December in a breeze

Its been awhile since I"ve posted anything. We have been keeping busy with life and children and life.
The girls are done with school for the year. They had their Christmas program at school and they both did a fantastic job. Ellie really likes to sing and sometimes she is the only one you can actually hear singing. She may be tone deaf like her mom and can't really sing but she doesn't care at all, she just sings her heart out. It makes me smile to watch and hear. Chloe likes to sing too but she isn't as out going as Ellie. Church program is done as well and the girls did wonderful with their little lines that they had to say.

We are living off of candy and almond bark covered pretzels it seems. I had a baking night with some friends a few weeks ago, which Mark seems to like since I come home with goodies. He had Nolan with him and since Nolan has been dealing with ear infections or teething or something my time baking was cut short, but I still brought home some goodies.

The girls had their last ballet classes for the year as well. I got to observe each of their classes and see what they have been learning. The girls do a wonderful job and I think they enjoy the class. I can't wait to see the recital in May.

As I mentioned Nolan has been dealing with ear infections lately. We took him in for his 6month check up and he had an infection then, so he was put on his 3 round of antibiotics for ear infections. I took him back just this past Tuesday and they gave him a clean slate. I pray it stays that way, but if we have another infection I'm afraid it will be tubes.

Christmas is just 4 days away!! We have a full weekend of family fun planned. Friday will be celebrating my brother in laws 30th birthday, then saturday is Mark;s family Christmas, Sunday is my dad's side of the family, Monday is my family, and we have to squeeze our family in there somewhere as well. It will be fun and crazy to say the least!

I pray you all enjoy the wonderful holiday and remember the real meaning of CHRISTmas!

Trials and tribulations

So recently it just seems like there are a lot of people being diagnosed with sicknesses and such and I just wanted to take a moment to say a few things.
This past weekend, 2 people my parents know, were diagnosed with cancer. One of them is a Pastor and his cancer is pretty far advanced, the other is a sweet lady who was diagnosed with lung cancer. I am also following 4 caring bridge sites of children under the age of 6 all with cancer!
My heart aches for these people. I can't imagine what the parents of these kids are going thru. I know when my kids are sick, I wanna be sick for them or take away their pain. I can only imagine that the parents of these kids wanna do the same thing. I pray that each of the children are healed and can have a long full life filled with all things kids like! God's will be done!
I know what its like to have a close relative or someone special diagnosed with cancer. In 2004 i think, my dad was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma on valentines day. I remember it well cause I never saw my dad look so small as he did that day in the hospital. He had his tonsils taken out b/c that where the cancer was located, so he was hooked up to tubes and monitors. Now if you know my dad, he isn't a small man, his hands are bigger then anyones I've seen and he is always so tough. That day, he looked so small and fragile.. it was so hard to see!! I can thankfully say that my dad is cured!!! Praise GOD!! I have felt the loss of cancer tho.. when I was very young, my gramma died from cancer.. I can still see her with her bald head sitting in a bed. I don't remember much of my gramma b/c I was so young, but there is an empty space in my heart where she belongs. I know she is happy and healthy in heaven tho.
I pray that none of these people recently diagnosed or struggling with the fight of cancer have to go thru the pain of loss, but that they are cured!

Friends

I just wanted to say how thankful I am for the friends I have here in Hull. After moving from the big city of sioux falls to a small town(after a few moves in between), I really didn't know anyone and felt like I had no one to lean on or hang out with. I am happy to say that I have met a great group of ladies who are just so much fun to hang out with.  Its fun when we get together to gab and do various other things. From painting nails to baking cookies, we have great conversations that our husbands and other guys would not like to listen to, but thats a girl thing anyway!
I am thankful that there are other ladies that know what its like to just get frustrated and need to vent, or understand when I need to get out of the house. Girls nights are a huge blessing!!!
So to those of you who are in this group and read my blog, THANK YOU FOR BEING YOU! and for accepting me!!
love ya!

bathroom project

Happy Thanksgiving to all. The turkey and mashed potatoes have been eaten and the black Friday shopping is done. Yes, I went shopping at 11pm with my SIL's and we got done and home around 9. I went to bed for about 3hrs then try to make it thru the rest of the day. Supper on Friday night with mark's siblings at the mexican restuarant in sioux center and then it was in bed. 

Today was project day!

Mark has been working on sheetrocking, mudding/taping, and painting the garage and so I decided I needed to do a project too. I bought some vinyl tiles at Menards for cheap on black friday, so I redid my bathroom. We had carpet in there and it was just getting really gross. With toothpaste stains and mold from the bathtub and of course its been thrown up on a few times. I tore that out this morning along with the ugly tile that was underneath the carpet. It was a bit harder then I thought it was going to be cause the carpet was glued down and it was a sticky mess, but I got it all up and was pleased with what I had to work with underneath. I had a few mishaps, but nothing major. The floor is in and it looks 10times better then carpet. Its in no way a professional job, but anything is better then carpet. Don't go looking real close at it the next time you are in my bathroom, but for now it will do. I am proud of myself for doing it on my own. I will be doing the kitchen floor next because that too is carpet and it is GROSS! Anyone wants to help they are more then welcome to it.

I am still exhausted from not getting much sleep so I am going to bed!

