close to normal

January's Journal

2012-02-13T22:38:00.000-06:00

Each month, Shelby works in a daily journal. I like reading the stuff she writes in it. The journal includes worksheets with math facts, sentence correcting, poems and blank sheets to do their writing. I thought I would blog about a few of the funny ones from January.

It is a new year. It is January 2012. Some people make New Year's resolutions. A New Year's resolution is something a person is going to do the whole year. My New Year's resolution is to get along with my sister more. By playing nicer with her, and playing what she (underlined 3 times) wants to play!

If I could change something about myself it would be nothing. I think I am perfect just the way I am! I can be a little bit crazy, but I like that! I also like everything I do! But there's one more thing I like about me. I like baseball! I want to win a trophy for a national baseball game. I want to win the game because my dad is depending on me. He also likes baseball.

I like to help my parents by obeying. My dad goes to work a lot, so that leaves us with our Mom. My sister and I can't go a single day without our mom yelling! I hope we can survive!

These are my top 3 favorites. I have more than once reminded her of her New Year's Resolution. As a mom I was happy to read that she likes herself because most days I wouldn't say she felt that way. And finally, I hope the mom can survive too!

Young Authors

2012-02-12T22:49:00.000-06:00

The girls participated in their school's Young Author's Competition. I tried to scan the pages of their books before they were sent to school, but it wasn't working out. I gave up and just took pictures of each page. Hopefully you will be able to read the words and see the pictures. After all the time this took, I feel like now would be a good time to start next year's books!

Shelby's book is about friendship. She changed her topic several times. She often comes home from school upset about 1 so called friend or another not being such a great friend. Trying to get an almost 8 year old girl understand the mentality of an 8 year old going on 5 year old boy is difficult. I talked her into the friendship topic hoping she'd learn a few lessons herself. The fairy idea came from her Fiona the Flat Fairy she created with Nonny Martha last summer. We don't do Flat Stanley her so they treated Fiona like one and took her all over. She didn't use the actual fairy they created and laminated in the story but did use Fiona as the name of the fairy. For the names in their stories, I told the girls to pick the name they would like if they were not named Shelby and Morgan. Shelby went with Zoe and Morgan with Katherine. This will be a long post with both stories and I'll start with Shelby's. Enjoy!

Not as clear as I'd like but hopefully you can get an idea of the books. Now here is Morgan's and what else would she write about other than, a baby doll!

Morgan's dedication page did not come out so good but hopefully you can read it. There you have it. My authors. Glad to be done.

Kitty Says it.... Again!

2012-02-07T23:13:00.000-06:00

Can you really have too many Hello Kitty T-Shirts? I hope not because I just keep finding the PERFECT designs for the girls. When I went back to Old Navy to get Shelby something for Valentine's Day, I found this beauty.

You just don't find too much for baseball for girls. And to take a break from the Kitty for Valentine's, I got Shelby Snoopy & Woodstock. However, I couldn't pass up the Irish Hello Kitty. Since we have green in our blood, I had to get those for St. Patty's day! Stay tuned for that pic.

Drive Basketball Game

2012-02-07T22:37:00.000-06:00

On Sunday we went to the Central IL Drive basketball game at the Coliseum. This is their first season. Nate's chiropractor gave us his tickets and they were some kind of tickets! Our seats where in chairs right on the basketball court just to the side of 1 of the baskets! The only negative was a small scoreboard right behind our heads so when the horn went off we got a blast in the ear. Other plus, free nachos, popcorn, chili, hot dogs & soda pop. The Drive is doing pretty good and they scored over 100 points that game. AJ Guyton is their coach. Even I knew he played in the Big Ten at Indiana so that was pretty cool. The girls had fun and were excited to get to hold the ball during timeouts. I didn't take my camera so I have a few pictures on my phone.

this is how close we were to the Drive bench

And it wouldn't be a basketball game without cheerleaders. And of course, they got the girls' attention. While we were watching the Super Bowl they disappeared upstairs. This is what they were up to.

I have a little video of them in action. Some things to take note of:
- Morgan is wearing my boots
- Morgan is wearing my earrings
-The Pom Poms are socks
-The Pledge of Allegiance is their version of the National Anthem
-If you look real close at the beginning, you can see the paint updates to the kitchen.
-Enjoy

100th Day of School!

2012-02-01T17:18:00.000-06:00

Monday was 1 day this school year that Morgan was up before she had to be. She was ready and excited to celebrate the 100th day. Her class had a lot of things planned to celebrate. She brought home a necklace with 100 fruit loops on it. She ate it before I got a picture! They made 100 Day Trail Mix using 10 Cheerios, 10 Raisins, 10 Marshmallows, 10 Popcorn, 10 M&M's, 10 Corn Chips, 10 Pretzels, 10 Chocolate Chips, 10 Peanuts & 10 Animal Crackers.

all dressed up & ready

excellent choice to celebrate in her new Kitty Badger Love shirt! :)

100 hat/visor/headband???

she drew 100 things on it

She wanted to know since they made it to the 100th day, how many more there were to go?

Shelby wore her Badger Love shirt on Monday too. The 100th day of school is not a big deal in the 2nd grade.

Crazy Climber

2012-02-01T12:35:00.000-06:00

This is how Morgan gets to the things she can't quite reach with just 1 stool. Rather than ask for some help, she stacks her plastic vanity stool on top of the step stool. She didn't like the shirt I picked out for her this morning. Her school clothes are on the top rack. A girl on a mission. I'm not sure if she misses visiting the ER, enjoys pain, bruises & broken bones or is just plain crazy. I'll go with the crazy.

Shelby's 2nd Grade Music Program

2012-01-25T21:24:00.000-06:00

Tonight was Shelby's 2nd Grade Music program. The 2nd and 3rd grades at Oakdale performed Wild Things. She was a little nervous since she had a speaking part representing her class.

ready to go

trying to find us in the crowd

Carson our neighbor on the left

Shelby seems to be enjoying this song

the whole group

4 classes of 2nd grade and 4 classes of 3rd grade

Carson's speaking part

Ellie is on his left

(she was a Grumpwart with Shelby this summer)

Kaitlan

friend from church

Below is a video of Shelby reading her part. You can't hear anything she is saying. So I posted the words. This concert was the 3rd and final one. I thought after the first 2 they would have realized you can't hear anything the individual participants are saying. Even with a microphone. Oh well. She had it memorized but I think it eased her nerves to find that Mrs. Ogdon put the words on the music stand.

Kitty Love

2012-01-23T22:50:00.000-06:00

I stopped in Old Navy today to check out their options for Valentine shirts for the girls. I was excited to find a great Hello Kitty shirt. Who doesn't love Hello Kitty? Even better. It was red. And not just any red. WISCONSIN BADGER RED! The best Hello Kitty shirt yet!

The date on the picture is covering up the B. If you can't read it, it says BADGER LOVE. Great find at a perfect time. Just a day after the Badgers beat the Illini. Sorry daddy, NOT!!!

Shelby & Upwards Basketball

2012-01-23T22:43:00.000-06:00

I decided to sign Shelby up for the Upwards Basketball program. So far it has been a good fit I think. Considering her Parks & Rec team of 1st graders had boys and girls on it, it is an adjustment to watch an all girls team! She is also enjoying the social aspect of being part of a team. She gets mad at me when I make her come home instead of letting her stay a while longer to hang out with her friends. I find that basketball, like soccer is hard to get good pictures. I have a few.

Before the 1st Game

new shoes

they are purple even though they appear to be blue

guarding her friend from church & school, Emily

the team, the Lady Illini

always have to have a goofy pic

after game snack with Amber from church

At Upwards they have a devotion at the end of each practice. After games the coach hands out colored stars that represent awards. Shelby's star from Saturday was for All Around best effort. She had a good game and scored 8 points. This is the only Illini team I can cheer for! :)

My Angels

2012-01-23T22:06:00.000-06:00

Nate's annual baseball convention was in Anaheim, CA. He knew before he left what he was going to bring home for the girls. It was a challenge to track them down. After a trip to the Angels stadium, he found what he was looking for. Albert Pujols Angels shirts. He also got them the baseball hair bows. The girls were excited. They had plans to wear them to school on Monday but Morgan ended up staying home sick. She got to wear hers on Wednesday.

It's Gonna Be A Long Road!

2012-01-17T21:51:00.001-06:00

These long weekends are hard on Morgan. She gets used to being at home and playing in her kitchen and with her baby dolls. It seems like I just got them back to school after the extra long Christmas break. This evening wrapped up the end of a 4 day weekend. I asked her if she was ready to go back to school tomorrow. I got a kick out of her response. It went something like this.
Me: "You ready to go back to school tomorrow and see all your friends?"
M: "No."
Me: "You don't miss Mrs. Fitzgerald & Miss Pyles (student teacher)?"
M: "No. I've seen them for 91 days and I'm tired of it! I just want to be in college."

She's right about the 91 days. They are counting down to 100. I don't think I will have any problems in the morning. She just doesn't like to admit she likes school. Some of her issues have to do with the fact that she is probably ready for 1st grade. Her progress report came home on Friday and she already knows all 66 sight words expected by the end of K. Pretty sure she had that covered back in November. She is reading at level D which is also the level expected by the end of K. Unfortunately, she has so many kids in her class that have never been to school before, and they have a lot of catching up to do. Our friend Mark Comadena comes to her class to read. She got to read with him last week. They do find ways to help kids like her get ahead instead of all the extra help going to those who are behind. That's good news for sure!

In other Morgan news, I ate breakfast at her restaurant yesterday. And being my usual self, I ordered a milkshake. Then I added I wanted strawberries in that. Little Miss Waitress turned back and said to me, "That would be a smoothie". She'd know. Her dad takes her to Smoothie King while Shelby and I go to BSF.

Another funny thing she said to me this morning, "I like to ask a lot of questions". You think?!?

Super Silly!

2012-01-16T22:42:00.000-06:00

Morgan is one silly little girl. She does and says lots of funny things. I always check on the girls before going to bed. This is how I found her one night last week. The kleenex box between her legs made me laugh.

On Sunday in Sunday School, she made a pair of glasses. I crack up every time I see her in them!

Thanks for the laughs Morgs! I hope you continue to make me laugh more than cry!

