So many things!

This past weekend, Amanda and I took Jeff and Chris on a surprise canoe trip! They truly didn't know for sure where we were going until we were about 15 minutes away. It was fun to keep them guessing!! I was a little nervous about it because I had never been before. But, it was an absolutely gorgeous day and alot of fun. It was relaxing to be outdoors in the quiet going down the Blue River. After the canoe trip, which was a 7 mile trip that took about 2.5 hrs, we got an ice cream cone and then headed to the Leavenworth Inn. They didn't know where we were staying until then either! We got the keys to our house and then went up by the main Inn and played Shuffleboard. It was ALOT of fun! Amanda and I just kept saying that we felt like we should be doing something!! We went back and cleaned up and headed to The Dock to eat dinner. It was a casual little restaurant on the Ohio. Finally, we headed back for the night. Our house was a 2 bedroom house with a common living room. We took snacks and drinks and cards and a game. We put up a table and chairs in the living room and turned on some music and laughed until we were sick! It was great!! The funniest thing that happened was when Jeff called for popcorn. To preface, the package that we got was the "Girls Night Out" package which included the entire house to ourselves, popcorn, a dinner coupon and breakfast. Well, after a few drinks and playing cards, we were ready for our popcorn. We didn't see any in the kitchen area so we decided that Jeff would call and ask the front desk about it. So, he dialed the number and said "Hello, we're staying over here in the Mint Julip and have the Girls Night Out package..." As soon as he said that, we all started laughing hysterically!! The lady said "Well, sir..." and Jeff said "I know I'm not a girl!". We were laughing so hard. The lady ended up bringing us some popcorn and even stuck her head in and looked around to make sure we just had 4 people there. It probably sounded like more when we were cracking up!!! Jeff finally said "I've never regretted a sentence in my life!" So funny!! The next morning, we went to breakfast at The Overlook which is just that, a restaurant that overlooks the bend in the Ohio River. We had a great trip!!!

While we were gone, Dad took Jack to his game. Jan went and watched and sent us this email...
"He played second base. Twice in a rowa ball was hit to him. He aggressively went after the ball, didn't evenhesitate, and ran back to 2nd base and tagged the bag. He did it withouteven thinking, like it was second nature to him. It really was impressive.He got two outs in a row. When he was up at bat, twice he hit the ball intothe outfield. The 1st time he got a double. The 2nd time should have beena home run, except the kid on base ahead of him wouldn't run. Jack was on2nd base telling the kid to run to 3rd. It really was a fun game to watch,because I think the kids are coming together a little bit, and actuallyplaying baseball. He did great!!"

We came home on Mother's Day. It was a beautiful day and we went to Mom's after naptime. We had fried chicken, side dishes and yummy desserts!! We played washers and red neck golf that we borrowed from C&A. The kids had a blast playing and Abby and Ally ate like there was no tomorrow. Abby ate a chicken leg and Ally stuffed her face with strawberries dipped in banana pudding! Dad didn't even come outside, of course. When we went inside to open gifts, Jack couldn't wait to give me his. Jeff had taken him shopping for me several days earlier and he was so excited. He was so good about not telling me what he bought but was chopping at the bit for me to open it. He wanted to open it for me so he did and handed me a long black spaghetti strap dress. It was so sweet! He was beaming from ear-to-ear and it absolutely made my day. He was so proud of himself! According to Jeff, he took him to Target and told him he could buy me anything he wanted. So of course he wanted to head to the toy section first. But Jeff explained to him that it had to be something Mommy would want (i.e. not a toy) so EVENTUALLY he gave up and started looking for Mommy things. We went down just about every aisle in that store and all of a sudden he said, "Daddy, stop!" and he pointed at this long black dress. He just KNEW I would like that. So they got it. When I said "Jack, I love it", he looked at Jeff and said "See Daddy, I told you!!!" So cute!!

After some encouragement from Mom, Monday I decided to try a little potty training with the girls. Right when they got up from their morning nap, I decided to sit each one down on the potty. First Abby went and she sat right there and peed! I couldn't believe it!! Then, I sat Ally down and she went too!!! I tried again before nap and Abby went again. That evening, they both went twice more. I was so excited! They thought it was funny and already want the toilet paper so they can wipe and Abby got some and tried to wipe Ally! This morning, we tried first thing and neither one went but tried again at Mom's when we got there and Ally went and then Abby about 30 minutes later. Then, Mom called me about 11:00 and said Abby was sitting on the potty and she thought she said "I'm done." She went in there and the girl had pooped!!! I went at lunch and bought some pull ups so it will be a little easier on Mom and me. I just hope this keeps up!!!

Odds and ends:
The kids have been so sick lately. Jack had a double ear infection and each girl had one and all 3 were running very high fevers. This lasted for a good 2-3 weeks. They are finally taking a turn for the better I think. We had alot of sleepless nights and alot of crying in our house. And, we're broke from all the doctor visits and meds! All weights are about they same because they lost weight while they were sick but are eating better now.