Before

before.. the ugly stuff underneath

finished product!

its been awhile

So, its been a while since I"ve posted anything so I will try to re-cap our lives lately.
I think the last time I posted was after our trip to Story City and since then we went on another trip. Well, the kids and I did. My cousin Mollie got married in Pella, so we headed down there with my parents on Nov 11 to hang out. The wedding was beautiful and its always nice to see that side of the family.
The week didn't hold too much for excitement, just the normal routine mixed in with some random other activities. Mark decided to sheetrock the garage to try to keep it warmer in there and in return will add some insulation in there and in the house. we have an older house and its a bit drafty to say the least. The windows aren't sealed well and since we keep the temp set at 67 degrees it gets a bit cool sometimes, so the extra insulation might help a bit.
This weekend has been pretty low key. Friday night I went with my mother in law and sis in law to natural beauty, its a flower place. Every year they have poinsettias that they sell, I have never been there but since I was asked to go I went. Mark actually gave me permission to buy a plant, so I bought 2, they are small so don't worry! Mark was in the garage all day saturday with some helpers(joel and nick) and I think got most of the garage done!
Today, well, Ellie is sick. She has been running a fever all day and just blah. I feel so bad when my kids are sick and I can't do anything to make them feel better. Chloe started to complain her ear hurt too, so we may be in for a long week.
On a better note, it's Thanksgiving weekend!! Just when I feel like I might be losing some weight, the holidays come around and since I love food, it may just ruin my diet.. oh well, there is always a new years resolution right!?
Well, the rest of my family is sleeping so maybe I should do that too!

this and that

Its been a while since I've posted but thats cause we have been busy!
We have been doing a lot of family things lately.
October 22 was a wedding of my cousin in Ames. It was a nice wedding and I got to see a lot of my cousins and uncles and aunts that I don't see a lot of. I got to see my cousin Jason and his wife Leslie and their new little twins. They are adorable!!!
Then Nov 5th was Pheasgiving with Mark's family. Pheasgiving is pheasant hunting and Thanksgiving rolled into one. Its a weekend long event and is usually a lot of fun and a great family time. We have gone almost every year that it has been going. Its awesome to see how much the family grows each year. We have accepted many children as well as a family member that came from Norway last year. Hopefully Bente will be coming again next year! We added 4 babies this year, tho not all were there, along with all the other children that we love. The food is good and the bonding time is always a joy.
This weekend the kids and I are heading to Pella with my parents to go to my cousin, Mollie's wedding. After this I think most of my cousins are married off. I look forward to seeing more family and just hanging out!
I'm ready to settle down, but the holidays are right around the corner, so I don't know if that will happen, but after this weekend I will have a chance to breath.

whirlwind weekend

Wow! We had a crazy weekend.
Friday I babysat my beautiful niece Isabella for half the day. Then around 12, my mom came to watch the girls while I took Isabella and Nolan to Sioux City to meet up with my SIL Kathy for pictures. We had some awesome pictures taken of Nolan and Isabella. They both turned out well. Then Friday night, we went to see our new nephew, Tysen. We got word early on Friday that Bethany had gone into labor and had a cute little baby boy. So of course we had to see him before we left for the weekend. He is adorable and I can't wait to spoil him and for him and Nolan to be best buds!
Saturday morning, Mark and Ellie left for Sutton Nebraska for a wedding of a college friend of his. They had about a 4hr drive there and were going to head out early so they could hang out with some other friends that were planning on being there.
Chloe, Nolan and I waited for my parents so we could all head to Ames IA for a wedding of my cousin. We took my dads truck and the kids did well. The wedding was beautiful and the reception food was good. I also got to see my cousins new little twin babies. They are 10weeks old and just adorable!!
After the wedding we headed to the hotel so Chloe could go swimming. It was Nolan's first time in a pool other the me holding him. I had a little tube thing that he could sit in while I held onto it. He did awesome and looked soo cute.
Sunday we checked out of the hotel and headed towards Pella IA. My uncle is turning 50 soon and my cousin wanted to surprise him. It was so funny when he walked in the house and we all shouted surprise, he about fell backwards. There's nothing like a good surprise! Then after some food it was time to head back home.
We hopped on the interstate and came home, on I-29 you could tell where the water had been due to the flooding. It was a little crazy! We made it home safely and then had to wind down.
It was a good weekend seeing family and friends. We have a semi busy week and then the weekend is sounding booked again. Then next weekend we leave probably on Wednesday night/Thursday morning for Story City for another family fun packed weekend. Oh my head is spinning just thinking about the crazy busyness that is soon to be upon us!.

lots has happened

I keep meaning to post but by the time I actually get a chance then Nolan gets fussy or the girls need something or life just happens. I finally have a chance now since all the kids are in bed, not sleeping but in bed nonetheless.
So for starters my big boy has his first tooth!! I knew it was coming but I wasn't expecting it so early. He will be 5 months on Sunday so having a tooth isn't crazy, but I was hoping he would wait. Oh well. Nolan is playing with his toes and sits up fairly well when in his high chair or bumbo. I have no given him cereal yet cause we are kind of busy lately.  Today I switched him into size 3 diapers and when I put the first one on him this morning I almost teared up cause he is growing so fast. Mark says I'm goofy, but its a mom thing I guess.
The girls are growing as well. Ellie is enjoying her tap/ballet classes on Monday nights while Chloe goes to ballet on Thursday afternoons. Chloe is in the same class as her best friend from school and church so they are both happy about that. Ellie is starting to read and do math. She asks all the time for help with math or for Mark to read her big books. Chloe loves school and can usually tell me who the leader for the day was and what they had for snack. I am always amazed at what the girls have learned each day.
I have been busy taking care of the kids as well as playing volleyball on Monday nights. I love playing volleyball and wish I could do it everyday, but I wasn't blessed to go pro.
Mark is very busy at work and continues to practice his archery almost everyday. He is hoping to shoot a deer this season, but we will see what happens.
We have a busy schedule until the holidays are over it seems. This weekend we are splitting up to go to 2 different weddings. Mark and Ellie will go to Nebraska for a wedding of a friend of Mark's from college, while Chloe, Nolan and I will go with my parents to Ames IA for a cousins wedding. Next weekend is Halloween and maybe I'll finally get to meet my brother's g/f, then its Pheasgiving(Pheasant hunting and Thanksgiving combined) with Mark's mom's side of the family down in Story City, IA. Then we have another cousin of mine getting married and by then its almost Thanksgiving.... life just seems to fly by these days.
I still need to pack and get things ready for this weekend and tomorrow I'm watching my niece and then taking her and Nolan to Sioux City to meet up with my SIL for some pics of our kiddos. Hope to have a great day!

