Weekend away

So after our trip to Great Wolf Lodge, we slept in and stopped by the Mall of America on Sunday.

We got there about 10:30 and of course the mall didn't really open until 11, so we were able to walk around and the girls were in awe of the place. We had taken Presley in the past but I think she was 3, so she doesn't remember.

They decided the rides were what they wanted to do......I opted out. The rides were the highlight of the day and we used them to keep them 'good' while we shopped. They rode this roller coaster probably 10 times, they loved it!

I was very nervous for Piper to ride this one. It is like the Spaceshot at Adventureland, where it shoots up into the air. Neither of them had ridden it before, Piper was scared and looked like she was going to cry during the ride, but then she wanted to do it again!

 They did the little kid frog hopper ride too, not nearly as scary and Presley really tried hard to NOT enjoy it!

Now these look like we had a good time right? Amazing how pictures can portray one thing but really another thing happened. Honestly, they were good while occupied with the rides. BUT the shopping was horrible, I will not take them shopping like this again. Piper cried about something we wouldn't let her buy, Presley cried b/c she didn't want to eat at Dicks Last Resort b/c we had told her about how they are rude and make fun of people. She didn't want to be made fun of. Steve was not understanding. I was trying to be upbeat and fun and enjoy the day anyway and it was rough. So yeah, that was our Sunday in the nutshell......just refer to the pictures on social media for the fake world of our trip. :)

We did spend from 10:30 - 6 at the mall and didn't do half of what we could've done there. We headed to our hotel right across the street and did dinner at TGIFridays which was attached to the hotel (so convenient!) and that was actually successful (they ate good, with no whining!) so we went swimming for a bit and wore the girls out before bed.
rse we slept in and miss breakfast at the hotel. We wanted to hit up IKEA before we headed home. I don't know why we go here, there is so much stuff it is almost overwhelming, but we did a quick run thru and them got on the road home. We didn't get home until about 3 and basically unpacked, organized and got ready for the week.

 They put on their new clothes almost the minute we got home! How cute and trendy are they!

Busy weekend

So last Thursday I went to Eatery A with my girls from work. There were 6 of us that went out and 5 of us are moving jobs on Monday so it is bittersweet. After a nice dinner 3 of us headed to Wellman's for another drink and then it was down to me and Jen (a former manager) who ended up at The Boat House for a couple drinks since it is close to home for both of us.

Friday I worked from home, so nice since we aren't busy and I can get some stuff done around the house while waiting. :) We picked up the girls about 5 and headed to Granite City for dinner. After that we headed to The Tavern for our friend Kyle. He was inducted into the Iowa High School Hall of Fame that evening and they had a get together celebration for him afterwards. So very cool for him to have this honor! We hung out there, the kids played and ran around, we talked with everyone and finally headed home after 10.

Saturday we were heading to MN to the Great Wolf Lodge. Stalkers and McCann's were supposed to go with us but with the weather they decided to skip. The drive up was actually sketchy in some places for sure but we made it up there by about 1:30 and were in the pool by 2!

 Howling like wolves! :)

Their favorite thing to do was this huge slide, which I did once and decided it was NOT my thing but they did it over and over again! And the lazy river, I can't tell you how many times we went around the lazy river, thru the tunnel, thru the wave pool, raced each other in tubes. They LOVED it!!!

We were in the pool until after 7, then changed and went to dinner. We hit up the arcade for a bit and then headed back to the room, the girls didn't get to sleep until almost 11....and we had to then turn the clocks forward an hour. I slept like shit but oh well..... Sunday was another day.....

Presley - 10 yrs

We finally had Presley's 10 year well child visit. She is normal and healthy!

She is 65 lbs which is about 27%.
She is 4'6" which is about 38%.....I figured she was growing and was catching up with the others in her class, guess I was wrong. She eats like a pig, so there has to be a growth spurt at some point!

She has big feet and wears between a 3/4 size shoe. She usually wears a large shirt but medium pants. The 10/12 pants are just too big for her but the 7/8's are a little short.

She has her own sense of style that I think both Steve and I are beginning to enjoy. I am glad that she doesn't care when I tell her I don't like something (like tucking in the front of her shirt, but it's what the teenagers do these days!) She loved trendy things for sure but she loves wearing tshirts and sweatshirts EVERYDAY.

While she still like Barbies, she is getting out of the American Girl doll phase. She will play school, house and restaurant all day if you let her (and if Piper does what she wants).

She is creative and enjoys arts projects. She will draw, they make up names for their dolls to play house, she will organize the Barbie house over and over again and give us 'tour' each time. She likes music and learns words to songs that we have never heard! They just made a menu for their restaurant for when they play! It's awesome to see them play like normal kids and be creative and keep occupied without technology!

She is very hard on herself. She doesn't ever want to be wrong or do things the wrong way. It takes a lot for her to feel confident in things.

