Friday, July 11, 2014

Quick 5

This morning the first words out of the girls' mouths were "Happy Cow Appreciation Day!"  Because this day is worthy of a greeting like that.  It might be our favorite day of the summer.

1.  I got a new computer from Hofgard Benefits to assist in the work I do for them.  As such, I've been busy transferring over all my documents and pictures to this newer, faster, better machine.  I set my screen saver to a slide show of all my pictures, which is something I hadn't done on my other laptop.  So now, every time it switches over to the screen saver, we are treated to pictures going all the way back to 2010.  And if we happen to see it, it paralyzes us.  We literally cannot do anything else, because we're staring at all the pictures sail by in random order.  Lee calls it "Awwww!" time.  Because that's all you hear while it's going on.  And being someone who generally does not feel like times flies, it amazes me to see how much these girls have really grown in such a short amount of time.

2.  I'm sure you've all seen the picture of me and giant bowl of spaghetti.  The one you've seen is not even the full picture of all the glorious Blue Parrot that we enjoyed:
That's a giant bowl of spaghetti, four meatballs and four sausages.  It's called the Mangia Mangia, and technically it IS family style (which is how we enjoyed it thank you very much) but apparently if you order it and eat the whole thing by yourself in an hour, you get it for free AND you get your picture on their wall.  If any of you decide to take up that challenge, let me know.  I'd like to watch.

3.  The saddest news of the week is when I discovered that Joya and Bria do not like watermelon.  I bought the first one of the summer, cut it up (which is always a huge chore in itself) and excitedly gave my girls the juiciest, reddest pieces I could find.  Alaina scarfed hers down with all the appropriate "yum" sounds.  Joya nibbled at hers and whined about it.  Bria took one tasted, scraped it off her tongue and out of her mouth and then proceeded to throw the rest of hers on the floor.  I feel like they are going to miss out on an important part of their childhood by rejecting watermelon.  Also, I'm not sure Alaina and I can take down the whole thing by ourselves, even with how much we love it.

4. The preferred activity each day has been playing in the sprinkler.  I've been having a hard time convincing them to play outside for more than 12 minutes lately, but turning on the sprinkler has been the key.  They'll even play happily outside for, like, an hour after I've turned it off.  I'm going to ride this train as far as it will go.

 5.  Bria has been giving me false hope about potty training this week.  It is quite obvious when she needs to do some hard core business in her diaper.  And if you ask her in the middle of it what she's doing, she'll look at you and say "Boop."  And when she's done, she'll say the same thing, then "Pee yew.  Teenty."  I feel like the recognition of what is going on is a HUGE step in potty training.  But then I remember that she's only 16 months old.  And I still want to stick with my plan that she either potty trains herself, or I'll start the training after she turns 3.  3 is a long way off.  So I'm trying not to get my hopes up.  But it's hard every time I hear her tiny voice say "Boop."

Next week begins the long-awaited swimming lessons!  Alaina will be a whale and Joya will be a goldfish.  And Bria will probably be a huge pain.

Friday, July 4, 2014

Quick 5

Happy Independence Day!  I always think it's serendipitous when Independence Day lands on a Friday, don't you?

1.  Remember our surprise tulip?  Apparently we also have a surprise rose bush.  Once again, I didn't know that a rose could randomly show up in a random spot, but it did.  It's near the crazy hill and one of our apple trees.  Was it planted there?  Do these things just show up?  I don't know if we'll ever know.  Maybe Lee has been weed whacking it for the past two years because we didn't know what it was.  But now that we know what it is, we're excited to leave it be and see what happens.
See the tiny pink spot in the shadow under the tree?
2.  This has been a pleasant birthday week for me.  On Tuesday Lee made me a steak dinner.  We love to grill, but our grilling is really limited to mostly burgers and chicken.  Sometimes we'll find a good deal on pork chops.  So it is a rare day when we can grill steak.  If birthdays aren't good for steak, then I don't know what they're good for.

3.  We spent the day at my parents' house on Thursday.  We went and had a picnic lunch with Lee at his work, and then the girls spent most of the day messing up Grammy and Grandad's house.  Grammy is in Canada visiting our foreign family, but Grandad was there.  The girls love him and Joya always says "Grandad is SO FUNNY!"  We didn't see Ben as much as we would have liked to, but a guy's gotta work while there's work to be had.
Photo credit: Alaina, on her birthday camera
4.  We spent the day at my parents' because we got a new roof!  We needed to spend the day away while that team did it's work.  It was worth it.  We don't really know how old the old roof was, and we knew it wasn't in the best shape.  We were always concerned that suddenly during a storm we'd have water pouring in.  So a well-timed hail storm pushed it over the edge and insurance concurred. 
Old Look
New Look
5.  And for the grand finale for my birthday week, we're going to Blue Parrot with my dad and brother tomorrow.  I don't have to tell you how much I love that place, right?  It will be the perfect ending to a delightful week.

Hope you enjoy this day celebrating our freedom!

Friday, June 27, 2014

Quick 5

We're home and we're alive!