Big boy sittin up

playin with my toys

look, toes!

Nolan and mommy

self portrait

7 years

So I know its a little late but I've been meaning to post about our anniversary, so here it is.

7 years ago on October 8, 2004 I said I do to the best man ever. I can still remember that day and all the fun and excitement that went with it. We didn't do much to celebrate, but we did get to go out for supper by our selves, which doesn't happen hardly at all anymore.
Seven years, 3 states, 2 houses and 1 apartment, 3 cars, 3 kids and 1 dog later we are still happy and in love.

time to let go!

I've come to realize I am no longer the sole influence in my daughter's lives anymore. I used to be able to control what they say or what they hear and what they wear and what they eat..... with both the girls in school, I'm no longer in total control and I will admit its a bit scary and overwhelming!
 Ellie now stays at school all day. She eats there now and I can't control what she eats or doesn't eat. Ellie is kind of a picky eater so I'm not sure what she all eats while she is in school. I ask her when I pick her up and most of the time she says she ate the oranges or occasionally she will eat the main dish, but honestly I'm not sure she eats much. But i have to learn to let her try new things or go hungry. I can't make her eat when she is in school, I only hope her teachers watch and make sure she eats at least something.
I also can't control the things she hears at school or the things she says at school ( hopefully its never anything bad). Today she came home from school and kept saying come on, come on. I was a bit annoyed cause I know its not something we say a lot of and I know it wasn't bad, but it was annoying and unnecessary.
As a mom, there are so many times where I want to protect my kids and keep them from the outside world, but they are growing and want to learn new things. They take big steps without me and look back only to say "look what I can do." They will get hurt some times, but I have to learn to kiss the boo boos and tell them it will be ok and try to let them learn from their mistakes or learn from their accomplishments. Its hard to know that they are growing and soon they will be wanting less of my attention and more of my money, but thats life and I as a mom have to let them live and pray that God watches over them and keeps them safe. I also have to hope and pray that they have listened to what we have taught them and that they grow in faith and love. I pray my tender hearted girls will be strong and brave in this scary and cold world!

butterflies everywhere!

If you like butterflies, I've got the perfect place for you to go. The Sertoma butterfly house in Sioux falls. It has tons of butterflies that will actually land on you. It is so crazy. On Saturday morning, I met a friend at the butterfly house. We have never been there so I thought it would be fun to take the kids there. We had to see the fish in the tanks first which is pretty cool too ( in 6 months or so they are going to have sting rays that you can actually touch). After the fish viewing we went in to see the butterflies. At first, the butterflies weren't really landing on us, but they were still flying around and kind of crazy. After you take their food away, they start to fly around more and land on you. There are some pretty cool looking butterflies and some that are just huge. There was one that had big black spots on it that looked like eyes and that one reminded us of a bat the way it swooped down and around. The kids had a blast running around and trying to get butterflies to sit on their finger. I was with Lisa Kats, and her daughter, Abby, was taking off her sweatshirt cause its like 80 degrees in there, when a butterfly landed on her and it kind of freaked her out so she swatted it..... lets just say the butterfly didn't look too good after that, but it was still kind of funny.
We had a great time just sitting there watching the butterflies!

On Friday after Ellie's half day of school, we headed to Sioux Falls for Sioux falls Christian's homecoming festivities. There was a parade that we watched with floats and cars and horses. Each class had a float or walked in the parade. Then it was craziness with inflatable slides and such and games in the gyms for the kids to play. We went to watch the boys soccer game and then later the football game. When I was in high school we didn't have football and sorry to say it shows now( they lost!). But as the school grows I'm sure they will improve.
Its kind of sad to go back to homecoming and have it not be basketball like it used to be when I was in high school. Times change and so does the school.
It was a good weekend and the girls had fun! This coming weekend is Mark's birthday(friday) and then its hunting season, and my parents 30yr anniversary, so once again we are going to sioux falls. At least that way I have something to do while Mark is gone in the woods tracking bambi!
Here are a few pics from the butterfly house!

update

So there isn't much going on at the Bosma house these days. Just getting into a routine with school and ballet and coffee break is starting up.
Mark has been doing more with archery stuff since he is now the President of the Iowa Traditional Bowhunters Society. He has been going to some events and just practicing around the house and getting arrows and such ready for hunting season. He has only gotten one deer since he started bow hunting, but that hasn't stopped him. Shooting a traditional bow is way harder then shooting a compound bow so it takes more practice and patience to actually shoot something. Hopefully he will get a deer this year!
I have just been just trying to get into the routine of life. The girls aren't easy to get up in the mornings and its a whole new deal with a baby. Hopefully things will get easier with the girls as they get used to school and such. Once I drop the girls off at school then I come home and do about a 30 min workout to my best friend, Jillian Michaels! HA! Hopefully this will get me to my goal of 20lbs by November but as of now i"m just trying to get back to pre-baby weight.
Nolan is growing like crazy. He is starting to giggle now and when you lay him on the floor on his back he cocks his neck back like he wants to roll over, but we aren't there yet and thats ok with me. He will be 4 months old on Friday. I can't believe he is that old already. The other day at my in-laws he was sitting in the exersaucer and had a major blowout.. only when he is bouncing or sitting in something does he blow out.. oh well.
The girls are doing well in school. They had school pictures today. It was Chloe's first time having pictures at school and she was excited. Hopefully they turn out ok. I'm always a bit worried about how the girls will smile and how their hair will look since I"m not there to fix it before the camera snaps the picture. We will see once we get them back I guess and if nothing else I know a few people who take pictures.
So this is long and boring and I will end it now. Its a gorgeous day and I really want to enjoy it tonight after ballet!

