The Nelson Party

New adventures!

2012-01-16T16:05:00.004-05:00

Well, we've started some new things in our family the last several weeks! Kayla has been really wanting (REALLY, REALLY) to take gymnastics for the last year -- so we're giving it a try! So far -- she's loving it!

Loves falling into the foam balls!

Definitely doesn't get her upper body strength from her mama:)

Balance beam

Joshua started Upwards Basketball and we've had two games so far. They put colored bands on the uniform so they can remember who they are supposed to guard!

Playing defense . . .

Throwing it in . . .

The field was quite the neighborhood hang out today -- but everyone was inside for lunch when I took this!

A little sibling bonding over the DS:)

Pre/Post Christmas Pictures

2012-01-06T22:37:00.007-05:00

Well, here it is, almost mid-january and I had a boat load of pics to post -- so I was determined to get it done tonight! We usually have lots of these pictures floating around that the kids have drawn of the light show throughout December. For those of you who went, I totally realize this was an old design and not this year's new design . . . but that is what Joshua remembered this year from last year:)

Kayla's preschool Christmas party

Joshua's Christmas program

Our small group ugly sweater Christmas party. The V-neck sweater on Bryan??

I married up . . . what can I say?

The kids of our small group!

Birthday candles for Jesus . . .I know He's not five years old, but didn't feel like any arguments who was going to blow them out:)

We acted out parts of the Christmas story -- and Kayla was acting out Mary riding the donkey to Bethlehem. I know -- the KU blanket only adds to the authenticity of it all.

It just went from sillier to sillier.

Somewhere along the line, we added live drama to the "reading" of the Christmas story at Grandma and Grandpa Varner's. Kayla loves to play the angel, or Mary.

We were short a few grandkids . . . so Johnny picked up the slack. We used these "masks" for our Christmas story for Sparks -- those 1st graders looked really funny with them!

Grandma almost had the shephard (aka Tyler) assembled when he decided he was too cool for this like Joshua was:(

A baby doll that actually sucks a pacifier -- crazy.

Pillow pets from Bem and Johnny -- Joshua has been inseperable with his. I always forget to take pics when we are there -- and I wish I would have.

Carly was three days away from giving birth to Westin!

It has been UNSEASONABLY warm here -- and we did some really unusual things! The kids were able to make use of their outdoor gifts -- skateboard, scooter, etc.

Bryan agreed to grill one night for me -- so bizarre.

Trying out daddy's new fire pit . . . with our neighbor's snow man in the background:)

We took advantage of our year-round zoo pass and spend some time there while Bryan had a few days off.

We come to the zoo to look at . . . pop machines, of course!

We walked into the monkey building (not sure of real name) and the orangutan

was perched front and center.

For those of you who have been around Bryan lately you will recognize the red hankie in his hand . . . yep, he did his magic tricks for the monkey. Seriously. It was a proud moment.

It was remarkable the interaction from the money though . . .at one point, he (she?) actually reached out his (her?) hand -- we all got a good chuckle!

The last two days before school started for Joshua, we went to Omaha to an indoor water park/hotel. This was our family's "we survived the light show" trip! Overall, the trip was fine . . . but we kept having hiccups along the way that kept throwing us for a curve!

The kids COULD NOT WAIT for the park to open the first morning (because it closed early the previous night -- yeah, bummer) . . . but unfortunately, the air heating system in the water park wasn't working right that day. The water was plenty warm, but the air . . . um . . .it was chilly. After about 1 1/2 hours, we decided that the kids' blue lips were probably a strong enough signal that we needed to stop as everyone was freezing.

This was Tyler's natural pose the entire time . . . he thought it was a bit loud.

The only time he wasn't holding his ears -- was when he was with daddy. Lots of daddy and Tyler time at the water park:)

And, my most blog worthy info that I have no pics of . . . TYLER IS POTTY TRAINED!!!! Totally of his own doing, too. Three weeks ago, he told Bryan "pee pee," Bryan put him on the potty, and holy cow, he went. We are totally diaper free -- naps, night, EVERYTHING. First time since 2004! Way to go bud!

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-24T16:21:00.004-05:00

Since we were navigating Saturday Christmas Eve services, and a Sunday am service, we decided to celebrate our family Christmas on Friday. Bright-eyed and ready to go!

Opening the skateboard . . .

. . . and the skooter!

(the PINK one -- a very important detail not to be forgotten)

Side note: This was a gift (a turtle candle) Joshua purchased for me using some very hard-earned shekels from Shekel Shack through Sparks. Very special indeed! Means more than any store-bought gift every could!

Daddy opening K's gift she made at preschool.

Love it!

Tyler opening his big dump truck . . . although I think he was perfectly satisfied with his 5-inch fire truck -- with lots of buttons, of course!

Funny story -- half way through our gift-wrapping session, Bryan scampered off to the coat closet (see in background). He had "forgotten" to wrap my gift (which was hidden in the light bulb box) and so he grabbed some used paper from one of the kid's gift, went to retrieve the gift, "wrapped" it again, and gave it to me. So sweet:) (too bad he forgot to remove the original tag!) We both had a good laugh!

A much-awaited CD player so she can sing to her favorite songs in her room!

And we finished things off with some snowmen pancakes!

Remember those infamous "potholders" you made as a kid . . . yep, we're in that stage now!

Happy Thanksgiving . . . a little late:)

2011-12-11T21:36:00.004-05:00

Since I suppose late is better than never . . . thought I'd post some pics from Thanksgiving. We made a trip to WI to see Bryan's family -- and it was a nice break to get away. A trip to the park is standard operating procedure -- Grandma with twins on either side.

There was some machinery parked next to Grandma and Grandpa's getting ready for a job coming up -- let's just say Tyler was keen on checking it out! It's huge when you're right next to it!

Notice T's mouth -- yep . . . he was making his tractor sound!

Playing with legos.

Grandma had saved some BIG pieces of cardboard just for our visit -- what a treat! Daddy engineered a rocket . . .

And always a game of ping pong (or two, or three)

Since J's birthday was in a few weeks, we celebrated early!

Perfect!

Mint oreo ice cream dessert -- yum, yum!

Uncle Mark and Tyler playing a mad game of Memory . . .

All smiles!

Happy 7th Birthday!

2011-12-02T22:20:00.006-05:00

Ok . . . just realized I never posted Thanksgiving pics, so we'll go out of order! Just finished celebrating Joshua's 7th bday with some school and neighborhood friends tonight! Everyone with their coats on . . .

. . . to go outside for our Treasure Hunt! Lots of fun (and time) to plan!

Found 12 of the 13 green puzzle pieces buried in the mulch. Originally it was to be in the sandbox . . . however, the top had blown off, and there was a layer of frozen ice. Oops!

Figuring out what the invisible ink says

. . . High in the sky, 50 stars, 13 stripes . . . (thanks to the neighbors for letting us "borrow" their landmarks!)

Messages in eggs

Putting paper slivers together to make a picture . . .

. . . of the mailbox!

Popping the balloons -- some had clues, some did not

Yikes!

More teamwork . . .

Picture out of order -- our "treasure cup cakes" --

Last decoding clue . . . so much fun to hear these 1st graders reading! And the last clue was "For the very last place, look in a trunk. Not in a car, and kinda looks like junk."

(Notice where all of the pics were taken throughout the night!)

Yep, we were on the treasure box all night!

Opening gifts

I'll let you guess -- was it a quite pizza dinner, or a loud pizza dinner????

Bryan the magician came to the rescue . . .

Singing Happy Birthday!

Silliness!

I think we needed a few more coats, backpacks, and shoes!

Happy Birthday bud, we love you!

Happy Birthday Kayla, cont'd

2011-11-17T22:28:00.004-05:00

Kayla has had quite the "extended" b-day celebration because of Bryan's travel schedule! Last weekend we celebrated her "family" birthday after church. For whatever reason, she felt it necessary to change into (summer) clothes as soon as we got home . . .:)

Happy 5th birthday!

