Something Special... yep, they've got it!

Last Saturday morning Dad and Gabriel were gone to baseball practice and with the weather cooling off (slightly, it was still 89 degrees), I decided to take Isabelle and Michael to a place we hadn't been in a very long time.  The park.  I know, it seems like an oxymoron to me to say we didn't go to the park all summer, growing up in Iowa, that was the ONLY time we got to go to the park.  But such is not the case here, unless you are open to burns on your legs and arms from the plastic being a billion degrees (okay maybe it doesn't get that hot).

So off to the park we went.  We decided to take Jack too.  Michael got out the wagon and at first Isabelle climbed in.  Two seconds later, she wanted nothing to do with the idea of getting pulled, and now, being the big girl that she is, decided instead she'd rather be the one doing the pulling...

As we walked to the park, I was pretty occupied with trying to keep our putzer dog moving, so I listened quietly as Michael and Isabelle carried on a conversation.  Michael talked with her about what Minnie was doing and if she could find the tree she think looks like Mickey Mouse.  Michael offered compliments to Isabelle about how well she was doing pulling Minnie in the wagon and how good she was doing staying on the side walk.

 Isabelle conversed back with him saying, "Go to the park Michael?"  "Lets go on the blue swings."  Michael obliged.

 It wasn't long before Michael decided he wanted to assist Isabelle with her demand to "Go higher!"  He'd push her and she'd respond with full on shrieks and laughs.

  I just sat back and watched.

 For well over an hour the two of them played together like they were the best of friends.  No fighting, no tattling, no arguing over what they should do next.  Michael, often times gave in to what Isabelle wanted to do, but there were plenty of times, she was excited to try what he had done because, "she's a big girl now and can (wants to) do everything her older brothers can do.

As I sat there and observed them, I realized I was watching something pretty special.  Actually, I take that back, I realized I was feeling something special.  The truth is, I have to believe there is a God who brought us all together for a reason.  And that reason is to love one another the best way we know how.

We started for home.  Tired from our long and HOT playtime at the park, Isabelle started getting frustrated that her wagon pulling Minnie was getting too heavy.  Before the meltdown started, Michael sensed her frustration, reached down, carefully grabbed the handle and proceeded to help her pull. Like all was well with the world again, those two strolled along picking up their conversation right where it had left off before.

It's something special... 

and its clear to me, those two definitely got it.

Until next time,
angie

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

So last night I was challenged by my friend Renee Voves, to complete the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.  At this point, if you haven't heard of the craze sweeping the nation, then its time to come out from underneath your rock.

Its been crazy how many videos I've seen of people dumping ice water on their heads.  From celebrities, to friends, and now it is my turn.

What I find most exciting about this challenge is the amount of money the ALS has raised as a result of the Ice Bucket Challenge.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching people's reactions as the freezing cold water hits their heads as much as the next person, but what I think is so impressive is the amazing amount of money that has been generated for good, all because of this silly craze.  According to Time.com as of July 29 there was over 5.5 million dollars raised for ALS research compared to just $32,000 the year previously.  And that was before the idea really went viral.  That my friends, is impressive.

While I'm ever so thankful I haven't had a family member face the difficulties of ALS, I understand just how important money for research is and so for that reason, I gladly accept the challenge and donate to help find a cure.

I told the boys about it last night when I first learned of the challenge. They could hardly wait to dump the freezing cold, ice saturated, water on me.  Its almost as if they were going to enjoy torturing their mother.

Tonight we waited for Dad to come home from work and then the boys helped me fill up the water, put as much ice in it as we had in the house and then we headed outside for the big dump.

While its kind of dark and hard to hear me over the whine of my lovely daughter Isabelle, I excitedly share that I've officially joined the ice bucket challenge sweeping the nation....

I've gladly donated to ALS! Renee Voves, I accept your challenge and I nominate Megan Abbas, Aaron Heying and Nolan Haskovec!  You have 24 hours!

 Until next time,
Angie

His big act of kindness...

This weekend Michael and Gabriel convinced me the money they "earned" from working with Grandpa and Grandma in Iowa was burning a hole in their pocket and needed to be spent.

So while Dad stayed home with Isabelle on Saturday, I took the boys to their favorite store to go shopping.  First we went to Party City, to of course shop for their Halloween costume.  When they were bummed to see that their costumes were not yet out, we decided to head to their second favorite store... Toys R Us.  Gabriel realized even before leaving the house he had spent all his stash and Michael, the big spender that he is, decided to bring a whole dollar along, and to save the rest for later.

Upon getting into Toys R Us, they realized that practically everything they (I say they because Gabriel begged Michael to buy him something too) wanted was more than a dollar.  I know, SHOCKER, right?!!!  