Ballet!

The girls finally started ballet classes and for Ellie tap is added in. So, after picking up Ellie from school we rushed home to change into tights and leotards. We only have about 15 mins from the time school is out and the time we have to leave for Sioux Center. The girls were so excited, almost too excited to even get dressed correctly. We loaded the new shoes in a bag and loaded poor Nolan in the car ( he will either hate this or just sleep the entire time we do the ballet runs). Ellie's class was first, much to Chloe's dismay, so she had her bag with ballet slippers and tap shoes. I couldn't see what she was doing but it sounds like she had a great time. Chloe and I and Nolan went to the park while Ellie was in class, then at 5 went pack to pick up Ellie. We rushed to get some supper, which we won't be doing again cause there just isn't enough time. Then it was Chloe's turn. She was so excited and shy at the same time, but she went right into the room and came back out at the end of class with a big smile on her face. In the car she was telling me everything they did and wouldn't stop talking for at least 5 mins straight. I'm glad they are enjoying this. I know when I was in ballet I didn't exactly like it. My mom thought ballet would help me with my coordination issues... some might say it didn't help at all and others would ask what issues. Well, when I was young I would fall and run into things at whim. There was no rhyme or reason for my accidents, just bad coordination. So ballet was the answer to those issues I guess much to my dismay. I still like to fall on the floor but its usually when I'm in a sport such as volleyball. My girls seem to fall and run into things like I did so my mom and I thought ballet might help them out. Time will tell. For now they just get to have fun and look adorable in their little leotards!!

its starting to look like Fall

I love the cooler weather and the cooler nights. I love summer, but this time of year is wonderful too.
Today the girls and I were outside at our neighbors house trying to catch butterflies. There are tons of them just flying around and landing on trees. We had a catch and release thing going, I would catch while the girls would then look at it and release it. It was really cool to watch the Monarchs fly over your head in bunches. I finally got to go for a walk tonight too. I've been busy with rummage sale stuff and just life, so I've been failing in my plan for 20lbs gone by November.. I have 2 months... yikes...
I still have 1 rummage sale left to deal with. My sister in law, Bethany, is letting me put stuff on her sale in sioux center. Usually SC rummages are pretty good, so I'm hoping to sell double what I did in Hull. Once these sales are over then I have until the spring to rest.
I have a feeling life is going to start getting a bit crazy. Next week the girls start ballet on Monday nights, I usually have volleyball on monday nights as well once that starts, so Monday's will be very busy. Hopefully I can keep my head on straight and we will all be fine.
Enjoy the beautiful weather and the Monarch migration!

where does the time go?

I haven't blogged for awhile because all week I've been setting up for our garage sale over at my sister in laws house. I am getting rid of all my girl clothes! some say I may be jinxing myself by doing this but I figure if something happens and we do end up prego again and have a girl, she would have at least 2 cousins who would be older and could pass things down and who doesn't like new clothes? Its been kind of a crazy week trying to set up and then get in to a routine with the girls at school. We have managed to do quite well and the girls liked being at Aunt Kathy's during the day while I set things up.

Tomorrow, Mark and the girls are heading to Fremont Nebraska for an archery shoot. This time they are taking the good care so hopefully they will make it this time and not have any problems... although that leaves me carless since Mark's Honda is a stick shift and no one takes the time to teach me to drive it. It will be nice not having to worry about keeping the girls occupied while I sit at a rummage sale tomorrow and then clean things up as well. I hope they all have fun and are good. Mark has a friend that will be at the shoot and he is letting the girls and Mark stay in their camper with them. The girls are excited and I will get some much needed relaxation and peace.

School has been going well for both girls. They have banned me from walking them into the school building in the morning, but run to me at the end of their school day. Chloe loves pre-school and is having fun each day she goes. Ellie loves kindergarten and even had her first memory verse due today... I hope she did well! Its crazy to think they are that old already!

Nolan is growing like a weed. He loves to sit up and talk and has started to giggle although its more like gasps for air with some noise behind it.. its cute and I'll take it. He is 3 months old and just a joy!!

We have no real big plans for this holiday weekend but what is already going on. Hope you enjoy the 3 day weekend if you get it and are safe!

the days go by

Today was Chloe's first day of pre-school. She was so excited she could hardly contain her happiness. Both girls were ready to go by quarter to 8, but we didn't have to leave til 10 after. We got to school and while I was getting Nolan out of the car the girls ran to the door and Chloe turns and waves and says "bye mom" I couldn't believe she was just ready to go in without me. We dropped Ellie off in her room since hers is right by the front door, then it was down to Chloe's room. She knew exactly where to hang her back pack and then went to wash her hands and sit in her spot at the table. I took a few pictures and then headed out with a smile on my face but a heavy heart. I made it back to the office before the tears started to flow. My girls have grown up so fast! It seems like only yesterday when they were Nolan's age, and now they are in school! Both girls had a good day and were pretty tired this evening. Nolan and I got to spend some time together and I was able to pick up the house a bit and just relax... I have really good intentions of working out while the girls are in school, but I will wait til Monday to start that.

Mark is on his way home as I type this from Kansas. A day later then he wanted but at least its not a whole week in Kansas. He will be tired but it will be good to be home.

Things are moving too fast!