All Positions Covered

2012-01-13T09:11:00.000-06:00

Morgan started complaining about her throat hurting towards the end of last week. On Saturday at Shelby's basketball game (yet to be posted), I had a nurse friend of mine take a look. She said it was pretty red and suggested she drink some hot tea or hot chocolate. She likes tea although the smell of it can make me gag. After several mugs of the stuff she wasn't getting any better. On Sunday morning, I was scheduled for church nursery in the first service so I was up and showered. I really had a hard time getting her going and then she couldn't eat her breakfast. Since Nate was in CA, I couldn't leave her behind and take Shelby with me. So I called a friend I could switch nursery weeks with and we stayed home. I put her back to bed and she eventually ate some oatmeal to satisfy the tummy. Her throat is still just red by the end of the weekend. Monday morning I had to drag her out of bed again. She had been up in the night gagging and had the same problem when she got up. I took Shelby to school and made a Drs. appointment for Morgan after finding red spots in her throat. I was actually thankful the strep test came back positive because I don't know how many mugs of tea it would have taken to get rid of that sore throat!

At the doctor's office, Morgan soaked up everything going on around her (as usual). At home in the afternoon, she wanted to know what was on the papers I had to fill out. I explained all the information and she wanted some sheets of paper to put on her clipboard. I wrote out 1 with patient and insurance info and then she copied it to the other sheets of paper. After we picked up Shelby from school, she wanted to play Dr and I was the patient. We started out at the toy room table where she was sitting behind her laptop. She gave me the clipboard and told me to fill out the top sheet only. She was typing while I was busy writing. When I was done she took the clipboard and left the room. She told me someone would be right with me. She left the administrative role and returned the nurse and called me. Nurse Morgan took me upstairs to my bedroom to the "examination room". She had both doctors' kits with her and she did all the stuff the nurse was responsible for. As the nurse left she said the doctor will be right with you. Soon Dr. Morgan knocked on the door. She came in a took my temp, checked my reflexes by killing my knees!, and gave me shots (maybe that was payback??). Once the doc was finished, she resumed the administrative role to get my payment and finish paperwork. She had a lot of fun with it and did it all again with her dad while Shelby and I were at BSF. You'd make a great office worker, nurse or doctor Morgs!

3 Kids & 1 Baby in a Stroller

2012-01-07T14:40:00.000-06:00

Morgan is putting her new double stroller to good use. She is playing with 4 of her many babies. She stuffed 3 in the back and put the "new" baby she had just today in the front. She said to me, "I have 4 kids and the one in the front is newborn today. I told Maddie, Abby & Emma they were going to have to be squished because Mallory needed to lay down. She needs more sleep than they do". Of course, every one knows a brand new baby, especially one just born today, sleeps a lot!

(The little momma picked the title of this blog post).

To The Rescue!

2012-01-07T14:28:00.001-06:00

The girls recorded a movie on TV called Underdog. Shelby turned one of her stuffed dogs into her own Underdog.

Just another reason a stuffed dog is better than a real one. Can't fly a real one around the house with a washcloth clipped to it's back. See I'm not such a mean mom after all!

Hawks Baseball

2012-01-02T19:03:00.000-06:00

I posted a season summary of Nate's baseball team from 2011. You can find that post here heartland-hawks-baseball-2011

2011 Christmas Card

2011-12-31T16:44:00.002-06:00

Train trip to the City

2011-12-31T16:17:00.000-06:00

On Wednesday, we took the train and headed to Chicago to visit American Girl. We have been to the doll store, but have never taken the train. It was a fun day despite being long. I enjoyed the train as neither Nate or I find any joy in driving around that crazy city. Our train departed Normal at 7:30 so we were at the station before the sun had risen. Here's a picture of the girls standing outside the Amtrak station. It's not real clear but they are there.

Shelby brought Emily & Morgan brought her Bitty Baby & Ruthie

outside waiting for the train

on the other side of the sign is the construction of the

new station for the high speed rail

finally on the train

Morgan looking out the window

we rode backwards going to Chicago

sun finally coming up

We took a cab ride to Michigan Ave. from the train station. The Chicago station reminded us of more like an airport than the little station in Normal. When we got in the cab I told the girls to hang on.

We looked around the first floor of the store and then headed upstairs to the Salon. Uncle Al, Aunt Jill, Drew, Reese & Trey gave them gift certificates for Christmas. The plans for the gc's was to get Emily & Ruthie's ears pierced. We dropped them off at the salon and 15 minutes later they had earrings!

Next was more walking around and shopping. The store was crazy full of crazy people. I'm not sure it is ever slow around there, but I'm guessing Christmas break is not the best time to go! Both girls had gift cards from their birthdays to spend and some Christmas money. Morgan bought a snowsuit for Bitty Baby and a baking set for Ruthie. We let them use some of their Christmas money to buy a new doll. Shelby has had her eye on a Just Like You doll and Morgan has been wanting Ruthie's best friend Kit for awhile. Shelby bought a book and an outfit for her new doll with her money.

Morgan with Kit & Ruthie

Shelby with Emily

her new doll with have to be Emily's friend

I don't see Molly joining Emily any time soon

Thankfully we were able to check our purchases at the store and pick them up later. We headed to lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. We decided to take another cab ride. After a long wait, we enjoyed some time resting our legs and getting a bite to eat amongst the elephant, apes and other critters of the rain forest. Morgan wants to go back for her birthday so she can get a volcano cake!

We walked back to Michigan Ave. and had a few more hours to kill before we needed to head back to the train station. We spent some time in Niketown where we ran into a San Francisco Giants scout that Nate knows. We visited The North Face and Nate got a coat he had been wanting. We went back to Water Tower Place and stopped in a few more stores.

tree outside of the John Hancock building

The North Face store was there

it was light outside when we went in.....

and dark when we came out

Woody outside the Lego Store

We went back to American Girl and got our bag. We got a taxi and headed for Union Station. That cab ride was the wildest by far! We weren't exactly in a hurry but that driver was. Morgan fell asleep before we somehow arrived safely! There were a ton of people taking that train south and we lucked out to be able to move to the front of the line. There are some benefits (beside tax credits) to having small children. Once on the train the girls were excited to get their new things out. Shelby put the new outfit on her new doll and Morgan played with the baking set. I thought the antsy one would fall asleep but no such luck. Big sis was the one to crash.

We got home around 10 and had a quick bite to eat before hitting bed. I don't know about them but I was pooped!

Shelby with her new doll

she named her Alex

Morgan and Kit

Celebrating Christmas - Part 5 - the 4 of us

2011-12-30T11:31:00.000-06:00

I'm finally getting back to the blog to post about our family Christmas. By the time I did the 3 Greenville Christmas celebrations, I was too tired mentally to do another. I think it was the first time since we have had kids and maybe the second time since we have been married, that we were here at our house on Christmas Day. Anticipating this I was excited. Looking back on it, not so much. We were sooo tired from our weekend and getting home late, it zapped some of the fun and joy this day should bring. We didn't get home from Greenville until 9:30 or so. Thankfully, Shelby's new DVD kept them awake. Shelby didn't fall asleep at all and Morgan only slept the last 10 or 15 minutes of the trip. However, since we were traveling on Christmas Eve, there was no place open on the trip home to grab a bite to eat. So they needed a little something before they went to bed. This made the 3rd night in a row of going to bed late and getting up early. Since they needed baths before church, I had already decided we would wait until after church to open our gifts. If we had time they could look at the stocking gifts, but we didn't even get to that. Thankfully once the little peeps got to bed it didn't take them long to fall asleep. I stayed up and filled the stockings and carried the gifts up under the tree. I tried a little harder this year than in the past to make it look like Santa had come. But in reality, they really didn't care. They each had 2 gifts from Santa. I am left handed so I wrote the names with my right hand. Morgan thought Santa had sloppy handwriting. Shelby thought Morgan had done the writing. After they opened the gifts they would ask me where I found it. I had to catch myself and say, "Didn't Santa bring you that?"

stockings are filled

gifts are under the tree

this Santa is ready for bed!

Shelby's first reaction

this is what 3 days of messed up sleep looks like

checking things out

stocking diggers

ready for church

finally able to smile

ready to open

Morgan's gift to Shelby

working hard at unwrapping something

1 of the gifts Shelby gave to Morgan

an indoor basketball hoop

Santa brought Shelby a Fairy Design Kit

lost our smile somewhere along the way

putting the hoop together

excited about something

Shelby got a sewing machine

not sure what Santa was thinking

a digital thermometer

now she can look at this every morning before school

so she'll know the answer to the weather questions

our little cook got a toaster, blender & food scale

for her kitchen

final gifts are for sharing

a roll of blank paper for drawing

Those are some of the highlights. Hard to believe another Christmas has come and gone.

Celebrating Christmas - Part 4 - Young

2011-12-26T20:22:00.000-06:00

On Saturday we went to Nate's mom's for brunch and gift opening. Before we opened the gifts, the kids had a scavenger hunt to find pieces to the Christmas story. Here they are setting it up.

Next, Reese and Shelby took turns reading the Christmas story from the Bible.

Finally, they got to open their gifts.

Nonny felt sorry for them because they don't have a real pet so she decided to buy a dog on puppet strings for them. The crazy thing looks just like Lassie!

Before heading home, we visited Nonny Mary's church for their Christmas Eve Cantata. Nonny was the narrator. It was a nice program and we ran into some old friends from Greenville College. It was around 7:30 when we left. My concern was the girls would sleep the whole way home and then not want to go to bed. Thankfully, Shelby's new movie kept them awake. Morgan slept just for the last 10 minutes. But it was another late night.....

Celebrating Christmas - Part 3 - Metzger Extended

2011-12-26T20:05:00.000-06:00

Late afternoon on Friday, we headed down the road to Nate's grandparents to celebrate with the rest of the Metzger family. Nate's cousin Mark and his FINALLY fiance, Christina come from California. Here they are with the girls.

Morgan, Shelby, Reese, Trey & Drew with Mark & Christina

There are not a lot of toys at great grandpa & grandma's so the electronic games help keep them entertained. Reese, Shelby, Morgan and Trey had a competitive game going on.

After dinner the adults had an exciting white elephant gift exchange. This year we did it a little different. The kids passed out 1 gift to each adult. Papa Russell read the Christmas story. Every time he read the word, "and", we passed our gift to the person on our right. At the end of the story, whatever gift you are holding is your gift. Somehow no one ended up with a gift they brought. Soon after we finished, it was time for the main attraction: the annual appearance of SANTA CLAUS!
He received word about Mark and Christina's recent engagement so they were the first to sit on his lap.

Santa telling the Christmas story to the kiddos. He always asks them questions to keep them involved. Once the true meaning of Christmas is told, 1 by 1 the gifts come out of the bag. The recipient sits on Santa's lap and opens their gift.

