"To INFINITY and Beyond!"

I tell Chris that I will love him for a thousand years more (yeah know, like in the song...). So, while Chris was in Tampa, he went into Tiffany to browse a bit and came home with a little surprise, an infinity bracelet. You see, his love has no limit...:) I love it. Funny, the last thing he gave me from Tiffany was on his last business trip. Hum, I wonder if every trip he will bring me a little something from Tiffany?

I love it! And, I will love you to infinity and beyond, Chris!

Party for Daddy

Happy Birthday Daddy, finally! On Sunday afternoon, we had long awaited cake and ice cream to celebrate Chris' birthday last Friday. I had given him several things and Chris had bought himself a lot, but the kids had not given him their gifts yet. We invited Chris' parents over too. Alivia gave Chris a gift card to Panera, Addison gave him a big bag of peanut butter M&Ms and Asher gave him so stylish flip flops (fancy ones that I approve of). Chris bought himself a kayak, a nice new watch, a new wardrobe (needed more than a birthday gift really), and I think that is all, I think. I gave him a gift card to my favorite running shoe store, Peak Performance in Bellevue, for new shoes running shoes, my trip to see him in Florida whether he liked it or not :), and the spring clean up. In the end, he fared pretty well despite not getting his desired Jeep (but I am sure that will come soon enough). Happy Birthday, Chris! And many more...

Spring Clean Up

As a surprise to Chris (and also as one of his many birthday presents), I hired the trenching, gutters removed and buried and re mulching to be done by Jake at Little Annie's Nursery. Yes, Chris could do this. But really, he was home this weekend in the rain, next weekend, and then he may have to leave for Florida again the next weekend. I do not want him spending his valuable time at home working the yard the entire time. Now, it is done! Looks so much better. Jake still has a few things left to do for us, but no rush now. The surprise is out of the box, and Chris is so appreciative!

He's Back

The kids and I picked up Chris at the airport tonight at 7pm. I drove up curb side, opened the door, and sent the kids inside where I saw Chris standing waiting for his bag. The kids ran to him and gave him a big hug! I wish I could have taken a picture of it, but I was already illegally parking curb side. I could not wait to give him a big hug. We surprised him with a little treat of Mama's pizza and onion rings, his favorites.

He arrived at home saying how weird it was to be back. He was developing a new routine in Florida, one that he did not particularly like. On the drive home, he noted how green everything had gotten. Funny, some of our trees bloomed and were done in the time he was gone. Today, as a surprise to him (for his birthday and for being away), I had the yard trenched and re mulched. Chris did it before, but it is a time consuming task. Considering he has only 2 weekends at home before he may have to travel back to Florida, I did not want him wasting his time trenching. He can do that next year, right? He was thrilled to see it all done, and the results are beautiful. I had the remaining 4 gutters buried, too, giving the backyard a cleaner look (and easier to mow no less). I will try and post pictures as I get them loaded.

Chris also kept saying how big everything was...the house, the trees, the kids, and luckily he stopped there. I would not want him to be able to tell that I kept eating the almond M&Ms all by myself. 

After putting the kids to bed, Chris and I had only a short hour to ourselves before I was off to work. That was no fun at all. I will not be able to sit with him again until Sunday afternoon as I work all weekend, Saturday a 12 hour shift (I found someone to work the first 4 hours for me Friday so I could pick Chris up at the airport, bringing me down to a mere 8 hour shift). I am thinking an email to my boss about cutting down on my hours is in my near future since Chris may be traveling more than he even knows at this point.

We are thankful for his safe travels home and for having him at home. We will keep him as long as we can.

What I Learned in Florida

I may not have been in Florida long, but I learned a lot from my short stay. First of all, I was there for a visit, but also to see if I could live there if Chris got a job there. So, perhaps I observed more than most vacationers, but these things were all pretty obvious, even to me, which is not saying much. But anyway, here it goes.

* People in Florida use their horns more than they do they wheels (and I did not think that was possible).

* Clearly, running outside along the street is for the crazy and life risking people. The sidewalks are like paper thin and if you are not paper thin, u risk getting an arm ripped off by a Ferrari who thinks it is okay to go supersonic speeds in a 35mph zone. Are people in Florida sedentary, risk takers, or does everyone just run on the beach or treadmill? Just saying.

