A Good Reminder

Why we rarely go out to eat!

Today, we had a great morning at Merle Hay Mall, enjoying the free breakfast, movie, train ride, and visit with Santa and the Snow Princesses, (eh, from afar-the lines were way too long).  My parents then took A with them to spend some time with her cousins, leaving us with the twins.  After their nap, we decided to head out and do a few errands, (grocery shopping, Home Depot-we had a "pretty nice Saturday planned"). Things are much different when you have to play zone defense so being able to play one on one was easy peasy!

Things were going so well we decided to get some dinner out.  We soon found out we were pushing our luck:  It's been so long since we've had a bad eating out experience, but maybe that's why we decided it was a good idea-the horrors from previous experiences were not etched in our minds!  With the snow, we were seated right away and ordered our food as soon as our waiter came to take our drink orders.  So far, so good.  The restaurant will remain nameless, but we seemed to wait more than your average length of time during a Saturday night when a restaurant is less than busy.  Surprisingly we kept the two toddlers entertained without any problems.  (Thankfully my entree came with chips and salsa that were brought out early).  L could have cared less, but our little buddy enjoyed himself some salsa-not to mention most of it ended up on the make-shift bib I made for him!

Finally, our meals arrived. We ordered all of their favorites:  mac 'n cheese, corn, pizza and mandarin oranges.  What could go wrong?  First of all, L thought her cold mac 'n cheese was "too hot" and kept screaming this over and over.  No amount of convincing her it was fine could help.  Then, she had to have both spoons, leaving her bro with none. He managed for a bit, but eating corn with a fork is challenging.  When she set one spoon down, I quickly grabbed it for it.  She noticed and immediately her crying screaming intensified.  We pulled out all the tricks to re-direct her, but it wasn't happening. I then told C I would get him a new spoon and gave his back to his sister.  You can imagine what happened after that.  Yep, two toddlers having melt downs, while we sat in our little both in the corner, surrounded by other patrons.

To make matters worse, Justin's burger was under cooked so it had to be sent back to the kitchen.  After a few minutes we realized we were at the point of no return and decided to scram.  Justin grabbed our crying toddlers, one who started crying harder when we told him he needed to put his coat on, and ran as quickly as he could to the vehicle.  I'm sure the watching patrons were saying "Amen" under their breaths.  Our waiter came by and asked if I needed anything when he saw me sitting at my table alone with plates full of food:  "Boxes for everything and a bag to carry it all out, please.  And our check."

It will probably be another 14 months before we go out again. I look at it as a money saving strategy :).  Happy dining!

Cheese Curds Anyone?

We had our inaugural trip to Wisconsin to see my brother and his family this past weekend.  What a quick 4.5 hour drive it was, (and beautiful, along the Mississippi river), compared to our previous 11+ hour trip to CO.

Here's a quick synapses of our weekend there:

• Saturday we spent a few hours at the Madison Children's Museum. This was perfect for all 6 of our little ones (the littlest who slept most of the time).  Everyone enjoyed the arts and crafts and the adult-sized hamster wheel.   C could have spent all of his time playing with the cars and trucks.
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• We enjoyed a quick lunch at a local pizzeria that had a variety of pizzas available by the slice (macaroni and cheese and Thanksgiving dinner were two of their most interesting types).
• The twins were still going strong, so we decided to take a tour of the capital before heading home.
  
  
  
  
• It was chilly out, but the older girls and I went on a quick walk on their nearby trails.
• Sunday, Justin and I watched all 6 little ones, giving my brother and his wife some chance to catch up on some Zzzz's.  We managed to get the 5 older ones fed with out too many mishaps.  There was some fighting over the two Frozen plates and a little potty accident but nothing we couldn't handle.  Whew, I can't imagine having 6 kids under 6, but that was a little taste.
  
• I then took the older girls to Target to get out of the house for a bit.  They each picked out a little toy/craft to work on at home. 
• It was great meeting our newest nephew and we are so glad they live closer now!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Everyone was spent...

Happy Fall

October flew by and November is here already-I'm a little late in my Halloween post, but here it is:

I love fall and the many traditions that go along with this time of year.  As usual, we went to Center Grove Orchard one Sunday afternoon after naps.  Living at my parent's house, the drive was a piece of cake and the crowd had started to dissipate by the time we got there.  I love how this orchard keeps expanding and adding to it's collection of things to do, (which tells me my money is going somewhere-it is not cheap!).  This year we enjoyed the jumping pillows (what a smart idea to have one for the little kids and one for the big kids!), the pig races (a new feature), the giant slide (my daredevil twin thought she needed to go by herself--on her stomach, face first!), the corn pit, tractor rides, and the animals.  We all enjoyed a cider doughnut on the way in and chose a pumpkin on the way out.  