Trying out the apron and chef hat from Aunt Carly and Uncle Brian -- it seemed to do the trick!

Today she celebrated her birthday at preschool since it was our helper day.

Glad the preschool teacher was making sure she didn't catch her hair on fire . . .:)

The watch -- that was her selection from the much-awaited birthday box!

One of the "helper" responsibilities is marking off the calendar -- it's a BIG deal, you know!

Our lucky two-for-one deal at Pizza Hut last night

2011-11-05T16:12:00.001-04:00

Ten minutes after starting in on our pizza, Pizza Hut came by our
table with another full pizza and a personal pan pizza. They had
accidentally put our order in twice. We had lots of pizza!

Happy 5th Birthday Kayla!

2011-11-04T14:59:00.002-04:00

We just got done celebrating Kayla's 5th Birthday -- her first "friends" party! We had a very, very pink party -- as you can see:) And I must admit, it was really fun decorating for it, too! Kayla has been waiting a LONG TIME to have a party of her own -- I guess that's the down side of having a an older sibling!

Girls from church and the neighborhood --

Don't have any pics, but we had PB&J (with pink bread, of course), carrots (with pink dip), pink yogurt, and chips. I think most of them were too excited to eat:) Then they glued some jewels on their pink trinket boxes.

Lots of fun to watch!

Opening gifts . . . do you think they could have gathered in any tighter????

Happy Birthday to You . . .!

All they could talk about was the crazy cupcakes!

Yep . . . Tyler got positioned in the kitchen at his own

table -- it just worked better that way:)

Guess he's done with his cupcake now!

Prelude to a Pink Birthday Party

2011-11-04T09:55:00.001-04:00

Halloween recap

2011-11-01T22:09:00.003-04:00

And here are our little Trick-or-Treaters! We ran out of camera battery so we didn't get many pics, but Tyler was SO CUTE!!!! He marched up to every house with the older two and without prompting would say "Tank-You!" For those who know Tyler and his . . . um . . . limited verbal skills, it was awesome!

I think the penguin was a little ticked at the cheerleader, and the giraffe was ready to get the show on the road!

Earlier in the day, we went to J's school to see the parade . . .his flippers were giving him problems, I'd say!

Kayla, Carter (neighbor boy) and Tyler -- just waiting for the parade. The weather was absolutely gorgeous!

Today was Kayla's preschool Halloween party -- always so cute. They were doing a "spider song" here!

Sorry out of order -- the costume parade!

Class photo

What a week!

2011-10-28T16:13:00.004-04:00

Let the Fall Festivities begin . . . I'm sure this lasted for 15 seconds!

Ugh . . . the inside is always so much fun!

J & K were both troopers though in digging out the "guts!"

And this was at the mid-point of our pumpkin carving extravaganza:) Where are the kids????

The finished product -- way to go daddy!

The kids at our church's Trunk or Treat event last weekend. Joshua has been saying FOR MONTHS he wanted to be a "Club Penguin" penguin -- you know, you can't exactly go to Wal-mart and snag that costume. So, it was a labor of love from mama:) Poor Tyler -- this is what happens when Mommy neglects to actually try on the costume from Mommy and Me before buying it . . . it was a bit short:)

There they are!

I have this in the wrong order -- this is a picture of Kayla and her friend from church last year at this event. They didn't "consult" each other, but were both princesses last year.

And then this year . . . we realized they were both cheer leaders! So cute!

Celebrated Brian's bday -- that's some serious candle-blowing out action!

Last Saturday we ran (well, walked!) in Run with Faith -- an event to raise money and support for a family who has a precious girl named Faith who was born with spina bifoda. It was great family experience . . . The kids enjoyed hanging out with their buds!

Joshua and his friend

Kayla and her friend again --

And Mr. Tyler has figured out the how to run the computer . . like . . .it's kind of scary. Can't talk much but can sure navigate the web!

Doors, doors, and more doors

2011-10-16T23:46:00.002-04:00

So . . . way back in Feb. I go the itch to start painting the trim white in our house . . . trim, door james. base board, etc. I knew it was going to be a beast of a project -- and I was right! IT HAS BEEN! Well, now that the door jams are painted white, the "original" white doors just weren't cutting it -- they looked fine in the daylight, but horrendous at night. (in my opinion , anyway). With cooler weather fast approaching, I asked (pleaded, begged) Bryan if he would be game for helping me paint ALL SEVENTEEN, yes SEVENTEEN doors this weekend.

Crazy guy -- he agreed. We had access to a paint sprayer, but had never used one, so we (and especially yours truly) was REALLY hoping it was going to work. We both sides of the garage with plastic to catch the overspray.

We could fit all of them in except one -- lots of doors, eh?

And then Bryan started spraying . . . and it turned out really good! We pulled the doors off hinges at 10am on Friday, and by 10pm, Saturday they were all back on the hinges. 36 hours baby! Woot woot! But, it was a super, super crazy day with tons of unexpected interruptions -- so I would have been fine finishing the install process later, but Bryan was wanting to get it DONE.

This would be our Amelia -- Tyler's best fried in the 'hood right now! I guess he was a little chilly and needed his "dee-dee."

Bem's Wedding

2011-10-11T21:14:00.005-04:00

Yep -- my little sister got married this past weekend! And in the midst of us both being involved in the ceremony and keeping track of our three little ones . . . I didn't end up with any decent pics of the bride and groom. So -- this blog post will be about everything EXCEPT the main attraction:( My brother and sis in law made a whirlwind trip from IN -- to fun to see them.

Coolest barn/b&b ever -- hanging out after the rehearsal dinner

Since we never get to have Bday parties with the Indiana cousins, and two of them have October bdays, we had a little birthday celebration for them Sat. morning. Nothing like Bingo with Grandma and Grandpa!

The boys (mainly Joshua, I think) realized that the helium balloon was a great target for the Nerf arrows -- they really stuck well!

Blowing out B-day candles -- and yes, Freya is great with child!

At the wedding -- Uncle Brian and Tyler. Tyler looking WAY too old. :(

Thanks for that, Uncle Brian!

The boy cousins -- age 2,4,5,6

Glad the sound board operator had lots of help!

Our fam!

More of our fam!

A rare pic of us!

Fun family day

2011-09-10T21:40:00.003-04:00

So, the weather had been so unbearably hot the last part of summer, we never got a chance to make a long bike ride! So -- today was the day! We (I mean, Bryan) loaded up the bikes, went to Shunga trail, and we biked to Sonic for lunch!

Funny! We were so proud of the kids -- esp. Kayla. We biked for probably 45 min. one way, and she was just the biggest trooper!

On the way back, we stopped at the park. It was a nice break for everyone before the last stretch!

When we got home, it was neighborhood central! We love having tons of kids on this street!

One of the neighbor boys checking out Kayla's boo-boo :(

We ended up making homemade ice cream and had a great time hanging out with neighbors and eating ice cream! And, then a lovely rainbow completed the day! Thank you Lord, for days like today, when it is so easy to count the ways You have blessed us!

Kayla's First Day of Preschool & Labor Day

2011-09-06T22:29:00.005-04:00

After much waiting (and a little hesitation last night) Kayla's 1st day of
preschool FINALLY came!!!! She was excited!

Joshua had been informing her of all the do's and dont's . . . so I think

she was adequately prepared!

Walking out to the van with Miss Janet! Tyler spent the whole morning saying "La La? La La?" (his word for Kayla) -- I think he was confused where she was :(

He was pretty excited when she got in the van!

Long story, but I had ordered a Groupon Canvas Print last April, thinking that it would be no big deal to have a good family or at least children picture by September when it expired. Nope . . . didn't happen . . . so one of our Labor Day "to do" items was to get a "tolerable" children pic together. Easier said than done. Geesh . . .