I can not believe my baby is 3 months old today! I can not believe my Ellie-cakes is in Kindergarten!! I can not believe my little Chloe-kins is going to pre-school!! Where has the time gone?!
I managed to hold it together while bringing Ellie to kindergarten yesterday, but i'm not sure how tomorrow will go when I bring both girls to school. I know there are days were I can't stand all the fighting and screaming that goes on between the girls, but I know that I will miss that when they are at school. They are both so excited and I'm excited for them, but I'm still sad that they are growing up so fast!
Nolan is starting to be more attentive and likes to sit up and stand. If he could sit on his own he would do it all the time. He is very social and getting more vocal. He is still cuddly and I just want him to stay that way! He has rolled from his tummy to his back a few times, I think its more of an accident then him actually doing it, but we will take what we can get.

On the downside of things, Mark is still gone in Kansas and isn't expecting to be back til at least Wednesday night and thats only if things go well and fast. Its kind of a long story as to why he is there, but to sum it up, he is testifying for an old employer against his old boss/co-worker. He is hoping to get on the stand today and be done by the end of the day if not tomorrow. I just hope he doesn't have to be gone all week cause that would be a bummer and would not make him very happy.  The kids and I are doing ok with Mark gone. The girls start to miss daddy after a few days, especially Ellie cause she is a daddy's girl. We have been skyping him so that seems to hold them over for awhile. Hopefully things go quickly!

I wish I could stop time right now and just keep my children at the ages they are and stop them from growing, but that isn't possible, so I will enjoy the time I have and take each moment as a blessing!

Here are a few pictures that Denae Matherly took of our family.

Oh boy!!

Oh boy this weekend could be interesting! Mark is leaving early tomorrow to go to an archery meeting down by Fort Dodge, then from there he is going to Lawrence Kansas for a court thing-a-majig... I will be home for 4-5 days alone with the kids...It wouldn't be so bad, but I have to get Ellie ready for school on Monday and have a meeting thingy at night, then Tuesday we will be in SuFu for a dr appt and then Wednesday Chloe has pre-school. I feel a bit overwhelmed. Not to mention church on Sunday could be interesting. If you see me on Sunday with frazzled hair or bags under my eyes now you know why!

Mark's car will sit sadly along the side of the road while he drives my brothers truck down to Kansas. We just got his car looked at and hopefully fixed but we think it would be safer for him to take something we know can make it there.

I hope everyone has a good weekend. I'm hoping things go smoothly, but we shall see!

mini vaca turned upside down

So my mini-vaca didn't really go the way I planned.
Mark and the girls left at 6am on Saturday morning to head down to the archery shoot near Des Moines. At around 8:45ish, I received a phone call from Mark. They were in Cherokee... Mark's car was having some issues. His car is a 93 Honda Civic that has over 200,000 miles on it and has seen its better days. He went to a repair shop and some other places to see if they could figure out what was going on, but no one seemed to know for sure and since they weren't Honda dealers they didn't have the right equipment to check things out. So Mark thought it would be best if they just came home.
Saturday was also Mark's dad's birthday and his parents wanted to go to sioux falls, so I offered to babysit the kids. Well, since Mark and the girls were home now they came with for awhile. At 7:30 they headed back home to set up the tent in the backyard so they could at least spend the night in the tent, which the girls were really looking forward to. When I got home at 10:15 they were all sound asleep in the tent!
Sunday was a normal Sunday with dinner at the farm and then home. The girls and Mark took a nap in the tent! Then we went to church.
Today the kiddos and I went to sioux falls to finish up school shopping and hang  out with some friends. We went to Laurel Oak pool to swim for a few hours with the Matherly's. Mitchell and Max are the same age as the girls.. within a month or so of each other.  We had been at the pool for about 3hrs or so and when we were at our car and they were walking to theirs, Mitchell, who is Ellie's age, came running back to us with a dandelion for Ellie. Her first flower from her "future husband!"
Now its bath time and then bedtime. Its time to get back into the routine of school since that starts next week already!

my mini vaca!

Totally looking forward to this weekend. Mark and the girls are heading down to the Des Moines area for an archery shoot til Sunday. I will have the whole house to myself..well, I'll have Nolan too, but he is a good baby so it won't matter. I have big plans to do.... nothing!! Well ok, I"ll do some cleaning and hopefully some scrapbooking, but hopefully I will just be able to enjoy my weekend!.

On a side note. Lately the girls have been asking for medicine, mainly just Chloe. You give it to them when they are sick and once its gone they think they still need it. Whats up with that? Is my child strange or do more children do that? I know medicine taste good, but still, it just seems weird.

Enjoy your fabulous weekend and I"ll let you know how mine turns out!

Are dr's really that smart?

So I'm going to rant right now, bare with me.
Tuesday morning Ellie woke up with a fever of about 103 according to my thermometer that we do in the ear. I'm sure its off a little, but she was hot! I gave her some IBprofen and just let her lay around. She was miserable. I took her to the Dr in RockValley after canceling her appt in sioux falls with the pediatrician (dumb I know). The Dr in RV checked her out and did a urine test cause she had a tummy ache and fever but no other symptoms. He diagnosed her with a bladder infection based on her urine test coming back abnormal ( she had nothing to eat or drink at all) and she was a bit dehydrated. We went home after picking up her antibiotics. I proceeded to give her the recommended dose as well as some water, to which Ellie immediately threw up!. I called the Dr to see if I should give her more med or just wait. Ellie continued to throw up any amount of water she had. Long story short, we headed back to the Dr later cause Ellie had a constant fever despite tylenol and ibprofen. They then said she had the flu on top of the already diagnosed bladder infection( she has no symptoms of this). So we went home with NO answers and me being frustrated. So I ask you, Do Dr know what they are doing or do they just get gobbs of money for each antibiotic they dole out? I know some are very good at what they do and love their jobs, but seriously, my daughter has NO symptoms of a bladder infection so you diagnose her with that and tell me its all good? I don't believe you nor do I trust you anymore!! I will give Ellie the antibiotics just in case, but honestly I don't like pumping my child full of drugs that may not be necessary! Thank you and come again!