As we were leaving the store, the boys found the dollar bin section and started going crazy.  They were deciding between Avenger hand sanitizer, army camouflage wallets, and Spiderman journals.  And as Michael was just about to pick, he stopped straight in his tracks.

"Mom-LOOK!" he shrieked and he pulled out a package with Minnie Mouse rings and earrings.  He looked at the objects he had in his hands and soon enough decided he was instead going to get something for his baby sister instead of himself.  I stood there in shock, not saying a word and watched as Michael defended his decision to Gabriel about why he was going to get something for Isabelle instead of himself.  "Gabriel, Isabelle would really like these Minnie rings, and if I give her these earrings, then she won't have to have her ears hurt when they drill into them."  (I think he meant when they actually pierced her ears).  

Again, I could hardly say anything, but I knew my pride was beaming across the entire store for all patrons to see.  

Fully decided that he was going to spend his money on a gift for his sister, we went to the checkout and he proudly handed them to the clerk.  She looked at the Minnie Mouse items, looked back at him and smiled.  Michael said, "This is for my sister, she loves Minnie Mouse."  I fought back tears.  Literally, I was so proud, I felt like my heart was going to explode.  

Getting into the car Michael, pulled out his prized possession and said, "Mom, do you think Isabelle is awake from her nap? I can't wait to give this to her!"  We got home to which they were both ecstatic to see Isabelle was awake.Michael charged into the house, shouting for Isabelle to come to him.  She was seated on the couch watching Winnie the Pooh.  Michael said, "Isabelle I got something for you, and he presented her with the gift!"  She smiled, screamed Minnie Mouse and tried her best to open it.  Michael assisted and presented Isabelle with the "Saturday" ring.  Then he said, "Mom, can you put the earrings on Isabelle?" So we did.

Michael with Isabelle showcasing her new earrings (the kind that won't hurt her). 

Isabelle was so happy and so was Michael.  It was heartwarming to watch Michael and his reaction in watching his sister's happiness.  

Yep, there's a pretty special connection between those two.  

Michael, is telling Isabelle not to touch her pretties.

And here's her reaction when Michael asked if she liked the earrings... Pretty clear the answer, don't you agree?

There are many moments that I look at my children and feel great pride.  I have to say, this moment of selflessness was one that I'll remember forever.  Well done Michael, well done.  

Until next time,
Angie

On the big girl potty...

Today was a big day.  A day Mom wasn't quite sure she was ready for.  I sent my daughter to school today in underwear.   I can hardly think of a bigger day.  Okay, while I might be slightly joking, in all seriousness I really felt like we took a huge step into Childtown and out of Toddlerville.

Isabelle is now officially 2 and a half.  While I've heard lots of stories about how I should really get on the ball with potty-training my daughter, I think secretly I was dragging my feet.  In some ways diapers are the last stage of the baby times right?  To give up on the diapers meant, I really had to face reality and come to terms with the fact that my daughter is a full-on child.  Heck, some days I feel like she's just days away from packing up her stuff and going onto college (okay maybe a slight exaggeration).

We attempted the potty training business around 18 months and while we had great success at home, we just couldn't remain consistent on the days she went to school.  The teachers there told me they didn't start enforcing the potty training efforts until the upper 2 year old classroom.  So while Isabelle was very good about going for me on the days when I was at home, on the days she was at school, it was like we took three steps back for every step forward.  And so, I gave up, I hit pause on the effort and decided to just enjoy where she was.  Soon enough I knew she'd be in the older 2's room.

And soon enough arrived last week.  Last week was her first full week in the new classroom and I knew they were working on the potty business right away.  Amazingly she picked up her interest in going potty in the big girl potty, like we had never stopped trying.  I even noticed how she stayed dry for several hours at a time and it was clear we had been going through a lot less diapers.  Still I wasn't sure how this whole thing was going to go down.  I'm a rookie at this... the boys came trained (as I tell everyone).

Yesterday, when I picked Isabelle up from school, Ms. Patty said to the other teacher Ms. Tisha, "what did we want to talk to Isabelle's mom about."  Immediately I thought, "Oh no, Isabelle's bullying someone or doing something she's not suppose to... maybe she's taken up Maya's habit of biting everyone.  I can see Isabelle saying it now, "Isabelle BITE CHEW (you)!"  instead of her usual, "Maya bite chew" (pronounced: you). Thankfully Ms. Patty chimed in before my racing mind could continue.  She said, "How do you feel about sending Isabelle to school in underwear tomorrow?"

Scraping all the worrisome thoughts to the back of my mind, I pulled out the last card I ever expected her to say, and tried to find the words to utter a response.  "Uh, um, ah, well, I suppose.  Do you think she's ready?  I stuttered back.  Ms. Tisha jumped in, "Oh yes, she's been doing such a good job in here of staying dry and telling us when she has to go.  I think its time. How is she doing at home?"