1.  Just a few leftover pics from our vacation:

Bria LOVED sitting on Grampa's lap.  I've never seen her just sit that way with anyone.  I consider her to be a momma's girl, and she doesn't even sit with me like she did with him.
Last Saturday we went to Art in the Park in Raymore.  The girls got to participate in a community art project by coloring on plastic water bottles that were then cut and made into a sculpture.  They always enjoy a good art project.

2.  The whole reason we went to Missouri at this time of the year was to celebrate my grandparents' 60th anniversary. I've always thought that it was pretty neat that my grandparents live about 30 minutes away from Lee's parents, so we can see my grandparents when we visit Lee's family or stay with Lee's family when we need to visit my grandparents.  That shindig took place on Sunday, and it was also fun to see cousins in a different place than we normally see them.
Joya, Alaina and Oliver chasing bubbles that Grammy was blowing for them
Playing in the toy room at the clubhouse
Joya getting beaned by a ball thrown by Apple Ben
3.  The ride home was...long.  Longer than it was going out.  We got to have breakfast in Junction City with Grammy, Grandad, Apple Ben, Uncle Nick, Aunt Jamie, Naomi, Oliver and Ellie.  Not only did we get to see family on the road, but we ate at an actual restaurant, rather than the typical McDonald's.  When we got out of the car for breakfast, Alaina spotted Nick across the parking lot and shouted, "There's Uncle Nick!  It's a miracle!"  I don't think she knew we were going to see them in such a random place.  Anyway, we stopped a few extra times to let Bria out to run around.  We hoped it would curb the fussiness.  It sort of did, I guess.  Really, all it did was add an extra two hours to our trip home.  It is what it is, though, and we think it's worth it.

4.  Bria is learning all sorts of new skills.  In Missouri she learned the art of saying, "No no no!!" to anyone and anything that is preventing her from fulfilling her agenda.  She learned to correctly identify an actual puppy and say "Ruff ruff!" (much to the chagrin of Henry, Aunt Mindy's basset hound.)  When we got home, she learned how to climb up on the couch all by herself.  And if we'll let her, I know she would be happy to quickly learn how to climb out of her high chair.  I'm praying that the Lord protects her from her own foolishness, because I can't keep my eyes on her every second of the day.

5.  And in Big News To Us, we've been enjoying a brand new smart TV.  It was an anniversary/Christmas gift from Lee's parents and it has been so fun.  Not only is it a TV from this century, but thanks to a well-timed sale we were able to spring for the upgrade for the actual smart TV, and once linked to our Amazon Prime account we've had a whole new world open up to us, beyond the over the air channels we usually see.  It's a fun new toy.

I'll let these girls send you off today:
Does this picture creep you out?  She was eating cherries, not trying out for a zombie flick.

Friday, June 20, 2014

Kansas City Quick 5

Adventures in Road Trip.

1.  The drive out was fine.  Okay.  Good, not great.  Bria fussed about 60% of the time (although Lee thinks it was more like 80%.  But let's not exaggerate.)  There was no ice storm this time, but there was some crazy wind.  And we had one small incident where we literally almost ran out of gas.  We were pushing through from breakfast and realized that we maybe should get gas.  I pointed out a sign for a station coming up, and then I got a text from my mom and Lee was enjoying Switchfoot and we blew right by the exit.  And then there were no more gas stations.  We have a Distance Til Empty gauge on the van, and it literally hit zero when we finally rolled into a station in Salina.  I was freaking out.  Lee wasn't.  But we won't make that mistake again.
Breakfast picnic in Kansas
2.  It's been non-stop fun since we got here.  Sunday was church and fun in the yard with bubbles and balls.  We were trying to get a specific picture of Bria for Melonie's wall, so she and I took about a hundred while she toddled around.  Alaina and Joya spent the afternoon splashing around in the puddles in the yard, having the time of their life.
None of these are The Picture, but they are some of my favorites
3.  Monday morning we picked blueberries.  Jim and Melonie have a friend who has a blueberry patch, and we went bright and early with Alaina and Joya.  We spent 45 minutes there and ended up with 10 pounds of blueberries.  To be honest, Joya might have eaten a half pound while we were there, but who can tell?

4. Tuesday we went swimming.  It turns out Joya is pretty fearless.  She was wearing floaties and at one point jumped into the deep water without asking for help.  Of course she went under and bobbed right up, but it scared her pretty good.  She got over it and went right back to paddling around. 
5.  Wednesday night Uncle Josh and Aunt Mindy came and Thursday we went to Deanna Rose, a children's petting zoo/farm.  It was raining when we got there, but we decided to push through anyway, since it was free to get in.  But the rain stopped shortly after we got there, and the girls got to see their fill of goats, ducks and pigs. 

There has also been some fishing and splashing in a wading pool and Angry Bird playing and Uncle Josh wrestling and dessert at every meal.  And we still have a couple of days of fun left.  It's been a good vacation.

Friday, June 13, 2014

Quick 5

Someday the girls will be able to help me pack for a family vacation, right?