Birthday and family

I am 27 years old and have a 6year old little girl!!! I feel so old!!! Ellie turned 6 on Friday the 5th. She has been looking forward to her birthday since like last year when she turned 5.. Ellie had a ballerina cake.  We had the grandparents over for cake and gifts then loaded up to head to Sioux falls for the weekend.

Saturday morning we went to the zoo. My mom has a family pass with the girls on it so we decided it would be a fun way to celebrate Ellie's birthday some more. The girls were there when Nolan was born but there weren't very many animals out, but this time we saw all the animals. It also happened to be Hy-Vee days at the zoo so we got free food!! The girls liked the giraffes and the turtles and the flamingos the best. I was taking a picture of the big tortoises they have and made the mistake of calling them a turtle.. Ellie, being the smarty pants 6 year old that she is now, corrected me and said they aren't turtles they are tortoises!
After the zoo we chilled at my parents til 6, then we headed out to take some family pictures done by our friend, Denae Matherly! The girls did a great job and smiled and Nolan wasn't fussy at all. I'm excited to see how they all turn out. Then we headed to Pizza Ranch for supper then it was back to my parents to bed.
Sunday we went to church and then had some yummy lunch. We hung out for awhile, but then headed back home. Sunday's are nice days to just relax!
It was a good weekend, but i'm tired.. Nolan had a bit of a cold this weekend and wasn't able to sleep very well for a few nights, so that meant I wasn't sleeping well either. I'm hoping he sleeps better since he is sounding better! This week is the week I guess I break down and buy school supplies since that is looming over our heads.
Hope everyone has a blessed week!

The "me first" attitude

I guess my little Chloe has not learned what it means to share or to let others go first. She likes to win at everything and wants to do things first before her sister or even before her parents. Just now she is playing candy land with Ellie and Ellie won. Chloe got upset and started throwing the little people. How do you teach your children to let others go first or the right way to lose. We have tried to tell her its not about winning or losing but about having fun. To her that is hogwash! When Ellie tries to play by herself, Chloe gets upset cause Ellie won't play with her, but if Ellie tries to play with Chloe then we have a tantrum on our hands.. We just can't win. I think I'll go throw a tantrum now too!!

First fruits

Its getting to be that time. Thats right, my garden is producing more things then I know what to do with, thanks to my husbands planting abilities. Every year we seem to have more in the garden then we can use or eat. This year we have tomatoes, onions, had beans before the bunnies got them, pumpkins and cucumbers.  We also have raspberries, blackberries and strawberries. Not to mention the cherry trees and the current bush and the rhubarb.
 I just did my first 2 gallons of pickles. My grandmother had a receipe for dill pickles that my family just loves. My mom used to make gallons upon gallons of pickles and they would be gone before Christmas of the same year. I don't make that many but I do share.
I'm glad we have a garden but sometimes its more hassle then its worth. I can never keep up with the weeds or the stuff being produced. The cucumbers always get too big, the bean always go to the bunnies, the tomatoes I'm not sure what to do with since I really don't like them. Now this year we have pumpkins which the only thing to do with those is carve them. If we have as many pumpkins as we have blooms we could start a pumpkin farm.
The blackberries are in the front of the house and come with very very prickly branches, so its really hard to get to the berries once they come and they spread like weeds. The strawberries always go to the birds as do the cherries.
I know I could can stuff, but I don't have the equipment for that nor the patience! For now I will just stick to pickles and freezing corn that someone else grows!
On a side note, Nolan is going in for his 2 month appointment tomorrow. I'm interested to see what he weights and how he is doing over all. He gags a lot lately and I'm a little worried about that so we'll see what the dr says!

family time

This weekend has been interesting to say the least. Saturday morning Mark went for a 9 mile run with a friend, that is the longest he has ever gone and did pretty well. Then we loaded up and went to an Elk farm by Ashton and George Ia. The girls had never seen Elk, maybe in the zoo, but we thought they would get a kick out of it since they like deer so much. We saw the mommy and baby Elk, got some elk sticks and then went to see the daddy elk with big antlers. The big elk were pretty far away, but you could totally see the antlers.

daddy elk that had the antlers cut off but are growing back

big elk with huge antlers. We were standing on the road and they were a ways off, my camera was zoomed to the max.

mommy elk

After the elk farm the kids and I went to sioux falls while Mark stayed home. I needed to do a little shopping and get some more meat from my parents. While we were there, Chloe was drinking some juice from a sippy cup and the lid wasn't on very well so she had juice all over her just before we were getting ready to leave. Needless to say she didn't wear her clothes home, but instead a dress up dress. 

This morning Chloe calls me while Nolan is fussing, so mark goes in and she says she is going to "trow up." Yep, thats right we started our day with one sick little girl and about an hour later had another sick girl. We've been chilling at home and the girls have been laying on the couch all day. I hope they are feeling better tomorrow! Its never any fun to have one sick kiddo let alone two. Hopefully its a short lived thing and they are back to themselves tomorrow. 