The thought of carving pumpkins with three little ones is a little daunting so we decided to paint our pumpkins this year.  This was much less messy and safer and who doesn't love arts and crafts.  At the last second, I decided to pick up some stickers to add to the pumpkins so we had some pretty creative pumpkins on our doorstep (er, my parent's doorstep).  

This was our third year of attending Night Eyes at the zoo.  What a fun time for the kids. We went in the evening this time, and although we didn't see many animals, the kids enjoyed all the lights at the zoo.  Thankfully the twins rode nearly the entire time in the wagon which made things so much easier.  They enjoyed train rides and the bounce houses before heading home (and mom and dad enjoyed a few pieces of their candy).

I love this one!

Beggar's Night:  I've gotten so used to having the kids go trick or treating on this day that it has become normal to me.  This was a crazy evening for us-I had clinic at the VA that afternoon, then Justin picked the kids up and we all went to Grimes to look at a house of a builder we are interested in.  After a quick tour, and an even quicker dinner, we got all the kids into their costumes in the mini van, AKA dressing room.  We met my cousin and her family near our old neighborhood and got all the little ones together for a group photo before starting the adventure.  (Thankfully my cousin brought adult cocktails for us to enjoy -they were NEEDED).  The older girls took right off, going from house to house, while the twins tried to stay caught up. After they realized they were getting candy from each house, they really starting to enjoy this trick or treating thing-"get more candy."  It was great seeing the old neighbors again and catching up.  After nearly an hour and a half of gathering candy, we decided to call it a night and packed all three in the van for the trek back to Ames.  

Yesterday, AJ and I took all the candy to Plaza Dental, where your candy is exchanged for money ($1 per pound).  She took her earnings to Toys R Us and picked out a Spider Man sticker book :).  

A few pics of leaf jumping:

Happy Fall-Winter is right around the corner...

My Newest Addiction

I love a good work out, especially something that challenges me and makes me sore the next day. I've become obsessed with power yoga at Power Life Yoga (located in Des Moines, Johnston, West Des Moines and Waukee).

Before you skip reading the rest of this post, this is not your typical yoga. I've done yoga before and found it somewhat boring and not a great workout, especially if I'm going to be spending 45-60 minutes out of my day doing it.  We all know how precious time is - I want to maximize my workout in the short time I have available, and need something that challenges me.

So I said this wasn't your typical yoga; going through poses at a slow pace with slow music that nearly puts you to sleep.  This is much, much different.  Yes, you still perform the same poses, but at a much faster pace, in a heated room, with new, modern music.  My favorite class is sculpt, where you perform yoga with hand weights, bands or a ball.  

The heat in the room takes some getting used to-if it's been a few days between my sessions, I usually find it hard to adjust to the warmth at first.  It's great knowing all that sweating you are doing is getting rid of "toxins", (or that Scratch cupcake I ate the day before).  After my sculpt class this week, I left the studio thinking it was the best workout I had had in a long time, possibly ever.  It's so different than going out and running 20 miles. I love how easy this is on my joints, how more flexible I have become and the strength I am gaining in my upper and lower body, along with my core.  It will be a great accompaniment to my running. 

Yoga also cleanses your mind and forces you to disconnect from the rest of the world for an hour.  I hate how we are all constantly needing to be stimulated, whether it be watching TV, talking on the phone, or searching the Internet.  Think about it, when was the last time you just sat in a room, without any interruptions?  Even when we go to a gym to work out, we often watch television or play on our iPads to make the time go faster.  It's so bad that when I have time where I'm not doing anything, I need to pick up my phone and play on it.  These classes force me to disconnect for an hour, giving my full concentration to what I'm doing and the benefits I am gaining from it.  The instructors help you focus on your practice, telling you to forget about the stressors in everyday life. They always leave you with a bit of advice at the end of the class, and you can't help but walk out of there feeling great.  

Justin actually recommended I try this, and got me a groupon to try it out.  They also offer a free week of classes so I decided to give it a shot.  I loved it so much, I went to 6 classes during my free week of classes.  I'm impressed by the variety of people who attend-guys and gals ranging in all ages. This is definitely a "sport" for all ages and the benefits are numerous-increased flexibility, weight loss,  increased metabolism, and increased muscle strength. It also helps to de-clutter the mind and relieve stress (both necessities for this lady).

So give it a try, you may just become addicted too!  