She is rarely compassionate and doesn't really like to go out of her way to be kind. We are working on this. I hate pointing it out to her all the time but I want her to see and understand that there are times you need to say your sorry...there are times that you should feel sad for others.

She is really good with little kids, like Jordan's age. She is good at keeping him occupied and out of trouble. I love seeing her like that! It's the sweet side of her!

She is so sarcastic. Oh goodness, child. At 10 years old! I'm scared for her sass and attitude when she is a teenager.

She does like her momma, even though she won't admit it. She sits next to me at night, wants me to read to her. Wants to sit next to me when we are eating out....(right now both of them do, which causes a fight).She still holds my hand when we are roller skating, she definitely comes to me first when she needs anything.

I love this girl! She is so much like me so I understand her hesitation with things. She is beautiful inside and out and I can't wait to see how she continues to grow!

Work

So I did accept a new job, within the same company but no longer underwriting. I'm nervous, this is stepping out the realm of things I have done over the last 15 years. I'm going into this job with SO many people that I know, people that I currently work with and those that I worked with in the past, so that is the only thing that is getting me thru this. I just knew that in my current position I was stuck, there was no where for me to go, no real increase in money that could be made. This was the chance to start something new and hopefully better with increasing earning opportunities.

I just started working from home 2 days a week at the beginning of February, which I have enjoyed. I really don't have that much do to since trying to work thru my remaining loans before my last day of March 15th. Hopefully this new position will have an opportunity for working from home occasionally also.

Steve's job is keeping him busy which is good. We often wonder how he has managed to get thru every winter with work to do and not getting laid off. We love his company and they have been nothing but great (and flexible to all their employees)

Steve and I are still eating low carb. Not nearly as strict as we were before and it is becoming a challenge for Steve most days. I'm fluctuating by 3 pounds with the beginning of the week and then by the end. Those weekends KILL me!!! I am going to have to start running again though since Presley is doing Girls on the Run, so maybe that will help boost a couple extra lbs to come off.
Steve is still down about 16 lbs from October, which is amazing so I don't want him to get frustrated!

I need to start keeping track of the books I'm reading so I can see just how many books I'm reading a year. A rough count for 2018 was around 60-70 books that I read and I think I have read about 10 so far this year, most are psychological thrillers, drama mystery books. Love them. Steve cannot understand my love of reading at all!

March

Last Friday I picked up the girls from KTC and we headed for an early dinner at Chili's. They have food the kids will eat and there is NEVER a wait! We had about 30 minutes to kill so we decided to indulge in the chocolate lava cake. OMG, it was SO good!!!

Then we headed to the DSM Playhouse to see Judy Moody! I had never been there before and wasnt' really sure what to expect but I was hoping the girls would like it!



It was short and sweet and great for kids! Both girls loved it and talked about going to see another play...I think Matilda is coming and they do like that movie, so maybe that will be it!

Saturday we didn't do much in the morning but both girls had birthday parties in the afternoon. We though about going to Mary's volleyball game once they were done but the girls just wanted to go home and play, so we did.
I don't think I left the house on Sunday. I got some reading done, we cleaned the house. Piper had Becca over to play for a bit and other than that we just tried to keep the girls from fighting! Eventually we can force them outside to play with the neighbors instead of being stuck inside!

Spring conferences

Last Thursday we had conferences for the girls.

Presley's teacher has the student present their conferences. It was cute, she had to formally introduce her teacher to us and go thru her papers and progress reports. Her teacher chimed in occasionally and we could ask questions. It was short and sweet. Basically she is doing what she needs to. She has been working really hard at getting her multiplication facts down and had really done a good job over the last 2 months at getting better and quicker!
She was part of a 'math club' that had some extra math practice and she seemed to really enjoy this extra time but she has now 'graduated' from that club since increasing her understanding and knowledge, now onto division!

Piper. Oh this girl. Her teacher loves her and wants to keep her another year. She called her a rock star, a mover and shaker, so sweet and respectful, so helpful and of course, smart. She did mention that she is looking for 2nd grade books to get her started in since she knows all of the sight words for 1st grade. She is fluent and understands what she is reading. She can summarize what happened in short sentences. In math, she just gets it. They really haven't done too much addition and subtraction yet, but she already knows the concept and loves doing math with us at home. Two things the teacher asked....if it was okay to recommend that her and Becca go into the same 1st grade class together?(she said they get along so well, are both so sweet, nice and respectful that she thinks they would thrive with each other again!) and to see what we thought about her recommending Piper for the ELP program (enhanced learning program)?I think the challenge would be really good for her, so we said that it was fine and we'll see what comes of that over the next 6 months.

February

Tuesday the 19th we had a school skating party. We picked up the girls at 5 and headed straight there. They both are starting to really like skating and I don't mind it either. Steve doesn't skate but does help Piper and also socializes with the other parents. We stayed there until about 7:30 and headed home, the weather was starting to get bad at that time too...again.