We ended up with this . . . but lest you think it was smooth sailing . . .

. . . yep, Joshua was totally digging the picture thing. Can't you tell????

Hello???? How hard is it to just look at the camera????
Like I said, easier said than done . . .:)

Now that the weather has finally cooled off, we can actually hang out with the neighbors again! I took this picture yesterday in the "cul-de-sac" -- actually it's a dead end with lots of gravel in it! But, it's great for boys and their dump trucks, bikes, diggers, etc. Even though Tyler is by far the youngest, they are just pretty tolerant of him!

We were planning on going to the zoo on labor day, but ended up just hanging at the park and riding the train. I think most of Topeka thought it would fun to ride the train as well.
We had fun waiting, anway . . .

. . . some of us more than others :)

Classic.

FINALLY . . . on the train!

Fun on the playground

Pure determination . . .

It's a bummer when that airplane (or Whoosh -- as T calls it) is in the sun!

Yep, she's part monkey I believe! Lots of fun on LD weekend -- well, maybe except for trying to capture that crazy family picture!

Joshua's First Day of 1st grade

2011-08-16T09:56:00.003-04:00

1st grade

All grown up!

Joshua and one of the neighborhood buddies!

The bus stop crew

So funny . . . last year, the three of them (Kayla, Carter (next door neighbor), and Tyler) would ALWAYS sit on the curb and wait for the bus . . . and sure enough, they went right back to their spot!

There goes the bus!

Family Camp, 2011

2011-08-11T21:03:00.008-04:00

Just got back from this summer's Family Camp -- super fun, but super exhausting! We stopped at (Great) Grandma and Grandpa Varner's on the way down since they are a whoppin' 1 mile from the route we take! It was a great mid-way stopping point

Looks like Tyler is on a mission with Great Grandpa to find something . . .

Yep, there it is . . . a turtle! Grandma had spotted it earlier in the day and we

were to find it!

The poor thing is still probably recovering from our visit!

Tyler spotted the "brrmmm brrmmm" as soon as we drove up the driveway. So, after lunch, we took a little field trip out to the barn!

They all fit in the cab! (for about 30 seconds:)

Kayla and Great Grandpa

Walking back to the house with Great Grandma

Three hours later, we arrived at Family Camp -- with a temperature of above 100 degrees. Wow. Thankfully, all of the buildings/cabins are air-conditioned!

An impromptu game while waiting for one of the chapels to start . . .always fun to see the kids interacting with others!

Tyler was just glad to be along for the ride! Never mind the "organized" games -- just give the boy a scooter and he's happy!

Or a pool noodle . . .either will work!

Since it was so bloomin' warm, we spent LOTS of time in the water -- in the pool, at the water front, canoeing, etc. Some of the waterfront activities are pretty daunting . . . like the above slide -- I think it is called the "Silver Bullet" -- and for good reason. Many tears were shed by Miss Kayla over going down this slide. And -- to her defense, it was pretty freaky up there . . . I can testify:) But she did it . . . only once, though!

Kayla likes the lake water about as much as her mama does!!!!

And this slide -- Wet Willie -- was a big deal for Joshua to go down. He finally did make it down on Day Two -- and after the first time, it was no big deal!

Yep -- that's me . . . it's pretty fun!

Our two boys -- trying to stay hydrated!

We spent a lot of time at the Challenge Course this year. Last year, we (Bryan, myself, J & K) did the zip line, but this year we tried a few new things!

Getting ready to be hoisted up for the big swing . . .

Hanging on for dear life . . .

well . . . I guess he's feeling more comfortable with the whole situation!

Kayla did the same swing -- lots of fun!

Here's Kayla climbing up the pole for the zip line. She was a trooper -- she climbed the whole way by herself this year -- no hoisting from below!
See Joshua above, cheering her on!

Kayla (in pink), Joshua (in turquoise) and Bryan (in orange) -- about to be zipped!

(Yours truly was entertaining Tyler . . . someone had to do it!)

Just checking it all out -- with his "dee-dee"
(we're still figuring out how "blankie" is now "dee-dee."

Bryan took Joshua out canoeing this year -- and Tyer was NOT to be left out of the action!

They even stayed dry!

I think the time we had as a family this summer was even more precious to us because we knew that Great Grandma Smiley was in her last days on this earth. She went home to be with Jesus the day after we got back from camp . . . Thank You Lord for the relationships you have given us on earth that are only a glimpse of the relationship
that You long to have with us!

Trip to Wisconsin

2011-08-05T22:44:00.008-04:00

We had a great week in Wisconsin with family last week! (The cooler temps certainly helped our visit too!) Always fun to see Grandma and Grandpa, and we also got to see Bryan's brother's family -- so much fun!

We spent a lot of time walking to/from the parks. I have no earthly idea what Kayla is doing here . . .

. . . or here for that matter!

Looking way too grown up . . .

Joshua and Grandma walking through the skate park.

Love this . . . can't believe he's in 1st grade in a week!

Joshua and Kayla were SUPER pumped to go fishing with grandpa. They were able to fish right off the pier instead of renting a boat . . .much easier that way!

Getting all set up . . . (I believe that grandpa never even put his pole in the water . . . the kids were catching so many fish he didn't have time to!)

Yeah!

And then Tyler came on the scene to check it out . . .

Love his expressions :)

This pic just cracks me up!

We spent some time on the "beach" building sand castles while Joshua and Grandpa were finishing up! She was the official "water go-getter!"

Doing an activity book with Grandma Nelson . . .

Joshua showing one of the twins how to work Daddy's iPhone . . .

And then the boys (aka as Mark and Bryan) thought they would combine their crazy ping-pong skills with some mad photo-journalism and wow us all . . .

Amazing, isn't it?

Joshua turned into quite the ping pong gu-ru while we were there. It's actually really engaging to play with him!

Some good 'ole rough-housing fun!

We had decided ahead of time to stop in St. Louis on our way home so we could see my Grandma and Grandpa Smiley. The kids were pumped to swim in the pool.

You go girl!

Wham!

Bryan and Tyler just chillin while the older two were in the pool.

Oh yes -- popcorn in bed!

So -- this is ALL tyler's doing . . . not sure why he likes to smother himself with blankets.

So . . .Our timing with stopping in St. Louis ended up being an absolute God-thing. Grandma had just gone into the hospital because of a fall, and I was able to visit her for a few minutes. Grandma will only be with us on this earth a bit longer, and I am so thankful that God set up the timing of our visit like He did. We then stopped and visited with Great Grandpa before he insisted on treating us to the good 'ole Golden Arches!

Last McDonalds stop before we got home. There are 93 years between Tyler and Great Grandpa -- and they both enjoy McDonalds. Amazing! Wonderful trip - so thankful for our time with both families.

Whoa . . . where has the summer gone????

2011-07-20T15:32:00.006-04:00

Swimming with Friends -- always a highlight of the summer. Joshua always delighted in being as loud as possible while jumping off the board!

So much fun to see their confidence grow!

There she goes!

Kayla and her friend having a playdate -- with having a neighborhood full of boys, Kayla doesn't have much "girl" time!

Well . . . this was the first picking of cucumbers and zucchini from our garden . . . not sure what I got myself into!

My first try at making dill pickles . . . I guess we'll tell in a few months if they turned out ok or not!

Fourth of July . . . I can't believe this is my only pic involving fire works. Let's just say that our oldest is destined to be a full-fledged PYRO. Seriously.

Our neighborhood had a Fourth of July bike parade . . . Kayla was all smiles now next to our neighbor boy . . . but mid-way through the parade route (with tons of kids behind her) she decided she wanted to ditch the parade . . . it was interesting!

Since we decided at the last minute to do this, our decorations were kept at a minimum!

The best for Tyler? Seeing a fire truck -- he is definitely into fire trucks/sirens right now!

Oh yes, and a Happy 4th of July toast starting everything off!