* The weather is so beautiful that I can see why older people flock there. Funny, I did not see many older people, so few that I really started looking for them without any luck! Perhaps older people do not hang out in naked bars (ha ha, there are a few of those in FL too...not that I visited them, but I did note them) or on the beach, or maybe, Florida just wants older people to flock there so they say that, or you never really get old if you live in Florida. Wait, that is it!

* Florida (or at least Tampa) streets are made really stupid. Come on, no turning lanes? 2 lanes with that kind of congestion? Who the hell thought of that?! We have 3-4 lanes in NEBRASKA and we have at least 1/2 as many people (but probably more elderly). Traffic lights are like a millisecond. So really, one has to speed like a bullet (perhaps explaining the Ferrari's actions in *2) to get through a stoplight. And, you will probably be stopped too many times to count because someone is turning left and there are not turning lanes unless at an intersection. Oh, come on people...check out the rock star roads in the state of Nebraska. And, we complain about them!

* And, last but not least, it clearly does not matter what you wear on the beach in Florida. There are mirrors in the state because there were at least 2 of them in the hotel room. I was chilling on the beach in Clearwater and just lifted my head to reposition in the sand. I gasped, out loud (so loud, in fact, that Chris looked up and gasped out loud too!), at the girl leaning over RIGHT in front of me in a flesh colored swimming suit. Ugh, it was not a pleasant sight. See, days later I am still gagging! Where are the pretty, fine looking people? I am no looker, but I know what NOT to wear on a beach in front of real people, at least in the daylight. I look as white as a ghost, but I remained clothed for most of the morning so I would not blind people with my whiteness. I just wished some on the beach would have been so kind as to cover their behind, or at least not stick it so close to my face. 

And, with all of this said, I would still move there. I know, crazy right? The weather is amazing! Nobody will argue with me that Nebraska has some crazy weather, 92 and then I have to run my furnace within days of one another. Chris keeps telling me how beautiful it is everyday as I am so cold cocoa does not seem to take the chill off.

But, our home is here, in the lovely state of Nebraska. So, I will continue to complain about potholes and love my turning lanes. 

The End.

Kids Club in Shadow Lake

Today Kids Club of Shadow Lake (an hour of fun held once a month in Shadow Lake) was held at Red Robin. Asher was excited to make a mini cheeseburger, which turned out to be a huge cheeseburger. They cooked it and the kids could put on their own toppings. He selected his side of fries and his drink of chocolate milk, all included (for free I may add). His friends Keegan and Will were there, too, making it all the more fun. He clearly worked up an appetite in his little YMCA exercise class he had beforehand because he ate his entire cheeseburger!

This is a monthly event he looks forward to attending! Crafts, food and fun. What more can a kid ask for?

Cheeseburger with pickles and ketchup, side of fries. Yummy! Life is good.

New Shadow Lake Visitor

Have you seen the new visitor to Shadow Lake? We have seen him twice in 2 days. The weird thing is that he seems to be alone. Hummm. Anyway, kinda cool. Well, introducing...

Mr Wild Turkey. We have seen him by the first entrance into the Shadow Lake neighborhood off of 72nd St.

Why I Despise Facebook

Yeah, I got back on Facebook during my trip to Florida as it was the only way I knew of to reach someone I knew in the area. I got a hold of her, too. So, I guess it is effective in that respect.

But really, there are so many other reasons to really despise Facebook. No offense, but I keep a small group of friends. I would like to delete all my facebook "friends" expect those people. I do not care to see much of the stuff I see and hear about on there. Really? So annoying. I have tried to edit it, but I keep seeing this crap. I don't know these people; they don't know me. And, some of the people I know but I really wish I didn't.

The way I look at it is I have 2 options: delete like everyone or just get off.

I am choosing the later, but I have deleted or nearly deleted many. I have only been back on Facebook a week and I am already utterly annoyed. I will keep my page in case I need to get a hold of someone or someone wants to get a hold of me. Other than that, my real friends know to call me. Otherwise, they are not my real friends anyway.

Enough said.

CHRIS!!