1.  Last Saturday we went on the Family Hike that our church arranged.  It was our first family hike ever, and the girls did okay.  It was close and not too far of a hike.  Joya fussed quite a bit, but she IS only three, and walking 2.6 or whatever miles was a lot for her.  But she got through it.  Bria fussed quite a bit, but I guess I DID make her miss her morning nap, and I've never trained her to sleep in the stroller.  But the hike was beautiful.  I highly recommend Roxborough State Park if you are looking for a really pretty piece of Colorado.
Ethan, Josh, Alaina & Joya
A Real Life shot - since Joya refused to smile for the camera
Elyssa & Bria, BFFs (whether they want to be or not)
2.  This is noteworthy to us; it may not be to the rest of the world.  But on Monday we actually went out to eat as a family at an actual sit-down restaurant for the second time this month.  Really, it was the second time this year.  And maybe the fourth or fifth time since having Bria.  Anyway, thanks to a coupon and a gift card (you know, Kimble style) we went to Texas Roadhouse.  The girls did quite well and we really enjoyed it.  It was even Kid's Night, so the girls got balloon animals.  We opted out of the face painting because we were going right home to take baths, but I offered the girls some tattoos instead, which they gladly agreed to.  We had forgotten how much we liked that place.

3.  Alaina had her 6-year check up this week.  6!  It's still a little weird to think we have a 6-year-old in the house.  She's 3 feet, 9 inches and 42 pounds.  She loved chatting with the doctor.  At one point the doctor asked her if she had trouble sleeping, to which Alaina said, "YES!!!  Sometimes Joya bothers me, even when I face the wall and try to sleep!"  I don't think that's what the doctor meant, but it was still funny.

4.  We had fun celebrating Lee's birthday this year.  I made him a brownie trifle and gave him the present that I had been dying to for weeks: his very own ukulele.  I also had our good friends just show up for dessert on that day.  He didn't know about that either, and I couldn't very well ask him to change out of his PJ pants that he had put on the minute he got home from work, or he would have known something was up.  It was fun to surprise him.

5.  Tomorrow we are driving across Kansas.  We are spending the week in Kansas City to visit Lee's parents and to celebrate my grandparents' 60th anniversary.  We have plans to swim and play and visit a petting zoo and maybe see a movie or two.  It's always a nice break and we're looking forward to it.

That's all, folks!

Friday, June 6, 2014

Quick 5

Oh hail.  Seriously, last night we had TWO hail storms.  I hope my poor little tomato plant and zucchini plant survive to bear fruit.

1.  We've been very busy celebrating Alaina's birthday this week.  On Sunday we had a birthday party celebrating her and two very good friends Hayley and Ethan, who both turned 10 this week.  It was a gorgeous day and Lee was able to do one of his favorite things: grill.  Alaina received some great gifts, including her beloved ukulele.
This cake was not only professional and beautiful, it was DELICIOUS.  Thank you Christina!!
Three birthday kids, three moms, three cakes
Lee's proudest contribution to the party: grilled corn on the cob with homemade garlic herb butter

2.  On Alaina's actual birthday we went to Red Robin for dinner.  We love that her birthday burger and Lee's birthday burger coincide.  Alaina loved hearing the servers all sing her happy birthday and happily shared her birthday sundae with Joya.
Bria occupied herself by tearing up a napkin

3.  On her birthday Alaina opened some really cool gifts too.  She got her own digital camera and some awesome Birthday Bucks from Uncle Josh and Aunt Mindy.
4.  Bria had her 15 month well check-up this week.  She is growing as she should.  She's now 22 lbs and 32 inches tall, which puts her in the 90th percentile for height.  Which explains why she really can't fit into 12 month clothing any more. 

5. And finally, debuting their summer hair cuts, here are Joya and Alaina!


Thus ends week 2 of our summer break.  Peace out!

Monday, June 2, 2014

Happy 6th Birthday Alaina!

You are 6 years old today!  You're no longer a little kid...you're now a full-fledged kid.  We love watching you grow and learn and listening to you tell us what you've learned.  You thrived in kindergarten like we knew you would, and you diligently teach your little sisters all you know.  We love that you're so helpful and trustworthy.  We pray that you would have the mind of Christ and that you would do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but that in humility you would consider others better than yourself.  We pray that your life overflows with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

We love you so much and can't wait to see you live life as a 6 year old.

Happy Birthday Alaina Gisele!

Love,
Mommy, Daddy, Joya and Bria

Alaina - Age 6

Favorite Color - Red
Favorite Toy - all my stuffed animals
Favorite fruit - apples
Favorite TV Show - Qubo
Favorite thing to eat for lunch - Daddy's Noodles
Favorite Outfit - my Easter dress
Favorite Game - Hi Ho Cherrio
Favorite snack - apples and peanut butter
Favorite animal - kittens
Favorite Song - Let It Go
Favorite Book - A Monkey Among Us
Best Friend - Avery
Favorite cereal - Cocoa Puffs
Favorite thing to do outside - throw the frisbee
Favorite drink - chocolate milk
Favorite holiday - Christmas
Favorite bed buddy - Radar
Favorite thing to eat for breakfast - chocolate pop tarts
What do you want for your birthday dinner - Red Robin
What do you want to be when you grow up - a firefighter