Shelby was excited about the Spy Kit she had on her list. Santa asked her if that was something she wanted and she said, "Yup, it was at the top of my list!"

Little momma was sooo excited to get a double stroller for her babies

Santa apparently has 11 Christmas trees in his house. The week before, Nate's parents & grandparents had been by there to see the display. Santa said to the kids, "Guess who came to my house last week?" Shelby replies, "The real Santa Claus"! Santa didn't like that answer!

Soon after gift opening we went back to Papa & Nonny's. I don't know about the kids, but the adults were quickly running out of steam! 1 more Christmas to go on this trip.............

Celebrating Christmas - Part 2 - Metzger Immediate

2011-12-26T19:32:00.000-06:00

We headed south on Thursday afternoon for Greenville and celebrating with the Metzger/Young side of the family. Thursday night the kids played while Aunt Jill was able to celebrate a Missouri win over Illinois in the annual Bragging Rights basketball game. I enjoyed cheering against IL (just because it's fun) and watching Nate and Al watch their team come up short. Sometime after midnight, the kids finally went to bed and then unfortunately woke at a ridiculous early time on Friday morning. First on the list of things to do: OPEN GIFTS!!! The girls received from Papa & Nonny mini dishes for tea parties. Morgan's are a light pink and Shelby's are green. They got some stuff for their American Girl dolls and a gift certificate to the store from Uncle Al, Aunt Jill & Drew, Reese & Trey. Here are some pics of the loot.

Reese wrote Shelby a nice little note and gave her a Scooby Doo key chain in a metal bone box.

We ate a late breakfast. The kids played some more and when they got restless, they frosted cut out cookies Nonny had made.

Soon we headed out for our next party.

No Thank You, Santa!

2011-12-20T21:05:00.000-06:00

Morgan brought this home from school today. I said, "Oh, NO!" Shelby shrieked and ran around yelling, "Get me out of here"!

here are a few other wishes she asked Santa for

She has a high chair, a kids computer as well as my old laptop, too many baby dolls to count, and an Ipod (she said she wanted a different kind). It's funny she colored it pink and the shape as the Ipod shuffle since that is what she already has. I love the Thank you part. I hope she isn't disappointed. She did get a baby doll from Papa & Nonny last week so she can't complain. Kids and their imaginations have to be one of the best parts of watching them grow up. And Christmas offers a perfect platform for that to play out. Merry Christmas from our family of FOUR!

Class Parties

2011-12-19T21:38:00.000-06:00

At school they call them winter parties, but I will call it the Christmas party since in reality the party is planned around that theme. Shelby's party once again was full of activity, more than can be done in 1 hour if you ask me! I got assigned to the craft, which again took more than the 10 minutes allowed to create a snowman out of torn up construction paper. They played a candy relay game where they had to open a piece of candy while wearing big gloves. There was all kinds of noise coming from that side of the room! They also made snowman soup. Hot chocolate, marshmallows and a candy cane in a styrofoam cup.

Shelby & Koby

have to have a funny one

Davette explaining the candy relay

Shelby's team

making her snowman craft & snowman soup

After cleaning up the mess in Shelby's room I headed to Morgan's class. She was busy painting her tree ornament. They didn't do too bad for a room full of K's painting with Q-tips. Morgan painted a green tree with a yellow star on top & red balls on it, a candy cane, a blue sky, a sun & green grass at the bottom. They played Christmas Bingo for a game and then enjoyed some yummy snacks.

Since I was late to her party and K's require more help, I didn't get very many pics of Morgan. Sorry sis!

One more day of school and then it is break time!

Celebrating Christmas - Part 1 - Mosley

2011-12-18T23:35:00.000-06:00

This weekend we went to Wisconsin to celebrate Christmas with my family. My brother Jamie and his wife Dana were gracious enough to host us. It is a lot of work and Dana has kids all week in her in-home daycare so the extra noise is borderline too much. At least it would be for me. Fortunately, Dana has way more patience than I do!

I was surprised to wake up and see snow! We would have a white Christmas for at least 1 of our celebrations.

We had a lot of good food and yummy treats! The girls had fun playing with their boy cousins and all their trains, cars and Batman toys. The other favorite thing to do at Christmas besides eat and play: open gifts! Both girls received some fun gifts they were excited about.

new watch for her AG doll Ruthie from Uncle Luke

a new watch for Emily from Uncle Luke

school backpack for Ruthie from Aunt Ashley

a new watch for Shelby from Papa & Nonny Moe

kitchen utensils for the little cook from Papa and Nonny

so excited about her gift from Aunt Ashley

a guitar for Emily!

(it is really cool and actually plays!)

Nonny and Morgan checking out the cooking utensils

her favorite gift - a new doll she can give a real bath to

from Papa and Nonny

1 of my favorite games as a kid

from Papa and Nonny

Caleb had Morgan's name

he gave her the bathtub to give the new baby a bath in!

this pic is fuzzy because of her dramatic reaction

Noah had Shelby's name

Noah's gift to Shelby

a FurReal kitty cat

Shelby's watch she got from P&N

Shelby with my Uncle Dwayne

she put that hat on him and than asked him if he was Santa or an elf?

he said an elf

Shelby reading The Elf on the Shelf book to Morgan & Ian

(Ian is Ashley's boyfriend's son)

the view on the way home

the flat land of IL is good for something

a clear view of a beautiful sunset!

(look close the cloud has a face in it)

1 tired out elf!

cuddling the bathtub box

Poor Morgs. Shortly after getting home, Nate pulled out the oatmeal raisin cookies my mom made for his stocking. Morgan wanted one and I suggested they check with Nonny to see is she put nuts in them. Nate figured he could tell if he took a bite. He didn't taste any so he passed the rest of the cookie to Morgan. I was helping Shelby with her homework so it took a while for me to notice she had disappeared. She had planted herself in the bathroom in front of the toilet. I called Nonny and she confirmed that although there are not a lot of nuts in the cookies, she did put some in. Sure enough, after a little bit, Morgs got sick. I guess that answers any question concerning whether or not she had grown out of the tree nut allergy. It's still there at a high level. Sorry Morgs!

Annual Christmas Tree Decorating - Morgan

2011-12-18T22:50:00.001-06:00

Morgan got to decorate her tree on Saturday morning. She was excited to see all her ornaments again. Nonny helped some, but Morgan put most of the ornaments on herself. It became a little bottom heavy. So when she wasn't looking we moved some around on the tree.

take note of the tongue

it always makes an appearance when she is concentrating

Morgs and her Nonny

finished pretty tree

Annual Christmas Tree Decorating - Shelby

2011-12-18T22:36:00.001-06:00

Nonny Moe came last weekend to help the girls decorate the Christmas trees in their rooms. Shelby did hers first and she pretty much did the decorating on her own.

a few of Shelby's critters lined up under her book bench

7 years of Christmas/Winter books

Finished!

Shelby & Nonny

Morgan was trying to keep herself busy while Shelby was decorating. She made this face. While moving her hands up and down, she had her tongue going from side to side. She's multi-talented!

She Just Keeps Growing & Growing & Growing

2011-12-16T11:27:00.001-06:00

I have images of the energizer bunny going through my mind. He keeps going and going and going..... In Morgan's case it is GROWING. She is on a fast pace to catching up with her big sis. No longer am I moving Shelby's clothes to the basement for 2 years waiting for Morgan. They are leaving Shelby's closet and going straight to Morgan's. A few weeks ago it was shirts. Last night I had Morgan try on a pair of jeans size 5. They still fit around the waist but I thought they looked a little short. I went to the basement to dig out the size 6 jeans. I removed these pants from Shelby's dresser this summer. For length Shelby moved up to 6x/7's. The size 6 are a little long on Morgan but I prefer long over too short. And thank God for whoever invented the adjustable waist bands! Now I am trying to picture them sharing clothes and shoes and imagining how that will go. Not so sure the big sister is going to like that!

Prayers for All the Extras!

2011-12-14T09:53:00.000-06:00

The other day it was evident how important it is for me to be praying for the ENTIRE experience the girls have at public school. I realize they learn so much more than Reading, Math, Science & English. There is also lunch & playground where all kinds of lessons are learned! At Oakdale, it is a colorful collection of all sorts of kids from all sorts of backgrounds. Morgan's K class are buddies with 1 of the 3rd grade classes. The first week of school they help them get used to the lunch system and the rest of the year they are their reading buddies. Morgan said her 3rd grade buddy told her a boy in their class was in Juvie. I said, "Juvie! Do you even know what that is"?! She said, "Yes, it's jail for kids"! I'm pretty sure I didn't know what Juvie was when I was 5. Wait, did they even have Juvie when I was 5?

Morgan's K Music Concert

2011-12-14T09:43:00.000-06:00

Morgan's school music concert for K & 1st grade was last Wednesday night. The Oakdale gym is not big enough to hold the guests for these classes so we go to Parkside Jr. High. Here she is all ready to go.

While waiting for the concert to start, we were checking out the Parkside sports' signs. Nate coached baseball for Parkside back in the day. I took a picture of the baseball sign. Nate and Hawk coached the teams in 1999, 2000 & 2001 that qualified for the state tournament.
I took several pictures because it was hard to get a good one. I should have had the camera in sports mode because she moved around a lot. She either chewed on her fingers or played with them when she wasn't singing. I forgot to remind her to keep her fingers out of her mouth before we went.

Owen, Brooke, Morgan, Eileen, Kate

something is funny!

her friend/neighbor Henry is not in her K class

he is standing in front of her

I recorded the first song that they sang. Enjoy!

Where Does She Come Up With It??

2011-12-10T22:09:00.001-06:00

Morgan: "Are the Toothfairy and the Sandman neighbors?"

Mom: "I don't know."

What Won't Grandma Do?

2011-11-28T23:05:00.004-06:00

We spent Thanksgiving at my parents in WI. Morgan saw a picture of her cousin Noah when he was born. He was wrapped in a hospital blanket with blue stripes. Morgan got it in her head that she needed a blanket for her baby (that was just born that day). She also wanted a hat that newborns wear while in the hospital. While we all thought she was crazy, her Nonny helped her fulfill all her impossible ideas. They used a sock to make a hat. It actually fit just right!

For the blanket they used 2 of my mom's cleaning towels. They cut the blue towel in strips and hand sewed them on to the white towel.Baby is all snuggled up and her momma is one happy lady!
Thank you Nonny! Grandma's must have more patience than mothers, at least this one!

Some Day, Daddy....

2011-11-16T22:38:00.005-06:00

On Sunday after getting ready for church, Shelby asked Nate to help her attach a set of keys to a little coin purse. This is the conversation between the two of them:

Daddy: "Shelby, what do you need this for? We are going to church."

