bear! I couldn't stand the sound of all the bees buzzing around me!

Do you have freckles? Yep!

Do you always smile for pictures? Most of the time. Unless there is a special occasion where a duck face or pout face is warranted.

What is your biggest pet peeve? Not using turn signals, the buzzing sound of flying bugs or the sound of static on the radio, people who use the left and not the right doors when going into buildings. I could go on and on but I don't want to be a negative nancy!

Do you ever count your steps when you walk? Only when I'm trying to see how accurate my Fitbit is!

Have you ever peed in the woods? Probably

What about pooped in the woods? Um....no, do people do that?

Do you chew your pens and pencils? Occasionally

What size is your bed? Queen

Is it okay for guys to wear pink? Of course!

Do you still watch cartoons? Not by choice

Whats your least favorite movie? I don't see enough movies to really know!

Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some? Well I can't tell you that! You will steal my treasure!

What do you drink with dinner? Wine, beer or water

What do you dip a chicken nugget in? Usually nothing, but sometimes ketchup or honey

What is your favorite food? I like most food! Any type of carb is my favorite!

What movies could you watch over and over and still love? The Notebook, Pitch Perfect, Twilight, National Treasure (I don't know why I love that movie but I do!), and any of the good 80's/90's movies!

Last person you kissed/kissed you? Steve or the girls

Were you ever a boy/girl scout? Girl Scouts rule!

Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine? NO

Can you change the oil on a car? Unfortunately no, I'm sure my dad is disappointed.

Ever gotten a speeding ticket? Once, October 2009. I was on my way to the DOT to get my last named changed to my married name on my drivers license

Ran out of gas? No

Favorite kind of sandwich? Grilled cheese, does that count?

Best thing to eat for breakfast? There is no bad thing to eat for breakfast, waffles, pancakes, toast, eggs, bacon, mimosas....need I go on?

What is your usual bedtime? If I'm lucky, I make it until 10 pm but that is a stretch most nights.

Are you lazy? Sometimes for sure!

When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween? Most of the costumes I don't remember, but we did go as punk rockers one year.....tye dye shirts, jean jackets, crimped hair sprayed pink and made as big as we could get it!

What is your Chinese astrological sign? Aquarius

How many languages can you speak?  One...English and very basic Spanish

Do you have any magazine subscriptions? I just started 3 of them b/c they were really cheap, but I have yet to actually receive one yet.

Which are better legos or lincoln logs? Legos

Are you stubborn? Some people would say so.

Who is better...Leno or Letterman? Letterman for sure!

Ever watch soap operas? Back in college I watched a lot of The Young and the Restless and Guiding Light. Now there is this little thing called 'work' that I must do every day...what a crock!

Afraid of heights? Not really, but as I get older the fear comes and goes more often.

Sing in the car? All the time!

Dance in the car? Only if having to entertain the kids

Ever used a gun? I have shot a 22 rifle WAY back in the day, but I just don't like guns.

Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer? Family pictures in September

Do you think musicals are cheesy? No! I LOVE THEM!!! Love, love, love!

Is Christmas stressful? Sometimes, but I try hard to not let it be.

Ever eat a pierogi? a what??

Favorite type of fruit pie? Peach pie made by my mother.

Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid? The only thing I can remember was in high school I wanted to be a criminal psychologist! I thought it would be SO interesting!

Do you believe in ghosts? Sure do!

Ever have a Deja-vu feeling? Who doesn't?

Take a vitamin daily? Does birth control count? It keeps me from being sick and pregnant and helps my mental health also.

Wear slippers? No

Wear a bath robe? No

What do you wear to bed? Sweatpants and tshirts...and socks, always socks

First concert? I think it was New Kids on the Block when I was about 10 years old, and of course I saw them twice about 8 year ago and am seeing them again this summer! Obsess much?

Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart? Target!

Nike or Adidas? Who cares?

Cheetos Or Fritos? Cheetos unless I'm eating chili

Peanuts or Sunflower seeds? Peanuts

Ever take dance lessons? No, but it could be fun

Can you curl your tongue? A little

Ever won a spelling bee? No

Have you ever cried because you were so happy? For sure, a lot of times! This is the best reason to cry!

Who would you like to see in concert? Living - Lady Gaga and it's almost impossible to get tickets or dead - Michael Jackson (which is also impossible to get tickets too)

What was the last concert you saw? Jason Brown at Reclaimed Rails in January or The Nadas before Christmas in Polk City.