A&A are really repeating alot of words. They are growing up so fast!

Jack is really liking t-ball now. He hasn't cried in a while so we're hoping that's over. Last week was his last week at school. I just can't believe that we looked so forward to it and then had such a rough start and now it's over. They had a VERY cute Spring program that was 50's At the Hop and then we went on a field trip to the zoo. He finished the year great and we're really going to miss his teacher, Mrs. Unfried. She was great!!

As of next school year, I will be the Vice President of the Totten Hall School Board. Then, the next 3 yrs while the girls are in school, I'll be President! I hope I haven't gotten in over my head!!!

Last week, Jack and I also went to Emily's preschool graduation. She was so cute. I just can't believe these kids are this old...

I think that's it! Our 11th anniversary is Friday, we're having a yard sale on Saturday and camping next week. Life doesn't slow down!!!

Lots of cool stuff to look forward to...

We've got lots of fun things planned this summer and I wanted to capture them before it was too late:

• This weekend, Missy and Amanda are taking Chris and me SOMEWHERE for our anniversary. They won't tell us where we're going nor what we're doing and it's driving us crazy! All we know is that we're riding together and that our rooms are nearby. I have a pretty good feeling we're going to either Nashville or Bloomington because Missy didn't say "no" to either of those when I asked her about it. One thing Chris and I have realized during all of this is that girls and guys definitely have different goals when they plan an anniversary getaway like this! :)
• We just bought tickets to the Wiggles concert in Evansville in August! Jack will absolutely love it and we're trying to decide if we want to take the girls too. Missy didn't buy any tickets for them because they were like $40 each, so we're trying to figure out a way to get them in there for free (or at least very cheap). The free age cutoff is 12 months and the girls will be 23 months by then, but I think they'll look small enough and/or they're not going to give them a walking/talking test to prove how old they are. Our other option is to buy 2 cheap $18 tickets for them and let them sit on our laps... We'll see, I guess!
• We're going camping at KY Lake next weekend for Memorial Day and I can't wait!!! We still haven't been camping yet this year, so we're itching to get out there. We've had plans on 2 different weekends, but cancelled them because of rain. I hope I can talk Missy and Amanda into letting us rent a boat while we're there, because I'm dying to get out on the water! Missy's not as excited about camping this year because the girls are so mobile and we just don't have enough room for all 5 of us in that little pop-up. Hopefully we can find a way to get a bigger camper by next year.
• I'm sure there's much more we have going on, but that's all I can think of right now. Missy will add the rest in another post!

Good-Bye Pine Trees!!!

Well, I think I've finally convinced Missy to let me cut down those darn pine trees in the back of the house. We worked non-stop for 8 hours last weekend cleaning up the leaves and pine needles that accumulate under the trees back there, and I think that helped her realize how crappy of a job that is every year, and how cutting them down will really help. We filled at least 20 large trash bags full of leaves, twigs, and needles, and a whole trailer full of branches. Both of us were scraped, cut, and very sore from all the hard work. We had to take the kids to Lori's house for the day so we could work interrupted and not have to worry about what they were getting into.

My original plan was to cut them down and replant some smaller shrubs like the ones by the pool pump, but she was never really on board with that idea. Last weekend I offered to put up a privacy fence in place of the shrubs and she liked that idea much better. The reason those trees are such a pain is because all the leaves from our neighbors behind us blow into those trees and accumulate on the ground. If you don't clean them up in the spring before you open the pool, every little gust of wind blows leaves and pine needles into the pool which really clogs up the skimmer. By getting rid of all that crap, you can stay on top of the ones that do get through and keep the pool fairly clean. I think a privacy fence will be the best solution because it will block ALL the leaves and not even let them get onto our property! That way each spring, we'll just have a few leaves to clean up like we do each year around the rest of the landscaping. Then we're going to put some small flowers or shrubs between the metal fence and the privacy fence. That will look much better (Missy's main concern) and will be very low-maintenance (my main concern!). Now all we have to do is find someone who will remove 12, 40-50 foot pine trees for less than $1500! Fun, fun!

Cardinals Game Funny

We took Jack and Mom to a Cardinals game last weekend and Jack said something that was really funny! They were playing the Cubs and were down by 7 runs in the 7th inning. He had to pee, so I took him to the restroom. It was very crowded so we had to stand in line for 10-15 min. just to get into the bathroom. Just as it was our turn to enter the stalls, one of the guys in front of us looked back and saw Jack in his red Cardinals shirt and Cardinals hat and said "Don't worry buddy, the Cardinals will get 'em next time". Without skipping a beat and in the sweetest little voice, he said, "It's not over yet!!!" Just about every guy in there turned around to see who said that and was cracking up!!!!

I was very proud!