Okay...today was the day I wanted to run around yelling "CHRIS!" all day. Not that it would have mattered, but I was just done, for whatever reason.

For one, I do believe the airplane gave me more than a ride home. I have head congestion, a nice headache to go with that, and a deep sore throat. Keep in mind, I do have allergies, so I usually have a scratchy throat. But this head thing is more than doing me in. And, it is close to my special time, too, which makes me an emotional wreck anyway. So, CHRIS! :)

Today Alivia went to school without issue, excited to get back to her version of normal. Addsion, Asher and I had little plans for the day. First, Addison's friend Kaitlyn came over during the time her Mom and little brother went to Kindergarten round up. Kailtyn even went to Asher's swim class with us. Asher got an A+ in swim class for his great effort. He is REALLY trying. It is so cute! He is SO QUIET (which he is so NOT at home), which made his teacher just love him. She asked if the girls were like he was, polite and quiet, and I quickly said,  "No!" The librarian from the girls' elementary school (whose little girl is in Asher's swim class) chimed in to report the girls are, in fact, quiet and polite in school. Alivia I pretty much knew that, in school, but Addison. Really? It is always nice to hear good things about your kids for once.

Anyway, after Kaitlyn went home, we had lunch and just chilled for a bit. The kids played outside, then rode in the jeep, before Addison's friend Kate came to play until Arts for All class that they go to together. Addison and her friend Kate have been taking an art class through Arts For All in Bellevue since January. It is $100 and she goes for 4 months. She likes it, and they make really cute, creative things. I don't know how Kate feels about it, but Addison feels sometimes it may be a bit long (like 3 months may have been better). This is probably due to our abnormal warm spring. Normal years the timing is probably right on.

The kids played, we picked up Alivia from school, and they played some more. It was a pleasant day in the 60's, but windy. My camera is taking a dump, so I did not get many pictures. By the time the camera decides to turn on, the moment has past. Come on, I am taking pictures of kids here, not still life!

After art came pick up. This is where I really hit the wall (if I had not hit it before). The car seat back came off and I have not a clue how to put it on. I mean, I have before, but I rarely move it, so I have not had to put in on in years. I was near tears trying to get it back together (like I said, I am on an emotional roller coaster, so nothing trips me up). When the kids were done with art, I had rearranged all the seats in the van so that Addison had a backless one. Seriously. It will remain backless until at least Friday, when Chris returns.

Then, rush home, slam some cereal in 5 minutes (seriously, that is all we had for time) and rush to Alivia's first communion parent/child meeting. It was an hour long, but Father did an awesome job. I felt bad for Addison and Asher who just could not bare to stay awake a minute longer.

A quick treat of ice cream, home, shower, bed = one more day down. Really? I am so lucky I did not marry someone who left me alone a lot. It would never work for me. Oh yeah, we would not have 3 kids, we would have 1. The 2 and 3 would have never happened. Alone with one for very long and I would have been happy as a clam with just one little blessing. I am learning a lot from having Chris away.

* I need to be more independent: I can not do many man jobs anymore (where I used to rock at all of them). Seriously, I can not even work a carseat independently.
* I need to cut back on activities when alone, to save my energy if anything else. Today, I over did it. It was constant. It is 9 and at least an hour past my bedtime.
* I need to sleep.

And with that, good night.

Addi and Asher on their make shift Teeter Totter (they want me to buy them one).

No Deal

The decision has been made, Chris will not be accepting the job in Florida. It is a long story. The job just was not the right fit and was not worth moving for. Chris will continue to work on the contract out of Florida for a while, but out of the local office, perhaps buying him more time for the local office to come up with somethign for him. Now we can move forward on the spring clean up. Yeah. With all of this said, waking up to the crisp, cold Nebraska air in the house made me dream of Florida.

Now...onwards to the next step, whatever that is.

