SNOW

Although it did not snow much it was enough for the kids to beg to go outside. Last year if Buster even saw his coat or snow suit he would begin screaming and not stop until you took it off. If by chance snow got on his hand he would scream and scream. This year we can't seem to keep him out of the snow. If he is not playing in it he is standing at the back door looking out longingly waiting for his time to play. Oh what a difference a year makes!

The Land of Tunnels

Swifty had an interview in Pittsburgh, so we decided to make a little vacation out of it. The kids absolutely loved being in a hotel, who knew that watching a waterfall in a lobby, playing farm in a hotel room, and watching out our window from the 6th floor could be so entertaining. While we were there KB was mesmerized by two major things the first being that we were in the land of TUNNELS, and the second that she was driving next to the Ohio river, which she doesn't really see in Ohio but drives over in the land of TUNNELS! KB asks all the time when we get to back to Pittsburgh, because it was so fun. Little does she know that at times it was truly terrifying driving in the land of tunnels!

Haunting Halloween

We sure lucked out this year and got a fabulously warm Halloween night which worked out GREAT, considering Ariel could not wear a long sleeve shirt over her strong arm and a jacket would cover her beautiful mermaid fin! We began our festivities with some pumpkin carving (okay the kids painted, I made a lame simple jack o lantern and Swifty truly carved. In case you can't tell Swifty's is the really cool one also known as Aku the evil wizard! KB did an amazing job making a face all by herself and Buster loved "helping everyone else".

We had a fun dinner at a friend's house consisting of pumpkin, witch hats, cat vegetables and yummy candy orange rolls (which was the only thing Buster even attempted to put in his mouth). We then used the fun little neighborhood by them to trick or treat. Ariel rode in the stroller most of the time (at our request, she fell almost every step she took). Our cute little Rar-rar, who could not wait to put on his costume and was even excited to have his nose and whiskers painted so he looked like rar-rar, was very slow to go at first. Then Swifty pulled out a piece of candy and let him have it. After that Buster ran from house to house with his Elmo bucket. He even spoke to a few people. Sometime during the night one of our friends warned us of a bump in the sidewalk so KB was aware of it, all we heard from Buster after that was "BUMP" at every crack in the sidewalk. One of the houses had a pumpkin with its guts coming out of its mouth, we laughed at how mesmerized the kids were by this one pumpkin. I guess Dad will have to start carving the pumpkins from his childhood to impress our kids. It sure made us miss those Crazy pumpkins our uncles do!


Buster finally going up to a house without dada

The friends we could capture in the picture

Ariel showing Cruella Devil her cool green glow stick, and Cruella commenting on how she also has a cool glow stick!

Our sweet kids took their own sweet time trick or treating while all of their friends were off and running. They make me laugh, but I am truly grateful for how excited they are to just stop and enjoy themselves.

Look at all that LOOT!

KB's Krash

This morning during the early preparations to get ready for church, we heard KB screaming in the hallway between our bedrooms. In her own words, this is what happened. "I was running out of Mom's room and tripped over a Wet Wipe, then I jumped and turned and hit my arm on the railing that holds up the railing." We found her holding her forearm and crying. After she calmed down, she still wouldn't move her arm, and was moaning a lot, so we started considering taking her to urgent care. The dilemma with this was that KB has some hypochondriasis which she uses to try to get attention, so Swifty was quite suspicious and examined her arm several times. Finally we decided that we really couldn't tell if she was faking it or not, so we took her to the urgent care, and guess what, it really was broken. She had a small buckle fracture of her radius at her wrist, and got a purple cast past her elbow. We then went straight from urgent care to church, where KB refused to go to her class because she didn't want the attention her new cast would get her. She was very brave getting the cast on, and has been a real trooper about the whole thing. Going to bed tonight, KB had to verify with me that I had a hard time falling asleep too when I had a cast on my arm.

This is KB in her Halloween costume, sporting her new "hard arm"

GRANDMA!

Sorry grandma that it took so long to let you know how much we enjoyed your trip! We are so grateful you came and can't wait to see you again!

Some of the highlights of the trip were:
Buster's birthday - we went to the zoo, made a special train cake, and had a lot of presents. There is more about that special day in a previous post.

Apple picking and canning - we picked 60 lbs of apples, and then, after a long search for such things as canners and Victoria strainers, we managed to work out a scheme that allowed us to turn all those apples into applesauce. Since then, we (mostly Buster) have eaten a large amount of these stored goods.

Graeter's - this is a tradition for family visits that we all enjoy.

A lot of shopping - Grandma took the kids and I to many stores looking for just the right birthday and Christmas presents.

(Sorry, we do have pictures to post with this, but currently the back up computer is not equal to the challenge, we'll keep working on it)

Older and wiser. . . or just older?

