Be our guest, be our guest.............

It was quite a busy weekend at our house. It all started Thursday night when our house became sleeping accommidations for 6 teenage girls for two nights. My friend Staci and her husband that live across the street were the "Battalion leaders" for an "ARMY" (A Righteous Mormon Youth was what it stood for) for Youth Conference and they housed the boys of the group and we housed the girls. And yes, they stayed up late both nights doing all those things teenage girls do when they are together - such fun! I think it was about 2 am when things started to quite down the first night, but then the severe thunderstorms we were expecting rolled in, so it was about 4 am before I really got to sleep. Some how everyone else was able to sleep through the storms, I'm really not sure how. As I layed in bed listening to them chatting and giggling it made me laugh because I realized this will be my girls in about 8 years.

Oh the things they have to look forward too!

This is what it looks like when 6 teenage girls come to stay.

Friday was quite a day. Since I had to get our guests up at 6:30 in the am, I managed about 2 1/2 hours sleep only to wake up with the most awful allergies. With my eyes watering and my nose with a constant drip, you know the kind where you end up sticking a tissue in both nostrils because it's better than having to contantly wipe it, I was a mess. I was watching Staci's 3 kids from noon to 7:00 that night, so I took some medicine that morning hoping it would help so I could be semi functional to watch 6 kids - no such luck, it didn't kick in until about 5:00 that night. I was so grateful the kids were so good and they played outside most of time. At one point when I went outside to check on the kids, Lia (Staci's 3 year old) was stripped down to her underwear and riding her bike. I just busted up laughing. I was so tired and drained from lack of sleep and the allergies, I really didn't care - I just let the girl and all her inhibitions go. She did eventually decide to get dressed again and the rest of the evening went a much better after the medicine kicked in.

Then Saturday we got to spend most of the day with Jeff's sister Heather and her son Bryant. Heather had to come up to speak at a Youth Conference in another stake here and it ended up Jeff had to sub for our bishop at our YC. Bryant was nice enough to take the girls swimming that morning, and then they gave him a make over later that afternoon. Must have been very relaxing because it put him to sleep! Nice work girls!

So proud of their work!

The big news of the day is that Ada lost another tooth, #2. Emilie is working on loosing her first one, she is hoping it's soon because it makes it really hard to bite on anything! Anyway, Heather and Bryant are staying with us tonight and then it's back to just us Sunday night. Then Monday Harm and Parker come. We are excited for the fun to continue!

If you are looking for a place to stay in the Chicago area, we'd love to have you.

The rates are cheap (practically nothing!) and food isn't to bad.

We offer lots of entertainment options as well.

Makeovers are available for a small fee in the salon.

We have lots of openings in July and August, so book your reservations now!

Happy Birthday Jeff! (yesterday)

Yes I'm a day late with this post, only because it's been such a crazy weekend!

But we hope you had a Happy Birthday Jeff!

We had a fun party Friday night for Jeff and our good friends Paul Brown and Ken Israelsen. It's become a tradition to have a party for them because Jeff and Paul's birthday's are both the 7th and Ken's is the 9th. I would post pictures, but at the end of the night we all realized that nobody took any! Shame on us. But it was fun nonetheless and thanks to everyone who came to celebrate!

Unfortunately for Jeff, Saturday (his actual b-day) wasn't exactly a party day. It started out with him going to Bishopric training from 7-9 am then home to some work around the house to my softball game at 2:00 (yes, I'm back on the field and it's awesome!) to a convert baptism at 6:00 (which he was the only bishopric member able to attend) to a wedding reception at 7:00. In between it all Jeff decided to fix the kitchen faucet that I have been bugging him about for the last few weeks. As he got into it he determined we needed a new faucet. So after the wedding reception, it was a trip to Lowes and home to install it. Sorry it wasn't such a great day, but what do you expect when your 37? :-)

He did get a party and we did manage to get our door decorated for him!

We'll definiately try to make Father's Day a little more relaxing and fun for you!

Happy Birthday again to the best dad/husband and thanks for all you do! We love you!

One of those Days

We've all had them - those days where nothing seems to go your way. A comedy of errors if you will. And most likely there will be others. So please, let me share my day today. Let me preface this with the fact that Jeff has been gone since Saturday afternoon to a week long Sales meeting, so life is a little crazier than usual around here. Fortunately he's only an hour away. Anyway, last night I decided to stay up a little later than usual to watch some TV (finally I had the remote all to myself!) I thought it wouldn't be a big deal since all the girls had been sleeping in lately, and so of course I could too, except for the fact that Sarah decided to wake up at 5:45 this morning for an hour or so. So much for sleeping in, thank goodness for Diet Coke.

Then after she and I went back to sleep for an hour we all woke up. It was pouring rain outside, so I thought I would walk on the treadmill and get a little exercise. So I did and then went to get in the shower. Turned it on, let it run for a minute or two. Still cold. Let it run for another minute. STILL COLD! So I went in the basement to see water running out of the water heater. Not so good! So I had to take a very quick cold shower - thank goodness for hats. I wasn't about to stick my head under freezing cold water. Then of course at the exact moment I had to take the girls to school the heaviest part of the rain storm hit. Good thing the doors aren't too far away from the drop off - I ran them up to the doors, ran back to the car to find Emilie left the sliding door open.

Since it was pouring I decided to come home from dropping the girls off and let Sarah have a good nap and I would actually accomplish something today. So I put together the bookshelf we bought for the girls for the basement. I was so proud of myself I got it all put together, even nailed to back of it on. I stood it up and here it is

Yes it's true, it put the sides on backwards. ARGH! I was so careful to put the top and bottom on the right way and completely ignored the fact I was putting the sides on the wrong way. Why can't they just finish both sides so it doesn't matter which way they go? So I now am working on pulling out all the nails and unscrewing the sides without completely destroying the thing. I'm starting to think it would be much easier to just go buy a new one for $18.