100,000 Mile Check Up at the Pediatrician's Office

I have been dreading this appointment for probably over a year for AJ--the 5 year-old, ready-for-school, check up.  This isn't your annual height and weight measurements with plotting on a graph to see how your little one compares to others their same age.  Our hour and a half trip to the pediatricians office was much more than that.

The entire ride from school to the office, I contemplated if I should tell AJ she would be receiving shots at this appointment. She is one of those who is able to comprehend things better if she is told in advance what will be happening. This is a method we have been using with her since she was little and works very well.  So I calmly explained that she would probably have to get a shot at the appointment today, and when I looked in the rear view mirror, I saw tears rolling down her cheeks.  Oh no!  After explaining it would be OK and promising lots of special treats she calmed down, just in time as I pulled into the pediatrician's parking lot.

The trip started with the typical measurements of height and weight. This girl has only gained one pound since February and grew 3 inches in 1 year!  She weighs just under 43 pounds and is 45.8 inches tall.  The child's height predictor predicts she will be 5 feet 10 inches tall!  Perfect for a volleyball player :).  Next a child's blood pressure cuff was wrapped around her arm for her first ever blood pressure-98/56.  After a failed attempt at leaving a urine sample, we were escorted to the exam room.

The nurse then rattled off everything that would be happening during the visit--eye exam, finger stick for lead value and CBC, four vaccinations; oh and would you like a flu shot to go with that?  I quickly glanced at AJ to see how much of that conversation she heard, (which was of course all of it), and her eyes were huge.  I quickly explained to the nurse that I would NOT be giving her all the vaccinations today.  She still has 10 months before she will be enrolled in school-plenty of time to catch up with vaccinations, (possibly another plus about a Fall birthday).

Testing vision in a five year old can be sort of tricky-how do you know they aren't peeking around the hand that is covering one of their eyes?  Instead of using the typical Snellen Chart with the big E at the top, a chart with shapes is used instead.  She passed with flying colors with 20/20 vision.

The lab tech came in next, trying to make small talk with AJ, before putting a hole in her right index figure.   I wanted to yell "stop the chit chat and get it over with!"  I tried to make a joke by reminding her about when Buddy the Elf got his finger poked and how he ate the cotton ball. She wasn't too amused but did like her Hello Kitty band aid.

I was then a little surprised when the nurse put a paper gown on the table and asked AJ to undress and put it on. AJ thought it was ridiculous and froze her little tush off while waiting for the provider.  After eons of waiting, the PA student came in first to do her assessment.  Luckily, AJ is a patient patient and didn't mind having to go through the entire exam twice, with checking her reflexes as her favorite part.

Finally, the tough part had come. As a mother, you have to be an advocate for your children.  In my opinion, 4 shots for a five year old is traumatizing.  Heck, 4 shots for an adult would be horrible!  I did ask AJ if she wanted to go ahead and get all 4 shots out of the way today so she wouldn't have to come back, but she agreed to just two, plus the flu mist.  Although this will require an extra trip to the pediatrician's office, I feel it's worth it.  Plus, she would be receiving 3 live vaccines if she received everything today, and I like to spread those out.

AJ was so calm and took the flu mist like a champ.  As I lifted her onto the table and she saw the syringes, she became a little frantic. It is horrible holding down your infant child as needles are stuck in their legs, but I think it is even more difficult restraining your five year old, who is well aware of what is going on.  It makes me nauseous thinking I will have to do this again later next year and again with the twins.  She did really well though and calmed down quickly when she saw the office had Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle stickers.

She left the office with extra cookies because it was her 5 year check up, and an empty specimen cup in my purse.  Guess I'll be making another trip back to the office soon.

Wray Bed and Breakfast

If you are ever looking for a place to stay, we highly recommend this place.

It is much, much more than a bed and breakfast however.  When you arrive at the home, you will be greeted by the owners with a huge hug and usually a freshly baked, delicious snack.  We were pleasantly surprised to see a large pan of the owner's famous apple bars in the kitchen when we arrived.  Throughout your stay, you will be treated to many other yummy, homemade treats.  I recommend you try the homemade chocolate chip cookies, cinnamon rolls, chili, and pancakes.  It is very likely you will gain weight during your stay.  (There is a treadmill you can utilize at the home).  

When you return back to the B and B after a day at work or exploring the city, your clean, folded laundry will be in your room waiting for you.  A hot dinner will be cooking on the stove while you change into something more comfy.  The owners go above and beyond what they should do to make your stay as enjoyable as possible.

After eating more than you should have of the delicious meal, the owners will enjoy playing with your little ones, while you help clean up the dishes.  The owners love children and are not afraid to get on the floor and play with them.  They enjoy playing games, reading stories, and playing outside with children when the weather is nice.