Shelby: "I'm just going to leave it in the car when I get there."

Daddy: "Well that doesn't make any sense."

Shelby: "Some day you will understand."

Daddy: "And when will that day be?"

Shelby: "When I'm 16."

16! Little does she know nothing will make sense for her dad when she is 16!

Speaking of girls and their dads. I found a note on my bedroom floor that Shelby wrote.

Might need to work on that NO! part! :)

*After I published this post, Nate mentioned Shelby wrote that note a long time ago. I said that I had just seen it. He thought her mis-spelled words made her look bad. So I just wanted to clarify, she did not just write the note!

Some Silly Shelby Sayings

2011-11-16T21:46:00.002-06:00

Shelby often says things that as a parent you have to bite your cheek to keep from laughing. Funny, but you don't want her to know that! :) This blog post is a funny that we could openly laugh at.

One Saturday she joined us in playing store after Morgan got the cash register out. She started her shopping trip out with a question that was never asked when I played as a child. She came up to me (the clerk) and said, "Excuse me, I was checking your store's website for a book". No web browsing in my day.

As she was "checking out", I totaled up her purchases and asked for $9.50. She slapped down $2 (of her real money). I shrieked, "$2? I said $9.50"! Her funny reply was said so seriously, "I'm a little short of money these days".

Our Little Baker

2011-11-15T22:35:00.002-06:00

Morgan likes to cook and bake. On Monday night's she is home with daddy and she keeps him on his toes by never slowing down. They do all kinds of stuff. She has so much fun, she doesn't want to join Shelby and I next year at Bible Study when she is old enough to go. A few weeks ago, they did some reading and some baking. The book was One Smart Cookie - Bite Size Lessons for the School Years and Beyond.This is really a cute book that teaches the meaning of the following words: prompt, organized, unorganized, prepared, unprepared, compromise, empathy, kindness, listening, contribute, procrastinate, diligent, persevere, arrogant, humble, ponder, daydream, creative, dishonesty, integrity, and curious. All of the words are defined in a way that pertains to making cookies. For example: Compromise means she wanted to make really big cookies, but he wanted to make teeny-tiny cookies, so they thought about it together and decided to make medium-size cookies. At the end of the book, there is a recipe for One Smart Cookie. They are pretty yummy cookies but instead of chocolate chips or m&m's, they have smarties in them! The recipe suggests saving a sizable portion of the batter to make One (big) Smart Cookie.
Good memories for daddy and his little girl. Good cookies too. However, in my opinion they would have been better without the smarties. But the little baker liked them so I guess that is all that matters! :)

A Day Long Gone Post

2011-11-13T21:56:00.001-06:00

Click A Day Long Gone to read a post from the past: A Sign.

A Day Long Gone Post

2011-11-13T21:36:00.003-06:00

Click A Day Long Gone to read a catch up post from the past: Unknown Blessing.

Oh, Morgs!

2011-11-13T16:27:00.002-06:00

I think when we had the flu bug, I lost a little bit of my creativity or desire to post on this ole' blog. There are several things floating around in my brain and I figure I better get them recorded before they are lost forever.

I get very suspicious of the girls when they lock themselves in the bathroom. Especially when they continuously come out and get stuff to take in there. And it's never a book to read while doing business if you know what I mean. One night Morgan was in there. She was definitely up to something and would not let me in to see. Finally, when it was time to get in the bathtub, she opened the door. She had her tiny baby doll, some tape, scissors, a black sharpie and some paper towels. She told me she was making a book out of paper towels. Other than a waste of paper towels, no big deal, right? Well, that is the story mom got. After I went upstairs, she told her dad the truth.

My girls call the male body part a "tail". They have boy cousins and have watched plenty of diapers being changed. Shelby decided it looked like a tail and labeled it that. To this point, I haven't felt the need to correct them. During our sick time on the couch, we watched A Baby Story & Make Room For Multiples. Morgan saw baby boys being born. It occurred to her that she doesn't have a boy baby doll. So she thought she'd make one. What she was really doing in the bathroom that night, was making a "tail" for her baby! Oh, Morgs!

Trick or Treat or Else!

2011-10-31T23:30:00.001-05:00

The Wicked Witch and Dorothy had fun trick or treating and were a little disappointed it was a quick trip around the neighborhood. They each collected 1 gallon bag of candy so I think they did alright! They have fun going around with the neighbors and picking up more friends along the way. It wasn't the coldest of Halloween nights but it certainly wasn't the warmest we've had. True fall weather. No Indian Summer night here!

Witch or Which Way to Oz??

Carson (Luigi) & Henry (Mario)

next door neighbors and friends

and Alice (Princess Peach)

so cute

more neighborhood friends

Natalie (Lady Bug), Aiden (Blue Monster), Sophie (Hippie), Morgan,

Kimberly (Strawberry Shortcake), Christopher (Indiana Jones),

Carson, Shelby & Henry

Fun times. If we only knew what was to come we truly would have enjoyed ourselves to the max! Who knew the flu bug was just waiting to attack less than 12 hours later?!? Yuck!

Fall Parties!

2011-10-31T22:00:00.000-05:00

Not sure a Monday is the best time to have parties at school, but that is the way it worked for the girls. It was nice with the Halloween fever and the excitement of dressing up to trick or treat later. No costumes or parades at their school. Fine with me. There are plenty of cute shirts out there and you can never go wrong with Hello Kitty! Thankfully Shelby's teacher moved her class party time up an hour so they wouldn't lose their technology time in the library. That was perfect for me so I could help in each class instead of going back and forth. And since their classrooms are on opposite ends of the school, I'd waste a lot of time just going from 1 class to the other.

ready to party!

entertaining 3 crazy boys by seat dancing to the Halloween music

working on the craft

waiting patiently

(I think they do that a lot in K. Waiting until everyone is ready)

her finished craft project

playing "hot pumpkin"

enjoying snack time

We headed home and got some homework done before round 2 of costumes, face paint & hair braids.

Halloween Eve

2011-10-30T23:35:00.002-05:00

With Halloween falling on Monday this year, we got a head start on Sunday so Shelby could do the annual Halloween activities and not miss Bible Study. What we have been doing for the last 6 years is trick or treat in the neighborhood and then drive to 3 friends' homes and visit for a while. On Sunday afternoon we made our 3 visits. It was a dramatic situation getting ready. I won't go into detail but I will just say I told Shelby next year she can go as herself and be a Drama Queen and I won't have to spend anything on a costume!

Dorothy & Toto

the Wicked Witch

I'll get you my little pretty!!!!

Our first stop was at Jenn and Seth's new house in El Paso. It was fun to see the new place. And last year there was no Truett at Halloween. Morgan loved messing with him and all his stuff.

Next stop was Ray & Karen's. The girls love visiting them and love Karen's goldfish. Not sure what ones she buys, but they think they're great! We enjoyed some good chili which was perfect for the rainy, cool fall evening.

Last stop was Mark & Pam's. More fun there. A few years ago we enjoyed sitting around their beautiful backyard fire pit with them and Ray & Karen. I think the 1st year we visited, Shelby enjoyed looking at all of Jordan's books from when he was a kid. She really liked his favorite "Little Witch's Big Night"so Pam got her her own copy. She dated the book, 2007. It is still 1 of her favorites to read with her dad. Pam continues the tradition and always get them books to go with the candy. Mark retired as an ISU Communications Professor last year. On top of still teaching 1 class at ISU, Mark volunteers his time to read with students at the girls' school. It is fun for them to see him around there.

Shelby & Mark looking at her new I SPY book

Pam and Morgan reading 1 of her new books

We took this picture outside in the dark and rain drizzle. I couldn't see until later that it's not perfect but it works.
Jenn was our babysitter when I worked. Seth played baseball for Nate in his first years of coaching in Gridley. We reconnected with Seth the summer Shelby was a baby. We have known Ray & Karen and Mark & Pam for a long time. Their sons played baseball at Parkside Jr. High, Normal West HS and summer collegiate ball for Nate. They are great friends and people for us to know in this community when we have no family living close by. Thanks to all of them for letting us celebrate a day early. We had fun, as usual!

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-30T23:10:00.000-05:00

Saturday night we decided we better get a pumpkin carved. We only did 1 this year and that turned out to be enough! I'll explain through the pictures.

Morgan digging in first

nothing better than pumpkin goop!

Shelby not enjoying it quite as much!

still not

Morgan trying 1 of the seeds (straight out of the goop, uncooked!)

maybe she is a squirrel instead of a goat!

still working on digging it out

serious work!

helping daddy with the carving

they went from trying a fancy haunted house to

the basic jack-o-lantern face

Officially ready for the big night!

Fall Fun Part 3

2011-10-30T22:55:00.004-05:00

We finished up our weekend at Papa Russell's & Nonny Martha's. Nonny had surgery on Friday so when we left P&N Jay & Mary's we headed out of town to the hospital. We visited with her and then had supper at a local hamburger joint. Papa was working in the field and got home shortly after we did. Sunday the men were racing the rain and continued harvesting their corn. Nate and the girls got out there to help. It wouldn't be a trip to Papa's without a ride on the 4-wheeler.

Morgan helped pick up some spilled corn along the road

in the tractor watching the combine unload in the wagon

unloading in the 1965 truck that is still running strong!

riding in the tractor to unload at Great Grandpa's storage bin

Nonny Martha made it home from the hospital. We got to visit a little more with her before heading home. Another fun weekend. Although Morgan will not be able to be a farm girl. That corn dust and her asthma just don't get along!

Fall Fun Part 2

2011-10-30T22:36:00.002-05:00

Last weekend we headed south for some more fall fun. We started at Nonny Mary's & Papa Jay's. We visited Grandpa & Grandma Bud Friday night and shared some pizza. Saturday morning was lazy. Shelby was out early looking for cats. She couldn't find her favorite one so she came in and sat down next to Nonny. I thought her next question was pretty funny. She said, "Don't you have a tracking device on that cat?" Nonny said, "No we don't have a GPS on the cat!" It wouldn't be a visit to the farm without seeing PJ the llama.