The good news of the day - Jeff did come home for the evening to help sort out the water heater situation and just to be with us. If all goes as planned (unlike anything today!), 12 hours from now we shall have hot water again. Sing HALLELUJAH!

The Mice from Outer Space

Yesterday was a banner day at our house. It was the Kindergarten production of "The Mice from Outer Space." For the last few weeks Emilie and Ada have been singing the songs from it around the house. And last week their lines were brought home to practice. And practice they did. They seemed very excited about it. I have to admit Jeff and I were skeptical that they would actually participate (given their track record). Thursday night Jeff talked with them again to make sure they were going to participate, because he wanted to make sure the hour drive home from work to see them would be worth it. Oh was it!

Even as I was driving over to the school I kept thinking "Will they really do it or will they walk in and see all the parents and back out and want to come sit with us (probably accompanied by a few tears)?" I didn't want to get my hopes up. Oh ME of little faith, but only because these are the children who have yet to really participate in a primary program (they have sat on the stand with me because I had to be up there). They will not give the prayer, talk or theme in primary. Just in the last year they have started participating in sharing time. Last year at their pre-school graduation (just in their classroom) they wouldn't sit up front with their class and sing the songs - they ended up standing with me and tears streaming down their faces. I could go on, but won't!

But, they did it! They got up on the stage and sang their little hearts out and they did their part (chasing the bad cat away). They were awesome! It was all I could do not to cry. I can't even explain how huge this was for them, and for us as mom and dad. I will admit I've been a little jealous of other parents getting to watch their kids participate in performances or recitals, hearing about what a great job they did and being so proud of them. I will also admit I was selfishly in 7th heaven yesterday because I got to be the parent that watched their kids particpate and perform and do a great job (just like I always knew they could!). I got to hear people say what a great job they did, instead of getting the words of sympathy about your kids being shy and not wanting to participate (I know people mean well) or just the sympathy smile as they walk by you and you know what is going on in their head (what a bummer for you or that poor mom). It was the best feeling ever to see them up there! I hope they felt the same way (I think they did based on some of the smiles I saw from them). The only downer was that Ada was put on the very back row and it was a little hard to see her at times, she's not the tallest person on the block! Truly between learning to ride their bikes without training wheels and participating in their class program, I couldn't ask for more from them right now (except maybe to chill on the fighting so much). Great job girls! We love you!

Thanks Aubrey and Braden for skipping class and Bret for coming to see Emilie and Ada. They really appreciated you being there!

Emilie - what a grin!

Ada peeking out from behind

Sarah loved watching her sisters perform!

Ada (her goofy smile) and Emilie

The cast party

I'm trying to figure out how to get the video from the camera to the computer - so stayed tuned - you won't want to miss it!

Words to live by.........

This is a quote from President Monsen in his talk given at Women's Conference in April. Truly words to live by.

"Send that note to the friend you've been neglecting; give your child a compliment and a hug; say 'I love you' more; always express your thanks. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Friends move away, children grow up, loved ones pass on. It's so easy to take others for granted, until that day when they're gone from our lives and we are left with feelings of 'what if' and 'if only'...Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey and share our love with friends and family. One day, each of us will run out of tomorrows. Let us not put off what is most important."

"Our mortal life was never meant to be easy or consistently pleasant. Our Heavenly Father, who gives us so much to delight in, also knows that we learn and grow and become refined through hard challenges, heartbreaking sorrows, and difficult choices. Each one of us experiences dark days when our loved ones pass away, painful times when our health is lost, feelings of being forsaken when those we love seem to have abandoned us. These and other trials present us with the real test of our ability to endure. A fundamental question remains to be answered by each who runs the race of life: Shall I falter, or shall I finish? To finish life's race involves enduring through challenges and trials to the very end of life itself."

Happy Mother's Day

Why I love being the mom:

Getting hand made gifts with notes on the bag Finding notes like this And mostly because of THEM

Happy Mother's Day especially to my mom and to all the fabulous women in my life who are mom's that are such great examples to me.

This is for all the mom's out there. You may have already seen this one. If not, enjoy. For me it never gets old. Love this woman.
Happy Day!

Look Mom - No Training Wheels!

Last summer we tried to talk the girls into learning to ride their bikes without training wheels, but they refused. When the weather started getting warm and they wanted to ride their bikes, one look at their training wheels and we knew, we either had to get them new ones until they decided to try without or convince them to learn to ride without them. There was no convincing them - so I went and got them new wheels. That was 2 weeks ago, and what did they decide to do yesterday - learn to ride without them! Jeff and I laughed - of course once we got them new wheels they would decide to get rid of them!

Thanks to my friend Staci who lives across the street - she helped both Emilie and Ada. Emilie went first and she started out on their friend Bret's smaller bike. Emilie had it in about 5 minutes. So I took off the training wheels on her bike and off she went. Then it was Ada's turn. She did great - it took a little longer for her to pick it up - but she did it nonetheless and she is on her own bike now too.

I loved to see the huge smiles on their faces and how proud they were of their new accomplishment! So worth the wait. I have definitely learned that they will do things on their own time and when THEY are ready - not when I am ready for them to do it. Way to go girls! Mom and Dad are so proud of you!

Emilie

Emilie wanted to make sure I got a shot of her in full view without the training wheels

Ada

Ada on her bike

Sarah the spectator - she is very proud of her sisters too!

The girls were very excited to call the grandparents and tell them their news. They were very chatty with them and they even talked to my dad and to Richard (which they will never do!)