Ava during her first egg hunt -- 4/11/2009
Ava and her eggs
Connor with his eggs
Val, Ava and Connor with their baskets
The kids after dying eggs for 2 minutes.
It’s been a busy but fun winter. We spent Christmas here with Grandma Gail and the Standley’s. Finn was fun to play with. The kids and I went to Minneapolis over spring break and stayed with Grandma Gail and Leah and Harold. Leah is due with a girl in August! We spent time with Mel and her boys, Tami and her boys, and Christine. For Easter, we stayed at home and I made ham and mom’s creamy cheesy hashbrowns. Doug wanted a pecan pie and the kids wanted too much of their Easter candy.
I arranged for an impromptu egg hunt, and it was nice to have all the neighbors together–everyone saying how it’s weird that we don’t know each other very well! Maybe this summer I can plan a barbeque.
I’ve been teaching BodyFlow and BodyStep at a new gym, Racquet Club. We all love it. Connor and Val took swimming lessons there this winter, and Ava has made some little girl friends in the junior gym. I love that the kids get exercise when we’re there.
Dawn is being induced tomorrow — we’ll soon have a new niece or nephew! 
It’s been a nice weekend with Doug and the kids. We ate a turkey dinner on Thursday for lunch, and today basically finished all the leftovers. Connor is my little Norwegian, being the only child to eat his lefse and lingonberries. We sorted toys to make room for Christmas presents, brought some clothes to the city mission, and I got to spend today bumming around by myself in the Haymarket (the new bookstore is awesome!), Burlington Antiques, and Scout.
Val and I have been reading his first chapter book together, “Star Wars, the Clone Wars.” It’s fun to have him sit and read with me again, as he seemed to lose interest there for awhile. He likes to follow along with his finger. Ava and Connor still like to read the kiddie books, so it’s nice to have this new pasttime with Val.
Tomorrow, I’ll teach BodyFlow and try to get the Christmas stuff up. I wanted to send out Christmas Cards to get them out of the way, but I don’t feel like addressing all the envelopes this weekend. Maybe next? We’ll see.
Here are some new pictures from the photo shoot in October.
Connor (4) and Val (6)
Ava (2)
It’s finally fall break. It’s my favorite break because I’m not bogged down with Christmas prep and I can enjoy my favorite season. The trees are so gorgeous right now. I love looking out my big front window to see the yellow Concord grape leaves and my maple tree turning every color from orange to red.
We took the little bike and scooter on a quick walk today. Even though the thermometer said it was 55 degrees, the gusty wind made it very cold. So, we made it to the corner (about two blocks) and turned back. Ava was “so cold, too cold,” or so she kept repeating as I carried her snuggled into my shoulder. The boys loved racing way ahead, though, and when we turned around, Val said it was the “boringest walk ever.”
I went to the Antique show at the Fairgrounds today. I wish I could just drop $1000 on cool things like old railroad china and cool vases and chests and things. Plus all the great jewelry! There were some ruby rings to die for!
I finally get to teach some BodyStep tomorrow at the Racquet Club. I hope I don’t mess up, as it’s been two months since I’ve taught it at Gold’s. That seems like eons ago. Connor really likes the Racquet Club because they have this huge kid land. He never wants to leave. (Nor do I, as they have all my favorite classes!)
The kids got their pictures taken a few weeks ago. Sweet Ava Leah would not pose with her brothers for the second year in a row. So, it will be another year before we have that coveted professional photo of all three at once. Last year for our family one we had to photo shop a head in where she wasn’t bawling.
Well, I’m sure this week and this season will fly by! Surely I’ll post again at Christmas?!
… but between cleaning up constantly after the kids and trying to just plain spend time with them, I never seem to have the time to actually post here. I need to make it a habit.
Ava said the cutest thing the other day. I was trying on a new outfit for Doug, and she pointed at the tag and told me to “take the wrapper off!” It sounded like “Mommy, take the wapper off.”
Val had his last T-Ball game yesterday. It was literally 106 degrees before the heat index. He did really well. He concentrates better than back in June, and actually is ready to catch the ball when it is thrown to him. (Unlike his mother.)
Connor is riding his training bike all over tarnation. He is really good at it, so I hope he will always like biking. Doug and I want to get bikes for all of us next summer, and put Ava on the back.
We all went to Southpointe Mall last weekend to shop and have lunch at Famous Daves. Val thought it was the best food ever because they had Kraft Mac and Cheese. I got some clothes at Talbots and Banana Republic, Val got tennies, and the kids all got toy guns and books from Daddy. Priorities!
