St. Louis Zoo

Rob took two days off to make a long weekend, so we headed to St. Louis for a temple/zoo trip--probably the last one in a LONG time, since the KC temple will be done in a month and we have a zoo here. So, we stayed in a hotel and made it a party! It was overcast and cool so all the animals were active! The gorillas came right up to us, the leopard was pacing, the baby giraffe running . . . it was great! Jimmy was just plain giddy pointing at every animal and squeaking with excitement saying, "Dat! Dat!" (that's how he says THAT). Another perfect St. Louis trip!

Project

Rob built it; I painted it--and now I have a darling chalkboard in my kitchen! Oh, and Jimmy helped!

Curls for the Girls

I love them! Now that it is getting hotter, his curls are getting even better! Though they have all had them, Jimmy has the tightest little curls and I just LOVE them! You can't see it in the picture, but shiny blonde hair is coming in too--now the trick is to keep the clippers away from Rob! :)

30!

I've been 30 for about a week now, and I feel great! Hopefully I am young at heart--I still swear high school was yesterday, and yet in between I have had a decade of huge changes! I got married, graduated from college, got my first "real" job--the kind with a salary, moved 6 times, had three children, was put into the hospital way too many times, bought my first car and house . . . it's been a great ten years! I hope the next ten are healthy and happy. I'll have teenagers then--crazy. It makes me realize that I need to delight in each moment. I want to start doing things for me--working out, decorating, painting, finishing my book, taking up new hobbies. Who knows! I have so much to be grateful for and to look forward to. Happy Birthday to me!

I had a great, laid back party--just my closest friends so it was hassle-free. We just hung out and ate my favorite foods (cheese and chocolate fondue with yummy cakes, fruits, veggies, bread). A spinach/bacon salad (that I was deprived of for a year while on coumadin), Better-Than-Sex Cake, Izzies to drink . . . it was lovely. The boys bought me a "SuperMom" card, describing me as a Mom-like superhero--it's the finest compliment I could get from them, really. And Rob likes to let the boys just pick whatever they want--no steering them in directions. So, I got Nanny McPhee Returns :) (note my trying to stop cracking up look) and a hot pink work out shirt from Ty (it always got to be hot pink for him--the only color for girls in his view). Rob made it an outfit and got me an iHome. I am so grateful for my amazing family and friends. I've a blessed life indeed.

Little Activists

I finally got the bug this year--I'm into politics. My kids are all too well aware of the GOP candidates, so when I told them that Mitt Romney was coming, they were star-struck! "Is he really real?" It was so cute. We got to get amazingly close, and though it was a stump speech, I loved it. He is exceedingly handsome, much more so in real life, and, I hope he gets the nomination. Robbie made this darling sign for "Mint" and it was just a great time!

Arena Soccer

One of the doctors Rob works with is the orthopedic surgeon for the KC Comets--the arena soccer team. Once of the perks is that he gets season tickets! So Friday night we headed down to the sports complex to join some of the other residents and their families for a great night. I've never watched arena soccer, and I have to say, it is a little different. It's like soccer meets hockey! Our goalie was awesome to watch and Robbie swears he learned some sweet new moves from watching the game!

Rolladium

Wednesdays are 99 cent night, so we figured it was a perfect time to teach the boys to roller skate. A few observations:
Middle school is a rough time for kids--in every way!
The adults that still hang out at the rink, want to be back in middle school.
I forgot how much fun it is! I smiled the whole time!

We rented this little contraption for Ty (which Jimmy loved), and he thought it was just fabulous. He cruised around and loved it. Robbie swears it is harder than ice skating, but I think it was because it was so crowded he couldn't really push himself. Great time!

Rice

Let's just say it wasn't one of my most intellectual moments. To my defense, Jimmy had an ear infection and I hadn't slept for three nights. And I was on the phone--I get distracted on the phone. And so the story begins...

I had a bucket of bad rice that had to go. It was heavy and I knew it would break the two cent trash bag--money I so desperately wanted to save--so I decided to dump it down my sink . . . all of it. I know, I know, completely idiotic. In my simple-minded moment, I was only concerned about the garbage disposal; I figured if it could get past the disposal, I was good to go. So wrong.

I took the pipes apart myself--I even went and bought a snake, hoping to bypass the humiliation of telling Rob of my ordeal and instead just getting praised for my handywoman skills. No such thing.

I finally went to my sweet neighbor's house, a retired Army Paratrooper named Carl. He is genuine and kind and . . . I just love him. He came over to try and help me, but it was beyond him too. So, he called his handyman buddy, Stretch.

Stretch worked until almost 10pm (and Carl stayed with me since Rob wasn't home and Stretch was, well, crass). The rice turned from cement to sand in the pipes.

The next morning they worked for another 2 1/2 hours. And finally--the pipes cleared! Over seven hours of labor, and Stretch only charged me $200. Such a blessing. Carl got a huge batch of cinnamon rolls. I am so grateful for kind, genuine people in my life.

That same day, Rob got in a fender-bender in traffic when the girl in front of him stalled. Though there was no visible damage, she filed a claim.

Then my cell phone snapped in half.

It was an AWESOME week! But really, it all turned out okay. It's a beautiful Saturday, and we're off to go exploring in the nearby woods!

It Never Ends!

He's into everything! This is just Jimmy and his mischievousness, but put all three boys together, and they're like walking tornadoes! I am seriously at my whits end some days! Good thing they're cute!

Another Season Over

Robbie finished up his first basketball season. It was a painful beginning (he was the youngest and shortest on the team), but in the end, he started doing great. His coach told us that he was unofficially voted Most Improved player--he went from not even being able to hit the net, to scoring in almost every game. He had a blast, too. Way to go, Robbie! And . . . spring soccer has already begun--we don't miss a beat!

Oh, and how can I forget yesterday. It's like an unspoken rule, that if anyone is outside, everyone else follows suit. Somehow, all the neighborhood kids end up at my house every day. Well, it's usually the little kids, but yesterday all the "big" 11 and 12 year old boys came over to shoot hoop with Robbie on his little hoop. It was so fun to watch! They kind of ignored him at first, but when they saw that he could out shoot them, they suddenly started giving him high fives, hoots, the ball . . . I, of course, was so proud and Robbie KNEW he was a stud! So fun!

Ice Skating at Crown Center

It was outside, downtown, all lit up--the boys loved it!