Things I don't want to forget

Just a list of some random things that I don't want to forget.

We made these the other night.  They were messy, but oh so good! 

Back during the summer I started making up stories to tell the kids each night before bed.  I always stopped at a really suspenseful part in the story and made them wait until the next day to hear what happened.  Our recent story was one with purple magic beetles.  It's my dad's fault really, he is the one who always told me these kind of crazy stories when we were on road trips.  The boys LOVE the stories, in fact they beg for them every night.  I also try to read actual stories with the kids.  We recently finished Charlottes Web and I just started the Boxcar Children (which Shawn keeps calling the Indian Children because sometimes he is just a dork like that:))

It was my week to teach preschool last week.

I volunteer in the library at the boys school on Thursday (with Cole's class) and Friday (with Ethan's class).  It has been fun and I really love to see my kids at school with their friends.

Shawn and I made the dreaded trip to the DMV.  We are now officially Wisconsin residents.  When we were checking in the lady asked me if I was from Utah.  I was confused and wondered if I should know this person, but she continued to tell me she could tell by my accent.  We've lived outside Utah for almost 8 years and no one has ever told me that I had a Utah accent until now.  I wonder what a Utah accent sounds like??

We are on the countdown until Shawn's boards.  In a few days we will head down to Chicago for the big exam!  The kids are I are coming along and we plan to stay in the hotel and swim all day and jump across the beds.  I will be so glad (and Shawn will too) when the test is over.  Lots of STRESS, STUDY, and COKE!!

The boys are in swimming lessons again.  They love swimming.  The classes are held at the middle school and parents can't watch, so I just drop the boys off at the locker room door and pick them up 40 minutes later.  It is kind of weird to just leave them, but they seem to be having fun.

Liv and I have been spending lots of time at the Fabric store (that's my latest obsession, sorry Shawn!)  Today another customer in the store came up and asked me if I was a Designer.  I must look like I know my way around a fabric store or something.  After proclaiming that I'm not a designer we talk for a while and I gave her my advice, but who knows if it was good or not.  But I do have lots of great projects/crafts/sewing things in mind.

Liv has been cutting all her dolls hair off (with Cole's help).  At first she just gave them all bangs, but now they are all bald!  I guess it is better than cutting her own hair off.

Cole had his first school field trip and bus ride to the Neiman Markets.  I kept thinking his teacher said they were going to Neiman Marcus for a field trip and I thought that was weird.  Turns out the Neiman Markets are a nice big apple orchard.

The boys are into painting things.  Recently they painted their light savers, Nerf guns, and frisbees.  So tonight for FHE I actually bought them something they are supposed to paint.  We don't have too many halloween decorations so I thought a halloween craft would be fun.

Ethan named his "the dragon of death", Cole's is "the rainbow soldier", and Liv named her's "Wendy the witch."

Tonight the kids all got their flu shots and then after we took them out to Five Guys for dinner because we are cool like that :)  But none of my kids like french fries.  I think that is crazy, isn't that usually the thing that all kids will eat??

And I think I'll end this post with a recent picture of the kids.  I think I just might have to frame this one.

and this one

Weekend Fun!

We hired out some workers this weekend

Planted lots of tulips

Took a fall drive

Flooded the toliet (old home + 3 kids = flooded toilets).  Sorry, no picture of that!

Finally cut our "grassheads" hair

Watched conference :)

Got out all Halloween decorations.

Made some headbands, hair clips, and a cute necklace for Liv

Ten Years Baby!!!

Today we are celebrating TEN years of marriage!  

It's kind of crazy and amazing!

(picture courtesy of Ethan.  It's a little blown out and wasn't my favorite, but out of the ten that he took only three were in focus and this was the only one with both our eyes open and looking at the camera, Oh well!)

Fall Walk

I've waited the past three years to enjoy Fall and it's finally here!!  I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying this beautiful weather, even the smell of the fall leaves when I open the window make me happy.

"Try"-athalon

Someday I hope to be writing that I completed my first triathlon, it's on the bucket list, but this post is actually about my boys. At school on Friday they held a mini "Try"-athalon, that is what they called is because they wanted everyone to "Try" it.  They did their swimming race in the gym, which wasn't actually swimming but doing laps on the little roller boards.  Cole had to do 3 laps, while Ethan had to do 5 laps.

Next, they headed outside for the jump rope competition.  Cole had to complete 50 jump ropes and Ethan had to complete 150.  Cole preferred to just run while spinning the jump rope, and whether or not he actually jumped the rope he really didn't care :)

Last, they finished with a run.  Cole was supposed to complete three laps, but after one he said he was sooo done.  Ethan ran 3 complete laps and was exhausted.  Ethan was sure he took second and that he beat the fasted kid in the school.

After all the hard work they kids got to play and relax while enjoying some popsicles and fruit.  It was fun!

Liv's 1st day

I'm sitting here in an empty house. 

All my kids are at school....it's weird.  

Here is Liv ready for her first day of preschool this morning.  

1st day

I woke up this morning at 6:10 to someone shaking my shoulder.  I looked up and found Ethan, all showered and dressed, saying it was time for school.  I told him to go back to bed, but instead he went and woke up Cole.  So we started off early this morning, and to think I was worried about getting up and ready in time.  It was a rainy morning walk to school.  It is a good thing we live right across the street from the school.  Ethan was SOOOO angry, I mean really angry that I wanted to walk with him to school.  So he and Cole walked way ahead and I think that made him feel better.

Ethan has his new air jordans on, which he is SOOO proud of.  When we bought them Shawn had a little bit of a flashback because he had shoes just like it when ye was younger.  Cole has the cutest white and green nike shoes.  Cole is obsessed with the color green and a few weeks ago we walked into a footlocker store and he saw these shoes.  He had to have them, and I think they are so darn cute.

The boys have lockers, which I think is cute.

Cole's teacher seems great (she even has three boys of her own all under 5), so I'm thinking she will be great for him.  We did have to purchase a nap mat for him as part of his school supplies and I had to laugh thinking "ya right, Cole nap??".  I hoping she is more successful than I am with quiet time. Cole even lucked out and is on the green table.

Noticed the little cut on Cole's chin.  He had a shaving accident last night.  About 30 minutes after we put the kids to bed Cole came downstairs crying with blood dripping from his chin.  When we asked what happened he said that he wanted to shave, like dad, to be ready for school in the morning.

The Elementary school is really old, almost 100 years old, so it has four levels.  Ethan's classroom is on the second level.  His teacher seems wonderful and he is so excited.  He keeps talking about sneaking away to find the basement.

Shawn called me one of "those" moms.  I think he was a little embarrassed of all my pictures.  When we got home it was just me and Liv (and Shawn for a few more minutes until he left).  It was quiet, and wierd.  But I'm sure I can adjust to it quickly.  Two out of my three kids will be gone every day from 8-3pm, and Liv has preschool two days a week also.  This is a new kind of motherhood for me, but I'm embracing it with a smile :)

And don't you worry about Liv feeling left out. You might think she sat by the window and waited all day,

but today was her first day of dance class.  Her teacher asked for all the girls to wear their hair up.  Liv's hair doesn't go up very well (all those unruly curls) but we did our best.  She came home a little disappointed because they only did ballet today and she really wanted to wear her loud tap shoes.