"Well," I continued to try and find more words, "you know, she does pretty well with me."  "I've been putting her in pull ups and she does pretty good."  Ms. Patty, an expert potty trainer (and I say that because she's probably trained hundreds of 2-year-old, I think that qualifies her in owning the title), said, "I think we should give it a try.  I think she's going to do great."  At this point I was holding Isabelle so I turned to her and said, "Isabelle, do you want to wear big girl underwear to school tomorrow?"  She smiled a huge smile and said, I go potty on the big girl potty!"  I guess the next step was obvious and trusting their advice and Isabelle's desire, I agreed with their plan and said, "Isabelle will be back tomorrow with underwear!"

Right away, I was nervous.  That's just how I get.  With the two boys and Isabelle in tow, I knew our next stop was going to be Target to buy more underwear.  I tried to hype up how big of a deal getting pretty new underwear was and we let Isabelle pick out the kind she wanted.  It wasn't a hard decision and took less than 20 seconds.  Minnie Mouse undies were in the cart and we were headed home.

Isabelle was so proud as we got home and she opened the package. She pulled out each and ever pair, inspected the picture on it and then tried them on over her diaper.

I think she's thinking, "Hmm, these look a little big don't they?"

She's a true girl at heart.  When Jarrett got home she ran to him and said, "Daddy, I got big girl underwear."  She was clear just how proud she was.

Last night I washed all the undies, packed her several outfits and sat them by the door, almost like the boys do on the night before their first day of school.  I was excited and nervous for her all at the same time.

This morning, we got her up and continued to cheer about how excited we were she was wearing big girl pants.  She went potty on "the big girl potty", and put on her undies.  When we arrived at school, Ms. Patty hadn't yet arrived so I very clearly told the younger two year old teacher that she was in underwear and to be aware!  That was her warning sign, I made a big deal of it, obviously letting my nervous side show.  She smiled and said, "Isabelle, you're such a big girl!" to which Isabelle smiled and said, "Ms. Uma!"

I left and went onto work, thinking about her at the most random times, wondering how it was all going.  I thought about calling but figured for every one's sake, I'd let the teachers share the successes or ultimate failures in the process, highlight me only once.

I walked into the school this afternoon and went straight to pick her up.  I opened the door to her classroom, was greeted by her normal high shriek and arms in the air, full on charge to get me to as quickly as possible.  I picked her up, half expecting to feel the padding of a diaper, since I noticed her shorts were different than what I had dressed her in in the morning.  Instead, I felt her bony butt, a sure sign she had underwear on under those clothes.  I smiled, gave her kisses, and she said, "Mommy, I go potty in the big girl potty!"  I cheered and her teachers echoed her comments. "Isabelle did great today.  She only had one accident, this morning when she was with the young 2 year old room. They forgot she wasn't wearing a diaper."  I was surprised.  There was  reason why I packed six extra outfits and 8 pairs of underwear.  Ms. Tisha said, "Isabelle was dry with me all day, in fact she even woke up from her nap dry. I'd say this day was a success. Keep bringing her in underwear!"

As we walked out the door of the school, I couldn't help but feel like I had just brought her in at 6 weeks old, just a few months ago.  Now I'm walking out with a 2 and a half year old, who is getting potty trained.  My the time passes so quickly.

And so here we are... there's no going back this time.  We are full steam ahead on the potty training train.  While I know we are no where from fully potty trained, I can hardly believe how far we've come in just over 24 hours.  There's a whole lot of celebrating going on here and if you stop by our place, expect to shout from the rooftops our current favorite family phrase... "Yay, you went potty on the big girl potty!"  I assure you, you won't feel alone... even the boys are chiming in with big congrats to their little sister!

Until next time,
Angie

My little old lady...

On days when I'm home with Isabelle, she has to some times has to play by herself.  When I'm working on meals, laundry, cleaning or what every else is on my to do list, she is usually occupied by her best friend, Minnie.

She LOVES Minnie and she loves her stroller.  The other day, I came around the corner with a load of laundry and found her like this...

Why yes, that is her acting all grown up.  And why yes that is Isabelle with her blanket draped over her shoulders like a shawl.  And yes, I couldn't help but think I was looking at my 80 year old daughter.  

She looked at me, smiled and said, "Bye Mom, I go to grocery store with Minnie for milk and eggs."

Yep, she's pretty much ready to move out on her own.  ;-)

Until next time,

Angie 

11 years...

Yesterday, Jarrett and I celebrated our 11 year wedding anniversary.  Its hard to believe its already been 11 years, but when you sit down and think about how our lives have changed, the challenges and celebrations we've encountered, the years start to pass by pretty quickly.