Checking out the new Discovery Center in Topeka -- great place, just hard to keep track of 3 kids, different ages and interests :)

Loved hanging out in the construction room!

Tyler (yes, he's a "lefty") and Kayla doing some painting . . .

Enjoying the pool we "borrowed" from some friends for the summer -- it has been great!

The first round of homemade ice cream with the NEW ice cream maker -- glad to see Tyler was supervising the whole thing.

Kayla smug on date with daddy

2011-06-27T01:19:00.000-04:00

Tyler's John Deer

2011-06-27T01:02:00.001-04:00

Tyler takes the yacht for a spin

2011-06-25T21:39:00.000-04:00

Getting better gas mileage to buy my wife a nice anniversary gift. No really.

2011-06-15T23:39:00.000-04:00

Trip to Worlds of Fun

2011-06-14T16:21:00.004-04:00

Last weekend, we decided to make use of their $10 kid promotion . . . and we took off for our "twlight" trip to WoF. (We've found that since we have "nappers" still, it works better to arrive mid-afternoon post-nap and then party hard!) Our only family shot -- bummer about the shadow!

We weren't sure how Tyler would respond to the rides -- last year he didn't want anything to do with them . . . but this year, he LOVED THEM! There was nothing he tried that he didn't like!

The catepillar ride is always a favorite of the kids!

Group shot

A stop at Peanut's Playhouse . . . enthralled with all of the balls flying through the air!

They have re-done the kids section -- so much nicer now!

We were a bit concerned how Tyler would respond all by himself since J and K had already boarded together on the boat -- but nope, no problem! Just a sentimental note: I remember riding these things as a kid. Crazy.

Tyler was on visual overload -- everytime we tried to get a picture, he would be pointing at something else!

See???

Once again!

And again . . .!

All together now . . .

Quick ride on the carousel while Daddy and Joshua rode the octopus -- lots of fun!

Kayla's first car

2011-06-10T15:32:00.000-04:00

Joshua overcomes weather fear with a tornado intercept vehicle

2011-06-10T15:27:00.000-04:00

Joshua tree

2011-06-08T18:21:00.000-04:00

Kayla's ride

2011-06-08T17:51:00.000-04:00

Royals Game

2011-06-08T15:20:00.004-04:00

Last weekend, we went to a Royals game with our small group from church. It was the first time J & K have been to a major league game. Tyler got to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa for the night -- much easier that way!

Kayla and her friends

This was about the best pic of J . . . way too much other stuff going to pose for mom!

It was pretty warm . . . the snow cones were great!

The infamous ketchup, relish, and hotdog race . . . J especially loved the 'Between the inning' stuff!

Like I said, J enjoyed the crowd activities!

I know . . . we don't exactly look like sports enthusiasts, do we?

The walk back to the van . . . much easier for K to be on daddy's shoulders!

We finally got a basketball goal for the kids using bday and Christmas money . . . our (not-so) lucky neighbor ventured over and gave Bryan and hand!

Filling it with sand was a community effort :) Unfortunately it has been blazin' hot here so we really haven't used it that much yet :(

Kansas sunset 2

2011-06-07T21:00:00.000-04:00

Kansas sunset

2011-06-07T20:40:00.000-04:00

Tyler's car

2011-06-02T13:08:00.000-04:00

Memorial Day and Start of Summer

2011-06-01T15:40:00.005-04:00

This past weekend we celebrated my grandparent's 59th anniversary! Lots of fun to see cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. The above pic is the grand kids that were there with Grandma and Grandpa.

Sibling love!

One of the most enjoyable aspects was seeing our kids interact with the cousin's kids -- talk about a blast from the past!

Grandma and Grandpa with the great grandkids!

What a goof!

And what family gathering would be complete without lawnmower rides!

Making ice cream on Mem. Day . . . unfortunately this was the last rodeo with this machine . . . our $15 Ebay purchase from 8 years ago finally gave out:)

First corn on the cob

Enjoying his ice cream

More goofy faces!

Our first game to cheer on Aunt Bem . . .I wish her socks made her more distinguishable :)

We took a quick trip to the Art Lab today . . . the mirrors were a hit!

Last Day of School

2011-06-01T15:06:00.004-04:00

Joshua and our neighbor being goofy at the last bus pick-up of the year! Kindergarten is officially over!

Several things to point out: 1. Tyler ALWAYS sat on the curb waiting for the bus. That was "HIS" spot! And, he always tolerated riding the stroller on the way down to the bus stop, but always had to push it on the return trip. Needless to say, we were always the very last ones to get to our home!
2. The boy with his bike helmet on is our next door neighbor who is also Kayla's age. They loved (most of the time!) walking down to the bus stop together in the afternoon.

Some of the crew waiting at the morning stop.

Getting off the bus for the last time as a kindergartner!

Joshua liked being the first one off!

We had a PDO (parent's day out) 2 days after school was out, so Joshua and Mommy partied while Kayla and Tyler partied at church! A little Chuck E. Cheese action :)

We also got to have lunch with daddy AND EACH AT THE COUNTER!!!! Big deal.

Joshua's off to a good start with his summer journal

2011-05-25T19:17:00.000-04:00

Baseball, and random silliness!

2011-05-21T22:47:00.005-04:00

Lots of baseball lately . . . so much fun! Something "clicked" and Joshua is really hitting the ball well . . . so much fun to see as a parent!

Getting suited up . . .

This was on the way to last Tuesday's game -- out like a light . . head nodding and all!

(As always, Miss Kayla was being photogenic . . .!)

Our cheering section at today's game.

Grandma and Bem

Kayla and Johnny

Tyler managed to get Bryan to look at a book with him . . .

. . . which then morphed into this . . .

. . . and this . . . (where did these crazy kids come from????)

. . . giggles, giggles, and more giggles . . .!

More "reading" . . . Tyler loves that book -- can you tell?

Neighborhood game of T-ball . . . always plenty of coaching and umpiring going on!

Last weekend's little DIY project . . . We had quite a "tunnel" under the sidewalk, so since the grass was already buggered up, Bryan decided to tackle the issue.

As always, he had lots of help!

Why does that look like such a guilty look????

Tyler's favorite blanket

2011-05-16T23:27:00.000-04:00

Retro toys we used to play with

2011-05-15T20:47:00.001-04:00

Joshua reads to Tyler in bed

2011-05-14T20:55:00.000-04:00

Joshua suits up to catch

2011-05-13T19:48:00.000-04:00

Kayla's cheer

2011-05-13T19:13:00.000-04:00

Tyler's leg

2011-05-13T18:16:00.001-04:00

Crazy week . . .

2011-05-08T22:23:00.004-04:00

Mother's Day 2011 . . Tyler was especially delighted about it all :)

We've officially started T-ball/Baseball this year, and Joshua is really, really enjoying it!

Here was the cheering section for his first game . . . it was a little chilly!

So, this was our "little project" last week. This past winter, my wonderful husband granted my request to let me paint our woodwork white -- the wood just wasn't doing it for me! And, so I began the three-year long process (at least that's how it feels at times!) But, I know the REAL kicker was going to be painting the windows that are really high in our big room . . . and I wasn't brave enough to use a ladder. One of our neighbors works for a company with access to scaffolding -- and I just happen to teach them piano lessons. So . . . we bartered some lessons for scaffolding use. Never thought my piano skills would come in use like that!

The scaffolding went up Sat. afternoon, and by Tuesday evening, we were done in the big room. It was really nice to have everything up there that I needed -- light, vacuum, paint stuff, etc. It would have been impossible with just a ladder.

However, we had one small window on the other side of our stairway "bridge" -- which meant the scaffolding had to be disassembled low enough to go under the bridge, and then reassembled for the last high window. My hubby was lovin' me! Here he is -- taking it down. (Mind you, this was all done after the kiddos were in bed . . .it is seriously a minor miracle that no one awoke!)