While the sun sets and everyone heads inside, the owners are more than willing to help with bath time.  This is so helpful because bathing more than 2 children at once can be challenging and exhausting at the same time.  After a bed time snack and bed time stories, it's a group effort to get everyone down for the night.

The female owner has a plethora of jackets for you to choose from, if you're looking for something new to wear or are just sick of your own outerwear.  I found myself making multiple choices from her coat closet during my most recent stay.

If you are ever in need of a relaxing get away, this bed and breakfast is a perfect place to go.  With around 3 acres of land, there is plenty of room for you to explore, and rides on the owner's mower are free.   Our son particularly enjoyed this perk.  The large deck is a great place to relax at the end of the day, enjoying a glass of wine or cocktail.  Our girls spent hours flying through the air on the tree swing, (and adults can enjoy it too).

Unfortunately, our stay is coming to an end.  Huge thank you to the owners for their wonderful hospitality!

More Than Just a House

Our last week in our current house is here, which forces me to stop packing and just recall all of the wonderful memories we have had in this home.

This house is much more than just a house-so many things have happened within these walls over the last 8 years.  We welcomed our first furry friend a year after we moved in, and although he remained nameless for a few days, he became part of our family.  We've grown from a family of 2, to a family of 3, then a family of 5.  We've hosted holiday parties, tailgating get togethers, Bunco with the neighbors and baby showers.  The memories are countless.

Many firsts occurred in this home:  First steps, first birthdays, first smiles.  First dance moves, first somersaults and first flips off the couch.  Cookies for Santa were set out, pumpkins carved and Easter eggs dyed.  Tears have been shed, boo boos kissed and lots and lots of dirt has been washed down the bathtub drain.  We've had eight different Christmas trees, all chosen and cut from my dad's tree farm.  Each with varying decorations depending on who could reach the ornaments.

Each child has made numerous trips around and around our house, through the kitchen, into the dining room and through the foyer, pushing push toys, baby strollers or just running away from each other.  We've baked many birthday cakes, cookies and muffins, with each little one helping to add the ingredients.  Many bedtime stories have been read, songs sang and dances danced.  Justin and I spent hours and hours calming babies at night, walking around the house, to promote sleep before laying them back down.  Feeding twins in the middle of the night in front of the fireplace is a memory we will never forget.

These walls surrounded us when we gathered both families in the living room to discuss a scary health condition.  I can still picture where everyone was sitting when we made the announcement.  Justin's parents were told they were going to be grandparents for the first time in our living room.  Other important discussions regarding our lives occurred here:  Deciding to change jobs, picking names for our three children, choosing a daycare, and most recently deciding to move.

We have put a lot of hard work into this house.  Nearly every wall has been painted and every flooring replaced.  Updates galore have been done so we can enjoy this home even more.  It's hard to move away from a house you have put so much into.

Many balls have been kicked, thrown and hit in our backyard.  We've enjoyed hours of watching little ones run through the sprinkler, giggling and screaming.  Our three artists have made numerous creations on our driveway and sidewalk with chalk and sidewalk paint.  They've walked up and down the street in the rain, barefoot, carrying their umbrellas and splashing in the puddles.  Our Winters have consisted of making snow angels, being pulled around the house on a sled and building snowmen.  A few unwanted creatures have also enjoyed our place, living under our shed.  Over the years, we've trapped a raccoon (Rocky), a groundhog (Gordy), and a Opossum (Pete).  We delivered them all safely to a new home out in the country.  We've enjoyed the neighbors play set much more than they have and are so thankful they allowed us to use it.

Not knowing what the neighborhood would be like before we moved in, we definitely felt apprehensive.  We hit the jackpot with this neighborhood:  the people, the location, the parks, and the bike paths.  This is what makes it so hard to leave this house.  The day we moved in was the annual block party, allowing us to meet nearly everyone on the street.  We remember feeling a little overwhelmed that day, but looking back, that day demonstrated to us the type of neighborhood we were moving into.  We can't tell you the number of times our neighbors have helped us, (see previous post about 98th Street), and we know we will stay in contact with many of our current neighbors.

Today when I came home to an empty house and I had a mini breakdown-seeing the furniture gone solidifies what is happening.  Thankfully there was some leftover birthday cake to devour and cheer me up!

This move is bittersweet but we're looking forward to our next adventure.  We know the twins are too little to remember their first home but we'll have a plethora of pictures of help remind them.  Were hopeful Alena's little mind will recall many special memories.  Thanks for the memories 98th Street!