Swifty has finally hit the big 30! He says he feels older and probably most definitely wiser, however, his birthday plans were much like our children's birthday plans. This was our executed plan.

-Work a crazy schedule before hand so you can have your whole birthday off!

-open presents, before breakfast

-go to the park and play on the playground

-hang out at home for naps

-eat a really yummy dinner, that he cooked I might add. Hmm, it kinda felt like my birthday!

-Go to the pet store

All in all I think it was a perfect day!

I love that he can truly get older and wiser, but still enjoy all the simple things and play just like our little ones. We are lucky to have such a special fun dad in our life! Happy Birthday Babe-- We LOVE you

BIRTHDAYS-BIRTHDAYS!!

We have had two big birthdays at our house. The first one. . . Busters turns 2! We were lucky enough to have grandma in town for the whole week. Grandmas always make a birthday more fun. We celebrated by taking the sweet boy to the zoo, and all he wanted to do was sit on the statue of the "hog hog". We did talk him into seeing a few animals, but not many. We also opened lots of fabulous dog dog and choo choo toys as well as one giant rocking horse (I'm not sure his life can get any better). Finally the whole family pitched in to make a choo choo cake for the little big guy. The candles being lit were a little much for him and frightened him just a little.

Buster on said "hog hog"

We lucked out, becasue daddy got the day off excluding a few hours! Daddy, Buster, and KB looking at the tigers!

The big sister did her best at handling the birthday!

Buster helping with the cake!

AS you can see we are not professional at our house, but hey we sure had fun decorating this choo choo cake. Thanks Swifty for always bailing me out of my BIG ideas.

Apple Picking

One of the BEST things about where we live is all of the fun fall activities. About 30 minutes from our house is this amazing apple farm (0ther things too). Last year I took the kids apple picking and they had a blast picking the apples off the trees, so I thought "hey lets do it again this year" and once again they had a blast! This year the fun was a little different. Buster was not about to touch an apple, he wouldn't even throw them into the bag like a ball. Instead he was content eating his "roll" a.k.a bagel and chasing after his sister. KB picked apples to eat, I think she had 4 in the 2 hours we were there. Her other favorite pass time was running through the trees and finding the rotten apples on the ground. I was happy to pick the apples and our family has enjoyed the apples very much. We have plans to go back a couple more times for all the different kinds of apples!KB picking an apple she loved picking and eating, but the little yellow flower weed was a blast to pick!

Buster showing you his "roll"

KB and her apple, the only picture I could get without an apple in or near her mouth

checking out the rotten apple

It was such a fun day the light sprinkle of rain, and friends made the day even more fun, I love Fall!

One Crazy Boy!

Buster's good buddy Owen gave him these super cute hand-me-downs and he has not taken them off since. He has slept in them for two nights, and if by chance the shoes fall off in the middle of the night he wakes up screaming "MAMA" until I go in and put the shoes back on his feet. (Some may say letting your child wear shoes to bed is a little indulgent, I consider it a sanity technique). Thanks Wildes for the great shoes, they are most definitely loved and very much needed.

Today as we were running to get something from the car Buster (who has only shoes and socks on) decided he needed a hat on. The little boy loves hats and shoes.

VIOLA! If you let your one year old dress themselves they will be naked in the middle. We sure love you BUSTER!

We're ALIVE!!

PICTURES COMING SOON! I Hope!



I know it has been too long, but we have been too busy to update our blog because we have been having a lot of summer fun! Some highlights....

• Uncle Jeff married the Fabulous Aunt Brooke. KB's Polly pockets still get married on a daily basis and the bride is always named Brooke.

Visiting Family for a whole month, which included. . .

• A Wonderful, Beautiful Wedding


• A lot of fun time with Cousins, Grandma's, Grandpa's, aunts and Uncles. We were happy to see our home but a month still was not enough time with you all.


• The Children's Museum


• A lot of great times hiking, and grilling in the Mountains. We sure wish we had some of those around here. Buster realized his favorite thing is BIG rocks combined with water.


• Time with old friends


• Swimming, water fights, sprinklers, and car washing (there is nothing better than water)


• Trampoline jumping


• Lots of Junk food


• Fireworks


• Ruining yet another camera *warning do not leave camera's in hot cars the battery may leak and cause permanent damage!


• A Great Girls night, KB keeps asking when we get to have another one just like it!

It was a great trip and we are grateful for all of those that put up with us for so long. We can't wait to see you again! The rest of the summer has been spent

• Playing outside


• paddle boating at Shawnee State Park


• BBQ with Friends


• More Swimming in little pools and finding fun big pools to hang out in


• Celebrating KB's 4th birthday


• Celebrating 8 years of Marriage


• Deciding on a what Swifty wants to be when he grows up?