Honestly speaking, life has been pretty crazy lately and as of early last week, I truly forgot our anniversary was only a few days away.  Between the trip back to Iowa, getting ready for school and actually having the first week of school, our anniversary was, I guess, at the bottom of the list.

Thankfully Jarrett remembered and told me early last week to make sure I didn't plan anything for Saturday or Sunday.  I knew he had something up his sleeve and of course started asking question after question to figure how what he had planned.  He knows I'm not good with surprises.  He told me that we were going away for a night and that his mom and dad agreed to stay with the kids.  From the moment he told me, we were going to get away and that the kids would get to have fun with Nana and Papa, I was thrilled!  I couldn't wait for the week to pass by.

Jarrett and I are the first to admit, we are horrible at taking time for just the two of us.  We know, we know, it is so important and couples really need to do that to keep the bond strong.  I know, I know.  Sadly the last "date night" we took, was a year ago right about now.  Yes it was for our 10 year wedding anniversary.  I think we both sometimes miss getting to go out, just us two as a couple.  But... well ,I could list excuse after excuse and like I tell the boys, nobody likes excuses, so just don't tell them.  So anyway, back to the highlights of our weekend.

Jarrett and I decided that we'd like to make our one, 24 hour get-away a yearly thing.  If we think of all the money we save from skipping the monthly date nights, than we shouldn't feel guilty about splurging on one weekend a year to get away right? When the kids found out we were going to go away for an evening their first question was, "Can we come?"  To which we answered no.  They seemed to accept it, while clearly not being 100% for it.  I think its good for us to get away every once and a while as we explained to them it is important for mom and dad to get to spend time together too and to get a break.  Michael said, "Mom, you do get a break.  You and Dad get a break from us every time you go to work."  I told Michael, I'd remind him of his philosophy when he's a dad someday too.

Yesterday afternoon finally arrived and Nana and Papa came to babysit.  I was so excited, I did my best to not run straight out the door the minute they arrived. Jarrett had to work yesterday morning so I "packed" for both of us.  Sadly, I put "packed" in quotes because I think I had already turned my mind off and was in vacation mode.  I didn't pack Jarrett a pair of shoes, or a change of clothes or even socks.  And I forgot to put on and pack my make up, a hair brush or a change of shorts.  Jarrett was shocked because I usually bring along one of everything and a few spares just in case.  Thankfully we weren't that far from home and if we had to we could have went back home.  We didn't.

We arrived at the resort and with so many options to choose from, we decided to first see what was on TV.  I know, how sad right?  Come on though, we don't have cable, so getting to see what was on HBO, or Bravo, or  Discovery Channel, was a huge treat!  Right away we settled upon Discovery Channel and some crazy reality show called Naked and Afraid.  It is crazy.  So the gist is people VOLUNTEER to spend 21 days in some remote, crazy, dangerous place in the world, naked, and alone with one other person.  They have nothing but one item they pick to bring along... most people brought a machete.  I think we found it so fascinating for many reasons and we both decided we would NEVER go on this show.

Deciding we didn't want to spend out entire day watching TV we decided to head to the resorts water park, where we went in the wave pool, the lazy river and then grabbed a few drinks.  It honestly felt weird to be there without the kids.  It seemed like there were families everywhere and every single time I heard "Momma" I turned to see if it was one of my own.  I think its just habit now.

For dinner we stayed on property and ate an entire dinner without interruptions.  SERIOUSLY, NO INTERRUPTIONS!  It was glorious.  We talked about so many things.  It was probably the most productive conversation we have had all year.  Last year, we used our time away to talk about goals and what we wanted the next year to bring.  Jarrett, who has been very stressed at work, asked to keep the conversation light and only talk about fun things, so we decided to skip the goal session and just reminisce about good times including our wedding, and of course the kids.  It seems all our conversations come back to them.

For the rest of the evening we enjoyed each other's company while we tuned into our new favorite show.  It was a marathon of Naked and Afraid and so we knew we had to watch as much as we could.  We drank champagne, ate chocolate covered strawberries and watched crazy people try to survive in the wilderness.  How much better could an evening away get?  Oh and we watched the sun set from our balcony.

I think one of the things we were most excited about in getting away, was getting to sleep in past 6:00 a.m.  We both made sure our phones were on silent, that no alarms in the room were set and that the place was as dark as possible.  This morning when I woke up and reached for the clock, expecting it to say 9:30 at the earliest.  I instead found it to read 6:43!  Yes 6:43 a.m.  What in the world!?!?!?!?!  Now, there's a sign you've been married for 11 years.  You don't even need an alarm clock to wake up, you've been in a routine so long your body's own internal alarm clock wakes you to make sure you don't waste away the day. Yep, that's us.