PJ testing corn out of Nate's hand

He didn't seem to really enjoy it

Papa Jay is building a reading room on top of an old silo for Nonny. We went over to check his progress. The stairs are the old cat walk from the college. I may have used the thing once in college but even 15-20 years ago that thing was already a little rickety!

the girls & Nonny heading over to visit Allie

Fun Fall Days

2011-10-30T22:22:00.000-05:00

The weekend was busy for the girls. Both had fun fall parties to attend on Saturday. To start out the weekend, Shelby went to the Haunted Trail with her friend Quentin. Normal Parks N Rec puts on this annual event on the Recreation Trail. The first weekend they have a kids version. We were out of town. I got a text from Quentin's mom (Sarah also) seeing if Shelby wanted to join them for the "scarier version". I kept telling her she didn't have to go just to see him, they could get together another time. She said she would talk to Quentin at school and get his opinion. She decided she would go. It wasn't long and I got a text from Sarah saying Shelby wasn't scared at all and she was laughing going down the trail. They got their faces painted at the end. It was fun for her because the trail ended where she had theater practices all summer. The face painting was done there as well. To top off an already great night, they went to eat at her favorite- Cracker Barrel!Saturday, Shelby had a Fall Party at a park with her Sunday School class. When I went to pick her up, she went home with her friend Ella to play for a couple hours. (No pics from this party).

Morgan was so excited for her first party as a Kindergartner! Her friend and classmate Kate invited her to her house for a small fall party. I lost track of how many times she asked me if it was time to go. And the party didn't start until 3:00! She had a lot of fun. She keeps talking about bobbing for apples.

Kate

Morgan and her mask she made at the party

She told me she looked like a Musketeer! :)

We all went to pick Morgan up from the party and headed to buy a pumpkin to carve. Papa's crop didn't produce a large enough pumpkin to do that this year. That will be the topic of the next post.

Fall Fun Part 1

2011-10-30T22:04:00.005-05:00

The girls and I made our annual fall trip to WI over Columbus Day weekend. It is my favorite time of the year to drive up there because the fall tree colors are fabulous and makes the boring trip up & down I-39 a little more bearable. We were disappointed to find out that the pumpkin patch we have been visiting for the last 4 years did not open. So we had to make our own fun. Grandma organized a pumpkin hunt. The little treasures had money taped to the back and each kid had 6 with their names on them to find.

Aunt Ashley got the job of hiding the pumpkins

Shelby on the search

Morgan found one!

Papa's flag sadly flying 1/2 staff for the fallen local soldier

Papa & Nonny with their crew

Papa's pumpkin crop

Picking Pumpkins

Morgan & Caleb

A wild game of memory!

A fun weekend with cousins and perfect weather. Happy Fall!

Homecoming 2011

2011-10-30T21:49:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, Normal West had their homecoming. We managed to watch the parade and not blow away! The girls each scored a quart Ziploc bag of candy. That is what parades are all about, right?

showing their Oakdale spirit

Oakdale's Float

Shelby's friend Kolby on the boyscout float

Go Wildcats!

It's.....Twins!

2011-10-28T23:40:00.003-05:00

Just what she needed! Morgan was out shopping with her dad. She talked him into buying twin baby dolls. They were $5 so he thought, why not? Obviously he hasn't taken inventory on our current baby supply! As you can see in the picture, she cut out their names from the box. She taped them on the babies so she could remember who was who. The pink baby has a head support that came from an old car seat. She has been using that in the carrier for her other little baby for awhile. The blue baby has a small white blanket that she used to make a head support for. Then she talked him into taping the wheels of her two strollers together to make a double stroller. It's a little wide for the house. I've found a cute one to add to the Christmas list. This house is turning into an orphanage!

Fall Soccer Wrap Up

2011-10-28T23:31:00.003-05:00

The girls finished up the fall soccer season. Shelby made big improvements from last year. She went from volunteering to sit out a quarter, to volunteering to play the entire game. She looked like a player, anticipating the direction of the ball. Obviously she has a lot to learn, but I thought she did great for someone who rarely kicks the ball around outside of the season. Morgan turned out to be a better player than I thought she'd be! She enjoyed the first game and then after that said she wasn't going to play after the season. Well she's signed up and payed for the spring season, so we'll see what she thinks after that. Below are their individual and team pictures. Morgan's team is missing several. They took good pictures for a windy and chilly day out there on the prairie.

A Day Long Gone Post

2011-10-23T23:27:00.005-05:00

Click A Day Long Gone to read a "catch up" post.

Such An Imagination!

2011-10-02T22:17:00.002-05:00

My little Saasafrass is such a corker! She is always coming up with something. Yesterday at the mall food court we ran into a friend from church. We talked about the house that they are building in Lexington. On the way home Morgan said she was going to rename her baby doll Lexington! Which is fine with me. I might actually be able to remember this one! This afternoon she was messing around and she decided to make a cast out of a paper towel and she attached it to her foot with scotch tape. The best part is she got the two little wooden chairs from the toy room to use as her crutches! Isn't she something?!?

My Fashionista

2011-10-02T22:07:00.003-05:00

I saw this taped to Shelby's vanity. I thought it was funny. I feel that I have lightened up a bit when it comes to some of the things she wants to wear; however, we still have some fashion disagreements. She thinks she knows everything and I don't know anything. Enjoy Shelby's Fashion Tips!

Morgan's Reading!

2011-10-02T21:46:00.004-05:00

I kept Shelby's Kindergarten sight word book. This summer I pulled it out and started working with Morgan to get a head start. She knows all of those words now. Friday she brought Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? home from the library. So at bedtime I had her read it. Obviously this book has a lot of repetitive words but she did great with the colors and animal names.And then at Shelby's soccer game yesterday, she brought a Dora book along and she read it with just a little help from me.
I love how easy it is to work with her on learning. I think it is the second child syndrome at its best. She is even bringing me the flash cards to work on math. I have to turn her down because it is such a struggle helping her sister who needs to work on it more. Unfortunately, this same sister doesn't feel the pressure of her little sis as an incentive to work harder!

The Mind of a 7 Year Old

2011-09-26T22:18:00.002-05:00

Today I finally got tired of waiting for 1 of 2 people to pick a little notebook up from the bottom of the stairs and put it away. On one of my trips up the stairs, I picked it up and opened it to see which of the 2 it belonged to. It was Shelby's and I couldn't help but start to read what she had written. Since there were no deep dark secrets involved, I thought it would be fun to share her thoughts here on the old blog. Don't think spell check is broken. I'm going to type as is written.

August 14, 2011

Hi! I'm Shelby! Let me tell you about my life. Age 7, well for now! That's the thing. Pepole like to ask you questions. Like, what you whant to be when you grow up? Speeking of what you whant to be when you grow up! I'll tell you what I whant to be when I grown up! A Joronlust (journalist) and a artest (artist)! Right know we are at my grandmaws heding to Pizza Hut for my mom's birthday! She's turning 37! We've been hear since Monday. And we did a lot of other fun things to! like, we went horseback riding tuseday, wensday we went to go eat lunch with my great granpaw, friday we went to Dubuque to a aqewerum, Monday we went on the trail and saw lots of BUGS! ew! Saturday we went to the carnival! Sunday we went to the Childruns theater. And tomorrow we are heding home! Well thats my life! Yo'll be hering more of me! See ya!

I thought it was fun to see at 7 what she wants to be when she grown up. I also love how they spell by the way words sound. She had all the things right that we did on our week vacay even if she didn't put the days in order. And in her book she drew a heart for the dot on every exclamation point. Hope you got a smile out of this piece of Shelby's mind!

An Update on the Little Momma

2011-09-20T22:26:00.002-05:00

Morgan has been doing great at school. Once she got through the first few weeks, she hasn't had any problems. Her sadness of being away from me finally shifted to being away from her baby for so long. I told her I knew how she felt because my babies left me for a long time too. This morning before school she got out three outfits and laid one with each baby. She told me I needed to change them! I decided about 2:00 I better do it. She did ask me when she got home if I did it. :) I said yes and they were upstairs in her room. She brought them down and set them on the couch. I had to take some pictures but I did it with my phone so they are a little blurry.

all dressed up by the faithful babysitter

(me-pay is no good though)

momma reading to her babies

proud momma

she loves the little one

she goes with her any chance she can take her

She carried her 2 American Girls down first. Ruthie is the larger doll with the curly hair. She has a pair of glasses. The glasses can be difficult and Morgan got frustrated trying to put them on Ruthie while she was sitting up on the couch. I heard her say in a tone of disgust, "She's worser than me, moving all over the place"! I had to chuckle at that!

Add It To Her List of Talents

2011-09-20T21:19:00.003-05:00

One of Shelby's gifts last Christmas was a guitar. She doesn't play with it a lot, but lately she and daddy have been messing around at bedtime. He must have mentioned before that his assistant coach Knox knew how to play the guitar. One night she took Nate's phone and sent a text to "Uncle Knox" and asked him if he could teach her how to play. So they set up a practice date for Sunday afternoon. She wanted him to teach her how to play a Selena Gomez song but we decided she better start with Twinkle Twinkle Little Star! The girl certainly is not afraid to try new things.
Of course little sis could not be left out. I love how she's balancing the guitar on her leg.

A New Soccer Season!

2011-09-10T22:34:00.005-05:00

Both girls are playing soccer this year. Today was their first game. I was impressed by both of their performances. You have to sign up for the fall season in March. Waaaaaay back in March, Morgan said she would play. So I signed her up and we didn't talk about it. Shelby also said in March she wanted to play again, so I signed her up. Then Shelby played the current season's spring schedule in miserable weather. She didn't want to play again but too bad, she was already signed up. This summer while playing outside, I told Morgan she needed to get the soccer ball out and practice kicking it around. She said, "I'm not playing soccer." I said, "Oh yes you are!" So I started to debate whether or not I should pull her out as I could get a refund before August 1. Also, they took a dance class this summer that they enjoyed and if we were playing soccer, they would not be able to fit another dance class in the schedule until next summer. But she decided she wanted to play so here we are.The pee-wee's play 3 on 3. It is easier to take pictures of a soccer game while they are warming up so that is what these are from. I did have some video but I had issues trying to upload them so they will have to wait for another post.

Morgan scored a goal and did pretty good once she figured out her team needed to go the opposite direction of the opponent! The other team had a girl that had to be playing soccer when she exited the womb and her dad thought she was playing in the Olympic games. Not to mention they were decked out in Illini orange complete with lawn chairs. That just added to the annoyance! Morgan said she had fun and wanted to play again next year!Morgan's game was bright and early at 8:30 and Shelby didn't play until 1:30. Considering the soccer fields are about as far away on the other side of town from our house as we can get, this is not very convenient. But what can you do, but waste a bunch of gas?Shelby also scored a goal and the most impressive thing is she asked to play the entire game! Last year she was volunteering to be the player to sit out. Her face was so red but she was having fun and playing aggressive. Let's hope that continues!