Presley woke up in the middle of the night staying her stomach hurt. I gave her a tums and told her to go to the bathroom....and an hour later she was puking in bed. :( She then came to our bed with me and Steve went to the couch. Steve had to work that morning, so I stayed home until he got home about 11 and then I headed to work. Presley puked again when she woke up at about 8 but then was just lazy the rest of the day. No fever, no appetite until dinner, never napped and then she was fine after that! So must have been something she ate or something that just didn't sit well with her. We have been lucky (knock on wood) with the kids and sicknesses this year so we just need to get thru the next month of being cooped up, hopefully.

Thursday night I went out with some work people to Iowa Taproom, it was really good and I like the beer selection. A couple of us headed to this very odd bar called The Black Sheep. There are two red crosses on the outside and it's in the basement. It is very dark and smells of incense, but it was good and not busy. I stayed for one and then headed to Lynn's to help Sarah celebrate her birthday with the neighborhood girls!

Friday night we had plans to go out with Sarah, Kyle, Gabby and Brian for Sarah's birthday dinner at Alba! It was really good, expensive but good! After dinner we headed to Quinton's so the boys could watch the Iowa basketball game. We hung out there and then headed closer to home and went to The Boat House for a bit. It was fairly busy, we played some pool and had some shots but were home by midnight.

That weekend we didn't do much. I'm sure the weather was really crappy and cold so we didn't want to leave. On Sunday I helped the girls with their last Kiwi Crate boxes. Presley was this little felt garden, she said this was her favorite of the 3 that she did. It was pretty cute.

Then I helped Piper with hers, pretty sure Presley was in trouble and was spending time in her room during this. Pipers was able the human body. We sewed little organs together, placed them on the poster where they belong and the we made a stethoscope and xray page. She thought it was very cool! These definitely helped keep us busy for a couple hours which we needed!

Every Monday, Steve picks up the girls from school at 4 and takes them to gymnastics at 4:30. I show up pretty close to that time and relieve him so he can go home and get dinner started. Presley's class is from 4:30-6 and Piper's is from 5-6, so it works out pretty well. And I just love watching them, I use some of this time to read but I usually can't stop watching them. Piper got to try the rope and that girl went just about all the way up! I was nervous and just imagining her falling straight to the ground, but she did great! They had testing this week to see if they are in the right class, it is possible that she moves up into Presley's level, which I'm sure Presley will not be impressed by! Presley's level is basically the highest you can go without doing competition and taking classes multiple times a week!

MIA

I know, I know.....I have been totally MIA for the last month and I really don't have a good excuse except for my obsession with reading. Once the girls go to bed, I curl up and read!
So I need to get caught up and back at it! At least once a week posting so I don't get so far behind!

Rewind to before Valentines week....I took the girls to the Dollar Tree to find some cheap valentines, they each wanted to take $5 of their own money to maybe buy something okay, whatever. They bought these coffee cups (to use for when they play school) and the sleeping masks. Two of Presley's friends had sleeping masks when they spent the night, so I guess it is the cool thing to do. Piper also picked out two things she wanted to buy for her friend Becca! :)

One of Steve's parental jobs every year....help with the Valentines Day box, I am not creative or crafty and Steve loves this stuff. So they got together decided what they were going to make and he helped her do it! So cute!

That week I was able to get together with my girls Lisa and Lyndsi to celebrate our February birthdays, this is a nice tradition to ensure that we see each other at least once a year! :) We really could've sat there and talked all night!

That Friday we decided to hit up Firetrucker to watch The Sheet play! They are one of our favorites and our kids seem to like them too. Our friend Amy met us out also so it was good Friday night out and something to get us out of the house!

Saturday we didn't do much in the morning, slept in like usual. And then ran some errands out at Jordan Creek. We decided to do some shopping since we never go out there and we all got a pair of new shoes. Piper was excited b/c she had just learned how to tie her shoes and got her 'license to tie' from her teacher at school! :)
We did a quick lunch at Smash Park to kill some time and then headed home for rest of the night!

That Sunday the weather was so crappy but by the afternoon we were able to go to Boston's indoor soccer game in Bondurant. After that we headed to Adventureland Inn. I didn't work and the girls didn't have school on Monday, Presidents Day so we figured it would be something fun and different and again, get us out of the house during this crappy winter weather!
Sam, Boston and Jordan were able to join us for some swimming that afternoon! They all loved it and it was perfect b/c it wasn't busy!!!! We did dinner at Spectators and then hit up the arcade, which is always fun for the kids.

Sam and the boys left after that and then we decided to hit up the pools one more time before getting ready to settle down and get some sleep!

Steve had to work Monday morning, so he got up and left early and the girls and I slept in. I slept like total shit there but oh well. We actually got up and did some more swimming  before we had to check out! Then we went to breakfast at Perkins (the girls LOVE Perkins and it was actually pretty good!). I told the girls we would go to Half Price Books, Piper has been begging for more Junie B Jones books so we found some good stuff to buy!

Then we went home. The girls actually really love playing at home and I was excited to try to take a quick nap! :)