Please give me S'more

We finally managed to go on a family camping trip this weekend. The girls have never been before and we knew they would love it. Jadie and Jenny decided to come with us too. We found a great spot right by the river. A family trip to Wal-Mart had us coming home with pink sleeping bags and pink "roly-poly" lanterns for Braedyn and Britt, and a new LED flashlight for Troy (he just can't resist any kind of "necessary" gadget), and nice warm sleeping bag for me. We had a roaring fire, made S'mores, played with Glo Sticks, played ball with the kids, and drank lots of warm cider and hot chocolate. It was such a great night. We want to go again soon and even invite some more of our friends to come next time. Too bad it is October already. We might have to wait until spring.

My husband is a master camper. He had everything set up in no time. Thank you Boy Scouts.

They loved the tent and their pink beds so much that they spent the first half hour playing house in the tent. Bedtime was no issue. They hopped right in and went right to sleep.

The Men of the Camp.

Mmmmm! Gotta love those S'mores!! Did you know they are really good with peanut butter on them?

We had to do some dorky pictures. I love my buddy, Jenny.

Here is my master camper pouring the hot apple cider that he just warmed up on his camp stove.

I loved hanging snuggling with my hubby by the fire.

Jadie had gotten a nice fire going for us before we even woke up. The girls were thrilled to have Hot Chocolate with Breakfast.

Braedyn busied herself by making leaf piles to jump in.

I thought this was a sweet picture of Brittney. She nestled down on her blanket and "read" to herself while we made breakfast.

Our kids are the classic boy and girls. Mine played house in the tent while Kimball wanted to play with the fire. He was quick to get something in there when we weren't looking. He found every stick, leaf, and even paper cup to drop in there.

I love this picture of Fleagle. She is a good little camper. Nemo got to have a slumber party with Grandma Jill's dogs.

My adorable little family. I loved getting out in nature with them.

Oh, the Joy of Potty Training

Brittney thought her new potty was pretty cool. I wrapped it up like a present just as in Once Upon a Potty. With a cup of juice and lots of books she sat on that potty for an hour and a half and "tinkled" about ten times.
Braedyn loved reading to Brittney and shouting "Good job, Brittney!!" She loves to teach Brittney new things. They are great at going potty together. :) Brittney has done really well the last three days. Only a couple accidents. Whew!!!

Once Upon a Potty

by Alona Frankel

This book comes in a Girl and Boy version. Its detail about her body makes me laugh, but it does the job. Brittney knows where the poop comes out. I recommend it.

Get Outside and Play

Troy and I like to find ways to be active with the kids. So we borrowed this bike trailer from my friend, Brooke. We hook it up to Troy's bike because he is better than me. I am not always the most coordinated cyclist. The other night, we rode from our house, all the way to Lake Zurinsky and stopped at a playground their for the girls to play. It was a hilly way back, but we had a lot of fun.

Braedyn and Brittney love to ride in trailer. "Go faster Daddy! Go Faster! Mommy is catching up." (I am a little slower than him on the downhill. I am such a chicken).

Business is Business

I was on the way home from Target yesterday (where I had just spent a decent amount on clothes for the girls) when I got a call from my boss. He was letting me know that Colton's was shutting down and that I could pick up my paycheck today. Our general manager quit to open his own restaurant here in town. He didn't give anyone notice that he was leaving. I had worked with him for almost two years and many others had been there even longer. He could at least have told us himself instead of sneaking out like a chicken. Since he left, the owner decided to shut it down immediately, rather than find new management. He wasn't even the one to call me. Our manager, Dan, was left with all the duties of closing it down.

What a sudden let down. I am disappointed not only because I have lost a good job with good people, but also because it was a good restaurant. The food was so good, the atmosphere was nice and I thought the service was great :). There were a lot of good people on that staff and I will miss the positive atmosphere that existed there. I went to get my check today and there was a sign on the door stating, "Closed for Remodeling." Yeah Right!!

So today I went out to look for a new job. I need my little outlet of talking with adults and no loud little girl voices in the background. Of course, I need the cash too. I walked into Johnny's Italian Steakhouse today and they hired me on the spot. It seems like a good place to work. I hope I am right. So, if you are out for a nice dinner, please ask for me if you go to Johnny's. It will be nice to see a familiar face.

My Southern Gal came to Town

Ashley and I have been friends since kindergarten. She moved to Tennessee when we were 14 and we have remained closest friends ever since. I think we have visited each other every year. My mom was sweet enough to buy her a ticket to visit this weekend. We had a great week of shopping, swimming with the kids, running (like soccer moms), and doing my dad's party.

We have so many good memories together of swimming at the Lake at Mimi's house, obsessing over Bobby Kross (our middle school crush), driving to Florida with her crazy friends, the list goes on and on. I am lucky have always had her as a friend. Every girl should be able to have a friend for a lifetime.

Dressed to go out to dinner and a Movie.

Ashley made the girls these blankets. We let the girls pick out their material. Whew, that was an event. Brittney tried to carry the whole role of fleece all over the store. Aren't the blankets cute? The girls love them.

My dad has a cool sister - my Auntie Annie (Lizanne). She wanted to throw him a surprise 50th birthday party. She did a lot of work to make it happen and it was a lot of fun. I am glad that we were able to do it for my dad. He is such a great father and friend to so many people. He deserved his own big day. I am so lucky to have such a sweet and loving dad.

Auntie Annie threw a great party for Dad. She is the Hostess with the Mostest. The cake was so good!!! Gotta love HyVee cake.

Here is the birthday boy. Auntie Annie picked out an awesome party hat.

Isn't our daddy so cute? We just had to give him a birthday kiss.

Braedyn and Brittney loved playing in the sand. You should have seen their bathwater that night. Yuck!

What a great night at the Lake. Happy Birthday Dad!

My Disney Princess

You Are Aurora! (A.K.A. Sleeping Beauty.)

Thoughtful and loving. Authority figures probably have been sheltering you all of your life. Thankfully you're a very tranquil person who is content with what life has given you, but secretly you want to know how the outside world works.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Splish Splash

As the end of summer nears, I thought I should share what we did with our hot, hot, humid days. Yep, we spent all of them in the water. Braedyn has become quite the little fish, swimming all over the pool and diving "like a mermaid." I have spent many afternoons pretending to be Melody, the Mermaid. Goggles, watering cans, and Ariel dolls have kept little Brittney busy in the water. Of course, Daddy makes the pool more fun with all of his throwing and chasing of our little girls. Thanks to Grandma Jill and Grandpa Rick, we can enjoy the heat rather than just survive it.

Here is my little mermaid, so Hollywood in my glasses.

How can we swim without all the proper attire?

Brittney loves to "swim" across the pool.

Braedyn and Kimball have been good swimming buddies.