The only good part about where the fields are located is, the airport runways are just on the other side of the soccer complex. If all else fails, you can always watch airplanes land and take off. I took this picture this spring during one of Shelby's freezing cold, windy games. You can tell by the sky that the day wasn't too pleasant. There were 1 or 2 games this spring the weather was so bad the planes were not flying. The weather is not good enough to fly an airplane but we will play soccer. They'll play in anything. Well, anything but lightening that is!

Morgan Learns to Tie Shoes!

2011-09-03T08:20:00.002-05:00

Earlier this week, Morgan's teacher told her class that the long weekend would be a good time for them to learn to tie their shoes. So after school yesterday, she decided she wanted to try. Now I for one lack the patience to teach children such things. So when Shelby needed to learn before she went to K, I had my mom and Ashley teacher her. But then again that child never has been good about cooperating with me to learn anything. Fortunately for me, Morgan is a quick learner and wants to learn so that makes the whole process much easier. She had it figured out in 10 minutes or less! Unfortunately, Mrs. Fitzgerald failed to mention that Saturday would be a good time to sleep in and get some much needed sleep to prepare for another week of school. Especially on the only free Saturday we have until the middle of October! The kid was up before 7am! Thankfully Nate had an 8:00 bus to Chicago for a baseball game or two and he fed her breakfast. About 7:45 she told me she was going to go downstairs to tie shoes! So I grabbed the camera and got some shots. Here she is:

lacing up

making sure they are even

can even do it without looking

(just like everything else she does!)

don't you wish you could still sit like that?

now for real shoes

good work Morgs!

no problem!

Cousins & Buddies

2011-08-31T18:16:00.002-05:00

I love this picture of Morgan with her cousin Trey that Nate's mom took earlier this summer. Morgs loves her same aged cousin & buddy. Both love the kitty, too bad Morgan is allergic.

Remember When....You Liked Me?

2011-08-29T08:36:00.004-05:00

Today starts the 2nd full week of school. Morgan had tears when she first woke up, did fine through breakfast and getting ready, and quietly cried the entire way from the van into the school. I left her outside the gym doors with Shelby to help her find her line for assembly. I know one day the tears will stop. The main reason for them is she thinks the day is too long and she misses me. Hear that, she misses me. Mean old mom! Thus the reason for this post. I will have this to pull out in those teenage years when she turns on me, forgetting how much she once liked me. (I say liked instead of love, because I think we always love certain people, there are just times when we don't like them as much). So I need to share what she said last night. It's too cute not to. Both girls decided they would be taking cold lunch today so when I asked Morgan what she wanted for lunch she said, "To snuggle with you". I had to reply with, "That's nice but that is not on the menu"! We will just have to snuggle when she gets home!

1st Day of School - 2nd Grade & K!

2011-08-27T22:01:00.003-05:00

Hard to believe but summer came to a fast end and we are back at it with a big girl 2nd grader and our baby is in kindergarten! Time is flying and I can barely keep up! Both girls were excited for the first day. Thursday, August 18th, Shelby had a 1/2 a day and Morgan had K open house so she went 1 hour & we stayed for a bunch of information. Here are the all important first day pics. I came across a picture of my first day of kindergarten. I had to chuckle because on Shelby's 2nd day we had a battle about the ankle socks I wanted her to wear. She thought they came up too far so she rolled them over. I told her they were supposed to be like that and if she thought they were too high she was crazy! I said when I was a kid I had to wear knee socks and I hated them. I remember I had a red pair that I hated the most and eventually hid them on the top of a tall shelf in the playroom. And yesterday I had her wear a pair of leggings under the jean skirt she picked to wear because it seemed a little short. Well, check out how short the hems and how tall the socks were in 1979!
Friday, August 19th, both girls had a full day. Before I had the car parked and the seat belt off, Morgan was saying, "Goodbye Mommy". I'm not even sure she was going to take the time to give me a kiss. I was like "Whoa, you are not getting away that easy". They were lining up in the gym so there really was not time to get all sad about saying goodbye. Not to mention I decided to have a garage sale that Friday and Saturday and I had to get home to get the sale open for business. As I write this, they have completed a full week. Shelby did her usual good, but Morgan decided when the newness & excitement of going to school wore off, she was done with it. She cried at school every day. On Wednesday she cried at home getting ready and while waiting in line before school started. Thankfully she cries quietly and doesn't carry on and make a scene hanging on to my leg begging me not to send her to school. She said the day is too long, kindergarten is boring and she misses me. Finally on Thursday, she comes running out after school with a big smile on her face and said, "That wasn't so bad"! Then her teacher came over and said she let her take a nap for about 1 hour and then she was good to go. So a lot of her trouble has just been adjustment and being too tired. On Friday she didn't cry going into school but she did say she cried a little for me. She is excited to have me volunteering in the library for her class. I signed up for Fridays from 1:40-3:10. I start with Morgan's K class, then a 4th grade class & end with a 2nd grade class although it is not Shelby's. I'm hoping that she will find it more fun as they finish up some of the assessment stuff that may be a little on the boring side. Because if you don't think kindergarten is fun, oh boy, not good!

Back to School Night K&2

2011-08-17T21:38:00.000-05:00

At back to school night the girls took all their supplies and met their teachers. Morgan is in Mrs. Fitzgerald's class. Shelby did not have her so this is our first experience with her. We have heard nothing but good things. She was excited to have Morgan in her class.

Morgan & Mrs. Fitzgerald

Next we moved to Shelby's room. She is in Ms. Groff's class. The 2nd grade rooms are located on the opposite side of the school from where she was in K & 1st. So she is in an area I didn't even know was there, and she lines up for school on the opposite end of the playground as Morgan. I knew nothing of any of the 2nd grade teachers, but from what I've heard thus far, Ms. Groff is the toughest. I do think a challenge will be good for Shelby.

Shelby & Ms. Groff

On the way down the sidewalk entering the school, Morgan saw Mr. Cooper the principal greeting everyone at the door. This is what she had to say, "I'm going to do my best to stay out of his class". I laughed and said, "That would be a good idea and pretty much the main goal, sister"!

Closing Out the Summer in WI

2011-08-15T22:45:00.000-05:00

The girls and I and my sister spent our final week of summer vacation at my parents in WI. We had a week full of things to do with a week of perfect weather. With all summer activities finally over, we took off on Monday the 8th and returned on Monday the 15th. I will post our adventures day by day in order to break up the post.

WI - Monday the 8th - Trail & Bugs

2011-08-15T22:40:00.000-05:00

We arrived around 5 and unpacked the van. We headed into town after supper for a ride & walk on the trail. I couldn't get a good picture but it was unbelievable the number of bugs flying upstream right above the river, on the trail and under the lights at the gas station and around the street lights. It actually looked like it was snowing. Caseys had to have lost a little bit of money as no one in their right mind would have gotten out to put gas in with all those bugs on their head! I've never seen anything like it!

WI - Tuesday the 9th - Horseback Riding

2011-08-15T22:30:00.000-05:00

The first big event on our to do list was to ride horses at my great uncle David's stable. I will admit I was glad to get it out of the way. My last experience on a horse landed me right on my backside. It was a long time ago and we had too many on the horse and I slid right off the its back-end! It hurt and I hadn't really forgotten about it. I did OK but I will say I would have liked it more if we had fewer people on the ride and if the horses did not walk nose to butt. They do a good job of follow the leader, but I could have done without Shelby's horse making mine go crazy while going up a hill. Overall though, we had a good time.

Shelby & Molly

Ashley & Morgan on Clipper

Ashley was kind enough to let squirms ride with her on a double saddle

Clipper was 1/2 my grandpa's horse. He went 50/50 with Uncle David on the purchase.

me on Cisco

Morgan loved this miniature horse Nellie

This guy had the right idea! I was so sick of the flies by the time I left farm country!

Morgan & Nellie

the girls with their great-great uncle David

WI - Wednesday the 10th - Park & Shop

2011-08-15T22:29:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday, the girls and I joined my cousin Lisa & her 3 kiddos at the park for a little fun. After the park and lunch, we went shopping in Mineral Point with my mom.

Shelby monkeying around

Morgan the monkey on the monkey bars

Morgan & Elizabeth

Morgan, Annaliese, Elizabeth, Shelby & T. Henry

After the shopping trip, Morgan the pickle lover helped my mom make some homemade sweet pickles.

WI - Thursday the 11th - Lunch & Lake

2011-08-15T22:28:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday night my mom received some texts from my aunt Laura saying she and my uncle Dwayne were coming to Darlington on Thursday to visit my grandpa. Ashley and I had been planning to take him out to lunch as well. So the girls and I met them in Shullsburg to eat lunch at the Brewster. My uncle Ron, Chloe & Chase joined us as well.That evening, my dad and I took the girls to the lake to meet my uncle Nick and aunt Sue for a ride on the boat.

the girls took a ride in the raft

having a little too much fun

they about flipped themselves right out the front

After their near dump, they decided they wanted to ride in the boat. So Nick turned it off to bring them in but then the boat wouldn't start. So Nick and my dad paddled us to shore.

a family of ducks out for a swim

pooped, again!

donkey that hangs out with the neighbors beef cattle in the pasture next to the driveway

Another full day of fun!

WI - Friday the 12th - Aquarium

2011-08-15T22:27:00.000-05:00

On Friday, we had another full day. My parents only have 1 bathroom in their house. So what do you do when your aunt is hogging the only bathtub/shower? When all else fails, use the kitchen sink!Shelby refused to bathe in the sink. Luckily she didn't have to wait too much longer for the shower! Our first stop was my uncle Doug's for a little 4 wheeling. My uncles Nick & Doug took the girls for a spin. Ashley and I headed over to my grandma's for a visit while they were riding. She lives on the other side of the field so while we were sitting on the deck chatting, they came cruising through.

Uncle Doug & Morgan

Next stop, Dubuque, IA for a visit to the aquarium.

eel

shark!

disgusting octopus

posing with Mark Twain

Shelby driving her boat

Morgan's turn

result of big sister messing with your boat!

2 huge catfish

these silly ducks stood on 1 leg!

sticking her hand in the catfish's mouth

sticking their faces in this ugly bat head

The museum was in 2 buildings and was interesting. It provided more education then entertainment but it was still good.

We did a little shopping in Dubuque before heading home. Morgan needed new tennis shoes for our trip to the amusement park. She informed me after we got to WI that her tennis shoes were too small. So a quick stop at good old Target and she was set.

comfy in her new shoes and totally pooped!