I kept forgetting to have Bryan take a pic until we were ready to take everything down. This picture doesn't really do it justice, but I am touching the ceiling . .. I must admit, on this window, I was getting a little queasy . . . but by Wed. night we were DONE and ready for a break.

So, we decided several months ago that since the trim painting was imminent, and we always get SEVERELY scorched by these high windows in the summer, we bought some motorized blinds to install at the same time. After dropping one of the motors from the scaffolding in the install process (yes, I was ill) they are working like a charm! We can't believe how much sun they eliminate.

Joshua's Kindergarten class had their Spring Program this past week. They each had a line prepared about what they want to be when they grow up . . . Joshua picked a baseball player because he likes to play baseball. He did a great job speaking in the microphone. He looked WAY too grown up in his uniform . . . (he's the one in front with the teal shirt on)

And, just because we needed one more thing on our plate (right, dear????) we had a garage sale this past Friday and Saturday too! Bryan had a lot of kid duty -- thanks, dear.

We made cookies and the kids had fun peddling their wears! It was Kayla's idea to bring out the cash register -- she was cracking us up! So, Sat. and noon we called it a wrap, packed all of our treasures up to take to Goodwill and collapsed!

Easter, 2011 & End of AWANA

2011-05-08T22:07:00.004-04:00

Yep, a little late, I realize, but that's the way we roll around here! The kids actually spent the night at my parent's home on Sat/Sun Easter weekend (I played, so it means leaving house at 6:30am). So . . . she actually got an "Easter Sunday" picture of the kiddos (that's a rarity for us when your hubby is always gone Easter morning!)-- I just don't have it yet. So, this is the best Easter pic of the kiddos I could find!

Kayla and Mommy

Joshua

Tyler . . . not to be left out of the action.

Looking for eggs . . .

Still looking for eggs . . .

We wrapped up our AWANA program this past week -- and this is the only picture I got :( This was Kayla's first year of Cubbies, so for the Cubbies who were there (they actually had their final hurrah the previous week) they came up to the front for a few songs, etc. Joshua finished his first year in Sparks -- also a great experience. We are definitely ready to come up for air, though this summer!!!!

One of Lisa's "small" projects tonight

2011-05-01T23:33:00.001-04:00

Last Weekend

2011-04-20T23:51:00.004-04:00

So, after our last swing set went ka-putt from the wind storm, a family in the church asked us if we would like theirs . . . provided that we move it! Talk about a total God-thing! It is sturdier, has more options, and actually fits in our lawn better than the last one did. Why does that not surprise me?

Trying to get a picture with all of them . . . well, I tried.

Our small group from church grilled out and the kids

enjoyed playing until it was time to eat.

This past Sunday, I had my first piano recital in KS. Just a handful of students, but it has been wonderful to get back to teaching, even on a small scale. The scariest thing? Trying to work up a piece I played in college 12 years ago to keep myself accountable as a teacher to keep practicing! The nerves were going!

Several days ago, Kayla had an "Arts and Craft" night at the preschool she will be at next Fall. She was so excited all day, she could hardly contain it!

Wind Storm of 2011 and Kayla's Gynmastics

2011-04-05T22:48:00.004-04:00

So, we had quite the eventful evening after Tyler's birthday shindig. It had been 92 degrees that day, and we knew that it was to cool off considerably . . . and let's just say the transition was memorable! Out of nowhere (it seemed) the wind started really, REALLY blowing.

Bryan and his dad (overseeing the home made ice cream, BTW!) were in the front outside when it really got bad. I looked out the back and saw several things: 1. the patio table flying across the yard towards the field; 2. The grill was next to go; 3. The swing set crashed to the ground and the tower part began rolling/flying towards the field.

Just for reference . . . this is the BEFORE . . .

. . . and this is AFTER. Whoa. The tower part ended up behind the tall evergreen trees you see in the first picture below. About that time, I looked toward the field and saw this vertical "column" of dust, dirt swirling and Bryan came in yelling, "GET TO THE BASEMENT." Pretty scary for a minute or two.

When it was all said and done, we experienced a "Gustnado" -- who knew there was such a thing???? We lost a few shingles, the garage door got all twisted and bent (go figure?), and also lost the swing set, patio table, and grill. Still waiting on the insurance adjuster to come out to figure out how it will all pan out. But, we're all safe, and that's all that matters. Needless to say, we've heard the kids talking about "wind" ALOT lately!

And changing the subject . . .We let Kayla take a "mini gymnastics" class at the Y for the last month or so. It's nothing spectacular, but I think she enjoyed it. These are pics from the last day . . .

Happy 2nd Birthday, Tyler!

2011-04-05T22:09:00.004-04:00

Wow. Doesn't seem possible that 2 years ago this 11 pound baby made his entrance into this world! He is such a funny guy . . . he just makes us laugh! Still not overly verbal, but trust me . . .he is more than able to communicate EXACTLY what he needs to happen. Since he's into the whole "siren" thing, we went for a "mama special" fire engine cake. I can't believe this was the only picture I got of him with his cake . . .he was more interested in Daddy's iPhone than in smiling for the photo op.

Brmmm, Brmmm . . .

Trying out the new shoes . . .

This would be his new weapon, I mean . . his new bat!

I was determined to get a picture of his gifts . . . and the only thing he wanted was my camera. Like I said, funny guy! His photography skills are actually quite good :)

Grandma/Grandpa Nelson came for several days to help us celebrate T's birthday. The schedule is always just a little more relaxed and we had a blast!

Finally had some decent weather to get outside and do some walking.

Kayla's still getting the whole "no-training wheel" thing perfected!

And, just to make things interesting, Tyler managed to have his very first (and our family's first, for that matter) stitches the week before his birthday :( Hit his head on the rocking chair. We were hoping for gluing or butterflying . . . but no such luck. Got the sutures out several days ago, so we're good to go!

Spring Break trip to St. Louis

2011-03-26T22:00:00.006-04:00

So, I loaded all of these picture "backwards" and I'm too lazy to cut and paste a zillion times . . . so we'll work backwards, ok? This past week was Joshua's Spring Break from school (yes, it's crazy -- in KS even elementary schools have spring break!) so we took a few days to zip to St. Louis. Not only does it have tons of fun things to do as a family, but we also wanted to see (great) Grandma and Grandpa Smiley. Since grandma has just been in the hospital for a couple of days, we only stayed for an hour or so, but it was really good to see them.

Great Grandma (94 years old) and kiddos

Great Grandpa (95 years old) and Kayla

This is my favorite . . . Grandma LOVES little ones -- and even thought she didn't have a clue who Tyler was, it was still precious to see her interacting with him!

OK . . . Mr. Tyler has a current FIXATION with elevators. We're talking MAJOR FIXATION. When we walked in our hotel to check in and saw the glass elevator in the middle of the 7-floor lobby, I knew it was going to be a hit. The boy LOVED riding the elevator.

We're all excited . . . THE ELEVATOR is almost here! You think I'm exaggerating . . .

One day we went to the Magic House. We had been there several years ago, but it was much better for the kids this time. We were there for about 4 hours, and still had things we didn't get to. Oh well -- maybe next time!

Yep -- Tyler was also thrilled to see the digger (excuse the very non-technical term) at the "let's build a house" exhibit.

Checking everything out with daddy!

Of course Bryan loaded up the sand funnel so that it would make a cool design when it was spinning . . . so creative, that boy is.

Playing the music tubes with the flip flops provided. Very confusing though -- the long tubes were on the right -- although for most people, it wouldn't make any difference I suppose.

Last time we were there, the kids could care less about the bubble exhibit, but this time we loved it! Pretty impressive, Joshua!

Kayla's life-size bubble!

Way to go, bud!

Tyler was NOT to be left out!

The electro-static thing that makes your hair stand out -- Tyler had quite the mohawk going, eh? Kayla would have had awesome hair for this . . . but no such luck getting her to even give it a try :(

Enthralled!