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

Wedding weekend

Friday morning came way to early for me! 5:30 am Mark woke me up so we could finish packing things up to hit the road to Pella. At 7-7:30 we were loaded in the car with the kids and my mom and on the road. This was Nolan's first big car trip other then the trips to Sioux Falls, so I was a bit nervous as to how he would travel, but he did just fine. We made it all the way to Story City for lunch before Nolan woke up. It was perfect timing because we were stopping for lunch anyways. After a stop at McD's we were back at it, Nolan was a bit fussy, but I can't blame him after being stuck in a carseat for that long I would be crabby too. We made it to Pella! Mark took a nap while I ran to Walmart to get a few things, then Mark had to go get his final fitting for the tux for the wedding that we were in Pella for. After that we all loaded up again to head to Sully to visit one of my mom's friends from high school. We used to hang out at their house sometimes when we would visit when I was young. Then it was back to Pella so we could get ready for rehearsal. After rehearsal Mark and I joined some of the gang at the Sports Page, a bar/restuarant and then headed to bed.
Saturday was mainly relaxing at my great Aunt's house while Mark was busy with wedding stuff. It was very hot and muggy the whole weekend so I was a little worried that Mark might get dehydrated or get a headache, but he seemed fine. I took the kids with to the ceremony and my mom was there to help out as well. The wedding was very nice! After the ceremony the bridal party loaded into a bus to take pictures around town, while I headed back to my aunts and took care of Nolan and then headed to the reception place.
The reception was at a fancy golf course in Pella, which I think most people who live around there call it snob hill.. The AC either wasn't working or couldn't keep up cause it was as hot inside as it was out! The food was very good, however, and the couple was married so it really didn't matter.
Sunday morning came too early again since Nolan didn't sleep well in the pack n play. We loaded up and were out the door by 10 to 8am. We were having breakfast at 8 with my cousin Jason and his very pregnant but adorable wife Leslie. They are expecting twins in August!! After breakfast it was on the road again to Story City. There is a Levi's outlet store there with cheap jeans and other nice clothes and since Mark has lost so much weight and none of his clothes fit and we were in the area, we stopped to buy some clothes. Shopping was a success, then lunch with an archery buddy of Marks then back home to what felt like hotter weather then we left.
It was a nice weekend and a lovely wedding!
P.S. if you wanna see pictures from the weekend/wedding, check out my facebook.

a fairy came to visit

My little Ellie has grown up so fast. Last night she lost her first tooth! Its been lose for awhile and she constantly wanted to pull it out. So yesterday she was playing with it and it was really lose. She was even twisting it so it was backwards at one point. She finally pulled it out! The tooth fairy came to visit and gave her $1, she was super excited!

My little Ellie minus 1 tooth!

We ventured out to the Sioux County fair in Sioux Center tonight as well, before the rain. The girls like to look at the animals and walk thru some of the buildings and see the 4H stuff. We stopped at one booth that had hats and shirts for sale. Mark picked up 8 camo hats at 50 cents a piece and I got a nice t-shirt for $1. We had to get ice cream while we were there too! 

Tomorrow I get a hair cut and then in the evening is our niece Madison's birthday party. I can't believe she is 1 already. I will be packing and doing laundry all day tomorrow as well since we are leaving early Friday morning for Pella for a wedding. Hopefully I will have some decent pictures from the wedding to post, but until then have a great weekend and stay cool!!!

Summerfest

The house is quite, I should be napping but instead I'm blogging. The dishes are done and laundry is going so I'm going to write about our busy weekend.
This weekend was Summerfest in Hull. Its a 4 day long event that has the whole town bustling. Thursday was free swim day at the pool so I took the girls for some swimming while Nolan was at Gramma's. Friday we went back to the pool with Bethany, Madison, Kathy and Isabella. It was nice to sit and talk instead of having to occupy the girls the whole time. It was also the first time I put Nolan in a swimsuit. He didn't like the cold water, but he did fall asleep in the sun with his new hat on. Friday night in the park was the bbq with hamburgers and chips and bean and ice cream.
Saturday was the big event day. It started out with Mark and the girls going for pancakes in the park. Then we all headed back to the park to enjoy the kids carnival and Kathy and I went to look at the craft booths. It was a bit cloudy and breezy to start but the day sure warmed up fast. We stayed around or lunch of pizza and water. Kathy bought the girls each a ticket to do the cake walk and Chloe won! She was soo excited she ran over to me and gave me a hug, then she went with aunt Kathy to pick out a cake. She thought cupcakes with pink frosting and sprinkles and smarties on the top looked good and they sure were. Then around 12 we loaded up in the car to take the girls over to the foreign candy company outlet store to meet aunt Bethany. The girls were invited to ride the foreign candy company train and they were so excited. After loading the girls with sunscreen for the 2nd time in 2 1/2hrs we headed back to the park to find a place to sit for the parade. The parade is the biggest candy parade around since the candy company throws out tons and tons of candy. The girls had a blast on the train and then received a box of candy and pool noodles and a floatie for  the pool. We then came home to get out of the heat for awhile and just relax. After awhile of relaxing we headed out to Mark's parents to have supper with his family since his sister Sarah was here for the week. The girls really enjoy playing with their cousins.
Today there wasn't a whole lot going on. Tonight there is praise in the parking lot at Hope church but we are not going cause its just way to hot and muggy.
One crazy weekend over and another one on the way. Lots to do before Friday when we leave for Pella IA!

In the train

Nolan

Nolan in his suit and hat

Bethany and Madison

Isabella

Nolan sportin his hat and sunglasses

summertime

We finally ventured out to the pool this summer. The girls had swimming lessons the last 2 weeks of June so I figured it was time to practice what they learned. Ellie is a real fish and Chloe is getting better at being in the water. For awhile Chloe would want to be held by me or just hang on to the wall, now she is walking around and actually trying to go under water alone.
I took Nolan yesterday just to see how things would go. He usually naps most of the afternoon so I thought he would be sleeping the whole time, but he was fussing. I tried to get him to sleep but I think he was too hot. So today when we went I dropped him off at Gramma;s for the afternoon. The girls had fun splashing and playing around. I took a few pictures yesterday while we were at the pool so I thought I would share them.

Chloe playing

Nolan chillin in his car seat

Chloe likes to pose for pictures

Ellie posing

Ellie running to jump in. Caught her mid jump

Chloe would run then stop. She won't just jump in, she has to stop first.