By 8:30 we were both up, showered, had breakfast and were watching TV.  The night before, in one of our conversations about the kids, we talked about how much they would have loved coming with us and that they'd love the water park.  With our stay we got access to the park for two days and so, we decided that we'd bring them back to the resort with us to have a family afternoon.

We loaded up the car, yes with our one whole bag that I forgot to pack half the stuff, drove home and picked up the kids.  We wanted to keep it a surprise for them (because I like to give surprises, not receive them), we simply told the kids to put on their swim suits.  Gabriel's guess was that we were going to our local community pool, because, " Michael, don't you remember, it is free on Sunday" (which isn't actually correct either).  Jarrett and I said nothing in return.  As we drove to the resort, Gabriel said, "Dad you went the wrong way." so he pretended he was going to turn around as we drove into the resort.  The boys asked, "Mom, is this where you stayed?" "Yes, isn't it beautiful?"  They chimed back in asking if we could live here forever and how much money we would need to buy the entire place.  Because Michael believes Ellen Degeneres is the wealthiest person in the world, he said, "Mom, does Ellen have enough money to buy this place? When I guessed and answered NO, he was speechless. "Wow, this place is AMAZING, so NICE.  NICER than what even ELLEN CAN HAVE!"

We pulled into a parking spot and dad said he left something he had to go get.  He then took the two park entrance bracelets, opened the back door and asked the boys to stick out their arms.  He then put the park bracelets on their wrists.  They said, "What's this for?"  and that's when Dad said, "Mom and I decided yesterday when we were here, that you guys would like this place so much, that we had to bring you here too.  So we are going to go to the water park today, right now!"  They. Both. Screamed. Like. Girls!!!!! and repeated thanked us for taking them.  To put it lightly they were thrilled, and continued to give us hugs and say thank you as we spent hours in the pools.  Jarrett and I were both thrilled and happy we involved them in our anniversary celebration.

Isabelle waiting to hear the reason why we were just sitting in the car, watching dad put wristbands on the boys.

We spent the afternoon swimming, floating in the lazy river, and just being a family.  It was wonderful.
I'm so thankful Jarrett planed a weekend get-away for us.  It was exactly what he and I needed and it made us feel completely refreshed about facing our normal, hectic, sometimes overwhelming and challenging daily activities. I openly admit, I could have used a few more days of the stress-free, mindless activities, but boy am I ever so thankful for the 24 hours we just shared.

The view from where we ate dinner last night.

Eleven years ago tonight we were filled with wonder and awe about what our future together as Mr. and Mrs. would hold.  We had big dreams, hearts bursting with love and a belief that our future ahead of us was going to be great.  I sit here tonight, 11 years later and feel oh so blessed as just how our lives have turned out.  Our life planned has not always gone according to the plan we laid out those first nights of being husband and wife, but as I reflect back on all that has happened and all we've been blessed with, I can't help but give thanks to God for giving me a perfect partner to share it with.  Jarrett is my rock when I am weak and I hope I"m his when he feels unsure.  He thinks of the kids and I first, above all his needs and he works oh so hard for our family.  We are different and yet alike enough to compliment and come through our challenges together.  I am so lucky and very thankful I get to walk hand in hand in this journey of life with my soul mate.  Boy am I one lucky girl.

Until next time,
Angie

Playing outside in the heat...

Even though school is in session, the temperature outside still very clearly tells me it is summer.  Man am I ready for fall.  In our house though, I think I'm the only one who wants to stay inside and hibernate until it is cooler outside.  Everyday when the kids get home from school, they beg to play outside.  And so we do.

What I have an even harder time understanding is their desire to get all dressed up like the appropriate sports player of the day.  Take for example today's sports match.  It was the Dallas Cowboys versus Germany in the soccer match of the century.  Here's how the boys dressed...

Notice Germany's Great Gabriel, trying to use his sly moves to wink and get some more support...

 

Gabriel is dressed in thick soccer socks that stretch to the top of his thigh.  And Michael decided to wear his full umpire gear and soccer knee pads (on his shoulder) to appear like a real Dallas Cowboy 'futbol' player.  

While I sit outside and sweat buckets, they don't even seem to notice the sweat dripping down their face.  And I could complain but it would do no good.  

So I just try to keep my mouth quiet, and sit outside wondering what crazy outfit they will come up with tomorrow.

Until next time,

Angie

PS: I had to share this funny picture of Gabriel too... I love his facial expression, okay in all honestly, I think it looks completely silly!

National Rootbeer Float Day...

Today is National Root-beer Float Day. Who knew right?  Don't feel bad if you didn't know.  I didn't either.  But thanks to my Yahoo instant messenger, I am happy to say I'm now a part of the informed "float" crowd.

While normally I would read the news stream of random facts on my screen, pass it over and forget all about it, but when I read the news about today, I knew I had to take action.