• Bike Riding (KB got a wonderful big girl bike for her birthday and boy am I getting a workout trying to keep up on foot


• Hitting the Beach, or at least a man made dam that we pretend is the beach


• Park Hoping


• Having Dad around way more than he has time for but we LOVE it!
• Watching the OLympics

Last but not least finding out that baby number three is predicted to be a BOY!!!

Stone Mountain

For Swifty's spring break we decided to take the kids to Georgia. For a couple of reasons, we had the bonus of my cousin getting sealed in the Atlanta Temple the same weekend we would be going. I am now the cousin that just shows up (with a few days notice) and crashes weddings. Okay, it wasn't quite like that but ... pretty close! Also, there is a certain member of our family who prefers to travel where we can see Aquariums and Georgia just happens to have the biggest in the world. So we decided a 10 hour scenic drive seemed like just the right thing to do. We had a blast visiting with family we don't get to see very often, meeting new family members and getting to see a HUGE city. Our kids did amazingly well on the drive. They never cease to amaze me! Here are a few pictures from our last day in Georgia. We took the kids on a hike up stone mountain hoping to tire them out before our long drive home. I was surprised by how much they both actually walked and nervous about how my muscles would feel sitting for 10 hours after carrying Buster all the way down the mountain.

On our drive out we stopped at a gas station for some drinks and a potty break. It was around dinner so we decided to sit at the picnic table and eat our hogi's. The table was situated between the door of the gas station and the gas pumps. There were a few big trucks. It seemed as though there were a lot more trucks once we sat down to eat. Anyway KB looks at me and says "Mommy were having a picnic, it is such a beautiful day for a picnic. . . the sun is shining the trucks are going..." at that moment I busted up laughing which unfortunately ended the description of a beautiful day for a picnic. She is so fun I love watching how such little things are so exciting to this sweet girl.

A very insightful conversation

Today KB and I were driving in the car and this is the conversation we had..

KB: Mom when I grow up Ithink I will be a mommy

ME: I think that is a great idea. Because being a mommy is a really fun job!

Then she looked out her window and noticed a semi-truck next to us.

KB: Mommy, when I grow up I am going to drive one of those!

ME: I think that would be a fun job and a great way to get out and explore the country, but it would be a hard job because she wouldn't see your kids very much.

KB: But mommy I figured something out, KB's new favorite phrase. When I grow up I could drive one of those trucks with a carseat in it. I'll drive one with one carseat in it because I will be mommy KB and have 1 child. Using her finger and all to really emphasize the number of children she was going to have. I guess if I was the first child I may not see any reason for more than one either.
I love when I can sit back and enjoy, there's nothing better than these sweet conversations with these sweet kids.

Where do they get it from?

I know, I am constantly talking about KB's tree climbing. It is just amazing to me! It is as if the tree is calling to her, and she can't leave it alone. We have had a couple nice days where we can go outside and play comfortably. Without fail she spends most of that time in the tree. The scary thing is she is already helping Buster to climb those trees and he loves it! So I ask where do they get it from? Let me show you...

In case you can't tell what this is a picture of ... Swifty climbing and KB trying her best to catch up to him. Luckily she decided against going to the top. But someday!

Easter

In honor of the holiday the Easter bunny brought eggs with some candy inside, which took Buster all of 2 seconds to figure out how to open and chowed the candy from quite a number of eggs. The Easter bunny also brought a watering can, shovel, and rake for each kid. Although, you would think the candy and presents would be the highlight of the holiday for our two, it definitely wasn't. Buster loved dropping (yes, dropping not placing) the eggs into the dye. It made quite a splash. KB also loved dying the eggs, painting eggs, hiding the eggs, and then finding the eggs she hid. Funny girl! Still, for KB the fact that everyone talked about her favorite subject, Jesus dying on the cross was her favorite part. KB has been obsessed for months with the death of Jesus. We luckily have finally helped her to understand that Jesus was resurrected and lives. She still loves to sing about his death. How Wonderful to have a whole day where everyone talks about her favorite topic. Funny kids!

KB Really wanted Buster to hold her hand. For some reason he is always opposed to this idea. So here is his response to her kind offer. He'll be a heartbreaker!

Blessed Day!