Hot tea or cold tea? Neither

Tea or coffee? Only really sweet coffees, White Chocolate Mocha please!

Sugar or snickerdoodles? Both

Can you swim well? I think I can do pretty well, enough to save myself but not win a race!

Can you hold your breath without holding your nose? Yeah, I think so.

Are you patient? I would say 25% of the time. When I remember to remind myself to be patient!

DJ or band, at a wedding? DJ

Ever won a contest? Not actual contests but like calling into radio stations I win quite a bit...you can't win if you don't play. I won the brewery tour most recently, have won concert tickets to Joe Nichols and Toby Keith, won 4 tickets to Sesame Street Live. I really should try more so I can win more!

Ever have plastic surgery? No

Which are better black or green olives? Black, unless you give me a blue cheese stuffed green olive, then I'm all over it!

Can you knit or crochet? Nope

Best room for a fireplace? Family room

If married, how long have you been married? 9.5 years

Who was your HS crush? Ryan Johnson, he was a year old than me and pretty sure we have never spoken a word to each other. And Dave Nadler who was year younger than me, we were friends so that was good enough.

Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way? No

Do you have kids? My two sweet baby girls who are 8 and 4 years old

Whats your favorite color? Purple or green

Do you miss anyone right now? My daughters as babies, does that count?

Spring fever

Well this last weekend I think has given us all spring fever. The weather was amazing and we enjoyed every minute of it!
Friday we went to a neighbors for happy hour and ended up over there until almost 9, but it was fun hanging out with people that we don't normally hang out with and the girls played SO good with their 2 daughters too, so that helped! Thank you David and Angie for having us over!

Saturday we didn't do much. So many kids were outside hanging out and playing and that is what we did too! Of course, we cleaned and did laundry in between but it was so nice to open up the house and enjoy the sunshine.
We went for a ride in the Jeep that afternoon, Steve grilled out and then we headed to neighbor Sarah and Kyle's to hang out for a bit and let the kids play there too. We played games (well Sarah and I worked on her puzzle while the other adults played a game), the kids played and watched Trolls and then we headed home about 10.

Sunday morning was more of the same. Steve got the smoker out to smoke some pork for dinner, Presley tried to ride her bike and I woke up Piper at 11:30! She must have been exhausted (and she has been fighting a cold with a runny nose)!
Samantha brought Boston and baby Jordan over to hang out for the afternoon and dinner, so I got some snuggle time in with the baby! :) But mainly we just hung out in the driveway, enjoying the sun with a couple beverages in hand!

So nice having a weekend with nothing planned to do whatever we wanted and have the weather cooperate too! We are ready for spring for sure!

Random

- Piper stopped getting naps at daycare last week (since they are preparing her class for kindergarten in the fall). She gets tired and sassy! On a positive note, she hasn't needed melatonin to help her sleep and she hasn't gotten up in the middle of the night coming to our room to see if we will go lay with her!
- Presley is going thru a weird stage where she is almost pushing Steve to the side. If it is Steve's night to lay with her, she wants to go to bed by herself. And at gymnastics she told him she wanted him to leave during class! I think it's hurting his feelings a little but I know she will always be a daddy's girl anyway.
- I've said it before and I will say it again, the best part of any day is when you pick your kids up from daycare or school and they run to you with a smile and give you the biggest hug. There is almost nothing better!
 

Family fun

Thursday night I had a JBloom jewelry party. I never have parties, I barely like going to them so for me to have one was a big deal! :) I just get nervous! Will I have enough food? Will I have wine people like? Will anyone show up? But I think I pulled it off! It went good and it was nice to have the girl friends over for a couple hours!

Friday we had plans with my family to celebrate birthdays since my aunts from Texas and Wisconsin were in town for the weekend. We met at Chuck's for dinner and then went back to my parents for dessert and presents. There are 4 of us that has bday within a week of each other......
Mom turned 62 on January 30th
I turned 38 on February 2nd
Presley turned 8 on February 3rd
My Aunt Cindy turned 60 on February 4th

It was so nice to see them, hang out, talk and let the kids play. Thank you to them for the cards and gifts, it was so not expected or needed!

Saturday Steve went out with some friends during the day so the girls and I hung out. They fought, had time outs, played and then repeated the fun. We did get some time outside which was nice and then when Steve got home I left for a girls night with my mom, Holly and aunts. We had tickets to see The Naked Magicians.....
OMG.
Go see it.
If you can handle funny, complete inappropriate sexual humor and magic, then get a girlfriend or 5 and go see them when  they come back in June.
We heard that there was alot of audience participation...and guess who the 1st person picked to go up on stage was??? YOURS TRULY! *insert complete embarrassment!* All I can say, is that thank GOD they were dressed in the first half of the show! Long story short, I had my hand on his butt for a couple minutes and there might have been a short peck of a kiss at the end. So bad.

This was part of 'my' magic act.

This was part of a magic trick they did with the whole audience. I still don't understand how it all works but it is pretty amazing.

After that show we went to Louie's Wine Dive for dinner. The service was not that great, our waitress was stoned, some of the food came out mildly warm but it did taste good! They did give us 2 free desserts and $10 off certificates for next time we are there.

Sunday we didn't do much. We did get out of the house and went to Toys-R-Us to buy Presley her birthday bike and for her to spend some of her birthday money. She really thought a bike was a boring present but she can just get over it and be thankful!
Then we did lunch at Chili's. That afternoon we just hung out at home getting ready for the week ahead. I started a puzzle that I got for my birthday and I might have been up until 11:15 working on it......so addicting! and I love it!

Candy Party!

😄Presley wanted a candy party....I had mentioned this probably 6 months ago and she stuck to it! I'm sure the parents didn't appreciate the amount of candy these girls had at our house!

Since the party was just at our house, we tried to think of some games we could play.

Presley's idea to get the Bean Boozled jelly beans to try (and mostly spit out when they were sour milk or booger flavored)

Then they had to move M&M's with a straw from one spot to another. It was pretty fun to watch them.

Then they were given the okay to eat the M&M's, Presley's friend Quinnlyn dumped the whole plate in her mouth.

Then we played two rounds of the Saran Wrap game that had different candies, dollar bills and such wrapped in it. These girls went after it!

Little Miss just watched.

Then we sang happy birthday......

had the group picture taken (minus Collins who didn't want to be in it)

and then an ice cream sundae bar!!!

We should have crowned Maris the queen of the candy with the amount that she ate! and she had the largest topped sundae too! (Hope she wasn't sick that night!)

Sadie and Grace (who were at the father/daughter dance also)

Presley's bff, Leah

Once everyone left the neighbor girls stayed and played for 2 hours! Presley would much rather play with them than her sister! :)

That night we went to Wobbly Boots in Clive for dinner, it was busy and the kids ate good! Then we had a slumber party in the basement to watch The Secret Life of Pets (which I fell asleep during! oops).

Sunday morning (Piper, Presley and I were still downstairs sleeping and Steve had snuck away to our real bed) Piper woke up at 6 am! WTF?!  I was hoping she would just fall back asleep but she didn't and then I was afraid that she would wake Presley up, so I gave her the Ipad, told her to go up to her room and play on it. Then I stayed downstairs with Presley and read my book until she woke up at about 8.
We spent most of the day getting ready for the week ahead and Steve was cooking for Sarah and Kyle Super Bowl party. We headed over there about 4 and hung out, the kids played, we ate and drank. It was a good way to end my long weekend!  (until the Patriots won)

Presley's 8th birthday!

Little Miss jumped right out of bed on Friday morning b/c she was excited for her birthday! Since I didn't work we took our time getting ready and enjoyed some powdered sugar donuts for breakfast.

After I dropped her off I went home and cleaned, cleaned, cleaned,  I did some laundry, working on a photo book, while catching up on a couple Dr. Phil episodes! :) I ran by Hy-Vee to pick up something and got a cupcake to surprise Presley with. Stopped at McDonalds and headed to have lunch at school with her!

She ate the cupcake first, of course, that is what you do on your birthday!!

After some convincing, I was able to get her to take her picture with me. I told her it's a tradition so she had to do it!

I picked them both up from school about 4 and went home so Presley could open some of her presents from us.

New earrings

New pj's

and a swimsuit set for her doll (she is also getting a bike that we need to go buy at some point)

Then they had to get ready for the father/daughter dance! Piper was excited that she was able to go this year!

They left about 5:15 for dinner with the rest of the group at Bravo. How cute are they?

3 dad's and 6 little girls.....oh my!

While they were gone, I treated myself to dinner and watched Bad Mom's while drinking some wine with neighbor Sarah who was able to join me for a bit! Before I knew they were back home, those 4 hours went way too fast but they had fun running around at the dance (they do very little dancing).