4th of July.... and strep

Well, Happy 4th of July!!!
Our weekend has been interesting to say the least. We started out by saying good bye to our Pastor on Sunday (we didn't do anything on saturday). I tried hard not to cry but it didn't work. The short time we got to know Pastor Paul was wonderful. He always said hi to us when we walked in to church. The girls took to him as well and are sad to see him go.
Sunday afternoon we drove to Sioux Falls to hang out with my parents. At night we went to a family friends house for a bbq and fireworks. I was a little worried at how Nolan would do with the loud noises. He did fine until the older kids did like a whole huge round of firecrackers. Nolan was a sleep at the time, but not after that. I should have been more worried about Chloe then Nolan. Chloe hated the loud noises.. she covered her ears and cried.
Oh, back up to Friday a second. Ellie was complaining in the evening of a sore throat. I took her temp and it was 100. So I gave her some Tylenol and just watched her. Saturday morning at 4:30am I checked Ellie again and her temp was 101. I took her to the dr and they did a strep test, which came back positive. So we started our holiday with a sick child.
Sunday after the fireworks, which were great, we came back to my parents at 11pm. Chloe had been complaining of varies different aches. She said her throat hurt and her bottom and her ears. Well, she woke up in the middle of the night with a fever. So I gave her some medicine and she went to sleep. Its a holiday so there are no clinics open, but I hope its just a sore throat and not strep. I've been giving her Ellie's meds, which I know is wrong, but I would rather stop it before it gets too bad and since they are both feeling better now I think I've accomplished that.
We are going to be in Sioux Falls til Tuesday( the kids and I) since I have a dr appt tomorrow.
I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July!!!

Growing

Nolan is growing like a weed these days. I had him weighed on Tuesday and he was 12lbs 3 oz at 5 weeks old. I was worried that I wasn't producing enough cause he seemed to want to eat all the time, but now I"m not concerned anymore. He doesn't seem that big, but I laid him next to his cousin, Isabella, who is about 8weeks older and he is the same size if not bigger then her. Granted she is a girl and kind of petite and cute, but still!! My sis in law has said I have turbo milk.. hehe.. As long as my bubba is growing we are happy.

We survived another week of swimming lessons. Ellie passed bubblers 2 and will have bubblers 3 next year. She loves to swim and is getting used to going under the water. They had the option of putting on a life vest and jumping off the board too. Ellie went twice by herself. She didnt' want anyone catching her or helping her swim. At least she will know how to swim when she is her daddy's age, since he doesn't.

This weekend is the 4th of July. We like to go to a family friends house to watch a fireworks show and have some yummy food. I'm a little nervous about taking Nolan there with the loud fireworks, but if nothing else I'll sit in the car with him so its not so loud.
I'm hoping we aren't in for a weekend with sick kids tho.. tonight Ellie complained about a sore throat. I took her temp and it was 100 and her tonsils were huge. I'm not sure if they are always that way, but I didn't see any white spots, so hopefully in the morning she will be better.

Sunday is our Pastors last day of preaching in our church. We are very sad to see him go, but it sounds like God has a big plan for him in his next church. I pray God uses them and helps find our church a new pastor that will continue to grow our church family.

I pray everyone has a safe and fun 4th of July weekend!!

Baptism

Its been awhile since I"ve posted anything so I'll try to update on what has been going on with us.
We have been pretty busy with the girls involved with things. Chloe just went thru a week of swimming lessons. She loved them! The week was kind of cold and rainy so they had to do some make up days which Chloe wasn't thrilled about but we managed.

Today was Nolan's baptism!! He is 1 month old as well!! We were suppose to have baptism this morning, but our pastor was stuck in Denver Colorado because his flight home was cancelled. So we had it tonight instead. We still had lunch and cake at our house with family and then everyone just came to church tonight. I was a little worried at first cause Nolan was awake when we got to church but he ended up falling asleep before the baptism actually happened. We are very blessed to have Pastor Hansen do the baptism since he is leaving after next week. We are sad to see him go!!

Starting tomorrow we have another week of swimming lessons with Ellie. Sounds like the weather will be nicer so hopefully no make up days and things go well.

This coming weekend is the Fourth of July!!! We will be going to hang with my parents on Sunday afternoon to partake in an annual July 3 celebration with some very close friends of the family.

We are still having some issues with miss Chloe but I've got some tricks up my sleeve that I'm going to try and also some books to read that maybe have some ideas in them for me. I say a prayer every day for patience and no tantrums!

I pray you all have a great week and a safe and happy 4th of July!!! Its crazy that its almost July already. Seems like summer just started.

At my wits end!

I don't know what I was thinking when I thought that after Nolan was born Chloe would shape up and start acting better. I was totally wrong!! It almost seems to be worse. Not sure if she just craves attention or just acts up because she can. We have tried everything to discipline her to no avail. Spanking her doesn't work cause she turns around and hits me or screams at her father. Taking toys away doesn't work cause she whines and cries and screams until the end. Time outs don't work cause she won't sit anywhere for any length of time. I so don't know what to do anymore. The girls always seem to want things when I'm feeding Nolan, so when I tell them they need to wait, what does Chloe do? Throws a tantrum cause she wants something right now.. AHHH!!!! I don't know any other child that acts the way mine does and it makes me feel like a horrible mother. I"m sure people think my children are cute and well behaved, but in the privacy of our home there is plenty of naughtiness and screaming. I pray that God will give us patience to learn how to deal with Chloe and that she will one day soon start to act better!!!
I"m open for suggestions on how to discipline!!!

I'm in love....

with my little peanut! (and Mark or course) :)
Here are a few of my fav pics of Nolan that my friend Denae took. I love them all so here are just a few...

Just love these pics. Enjoy!!