See, almost exactly three weeks ago Jarrett and I were driving back to Iowa to say goodbye to his Grandma Hazel.  It was around three in the morning and we were talking to each other to keep each other awake.  While we tried to talk about subjects that didn't require too much thinking, it was obvious we were both thinking of Grandma Hazel, and soon enough the conversation drifted to her.

I said, "Its so sad to have to say goodbye.  You know your Grandma Hazel reminds me a lot of my Grandma Virginia.  She's always thinking about someone else and lastly about herself."

Jarrett responded, "You know as a little boy, when we'd go stay with grandma and grandpa, and Grandma would make us root-beer floats.  I use to think they were the best treats ever. I haven't had one of those since I was a kid."

Our conversation continued.  We cried, we laughed, and we reminisced about all the wonderful times we got to spend with her.  And then we got to Iowa and said our goodbyes.  There were several times when the family was together in Iowa that Jarrett mentioned the memories about the root-beer floats and how he'd like to have another one in honor of her.  Sadly, we never got around to doing it.

So when today I learned of what special holiday it is, I knew one way or another, we'd be having a root-beer float and toasting Grandma Hazel.  Here's what I did.

We had to run to the grocery store and to make sure I didn't forget the two ingredients I needed to make the floats, I filled Michael in on my plan.  He thought it was super cool he knew a secret and no one else in our family did.  Of course I almost forgot to get the ice cream and the root beer so it was a good thing I told him.  Michael kept the secret the entire afternoon and evening.

When Dad came home, I presented him with an envelope that said, "Jarrett, open please."  The kids were all sitting on the couch with him waiting for what was inside.  Michael could hardly contain his excitement, while Gabriel was determined there was a huge present waiting for him (no not Dad, a present for Gabriel).

 Dad read the card, while Michael fought back every urge to shout out the secret and did his best to not explode, as you can see in this picture.

The front of the card read...

Dad and Gabriel pondered the question for a while.  Gabriel guessed it was some special anniversary day from when we got them.  Dad thought for a while and wasn't sure.   So I told him to turn the card over.

Here's what the back of the card read...

Upon hearing the news, the boys shrieked like girls and ran to the table to be first in line for their treat.   While I mixed up the floats, the boys thoroughly discussed just how yummy they were going to be.  At one point Michael realized there is soda in a root beer float and proceeded to interrogate me to see if I really was going to put soda in Isabelle's cup, because, "Mom, Isabelle can't have soda, she's only two!"  I reassured him the amount of soda in her cup would be small enough she would barely have a taste.  After several minutes of reassurance, it was time to celebrate National Root Beer Float Day!

Can you tell what root-beer less float was Isabelle's? 

The glasses were distributed and everyone toasted a cheers to Grandma Hazel.  And we all drank up...

Yep, I'm pretty sure the root beer floats were a hit!  It's funny to think about how about 30 years ago Jarrett was probably sharing a root beer float with his grandma and now here we are years later creating more cherished memories with our children and family, over the same tasty treat.  Who would have ever thought a root beer float could be so meaningful.  One things for sure, I'll never look at August 6 the same way again and that's thanks in part to Grandma Hazel.  Thanks for the memories, both old and new.

Until next time,
Angie

First Day of School... Again!

In some ways it seems we just finished school and in others (the heat), it feels like it has been a long summer.  Looking at the calendar, it showed that today signals school is back in session.

Most of us were happy.  Some of us (ahem mom) were ecstatic! Yesterday, in preparation for today, I made the kids fill out a sign that listed their favorite things... their favorite food, movie, book.  It also asked them what they wanted to be when they grow up.

Unlike last year, this year I decided to make a sign for Isabelle too.  In all fairness she started a new classroom today too... the older 2 year old room.  I know, I know, I feel the same way.  Where did my little baby go?  She's growing up, scratch that, all three of them are growing up so quickly.

Today we sent into the world a 3rd grader, a 2nd grader and yes an "older-2 year old".

 Here are a few pictures from this morning before we dropped the kids off at school.

 Gabriel's favorite movie is The Lego Movie, for food it is Ramen Noodles, his favorite book is the Declaration of Independence (he gets that from his dad), his favorite activity is sports and to no surprise he wants to be a baseball player when he grows up.

 Michael's favorite movie is also The Lego Movie, his favorite food is "mom's food" (I think he means my cooking as I don't often share my food).  His favorite book is Bad Cat and his favorite activity is video games.  I think he may have looked at Gabriel's paper when he decided what he wants to be when he grows up because seconds earlier he said, "Mom, I'm going to just write down I don't know what I want to be when I grow up, because I have no idea.  How am I suppose to know, I"m only 7 years old!"  Guess he didn't like the fact I told him he had to write down something.

And then there's Isabelle's paper.  She may have had some help from Mom.  Her favorite movies are: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Minnie's Boutique, Wiggles, Frozen and Hoop Dogs.  Her favorite foods are yogurt, Goldfish, chicken, milk or anything with sugar.  Her favorite book is her My First Highlights books and her favorite activities are painting and playing with Minnie Mouse.  When she grows up she wants to be a BOSS.  If she can run a house and 4 family members at the age of 2.5, one day she's going to be a great leader of some organization.

Some days it seems like we just became parents and in other ways I can't remember my life without them.  I look forward to what this next academic year will bring and hope that my children learn as much as they can, develop into stronger, more caring and generous young people and continue to grow their love of learning.

  Here's to a great start Gabriel, Michael and Isabelle! We love you lots!

Until next time,
Mom 

Iowa recap

A week ago yesterday we left the wonderful heavenly land of Iowa and started our journey (a straight 26 hours in a car) back to Arizona.  While the reason for our trip back home was not for happy reasons, we are ever so thankful we were there and got to spend so much quality time with family.  

As we still miss and morn Grandma Hazel, in a way, the time she gave us with family, celebrating her life and remembering all of her love, was truly a blessing.  

When we decided to leave for Iowa, it was a very quick decision.  Jarrett had been out of the state for much the previous days and with the family giving us the updates that it was time to come back, we decided to go and left less than 24 hours later.  We loaded up the car, and hit the road. 

 By loading up the car, I mean really loaded up the car.  The kids could hardly move, which turns out made it great because they couldn't touch each other to start fights.  The boys didn't mind be crammed in the back.

Here's Isabelle's reaction when I told her she had to sit in her car seat for 1740 miles.  Yes, this was even before we had backed out of the driveway.  For anyone who knows Isabelle, sitting still is NOT something she likes.  So when we started thinking we might have to drive back to Iowa, one of the first things I did, was started praying.  I prayed for God to have a safe trip,and I also prayed to God to make the trip bearable for Isabelle, which in turn would make it bearable for the rest of us.  

While I worried and prayed, it turns out God answered my prayers, because the kids, all of them, even Isabelle, were wonderful.  They never complained about how long the ride was and after outlawing the question, "Are we there yet?" less than 40 miles from home, the boys were satisfied by simply asking us what state we were in.  There were some times when Isabelle asked, okay begged to get out, but popping in another movie or distracting her with snacks, seemed to work really well.  

We said all rules were out the window on this trip, and that meant if the kids wanted sour cream and onion chips at 7:00 a.m, than that's what they were going to get.  And they did. 

 We decided to drive straight through for many reasons, not only to try and get back to say good bye as quickly as possible, but also to knock off as many miles as we could while the kids slept.  Jarrett and I took turns driving, and tried to sleep while the other was driving.  Honestly speaking, we didn't get much sleep.

 A moment when the van was completely quiet as the sun rose in Kansas.

Isabelle, just hanging out., yes that is still Kansas in the background.  Man that is a LONG and BORING state.  

In the decision of leaving so quickly, we also made the decision to take Jack with us.  He hadn't been feeling very well the week before we left and without knowing exactly when we were going to return, we just thought we'd take the whole crew.  Jack insisted on sitting shot gun, THE ENTIRE WAY!  

As we passed the hours by in the car, we played games, watched movies and to the kid's surprise we decided to have Christmas in July.  Because I had so much extra time to pack up everyone, get school shopping done and close up the house, I decided the night before Jarrett got home that we'd give the kid's their Christmas presents from us on the way to Iowa.  That way they'd have a few new toys to keep them busy and it would help make the time pass faster.

One of the toys the boys each got was a Lego set.  They have been really into Lego's, thanks to The LEGO Movie, so they were thrilled when they got their gifts.

 Every several hundred miles, we gave the kids a gift.  They LOVED it, and never complained about how many more hours it was, instead just asking at what city they might get their next present.  It was a great distraction for everyone.

Dad, was amazing and drove most of the way, allowing me to sit in the back with the kids to keep them entertained.  

After 27 1/2 hours we arrived in Iowa at almost midnight on Sunday morning.  The next morning after getting a few hours of sleep the kids enjoyed playing at Grandma and Grandpas.  

One night during our stay, my family got together for dinner.  Being that we are the only ones who live away, it is nice to spend as much time together as we possibly can.  It has been a while since we took some family shots, so after dinner we decided to take some.  We've changed a bit since the days when we were Gabriel and Michael's age.  I'm the oldest and yes, still the shortest.

It wasn't long after taking a few serious shots, that all feel to pieces, and this was the best picture we could get.

Of the 8 plus days we were in Iowa, we went to the most popular restaurant in our hometown almost every day.  On the third day straight of going to Klunders, Michael finally asked, "Mom, why to we keep going to the same place?"  I started laughing and said, "Michael, this is really the only place in our hometown we can go."  He was shocked, looked back at me and said, "REALLY?"  You could tell he continued to process the reality that I was telling him the truth throughout our entire breakfast.