I have to admit that although in elementary school Valentine's day was my favorite holiday. I have not been able to understand the purpose of it in my older years. This year the light has clicked and I completely understand. It is a survival holiday, and boy has it made our week better! Let me just tell explain my theory (sorry I tend to get long winded, a story especially one explaining a theory) will never be a Reader's Digest version. Feel free to skip this post or just skim through it. Theory:
Fall is such a fun time of year, the season changes, which is always exciting and a much needed change, at least for me, it doesn't really matter the season I just love the way life changes with each new season. Then you have Halloween which leads you into Thanksgiving and the wonderful holiday of Christmas. Whether or not you travel or see family there are so many exciting wonderful things going on throughout fall. Then comes the let down after Christmas, but it is okay because, you are making New Year's resolutions, enjoying some calm and peace after such an eventful fall. It is a month that is full of grand intentions. Then February hits and instanly your brain says winter is almost over and soon spring will be here. Yet the cold fronts keep coming, the grand intentions get a little old, and frankly, life is boring, mundane and blah. Then Bam, you get hit with Valentine's day, a holiday made for showing love to whomever, eating yummy chocolate and strawberries (which I noticed there were none of in the grocery store this morning, can you imagine a grocery store all out of strawberries), having cinnamon rolls for breakfast, wearing red and hearts (which is a shape I am not usually a fan of, yet I love them on Valentine's day). With the rise of the sun, cupid takes out the monotany of winter, helps us realize we are loved and appreciated, and gives us new hope to wait for spring. I feel like the sun is shining and I am ready to go. There you have it my theory on Valentine's day.

couple tag

I was tagged or rather we were tagged so here it goes

How long have you been together? We were married August of 2000

How long did you date? 10 months plus a couple more (we dated for 10 months after Swifty's mssion and a couple before his mission)

How old is he? 29

Who eats more? Swifty, unless it is a bag of treats!

Who said "I love you" first? Pre-mission I said it first (and he reciprocated, but then had to think about it in private). Post mission I was wiser, and much more unsure, Swifty said it first then, and I had to think about it.

Who is taller? Swifty

Who sings better? Swifty

Who is smarter? That all depends on what kind of smart you're talking about; books, definitely Swifty. Common Sense, (he will argue this), its me. (He definitely argues this)

Who does the laundry? I do, Swifty will always help if I ask or it is really overdue (probably because he runs out of underwear).

Who does the dishes? Usually me, but he gets his occasional turn.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do, so I can get to the kids first.

Who pays the bills? I do

Who mows the lawn? Our townhome association

Who cooks dinner? I usually do, but there are a few dishes that only Dad cooks! I will say that he is the better cook, I am just home so the job falls on my shoulders, or we wouldn't eat until 10:00 every night.

Who is more stubborn? I am stubborn more often, but when Swifty decides to be stubborn he is way more stubborn

Who kissed who first? Swifty kissed me first

Who asked who out? We started out as friends and it sort of led into a relationship, so asking out really never happened.

Who is more sensitive? ME!

Who has more friends? I do

Who has more siblings? Swifty, I have 2 he has 4

Who wears the pants in the relationship? Swifty would say me, however if he really cares about something, and his argument is pretty convicing, I would say him.

Who are you tagging? I think we will end it here. Unless any of you want to take a crack at it.

A Dirty Trick!

So KB has really been into helping me with the cleaning, as long as she can spray or use a cleaning wipe she is a happy camper. However, I am a little bit of a basket case, something about an unpredictable three year old and a spray bottle filled with cleaner makes me a little skittish. I am still trying to take full advantage of this wonderful help (while I have it). I decided to use vinegar and have KB help me mop the floor. She was ecstatic, after all she was wearing the "perfect cleaning clothes" (she loves swimming suits, in fact we just got one with a little skirt on it, and wow, it is worn under all sorts of clothes, regardless of how cold it is outside :)) She was doing a really good job helping me until she had to go to the potty, she went, came back, and resumed her work, however when I looked over I got this wonderful view and had a hard time continuing with my job in between my giggling! You gotta love kids!

In case you all don't understand that is her underwear around her legs. The best part is it never bothered her. I asked if she needed help and she replied "no its okay". She proceeded to play and play. She is so funny!

Is it Happy, grumpy......

NOPE...

SLEEPY!!
Okay, okay, so a lot of life has happened since our last update. Swifty went to Mexico with a group from the Methodist church on a service mission, something he has done the last 3 years. I think it is by far one of the highlights of his year. On a weekend such as this one with Swifty being in Mexico and me being home with the kids, I tend to over schedule activities so we don't miss Daddy too much. I am guessing that this particular weekend I scheduled too much! My sweet little boy that does not like to sleep anywhere but in his own bed with his Lion, fell asleep while eating his lunch. It was so cute that I had to take some pictures before rescuing him and putting him in bed.

Buster's Emerging Personality

Buster has recently been doing all sorts of crazy things without prompting. He loves to play games like hide and seek where he pulls his hat down over his eyes and will wait until someone notices and pretends not to see him. He is also starting to play more with KB, but with more interaction, there is also more fighting! They still end up smothering each other with love. Here are a few of his recent pictures: