Five on Friday

1.

Tomorrow is our 6th wedding anniversary. 

We aren't huge into presents (correction: I am not huge into presents); we prefer to go the experience route. I would much rather go do something or go somewhere new than get a pair of earrings. My parents volunteered to watch the kids overnight so that we can get away and go do that something new. I have been looking forward to it all week!

2.

My newest addiction:

It's a TV show about exactly what you are thinking it is about. It's on Showtime so it is naturally racy, but after the first episode or so it settles down... a bit. It isn't just smut though - there are complex characters and story lines that keep you wanting to watch the next episode. But let's be honest, there ain't nothin' wrong with a little smut. 

Bonus: it is set in the 1950s, so that always adds an interesting dynamic - the hair, the clothes, the gender inequality...

And in case you are wondering, no, we do not get Showtime. In fact our cable package costs about 20 bucks and all winter I hear my sisters whine during their visits about how we don't even get ESPN. We use an amazing little site called CouchTuner and it is awesome. You can thank me later.

3.

From smut to the anti-smut...

I have been in a classic book reading mood lately. I have zero idea how I graduated high school having read hardly any classic novels, especially since I love to read and was in an English lit class every semester. I was forced to read Beowulf (shoot me now), but never picked up a copy of The Great Gatsby or The Grapes of Wrath.

In the past month I finished both of those books. I felt like I needed to read them. 

I need to be able to answer those Jeopardy questions! 

No, but really. 

I am glad I read them. And maybe it is a good thing that I am reading them now instead of 12 or more years ago. I don't know if I could have appreciated them fully as a teenager. Both books had excerpts where I got caught up in the writing, reflecting about life. I think that those parts would have sailed right over my clueless teenage head.

Next up, an Agatha Christie classic: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

I have heard it referred to as one of the greatest mystery novels of all-time. I am looking forward to reading my first Christie novel.

4.

Random outdoor photos

5.

That's it, folks. 

My uneventful life is tapped out at 4 subjects this week. I am off to sneak in an episode of my aforementioned guilty pleasure while Jared is out drinking a beer with our neighbors. 

Happy Weekend!

Tee ball

This week marked the first week of t-ball for Bailey and Avery. 

And also my first ever experience in coaching. Granted it's a bunch of 3 and 4 year-olds, so "coaching" loosely means teaching one child to hit the ball while the rest of the kids draw stick figures in the dirt.

But that is the fun of it. 
It's no serious thing. Just a bunch of kids learning some (very basic) basics and having some good ole-fashioned fun outside. I coach with one other parent and he is laid back and chill, so we get along great. Neither of us truly knows what we are doing, so we improvise. It's all good.

Avery is probably a bit too young for all of it really, seeing as she just turned three last month. But since her sister was doing it, there was absolutely no point in pretending she would be okay sitting on the sidelines. As a rule, if Sister is doing it, Avery is too.

Their favorite part is batting (isn't everyone's?) so they were cheesing it up for the camera this afternoon, practicing their swings. 
When it comes to all this new t-ball stuff, Avery carefully watches how Sister does it.

And then they had to hug because that is what they do when they are excited about anything. 
(Last week at the zoo: "Look Avery, it's a shark! YAY!" *jumping hug*)
So far so good. Other than the fact that Avery has already begged me to stop being her coach, they seem to be liking tee ball. And what is not to like? New shirt, hanging out with friends, making dirt angels in the infield? A total blast, right?

being a bad blogger

Summer has {basically} arrived and blogging has slipped to the bottom of my list. 
I think of things I want to blog about, I formulate ideas and sentences in my head, but they don't really come to fruition. In the past my usual blogging time took place during nap time or at night after Jared left for work, which is after 10 PM. 

But lately other things have taken precedence. 
I started back on the whole weight loss journey. (Yes, again...) At the beginning of April I started to work out 5-6 days a week without fail. I found a great fitness site on YouTube that I love, so it's easy to work out in the comfort of my own living room just by hooking up our Ipad to the TV. At the end of April I added in calorie counting along with the workouts. I use MyFitnessPal (MFP). I downloaded the app on the phone and it is a breeze to use. It was a bit of a shock to see what actual portions are, but I know I needed to learn that. After being all over the map weight-wise for the last 5 years due to the pregnancies and constant pumping/breastfeeding, it was time to rediscover what my body needs and get back in shape.

It's been almost two months and I have happy to report I have lost 9 pounds. 
Yep, that sounds like not much.
And most days it feels like not much, too. 
But I feel stronger and am making better decisions when it comes to food. I am not super strict about my diet, but by using MFP, I can see what extra work it takes for that brownie or a night spent drinking a few beers with friends. I am not a person who is going to severely restrict calories - I love food! - so working out regularly and counting calories is what I'm going with. 

But by making working out a priority, other things take the back burner - like blogging. 
And the dishes. 
And the huge mess that is our living room by the time afternoon naps roll around. 
So now instead of blogging or doing the dishes during that hour or so of peace, I am jumping and pressing and lunging my butt off... hopefully in a literal sense. 
If any of you out there use MFP, feel free to add me as a friend. It's nice to have friends for support and encouragement and vise- versa.

Also distracting me from blogging is the call of the outdoors. There is weeding to do and the lawn has needed mowed about every 4 days or so lately. We have outside projects we are working on and kids are constantly outside doing something.
Plus it seems like every summer we want to cram in tons of fun stuff into three short months - hence the Summer Bucket List.

This past Friday was the Omaha Zoo.
We have gone every year since Bailey was born.

The Omaha aunts came along and made the day more fun.
Plus it's always nice to take shifts with those bulky, weighed-down strollers.

Gala Days 2014

parade time

Riding around with their friend Gwen in the backseat.
Who knows - this might be happening about 12 years from now, only I doubt Bailey will be driving a convertible. (Sorry girls.)

Kiddie games

 Three & Four year-old egg toss champions

Carnival rides

 Street dance with my favorite drinking pals

my new favorite picture

I think this technically qualifies for a WTF Wednesday post since all three kids are looking at the camera and no one is crying - that is a definite WTF. 

But it's too sweet to label that way. 

These kids love their Papa.
And Grandma Sherri too.

We rode a few rounds in the tractor with her. I'm sure that tractor cab has never seen such action.

A five-person selfie - now that is talent!

weekend construction

Three small children have been anxiously awaiting the arrival and eventual building of a playset for their very own backyard, so Jared and I set out to tackle the project around 10 AM on Saturday morning. 

Unpacking the box and eyeing all the wood pieces - plus about 30-some odd bags of nuts, bolts, screws, and washers -was a little overwhelming.

Before my coffee I was thinking,
 All this is supposed to become this??

Apparently so.
After refueling on coffee, we were officially ready to enter construction mode.

We took a wrong turn on Phase 1 (of 7,394 20) and didn't find out until a while later. Whoops. Some improvising worked, as it would throughout the rest of the day. 
The main rule of constructing something that came in a compact box bought from Wal-Mart: ingenuity is your friend.

We spent a total of 8 hours on this bad boy. 

I am proud to say that Jared and I did it ourselves with zero help from others - unless you count the "help" the girls were more than happy to offer up in the form of mixing up bolts and swinging a big mallet.
I can't be 100% sure, but I don't think either of us even offered up a swear word. 
Can you believe it?
And it was a good thing we were both working on it, too. Not only did it make the process go even faster, but with vague directions and less-than-optimal diagrams, a second set of eyes definitely came in handy.

About every 5 minutes for the whole 8 hours, one of the girls came to inquire if the slide was ready yet. 
*sigh* 
If only it could be ready in 5 minutes. 
Or even an hour. 
Or even 6 hours!

But the important thing is that we got it together. And it's a big bonus that Jared and I were still speaking to each other as the last screw was drilled in. The kids wasted no time and were climbing all over it the second we finished building it.

 The excitement on Avery's face sums up just how pumped they all were.

And believe me, after only one day the fights over who gets what swing and who gets to slide first have already begun. 
Oh well, bring on the outdoor fun!

Mama's Day 2014

Those of you who know me know that I am a pretty simple person when it comes to holidays like Valentine's Day or Mother's Day.

I am a big believer in doing something thoughtful and personal.

Personally, I would much rather have a handwritten letter or an hour of someone's time as opposed to a gift. Don't get me wrong, gifts can be nice, but I appreciate the thought and emotion that can go into homemade gifts or time spent with a friend or loved one.

Every year for my birthday - starting at the age of 7 - my grandma Joyce took me (as well as all my sisters and cousins) shopping. Just me and her. She gave me some birthday money, as did my other grandparents and my parents. We went to stores together and picked out things for me to buy with my birthday money. She made sure I got practical items like clothes, but she also helped me pick out fun things too. And I got to pick where I wanted to eat for lunch. That was huge as a kid! I remember always looking forward to those trips so much. 

That one-on-one time with my grandma was so special to me. 

It still is.

It didn't cost her anything but lunch (and trust me, a 7 year-old's tastes are not expensive) and her time. 

Someone's time is such a luxury today. 

An hour (or three) with a friend over margaritas.

A card in the mail just because she saw it, laughed, and thought of you.

A phone call to catch up just because.

They don't cost much, but they mean a lot.

To this day my favorite presents from Jared haven't even been presents. 

They are notes written in funny cards, referencing one of our various inside jokes. 

They are letters written on big days in our lives - like the day of our engagement or the birth of a child. 

They are breakfasts in bed after I've been able to sleep in a little bit later than normal. 

They are a clean house with supper in the oven. 

I have gotten a bit off topic...

I think the point I am trying to make is that I think we sometimes take the meaning out of holidays. Just like Christmas, we focus on the purchasing of a gift and less on why we are celebrating to begin with. Tell your mom you love her. Spend some time with her. Or at least call her. I guarantee that means more than flowers do. 

And speaking of flowers... Here are the little-somethings the kids made for both grandmas.  

I wasn't sure how the hand print portion would go, but they turned out surprisingly well.

The girls weren't overly creative with the reasons why they love each grandmas - most involved mention of the particular toys they have at their houses. But they sure were excited to hand them over to Grandma Sherri and pack them up in the mail for Grandma Cathy. 

I hope all you moms out there had a fabulous day spent with your loved ones!

our week in pictures

The past week has gone by in a flash. Jared's mom was here visiting which usually guarantees we are out and about doing things, plus the weather was gorgeous. It was prime time to be outside. 

Enjoy some of our pictures of planting, playing, and popsicles. 

Oh, and Avery dressed like she's expecting a blizzard any minute.

Avy Jo turns 3

Avery turned 3 years old today.

We celebrated her on Sunday with a Hello Kitty themed party at our house.
And here most people are probably thinking, Hello Kitty? Really?
Yeah, I kinda agree - not my fave - but Avery was insistent upon a Hello Kitty cake so I went with it.

She was one happy girl.
Party dress? Check
Bow in hair? Check.
Pile of presents? Check.
Long-awaited cake ready? With candles? Check. and check.

I can't even begin to guess how many random people Avery had told about her Hello Kitty cake in the weeks proceeding her birthday party. 
But it was a lot. 
It was the main topic of discussion. 
So when the cake was finally placed in front of her and she knew she would get to eat it soon - it was almost too much. She was clenching her little fists and shaking with the excitement. 
Sister loves her cake. 

She was smiles and giggles all day, with the exception of when Bailey overstepped her bounds and instead of helping Avery open her presents, she tried to open them on her own.

"It's not your birthday, Sister! It's MY BIRTHDAY!"

(And of course the one time we weren't recording the usual boring birthday present opening, something funny actually happens.)

It was a little diva-ish even for Avery, but we let it slide since it was her birthday after all. Plus she had heard us telling Graham the same phrase to coax him away from the presents earlier.

All was better as soon as Bailey realized she got a pair of sunglasses to match the ones Avery received.

Avery knows how to play it cool.

We had a fun day spent with family. Avery - well, all of us actually - is blessed to have so many people that make the effort to be here for the days that are important in the life of a 3 year-old. And the really important days almost always include cake.


Avery's 1st birthday
Avery's 2nd birthday

summer bucket list 2014

Summer is quickly approaching and I don't know about you, but we have had warm weather thoughts on the brain for weeks. We have lots of things we want to do this summer. Some we have done before or do every year (spend week at the cabins with family, boating) and some are things we want to do for the first time (visit Okoboji, host a 4th of July get-together). 

Two years ago I saw the idea to create a seasonal family bucket list so I made one of my own. I have done a couple others, but it always seems like summer and fall are the times when I have more items on our fun to-do list.

Yesterday I did a short brainstorming session and came up with a few ideas for our Summer Bucket List board. I wanted to pick things that we wouldn't be doing by default like we do every year - like watching a parade or swimming at the lake. I am hoping some fun ideas of things to do will help us not waste a free day or even just an afternoon; instead we can go about checking an item off our list.

Most of them are easily do-able, even if a little planning is involved. 

The "spend a night in a camper" one is the one I am feeling a little doubtful about. 

I can't imagine a night in a camper with three young children will be very restful. 

Or even fun. 

Probably memorable... just maybe not in a good way!

But I am willing to try since Jared is all for it.

The girls are already excited for a few of the activities. They have already started asking when we can go have a picnic at a park. And Avery will be receiving a kite for her birthday, so I know that kite-flying will be a frequent feature in the upcoming weeks. Now that our kids are another year older and we aren't slaves to nap times and routine quite as much, I hope that we can do even more fun things together. 

I have two blank spots. 

Any fun activities I didn't think of?

Please feel free to share any ideas in the comments. :)