So Long Spring Break

Today was the last day of spring break for Alivia. Addison has one more day due to Kindergarten round up. I had big plans for today, but they were not well thought out I guess. I wanted to go to the OCM, but they are closed on Mondays. So, we did what we did last Monday. We went to Zumba, then swimming at the YMCA. The kids love swimming at the YMCA and were thrilled when I suggested it. After swimming, we came home for lunch before Alivia had her friend Zoe over to play (Zoe showed up at 8am this morning to pick up Alivia for school, not knowing there was not school. Alivia was still asleep!). The kids played inside, then they played outside while I unsuccessfully trimmed. (Okay, I tried to trim the backyard, but just made it around the fence before breaking the string. I have no idea how to refeed the string, and I have no idea where it is kept. That is my story and I am sticking to it. Trimming is heavy, hard work for this 100 pound chick!). We took a bike ride, went to the library and then to Walmart to pick up photo thank you cards. Before long, it was time for dinner followed by soccer practice. The day was over before we knew it. Chris tucked the kids into bed via the phone tonight. They are really missing him at this point, especially Alivia.

Today was the first day I really had to step it up as far as doing Chris' duties. First, I unsuccessfully trimmed. I also found myself removing a tick (yes, seriously disgusting! But, on a positive note, the tick was not stuck to anything or anyone. So, I guess it could have been worse). I am pretty sure I would have done that anyway as it was during Chris' typical workday when I found the thing. Moving on...I then had to clean the fish tank. This is Chris' job as Chris bought the fish. I did not want a fish, so he can clean it. He has cleaned it every week, until now. I almost forgot to feed the fish until at least the 3rd day Chris was gone. Well, I guess this fish can go 12 days without eating, so he lived through that mistake. I will probably mow another time before Chris returns, but I do not believe I will give trimming another shot. It looks good enough. The 2 weeks away are taking a toll, so it is time for Chris to return. :)

All good things have to come to an end. We will miss Alivia tomorrow, but we are thankful that they get a spring break. Now, it is time to start making some summer break plans!

Playing rings with Alivia (Funny, Asher said he wanted to play with the necklaces!).

Addison splashing, I mean swimming.

Asher making pool soup.

Addison, sitting still.

Warming up

Shared Bike ride.

Alivia & Zoe

Addi at the library, our new hangout.

Easter 2012

I tried to carry on the normal Easter Traditions the best I could this Easter. I arrived back home just after midnight, just in time for Easter. I jumped into Bunny mode, unsure if I would be the first one awake. After a quick shower, I was out.

Easter morning arrived a little too early for me. But, I got up and got the kids moving forward so we could get to 7:30 Mass. Grandma Kathy had stayed overnight and went to Mass with us. It was a cool morning, but the kids did okay. They jumped up, checked out their Easter Baskets full candy, PJs, new swimming suits and more, ate a little breakfast, before heading off to Mass where they sat pretty good for the hour Mass.

After Mass and a couple pictures by the lake, we were back home for the big Egg Hunt. This year, the Easter bunny dropped gold $1 coins into the eggs. The kids were really excited about their coins, too, and candy, of course. Funny, I asked the kids what Easter was all about on the way to Mass. Asher screamed "CANDY!" before Addison could say the real meaning of Easter. She studies up on her Bible almost every night before bed. I guess that is working!

The egg hunt was in the backyard with Alivia having the pink eggs, Addison the purple eggs, and Asher the blue eggs. I put Chris on Skype and tried to follow the kids around skyping, which I found completely difficult. If anything else, Chris could hear the kids scream as they found the egg in the silliest of all places.

Soon it was time to leave for my parents in Iowa. The kids were really excited, like they had not been there in a long time (and they just spent 2 nights there!). We arrived to see Great Aunt Marsha and my parents ready to start dinner. Grandma Marci was unfortunately not up for the drive today.

Dinner was wonderful followed by another fun Easter Egg Hunt outside in the semi warm yet super windy conditions and a scavenger hunt inside. The kids had a lot of fun. They played away the rest of the day while the adults caught up on life and relaxed. After dessert, it was time to head for home.

We were not home an hour and Addison had fallen asleep. I tried to wake her to no avail. She had a fun filled day, as did we all. We missed Chris and talked to him often. Next year we will have to make Easter extra special!

Skype with Daddy.

Asher, holding his tag as he relaxes.

Alivia

Addison

See the egg?

The girls got new outfits, sticker books (that Addison just LOVES!) and tattoos.

Asher got a new Soccer shirt, monster trucks and tactors!

More Sugar!