So there's this bean stalk thing that spans 3 floors. The kids were probably the most excited about climbing that thing, so it was the first thing we did. Here they are -- all the way at the top!

They had a Bob the Builder exhibit doing on -- lot of fun to see the characters! (But as Kayla kept pointing out, "Mom, they aren't real, right?)

The hotel we stayed at had popcorn/pop at night and the kids thought eating popcorn in bed AND watching TV was just the bomb. Ya know, it's the little things that makes trips like these memorable, right?

So this pic doesn't look like he's enjoying himself, but he did!

I can't tell -- does she look tired????

Oh yes -- lots of swimming. Even outside. The hotel had a heated indoor/outdoor pool which the kids thought was really cool. We even managed to make it outside the first day before it cooled of.

What a funny girl!
We had a super time . . . always a bummer to have to come back to "real life", eh?

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2011-03-18T18:14:00.001-04:00

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Big News from Kayla . . .

2011-03-17T22:13:00.005-04:00

Yep . . she is WITHOUT TRAINING WHEELS as of today!!!!! After a very traumatic bike accident on Tuesday night, :) her training wheels got bent beyond repair, and she wanted to give it a whirl. By Thursday morning she was starting/stopping on her own. Go girl!!!!

Don't worry . . . it was mid-morning and our dead-end street has no traffic until 5 pm!

However, I guess we still need to brush up on our clothing selection skills! This was today's "rest time" activity . . . assembling various layers of clothing. Such a goof!

You can tell it's almost Spring . . . the neighborhood starts buzzing again with kiddos! Love it! Notice Tyler is not be left out . . .!

One of the older girls several houses down is a HUGE help with the kids!

Our "not-so-little" boy!

Love it!

Wii Dance Party & Trip to Zoo

2011-03-09T15:43:00.004-05:00

Since I've been so . . ahem . . . punctual about updating the blog lately . . . these pics are from several weeks ago. Our small group had a Wii Dance Party -- lots of fun!

There *might* have been a few "dummy" controllers in use . . .

Rock on!

Several weeks ago we had great weather and J was out of school -- so we made use of our year-round zoo pass! This was the best "mommy never has pictures with the kids" picture!

The orangutan put on quite the show for us!

Definitely the highlight of the day!

First time we've ever seen the hippo up like this . . . I know, exciting
times at the Topeka Zoo!

Our three kiddos!

Um . . . a little MIA, I know

2011-02-15T14:14:00.005-05:00

So, I know . . . I haven't put up any pics in FOREVER . . . so here are some of the latest ones . . . Tyler and his broom/weapon . . .

Kayla and I painted pottery on a mommy/daughter date -- lots of fun!

All ready to hit the snow . . . notice he's still smiling because he's not IN the snow yet . . .

yep, he's not a fan of the snow!

The infamous snow angel

Kayla loves it for about 30 minutes . . .

It's all about using your resources (as in the neighbor's kids), right Bryan???

Nope, not posed, just wouldn't wake up after falling asleep in the van!

Our "snow" cream

Fun visit from my former roommate Hyla -- she brought a KS cookie cutter and a DC cookie cutter --- Kayla loved it! Unfortunately, she left a day early because of the MEGA storm that was coming -- probably good she got out when she did. But, we still loved having you here, Hyla!

Just chillin' -- literally.

The all-weather crazy car. Notice the snow melting . . . tis a beautiful sight!

Our Valentines meal . . . heart pizza, heart jigglers, and heart brownies.

Just finished having a lovely tea time (with real mini cupcakes) with Kayla -- I think she would do this 3 times a day if she could!

Daddy's date with Kayla

2011-02-11T13:01:00.000-05:00

Chrismtas in WI

2011-01-04T15:05:00.004-05:00

We were planning on leaving first thing Monday morning for WI . . . however, I got the crazy idea to leave at night, (making our trip about 3 hours shorter) . . . and we left Sunday night! The kids think it's great to travel at night -- all was well, except for Tyler being awake from 2-4am. Guess he didn't want to miss seeing Iowa in the dark!

Tyler chillin' with Grandpa in the tent! (Yes, Grandpa is IN the tent!)

So, the kid's gift from G/G was a trip to the water park -- it has become an annual tradition of sorts. (M/D Nelson are referred to by the kids as "Grandma and Grandpa with the water park!). Anyway, I didn't get any pics of the park since my camera was inside the van, however, this was what it looked like after we had been in the van for 7 minutes after being there for 6 hours! They were pooped! (and so were we!)

Tyler liked to get an early start on the day -- so this was a mid-morning nap to compensate for the 5am wake up!

Snuggling with Grandma! This lasted about 25 seconds.

As did this . . .

In front of the fireplace -- one of the BEST places at Grandma and Grandpa's!

One of the cousins was Kayla's spotter NUMEROUS times as

she tried working on her "kick stand."

The twins and Kayla on the couch -- lots of fun together!

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-12-26T15:43:00.006-05:00

Just woke up to open gifts!

I think it's pretty safe to say that the kids were much more interested in opening gifts AFTER the Christmas story than in listening to the story :)

For the boy who loves buttons . . . a power drill! Hopefully this will replace the need for him to push buttons on the phone which resulted in a 911 call earlier this week.

He didn't think Christmas would EVER come!

This is a prime example of our family dynamics right now . . . the oldest two are engaged in an activity . . .while Tyler stands at the ready to destroy everything with his hammer!

Kayla's gift to me . . . a decorative candy cane, of course. Love it!

We've started a tradition of sort at G/G Varner's that the kids dress up/act out the Christmas story as it is being read. Joshua announced to grandma last week that he wanted to be Joseph -- so she whipped up a simple costume for him. However, on the way up to their house, he must have had a change of heart and let us know he was NO LONGER interested in being Joseph. So . . . Uncle Brian stepped up to the plate and filled in. Quite hilarious!

Our little "Mary!"

Hangin' out! And as usually, when everyone arrives and we start opening gifts, I TOTALLY forget to take pics. Bummer.

These were our advent calendars for Christmas -- each day had a piece of chocolate and the kids NEVER let us forget! Thanks Aunt Freya!

This was Joshua's Kindergarten Christmas party -- the kids were definitely excited!

Playing bingo! I got suckered, I mean, I agreed to coordinate the Christmas party . . . not the best timing with everything else at church, but fun to see the kids!

Happy 6th B-day!

2010-12-12T22:14:00.005-05:00

Since Joshua ended up spending his "real" birthday at home (due to pneumonia) we tried to make the best of it! So, Bryan assembled his new bike late one night (note to self -- probably worth the $10 next time for assembly!) and we had him go on a "treasure hunt" the next morning. Yep -- it was hiding in the downstairs bathroom! He hasn't had a chance to ride it yet -- I guess that the joy of having a December birthday :(.

We had to postpone his "friends" party, but did manage to sneak it in last week. Just had several of his friends over for pizza and a few games. Have you tried getting 6-year olds to smile lately?????

Not sure if his picture was taken before or after the "knock, knock" jokes started!

Now that was pure entertainment . . .!

They painted some cars (meant to look like "mario" cars) -- and then we glued Mario in them!

Like I said, we're having trouble in the "smile" department!

Opening gifts . . .

Cupcakes and ice cream! These were supposed to look like the "one up" cupcakes from Super Mario brothers -- but Joshua thought they looked more like Bowser's Back . . . so Bowser's Back it was!

Several days later we had a "family" get-together!

He was enamored with the "trick" candle!

And several random things . . . Joshua finished his book several weeks ago in Sparks, and as a reward, he got to pick a prize from the "Sparky Suitcase." Just happened to go through when he was making his very important selection . . .!

Yes -- that would be my phone in the toilet. Thank You Tyler.

We watched some neighbor kids last week, and the kids were SOOO excited to be able to have a "slumber party" for a bit before their parents returned. They were really cute!