WI - Saturday the 13th - Little Amerricka

2011-08-15T22:26:00.001-05:00

On Saturday we took our chances on the rain and headed for Marshall. It is about 15 miles east of Madison and home to Little Amerricka - a small amusement park. They had some good rides for their size. I have a bunch of pictures to summarize our day.

The favorite ride for the girls was the fast roller coaster. We rode it several times. It was hard to get good pictures as we breezed right on by my photographer, my dad.
Next up was a favorite, the Tilt-A-Whirl. Or should I say, has been the favorite. I think this ride is what is making me feel like my days are numbered on rides. The last 2 times I have been on it, I have felt like my head is going to explode. I hope if I avoid it I'll be able to enjoy the other rides for a bit longer.

They had a train ride that was about 2 miles long and went around some surrounding property. It was very scenic and a welcome break from the rides and a good way to let our lunch settle a bit.

I love weeping willows

this critter looks like they are giving the train a talking to!

didn't expect to see a couple of zebras

We had a lot of fun and got really wet on the bumper boats. It was Morgan and I against Shelby and Ashley. Our final ride was on this so we got soaked right before going home. Luckily for the girls I brought them a change of clothes. I purchased a new pair of shorts at the mall when we stopped in Madison. Ashley was pretty soggy by the time we got home.

fun going down the big slide

The Swiss Tobagon was this interesting ride. You sat in the little car (Ashley & I barely fit) and then you head straight up the inner tube. At the top it spits you out on the track and you come down going around and around and around...... Shelby went a second time with a random girl who said she could ride with her.
Ashley and my dad went to ride the go-karts so I took the girls over the the kiddie rides. They were kind of bored with those rides after they had already rode the bigger rides. They did have a lot fun on this kiddie roller coaster. I heard plenty of screams coming from the adults that were riding.

CRAZY!!!!

After several rides on the little coaster, they wanted to ride the kiddie boats. The lady running the boats was also running the airplanes. So they opted to ride this "boring" ride. As you can see in the picture, all they did was ask if they could ride the boats. The lady kept telling them to hold their horses!

Morgan showing her true feelings about the ride!

Finally they got to ride on the boats. As you can see, they weren't impressed!
We had a fun day at the park but when we got home, there was work to be done. Morgan helped my mom make blueberry coffeecake for my birthday breakfast.

WI - Sunday the 14th - My Birthday

2011-08-15T22:25:00.000-05:00

On Sunday the 14th, we celebrated my 37th birthday. Shelby picked some flowers and helped Nonny put together a bouquet. The girls helped set the table a serve a special breakfast. The girls made me cards and envelopes.Shelby said my card was a tall cake. She drew the 3 backwards on purpose. She said my hair is spaghetti and meatballs. I'm sitting on a chair at a table with the giant cake!

Morgan made a portrait of the 2 of us together. So cute if you ask me!
My gifts were a couple new flowers, a bag of peanut M&M's and a bag of gummy worms. Who could ask for anything more?!?
After church we went to the Community Children's Theater production of Mulan Jr. They did a great job. Shelby really enjoyed watching it after her summer theater experience.
For supper we headed to Dodgeville so I could have my birthday supper at Pizza Hut where I could get my favorite pasta. Number 37 was a great one!

WI - Monday the 15th Going Home

2011-08-15T22:11:00.002-05:00

On Monday while I was packing up the van, the girls had to do some work to earn the birthday gifts they had given me. Shelby got busy picking up walnuts.Since Morgs is allergic to the walnuts, she can't touch them. So she got the job of pulling weeds.
Once the work was done we made a pit stop at the cemetery to put flowers on my great grandma's grave in honor of her birthday on the 16th. Then we headed home for a busy couple days before the first day of school on Thursday. So long, summer of 2011! You were wet in June and oh sooooo hot in July. And as always, too short!

Softball Wrap-up

2011-08-06T21:34:00.000-05:00

Summer Pre Softball finished up the 1st Saturday in August. I think Shelby had fun playing and I saw improvement. At this level the coach pitches. She was able to hit the ball from the beginning and never had to use the Tee. She has a good arm and did a great job eating up ground balls. Shelby was a great third and first baseman. At third in 1 game she had 2 unassisted force outs. She fielded the ball and ran and stepped on the base beating the runner. She was pretty excited about that. I think that was in the second game. When she was able to play first base she did great fielding the throws from teammates as well as the ground balls that rolled her way. I finally convinced her to put the basketball aside for awhile so she could play catch with her dad. That helped her a lot. I think next summer she is ready to move on from Parks and Rec to the Instructional Level of the BNGSA. For now, next up is soccer.

I took this picture during the last game. Shelby played against her old preschool friend Isabelle. Isa is on first and Shelby is the 1B. They had a good time catching up. This was the second time they played each other.

Meet Glumpwart #3!

2011-08-03T21:49:00.007-05:00

Shelby's favorite summer activity was Theater. The Parks N Rec office offered a class for 2nd thru 7th graders. They performed an interesting but entertaining version of Rapunzel on the last day of class. The class taught several aspects of theater besides their lines for the final performance. She is a natural when it comes to drama, so this was a good way for her to channel it. The only problem is, you really have to evaluate some situations to figure out if she is playing drama or if she really is hurt or sick or sad, etc. Morgan is catching on and will tell her, "Stop it. This isn't drama class"!

Going back to the beginning of class, they were given 4 parts and they had to choose 1 for auditions. She picked Rapunzel of course. She memorized a fairly large paragraph in 2 days. Needless to say Shelby was none to happy when I picked her up that day and she was given the part of Glumpwart #3. She cried the entire way home and was as mad as could be. She didn't want to hear about the big parts going to the older kids or those who have put in some years. She was more than confident that she could handle the big role. She was mostly disappointed in the fact that she didn't have a lot of lines to say. Well, she eventually got over her disappointment. On her own she wrote her teachers a note thanking them for her role.

Who exactly is Glumpwart #3? The Glumpwarts in this Rapunzel story are friends and helpers to the witch. There are 4 of them. Shelby had the lines for #3. In this particular story, the witch wants Rapunzels hair. Not because she is evil or just mean like everyone in the story thinks. It's because the witch and the Glumpwarts are BALD!

Shelby with her teachers Ali, Jordan & Spencer

they painted their set the day I took this picture

I found this on the table

she made this list on her own after practice one day

Friday, July 29th was the big day for the performance. We woke up to thunder, lightening & rain. They practiced all summer at the outdoor amplitheater and that is where they were going to perform Rapunzel. Luckily, the lady in charge checked the forecast and reserved the auditorium at Heartland CC. Here are some pictures of Shelby's first performance.

Spencer, Jordan & Ali welcoming us to the show

the Glumpwarts & Rapunzel's father

Glumpwarts taking away Rapunzel

Glumpwarts visiting Rapunzel in the tower

Glumpwarts after Rapunzel's rescuer

the Witch and Glumpwarts 1,2,3 & 4

the Witch & Glumpwarts have hair!

everyone is happy!

taking a bow

Shelby, Ellie & Kaitlan

her friends from Oakdale K class

She had her lines down as well as lines of other characters. A few weeks ago while walking through Target, she started reciting that long part of Rapunzel's she memorized for auditions. I just figured she forgot about that long ago.

Following the performance, we walked across campus to the Cafe and had some cake and lemonade. As we are walking, Shelby asked me if on Monday they started a new performance. I told her no and that today was the last day. She was not happy about that! After cake we went to Moe's for lunch and when I parked the van I looked back and saw that she was crying. I thought maybe she was not happy about eating there but when I asked her what was wrong, she was sad that theater was over!

Papa Russell & Nonny Martha, Nonny Mary & Aunt Ashley joined us for the performance. My parents could not make it due to having to work and the time of the performance. So they had a bouquet of flowers delivered the night before.

Congrats on a great first performance Glumpwart Shelby! Stick with it and one day I can easily see you having that lead role!

Notification of a Catch Up Post

2011-08-01T23:06:00.001-05:00

If you missed the post on Shelby's 2010 vacation, you can find it in the archives under August 2010.

3rd Annual Johnson Picnic

2011-07-23T22:56:00.000-05:00

We returned to WI for the 3rd annual Johnson picnic. It was hot and it seemed like there were a ton of flies, but what can you expect from a farm? The Lord blessed us with no rain. It came before & after, but stayed away through the entire afternoon. Here are a few pictures from a fun day.

we celebrated my Grandma's 80th birthday

my mom and her 11 siblings

here are just SOME of the grandchildren,

great-grandchildren & 1 great-great grandson

(there are NO spouses in this picture)

Gator rides are always a favorite activity

Shelby on the slip-n-slide

Morgan spent almost the entire picnic in a small pool. I don't know why I never stopped by to get a picture of her.

My aunt Suzy was kind enough to work on her vacation and give the girls a haircut to get them ready for the new school year.

Shelby

Morgan

As you would expect, Morgan had a hard time standing still. So my cousin Desiree held her head still, otherwise she may have ended up with no hair!
Games are always a big part of the picnic. Here is a video of Shelby participating in a Popcorn Relay.

This year they brought in a dunk tank and it quickly became a favorite. Shelby had a lot of fun with this and was successful hitting the target several times. Here is a video capturing one of her turns.

Morgan took a few turns too. Watch and see the benefits of being little. :)

15 Years!

2011-07-20T16:24:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe that today is our 15 year anniversary! It was hot at our 5:00 pm wedding in Platteville, WI in a church with no AC, but thank God it was not as bad as the weather today! Not sure where the 15 years have gone. The 8 years without kids went just as fast as the 7 years with them.

Below is a little picture comparison. Our current picture was taken by amateur photographers and it was so hot the camera kept fogging over. So not the greatest picture, but you have to work with what you have! Can only imagine what the next 15 year journey brings! Time is flying!

A Trip Back in Time

2011-07-19T13:29:00.000-05:00

I've mentioned several times that I decided to use this Blog mainly as a means of recording the lives of Shelby & Morgan with a little sprinkling of Nate and myself mixed in. At this point, I don't see myself successfully completing scrapbooks for them. When I found out I can print a Blog into a book, I decided this was a more realistic goal. With that said, I am going to go back and try to catch up the blog starting with my pregnancy with Shelby. This is a heads up for those of you who read the Blog but do not receive updates in your email. I will try to back date the posts as accurately as possible. So these posts will not show up as the most current. You will have to go to the history and click on the month. My first historical post will be dated in 1996 and then will most likely jump to 2003. I hope you enjoy visiting this little bit of history as much as I think I will!