One of the times we went to each at Klunders, the boys snapped this picture of them with Uncle Nolan.  I love this picture of them!

Another big chunk of our time spend in Iowa was spent outdoors, enjoying the wonderful weather.  We went to our favorite park in town where we got to spend time with Kat and Claire from Chicago.  The kids LOVE playing with the girls

They spent a lot of time in the wheel barrel, one of the toys I remember loving as a kid too!

One night while we were there, we got to to to Waterloo to see MaeLyn and Arron's new house.  

MaeLyn was working at the hospital til late so we went out for dinner first and then went to their house.  Below is a shot from dinner, I think is funny.  

 After dinner we went to MaeLyn and Aaron's house, where Isabelle darted straight for MaeLyn's closet.  Before long she emerged from the fantasy of clothes and shoes, wearing her pick of shoes to take home...

 Never mind the fact that the shoes had 5 inch heels and she couldn't stand on her own, she thought they were pretty cute!

On another trip to the park, Grandma rode the bus while Isabelle drove her to school.

 And Dad pushed the boys on the tire swing.

Gabriel and Michael also begged to go work with Jonas and Kacee because they have all the big toys (Cranes, 4-wheelers, lawn mowers, forklifts, tractors, you name it).  Here's a picture of the boys with Uncle Jonas and Aunt Kacee.  The boys may have woke up them, but I"m not going to tell.

Michael doing his best to fill big uncle Jonas' shoes.


One night the kids got to sit on Uncle Jonas' Harley.  Its my hope, that this is the only motorcycle they ever ride.  One parked comfortably in a safe location!



Back at the park, the family arrived in the day before Grandma Hazel's services, and many gathered at the park to say hi and catch up.  Here's Dad with beautiful cousin Kat.

Isabelle and I played on the teeter-totter.  She thought it was a lot of fun.  Mom, loved how much she smiled and laughed.

Gabriel liked the 1980's slide, which should be deemed completely unsafe.  He thought the extra dangers, made it more fun!

While he gives it a thumbs up...

Isabelle couldn't keep herself the right way up!

What we really fun for everyone, was that the kids got to play with their AZ cousins in Iowa.  That has never happened before, so of course I had to insist on a few pictures.  The kids wanted the merry-go-round as fast as it possibly could.  When uncle Nolan thought he could fulfill the kids' wish, he ended up flying off the merry-go-round.  Below is the action shot of him hitting the ground...

Thankfully, uncle Nolan thought it was as funny as we did.  Hope the bruises have gone away by now Nolan. :-)

Getting to see family we don't always get to see was so nice, even though it was for sad circumstances.  Here's a few pictures we took of the family while at the park.

The next day we had to say our final good bye's to Grandma Hazel.  The service was held at the Church she attended as a child, the place she was married, and watched her children and grandchildren get married in. Being that almost the entire family was present, we decided to take a group shot on the steps of the church as we didn't know when the entire group would all be together again.

Like I said earlier, while we are very sad and miss Grandma Hazel so much, in a way I couldn't help but think, she was smiling down on us from Heaven, knowing we were all together.  I know she would have LOVED that her family was all together.

On one of our final days in Iowa we went and visited Grandma Dorie's house.  The boys thought it was awesome as they found 4 frogs and other wild insects to play with.

 And if the great outdoors couldn't get any better, Grandma took the kids for a ride in her classic convertible, up the road to the neighbor's farm.

 Where they got to play with cats...

 and chickens and goats.  Michael LOVED it, to put it gently.

Speaking of chickens, sadly the day we had to leave arrived but before heading out of town we had to go eat at the SAME restaurant with the big white chicken.  Yes the same restaurant we had dined at daily.  Isabelle demanded she get to ride the chicken.  I'll love showing her this someday when she's 16.

After finally getting everything loaded up, we were off again.  Our wonderful Aunt Donna and Uncle Rick packed us a goodie back with some snacks and drinks in it.  The kids got their own juice drink and thought they were so cool!

I've decided driving across the country definitely had some perks.  Yes there are some drawbacks, but driving 1700 miles gives you plenty of time to take in the landscape.  And boy do we live in a beautiful country... Here's another picture at 4:30 a.m.  I love the innocence, purity and beauty of the sun's first rays hitting the mountain countryside.

As we got closer to home the kids got a case of the sillies...

And we welcomed it.  

As we pulled in the driveway, we thanked God for a safe trip, for the many memories we created on our trip and for getting to celebrate the wonderful life of Grandma Hazel.

While she is missed, we will be ever so grateful for the final gift she gave us. This trip will never be forgotten, just as she won't either.

Until next time,

Angie