You know your family is light show crazy

2010-12-11T23:36:00.001-05:00

...when your six year old draws a fairly accurate representation of
the light show, complete with correct colors.

Thanksgiving, Sparks, & Joshua's hospital stay -- whew!

2010-12-01T21:25:00.003-05:00

Just a few pics from the last week . . . My brother and sis in law were in for Thanksgiving. Lots of fun and craziness! Bonding over the "laptop" . . .

Dad had surgery the wed. before Thanksgiving on his ankle due falling off of a ladder . . . so this was his Thanksgiving experience! He actually felt pretty good at this point because the nerve block was still working its magic . . .

Uncle Ryan and Tyler . . .

Coloring with daddy . . .

Mom wrote a simple script for the Sparks lesson time about the 10 lepers -- wasn't sure how it would actually go over, but they did great! Very attentive, too!

Group coloring project on "Mario" in preparation for Joshua's 6th birthday party . . . pin the mustache on Mario. But -- that won't be happening because . . . .

. . . Joshua ended up in the hospital for 2 nights with pneumonia. Went to the dr. office on Monday morning because his cough was just getting worse (despite starting an inhaler) and we went straight from the dr. office to the hospital. After getting some antibiotics in his system, lots of iv fluids, breathing treatments, he really started to improve in how he was acting.

Yes, there was a PS2 in the room . . . so needless to say, that took his mind off the matter. Watching TV in bed, playing PS2 games (we don't have a game system at home) . . . what a life! His lungs still have some junk in them, but dr. thought with breathing treatment at home every 4 hours, more antibiotics at home, he will be fine. Still scary, though. It really makes you take a step back and evaluate everything -- thank you, Lord for the health you have given us.

Father in law's latest hardware after his leg break

2010-11-25T11:50:00.000-05:00

He got screwed.

Happy 4th B-day!

2010-11-16T15:49:00.002-05:00

Happy 4th b-day Kayla! We actually "celebrated" her b-day as a family 4 days after her "real" bday, so we took advantage of Applebees 99 cent kids menu last Wed. to celebrate her "official" bday! Just Mommy, Kayla, and oh yeah . . .Mr. Tyler. Always makes things interesting!

Doesn't every 4-year old wear her Jayhawk cheerleading outfit for her birthday pictures????

Opening gifts . . .

Giving the "baby that wets" a try to see if it really works . . . it did!

A little "post-day" celebratory fun . . .Happy Birthday Kayla! We love you!

Tyler destroyed the free HyVee cookie

2010-11-05T12:34:00.001-04:00

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T23:14:00.002-04:00

The kids were SOOO excited about tonight! We still are surprised that Tyler went for hte lion costume!

Trick or Treat!!!!

This was Tyler's mode of transportation for half of the night . . .

. . . until he decided it was time to be mobile! That boy walked for about 45 minutes with his tail dragging from house to house. Yep . . . he got the system figured out that if he went to the porch, he would receive candy. They are so quick sometimes!

Checking out the stash . . . let's see, if they get one piece after every meal . . . we should be finished by February!

Fall This and That

2010-10-24T22:12:00.003-04:00

Several weeks ago, J's class went on a field trip to a pumpkin patch. The teachers had prepped the kids to wear lots of layers and long sleeves since it is NORMALLY cold in October. However, this particular day, it was really, really warm and didn't have to worry a bit about it being too cold! It was actually HOT!

Here he is . . . emerging from the long hay "tunnel" --I got wigged out just looking down the one end!

His whole class.

So, I really wanna give a garden a try -- so we (as in Bryan and Ryan) rented a heavy duty tiller and they worked it up.

We'll have to do it again in the Spring, but we'll see what happens . . .

The picture was not posed . . . our oldest two with the neighbor kids -- they play together A LOT!

And, just for giggles, some Tyler pictures! I always think of the book "Good Night Gorilla" when I see this picture!

I swear, he is part monkey . . .

Yep, this is our "I just got my hands on a blue permanent marker" smile!

Trunk or Treat 2010

2010-10-24T21:55:00.002-04:00

We had BEAUTIFUL weather tonight for the Trunk or Treat outreach at church -- the kids were SOOO excited! Joshua was a Power Ranger (his first "non-mom-made" costume . . . at his request!), Kayla a fairy, and Tyler a lion!

Sorry it's blurry -- my camera was on a funky setting, and I didn't realize it. grrr.

Kayla and her friends -- they are both as girly as you can get!

We were shocked he actually wore the crazy thing!

Uncle Ryan and Jen came for a few minutes -- the kids were a windin' down at this point!

Dedicated to Mr. Tyler

2010-10-03T22:27:00.004-04:00

I meant to post this last week, but am just now getting around to it! Tyler is definitely an 18-month baby on the move who LOVES to keep us busy.

For example . . . I had run upstairs for like TWO SECONDS, and heard him raising cane downstairs (not crying, just trying to get my attention.) This was the conversation:

Me: "Tyler . . . come upstairs to Mommy." (yep, we're down with gates now) Repeated multiple times.

Kayla: "Mommy, Tyler's in the high chair."

Me: "What?" "IN the highchair?"

Kayla: "Yes -- he climbed up in the highchair."

Hence the above picture! He was "stuck" in his perch!

Later that same morning . . . (notice how the high chair lid is now in place . . .preventing him from climbing up himself) . . . I walked in the kitchen to find him ON the table. I took this pic after I had helped him down to the safety of the chair.

After lunch, I was cleaning up and saw several bright flashes out of the corner of my eye -- at first I thought it was lightning . . . nope . . . I'll let you guess which child was helping me out by taking pictures like the one above.

This was actually taken a different day . . . but thought I would include it. He somehow managed to get his shirt up on his head, and then got it stuck. (And then this mean mama made him wait until I could take a picture!)

We love bike rides -- and with Kayla being such a trooper riding her bike, we haven't used the trailer very much at all because Tyler MUCH prefers to be on the back of Bryan -- even with a helmet on.

One of our favorite "when Tyler takes a nap" activities . . . having a tea party with real cupcakes with LOTS of frosting!

Fall Festival

2010-10-03T22:06:00.004-04:00

We had a great time tonight at our church's Fall Festival! Definitely one of those things that is more enjoyable with older kids! We had our friends Kaleb and Sara with us . . . (translation . . . 4 extra hands, 4 extra eyes to keep track of the kids!)

I wish the cotton candy was larger . . .

Whew . . . we made it through the corn maze!

Playing in the corn pit . . .

Yeah Kayla . . . get some air!

Yep . . . head first. Is there any other way to go down a slide???

Happy 95th Bday, Grandpa

2010-10-03T21:51:00.003-04:00

Happy 95th Birthday, Grandpa Smiley!

We made a whirlwind trip to St. Louis to celebrate this achievement. Picked Joshua up from school Friday at noon, and we were back home Sat. night by 9pm. Lots of windshield time, but so worth it! The kids were troopers on the way back -- only one stop for a 6-hour trip. Woot woot!

Grandma and Grandpa with their 4 children.

Grandma and Grandpa with their 4 children and spouses.

And this would be our clan.

Lots of smiles during this picture. 21 years ago, for their 50th anniversary, all of the grandchildren lined up behind the cake, oldest to youngest . . . so this was our best rendition! Fun times!

Speaking of fun times . . . this would be the great-grandchildren. Some of them were not overly thrilled about this photo opportunity!

Swinging in the backyard

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Found in our backyard (photo taken with my iPhone)

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Rare moment with our kids captured

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Little girl, don't grow up too fast

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Labor Day weekend 2010 (part two)

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Welcome to Labor Day weekend 2010

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Lisa's garden project, step one - kill grass

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Joshua's first day of school!

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Well, we just did it . . . we just put our oldest on the bus to Kindergarten! He did great -- and mama did too :). He was SOOO excited -- he couldn't fall asleep last night.