Passing On Love For Baby Dolls

2011-07-14T00:11:00.003-05:00

As I was digging through my box of old photos, I came across several of me with my baby dolls. I guess Morgan may have innocently inherited a love of dolls from her momma. I remember having 2 dolls that I played with a lot. I still have them stashed away in my trunk. They were Hush-A-Bye & Jeanette. Hush-A-Bye ran on batteries and she cried while her legs kicked and her head rolled back and forth. The poor thing was played with so much we eventually had to tape her legs onto her body. Unfortunately these days she is missing 1 leg! Jeanette had soft hair and was my first doll with eyes that opened and closed. I took them every Sunday to my Great Grandparents' house. Even when I was too old to play with dolls, my grandma would ask me each week how Hush-A-Bye was doing? I scanned a few pictures of me & my babes. I have seen Morgan many times holding her babies in just the same way.

Hush-A-Bye

New Ride for the Baby

Jeanette

Dancing Queens

2011-07-12T22:40:00.002-05:00

This summer is our first experience with dance and both girls like it. Shelby was mad when she didn't learn a complete dance the first day and is having a hard time understanding you have to learn some basic dance steps first. They both used their birthday money from Uncle Luke to buy sparkly duffel bags to carry their dance shoes in. Thanks Luke! These pictures where taken before our first night 3 weeks ago. Morgan got a hole in her tights on the way and we took them off in the bathroom before the class even started. I had a feeling when I bought those it would probably be a waste. We have a few more weeks of this summer session. I think they both will want to take more classes.

Summer Stuff

2011-07-11T22:04:00.003-05:00

Shelby is doing a lot of reading on her own this summer. On her own I mean, picking up a book without being told. She's been reading since Kindergarten, but probably had to be told to get a book out and read. This summer I have been trying to teach her that she needs to carry a book with her to occupy herself when there is some "waiting time". Restaurants, doctor appointments, driving across town, etc. I keep telling her reading is a better alternative to the DS, which also serves well for all these things. I snapped a picture of her today reading in the chair. I find her sitting like this a lot.
She was finishing up a book she got last week at the library. It's this Mallory series and she really likes it. This is the 2nd book about Mallory that she has read. They have around 15 or 16 chapters in them. The first book I picked up for her on a Monday and she finished reading it the next day. Relaxing in the chair reading a book inside was perfect on such a hot day as today.

While Shelby was reading, I found Morgan resting. This summer has messed up her sleeping just a little. She's taken a few naps, but then she doesn't want to go to bed at night. Tonight would be one of those nights! I like to call her "Snoozy Suzie". Here she is.

Celebrating the 4th

2011-07-07T22:12:00.002-05:00

Nate was home on the 4th & the girls and I stayed in town this year so we celebrated as a family for the second year in a row! We had a quiet morning at home. Morgan & I hit the grocery store to purchase the goods for what we were taking to share at the afternoon picnic. After an afternoon of working in the backyard (for me), we got cleaned up to head over to the neighbor's for a picnic. The girls went in matching Hello Kitty outfits. No complaints, not even from Shelby!

After the picnic, we walked with our friends up the street to the corner where they all watch the fireworks. We however, kept on walking to our friends the Bertas. They invite us to crash their party and watch the fireworks from their driveway. We have fun dropping in there because their guests are pretty much all parents of boys who played baseball for Nate in Jr. High & High School. I was pregnant with Shelby in the days most of them were playing so it is fun for them to see how the girls have grown. We usually only see the majority of them on the 4th of July. Unfortunately, the fireworks were not so good as a result of technical difficulties and a lengthy delay. Before we knew it, the time was 10:45 and we still had to walk home! We saw some nice fireworks going off in the neighborhood on our way back. Luckily, Tuesday is the only day we don't have anything scheduled for the morning. Nate did have to get up but the girls and I slept in until about 9.

There are so many cute things out there (especially for girls) to dress for the occasion. I had the Hello Kitty shirts for a month or so, but did come across a couple more inexpensive shirts for each of the girls that described them to a T, so I picked them up and they wore them on Sunday.

Shelby's shirt has fireworks going off over the top of the head of a girl wearing silver glitter star sunglasses. Under her face in case you can't read it says, "I'm a Star". The headband is full of silver glitter. Even after a few hair washings, she still has glitter stuck to her scalp!

Morgan's shirt is a monkey doing a dance with a couple of sparklers. Need I say more??

In previous years, I've had the girls at my parents and we'd see a small town parade and ride some rides. No parade or rides for us here, but a lazy summer day hanging out with friends!

Their Garbage, Our Treasure

2011-07-02T21:43:00.002-05:00

Nate had been thinking we needed to get Shelby an adjustable basketball hoop. The one we have is a little high for her and it does not adjust. Although she is capable of making baskets in the high hoop. Anyway, on Thursday the girls and I turned the corner at the end of the street heading to softball practice. There was a bunch of "stuff" sitting on the curb a few houses down. My eye caught what looked to be an adjustable hoop. I gave Nate a call and told him he should go by and look it over before he joined us at practice. He did and got himself a workout rolling it home! The backboard has a small crack in it but otherwise it will do it's job for what we need right now. And you just can't beat free!

Watch Out! She's Riding on 2 Wheels!

2011-06-30T21:53:00.005-05:00

My sister told Morgan she would help her learn to ride her bike on 2 wheels the weekend we were back home for Father's Day. Ashley was just about finished loading her car to leave when Morgan reminded her of her promise. My mom quickly got the training wheels off and they headed out to Ashley's basketball court. Let me just say that I had been avoiding this task as I just assumed this would be 1 more way for Crash to hurt herself. Surprisingly, she figured out how to ride in probably less than 5 minutes! It did take her a little more time to figure out how to use the brakes instead of her feet though!

I don't know if there is any volume in these videos or not. If not, let me give you an idea of what is going on in the background. Shelby has a little bit of a jealousy problem when Morgan receives too much attention. So while she is shooting baskets, she is feeling sorry for herself. If you can hear my mom who was standing behind me she is telling Shelby to "just go eat worms" after she said, "no body likes me". It was pretty funny.

a little blurry but she looks like she's having fun!

After Ashley left, my mom and I took the girls into town to ride bikes on the trail. This way she could ride on a straight path instead of in circles around the court. It didn't take long and she was going as fast as she did when she had 4 wheels! As fast as she can go....

The days we were there, it had rained overnight. The trail had some mud puddles along the way. There was one that Morgan did not successfully make it through.

she wasn't hurt but mad that she got her new shirt full of mud

Morgan wouldn't look up for a picture with her bike

big sis didn't have a problem rubbing it in

found some water to clean up a bit

finally able to smile about it

I will say I was impressed that she had it down so quickly. But if you watch her ride, you will understand my concern. She rides a bike just like she walks - heading one direction and looking in the other!

Another Tooth is Out!

2011-06-25T22:16:00.002-05:00

Shelby pulled out her 2nd tooth after a trip down the slip-n-slide. Even though her new tooth is coming through from her 1st tooth, you can see she can still get the tongue through the hole!

Misc Summer Happenings

2011-06-25T21:45:00.006-05:00

In my previous post of our trip to the north, I forgot to include our visit to the swimming pool. It seems like each time we are up there in the summer, they want to go swimming but we always run out of time. We got there, but it wasn't exactly the warmest evening so we only stayed about 1 hour. Shelby was in the big pool so my pictures of her are pretty blurry since I was taking them through the fence. Morgan had the entire little pool to herself.

For all who know Morgan, her baby doll goes with her just about everywhere. She forgot her bed (baby doll does have a pack-n-play) so Nonny fixed her up with the roasting pan. Just the right size!
Speaking of beds, I forgot to include this in Morgan's birthday party posting. She received this little dog that walks & barks. She made him a bed in her room out of this box. Blankets were borrowed from her baby beds.

And final news. Shelby had outgrown her bike so she got a new set of wheels. She wants to get a basket for it but we just haven't found the right one yet. She tested out several before my eye caught this one. I was surprised she liked it with all the pink but it does have a good balance with black. She is loving it!

Summer Fun with Cousins

2011-06-24T21:46:00.005-05:00

Father's Day weekend I took the girls to my parents' house in WI for a little fun with the family. Summer fun at Papa & Nonny Moe's always includes the slip-n-slide. And what makes a slip-n-slide even more fun? Going down hill! Fortunately, unlike here in flat Illinois, you can find hills in backyards in WI. And there really isn't a better way to tell a story about slip-n-sliding, than through a bunch of pictures. So here you go, and enjoy!

the slidin' crew

Micah, Noah, Morgan & Shelby

(Caleb said, no thank you to the picture)

Morgan

Micah

Micah & Caleb racing

Shelby

Shelby spittin out some consumed water

I loved this expression

Shelby with Aunt Ashley

just can't get the kid out of some

(day later bruises indicate some bodies are no longer child like)

everyone loves to ride on her back although they are getting too big

the bigger kids really slow down the ride!

a little elbow to the neck always feels good

can't ya tell? just look at Ashley's expression!

here is a little comparison of the kids from last summer with the present

I don't have many pictures of Noah since the boys had been playing for quite awhile before the girls and I arrived. By that time the water was getting pretty cold and he'd had enough.

and finally a little video clip

Play Ball!

2011-06-22T21:19:00.005-05:00

Shelby had her first pre-softball game on Saturday. For anyone wondering, pre-softball is when your coach pitches the ball to the batters. She seems to be enjoying it and her team is the Reds. She was the first batter of the game and hit the ball on the 2nd or 3rd pitch. She made it around the bases without getting out so unofficially scored the first run. They don't keep score so that is why I say "unofficially".

ready to play

pre-game

first at-bat

run girl run!

on deck

playing the field

good game by both teams

Go Reds!

Back Date

2011-06-21T23:35:00.002-05:00

If you read the blog but don't receive a notice in your email, I back dated a post for the girls' birthday party to May 21st. Check that post out to read about birthday fun!

Personality Pictures

2011-06-09T23:52:00.003-05:00

These pictures of the girls are my favorite right now as I think they truly portray each of their personalities at the present time. I won't say anymore and just let the pics speak for themselves.

The Annual Comparison

2011-06-08T10:00:00.006-05:00

It's time for the annual comparison of pictures to see if Morgan still looks like me at the same age. I had a hard time finding a great picture of her as she is kind of in the stage of not smiling her best at photo ops. I think maybe she doesn't look as much like me as she used to. In the past, some have thought old pictures of me are Morgan. At school, so many people tell her she has to be Shelby's sister because she looks just like her. However, for the most part, Shelby looks like Nate did when he was little. Who knows? Maybe Shelby's look is changing a little too and in the end they both will just be a nice mix of us both!