Waiting at our bus stop -- this is our neighbor boy who is also in his class. They play together ALOT!

One pic with all of the bus stop kids!

I went up to the school to see the "gathering" of the Kindergarten classes.

Here's Joshua just chillin'.

So exciting . . .!

Special Visitors from PA

2010-08-15T23:18:00.002-04:00

Some very, very special friends of ours came by for a visit this weekend . . . and we are already missing them! Dale and Pearl were like "grandparents" for our kiddos before we moved to KS and it was such a blast to reconnect with them again!

Their offer to visit Chuck E. Cheese was certainly taken up by our kids!
Some pretty serious Skee-ball, I would say!

Pearl and Kayla coloring

And of course, some super yummy ice cream to top off the visit!
Such a treat to see them again . . . !

Summer Winding Down

2010-08-15T22:48:00.003-04:00

Since J started Kind. tomorrow, I guess this post title is appropriate. More on that for another post. One more trip on the good 'ole Topeka train . . .

Kayla does her darnedest to keep up with Joshua!

If there was one action shot to capture Tyler's entire summer . . . THIS WOULD BE IT! If the boy could push strollers, tractors, lawn mowers, YOU NAME IT, all day long, he would be one happy camper! And oh . . . he gets TICKED if runs off a paved surface and into the grass!

Making use of McDonald's free smoothie coupon!

Last week, J and I had a morning together while K & T were at PDO, so we did something special things together -- like bowling!

Our baby's going to kindergarten!

Our last Friday lunch together -- extra special meal at Applebees thanks to free kids meals with Summer reading program! I COMPLETELY lost it last week when the realization hit me that our Fridays with Daddy will be a bit different now with J in school -- all part of life, right?

Cool summer thunderstorm and Bryan experimented with camera!

No, she's not pouting . . . she fell asleep like this!

Family Camp 2010

2010-08-15T22:04:00.005-04:00

These pics are a little late . . . but last week we returned from an extended weekend of our church's Family Camp. J & K LOVED it, once again! Tyler had some "rough" nights (translation . . . several 3am walks through the camp -- thank you, bryan!) but overall we had a great time! If you ask J or K what their highlight was . . . definitely doing the zip line!
This above

The first afternoon the kids spotted other young kids giving it a try, and begged the entire next day . . . so we gave it a whirl! Joshua climbed up himself, and Kayla enjoyed being hoisted by the rope staff!

Here are the four of us (Tyler was getting some much-needed zzzz's at the time) waiting for last minute instructions. The kids started to freak out towards the end (who can blame them . . . notice that Bryan and I are holding onto the pole VERY SECURELY!) but they came through in the end. The only hitch . . . they forgot to "untether" me from the cable . . . so after I worked up the nerve to JUMP when they said to . . . I went about 4 inches. A great "bonding" time with the kids!

Tyler's just wishing he was a bit taller for this foosball table!

Boys and water . . . what can you say????

It was a bit warm there, but we tried to make the best of the outdoor games . . .but it was HOT!

This was our first year to do anything at the water front -- and Joshua wanted to give this huge slide a try -- it's pretty steep! He did great!

The pool was of course a favorite! Both J and K have turned into little fish this summer!

I'm thinking that this landing was a little hard on the belly. . .

And this would be Tyler's very favorite way to enjoy the water . . . not being in it! We're hoping things change a bit before next summer . . . he did NOT enjoy it at all!

And of course hitting the canteen is a favorite!

Kansas weather

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Chocolate monster cookie!

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Good friends visiting from PA

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Kayla and a neighbor go for a summer wagon ride

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St. Louis trip

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We just got back from a quick trip to St. Louis (can you tell????) and had a great time! The main point of our visit was seeing G/G Smiley (see bottom of post) but we also met up with my brother/sister-in-law/cousins . . . lots of fun!

We decided to actually go up the arch . . . Kayla was a little hesitant, but did great!

Yep, we were there!

Went to Grant's Farm . . . highly recommend it!

This pic doesn't do the turtle justice -- insanely big!

I'm sure I should come up with a funny caption . . .

The cousins waiting for the animal show to begin

One of the many "tricks" -- the pig rolled out the red carpet.

They let this big 'ole owl loose . . .a little scary if you ask me!

We saw the Clyesdales up close -- huge.

Fun swim time with the kids!

Not a ton of swim pics . . . always a little dangerous to take around the water :)

Tyler's favorite place . . . out of the water and out of the pool!

Time with G/G Smiley! Grandma delighted in observing Tyler -- I think she was helping him fold his blanket -- only for him to unfold it!

We convinced Joshua to play a little something for Grandma . . . no telling how many students have played on that piano!

Sweet memories!

Joshua and G Grandpa.

It was hot in Kansas today. Wow!

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More Summer Fun

2010-07-25T23:05:00.003-04:00

We just finished our two weeks of "Swimming with Friends" . . . the kids LOVED it! This was Kayla's first year, and I think Joshua did a great job of "prepping" her for all that she needed to know. The highlight for her was jumping off the board!

And this would be Joshua jumping off the board. His strategy was the further he could jump, the less distance he would have to swim. Smart cookie, eh?

Just chillin!

Joshua's favorite method of swimming -- on his back!

Several weeks ago we had a western-themed VBS and "cowboy Bryan" gave roping a try. I think his flip flops completed the cowboy look!

Trip to WI

2010-07-12T23:26:00.004-04:00

We took a trip to WI to see family . . . super fun! This picture was definitely taken at the beginning of the trip . . . 'cause Tyler's still grinning about being in the van!

Getting a ride from his uncle -- not quite sure what to think of it!

Going to the indoor water park has become a "staple" of a summer trip to WI! Grandma and Grandpa kept Tyler for the morning/evening so we had lots of "one on one" fun with J & K.

Joshua showing Grandpa the finer points of playing video games . . .

Some of the cousins together . . . certainly doesn't happen very often!

And, Gma and Gpa watched all of the kids so the "big kids" could have a meal together . . . such a treat!

Happy July 4th

2010-07-04T23:33:00.004-04:00

To say that Joshua was excited about July 4th would positively be the understatement of the year! When it started raining this afternoon, no pouring, we had one pretty upset little boy. But, the weather cleared by 8 and things started happening!

Still not so fond of the "unnecessarily loud" (mama's words) fire works!

My brother and sis-in-law were in town this past so we got to hang out with them and do fun things with the cousins . . . like light off more fireworks! Yes . . . the extension cord served as the "safety barrier!"

J determined to catch the parachute!

Eating with EVERYONE at Chuch E. Cheese -- that's a mass of humanity there!

Uncle Ryan might have played a substantial role in our ticket accumulation!

Aunt Carly and Lena Mae . . . this was our first chance to see Steve and Freya's youngest!

Last week, we took the day to go visit Great Grandma & Great Grandpa. Lots of fun. For the record . . . notice that EVERYONE is not only looking at the camera but also smiling . . . truly a miracle!

Tyler, Bryan and Grandpa . . . studying the latest corn crop

Grandma and Tyler . . . why of course, they planned on having matching outfits!

J & K had lots of fun swinging on the swings . . . talk about a trip down memory lane!

Tyler's shades and bike ride

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Chasing hot air balloons tonight in Topeka, Kansas

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Duh!

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DQ ice cream with the family

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Family fun in the water

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Yesterday we took a few hours as a family and went to a nearby pool/water park. Lots of fun!

Joshua definitely enjoyed the lazy river more than Kayla!

"What's up with all this water?????" In all fairness to Tyler, we completely barged in on his nap time, so he was ready for the party to end sooner than the others!

And then . . . on the way home, there was a random turtle that was directionally challenged in crossing the road. So (only in KS) one of the other drivers had some garden shears that he used to prod the turtle across the road. It made quite an impact on the kids as Kayla SPECIFICALLY prayed for the turtle at night when we tucked her in!