Tomorrow I am meeting Johnna and Emily and their kids at the indoor playpark, and then I have a Jewelry party. I made brownies and had to make two pans because Ava got her hands in one when I wasn’t watching her.
Oh well!
Here’s some new pictures.
-
-
Ava’s first pony ride at the Zoo
-
-
How cute is my ConMan?
-
-
Check out his head!
-
-
My sweet peas
-
-
On an Adventure!
-
-
Herb Garden at Pioneers Park
Lincoln Children\
- Connor\
- Ava and Baby Finn
- ICE CREAM MAN!!!!!!!!
- Facepainting
- Watch out for the snake!
- Jammie Painting at 6 a.m. on a summer morn!
- Val\
- Ava at the Spray Park
- Ice Cream Sundaes from Grandma
- Como Town
…at least that’s how I always feel, being a teacher and all.
We just had Grandma Gail down for 3 days to celebrate the 4th. We had a pool party with two blow-up pools, ran through the sprinklers, and went to the Woods spray park. Connor and Val loved jumping into the big pool, and Ava held up the line at the slide by gingerly slipping down and stubbornly hanging out at the bottom.
Grandma and I went to the farmer’s market for bratwursts and corn. The corn was sooo good! Even it it was almost $6 for a dozen. She spoiled the kids with sundaes and DQs and Kettle Korn, as well as homemade suckers from the market.
I have finally finished planting a weeding the yard for awhile. My only failure has been the three hanging baskets I bought. They were full of pansies and sooo cute, but they are way dead since returning from our quick trip to MN to see Leah, Harold, Finn, Grandma and Petunia. So, this week I have to paint our bedroom, as the scratched-up yellow looks dreadful. I also need to decide what colors I want for the kitchen so I can paint that the following week.
Well it’s been a fun day! I met Cyndy at the farmer’s market, where we froze our toes and fingers off. But, I got some fresh asparagus, some onions for Doug, and some of Krista’s goat cheese and quark. (Yum… lunch on Le Quartier pain de campagne… mmmm… I saved some for when Mom comes.)
We then “were seen” at the Mill for awhile and complained about our lazy students . After venting, I went to the Antiques Show by myself and found a lovely kitchen towel and three swanky swigs… one of which I had none! (blue tulips). I didn’t have any checks, so I am going back tomorrow to buy four more if they’re still there. If they’re not, then, as Mom says, “It wasn’t meant to be!”
Val, Connor and Ava helped me get all the leaves out of the front garden beds, and we also planted some annual wildflower seeds. I ordered about 15 plants from the “Friends of Wilderness Park” sale, so hopefully those perennials will come back! This year it looks like most of my split hostas came up, but my tulips look quite sad. I may not get that annual picture of the kids by the tulips! 
Doug and I are going to Heidelberg’s tonight to send his friend Chris off to Iraq. It will be nice to go out together. Tomorrow I will help Ann teach aerobics and then teach BodyFlow. I love starting my Sundays with that.
Next weekend is Connor’s 4th birthday! I’m trying to plan something fun for him, since he’s had quite the week. He has a double ear infection, but the only way we knew it was that he couldn’t hear us. If it doesn’t clear up by next week, he may need tubes.
Well, here are some recent pictures of us. Happy May!
-
-
Mom and Val
-
-
Mom and Connor
-
-
Mom and Ava Leah
[gallery]
It’s hard to believe that I’m not giving birth at the moment, as I did so every two years for awhile there. Ava is 2, and my baby is a big girl now. She went around all day excitedly saying, “Happy Birtday!” She got some wonderful gifts from Grandma Deloris, Anna and Dan, and Dawn and Kirk. We all had fun playing with Isaac, Sophia and Lakota. It reminded me of being little and playing with my two cousins at all the birthdays.
I gave Ava a tutu, and can I just say, she is the most precious little thing in it! We also got her some “melissa and doug” brand toys that let you scoop ice cream cones and cut up fruit. I highly recommend them. I will buy the Sushi one for Connor’s birthday in May. (You can get them at “Scout” in Lincoln.)
Dan and Doug foolishly went to Val’s soccer game in shorts. Anyone who knows Spirit Field knows better. It’s like 90 mph winds at all times. Val actually got sunburned for the first time this year, even though it was freezing! I always wear Doug’s XXL hoodie when I go.
I also chaperoned Prom on Saturday night with Cyndy. The kids all looked so nice, and there was (in my opinion) minimal drama and grinding. They played “Footloose” and then “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” I thought of all my gang back in 1988 freaking out when that song came on. LOVE ME LIKE A BOMB BABY! COME AND GET IT ON! Now the kids do the freak and no one knows how to dance to the 80s beat. At one point they all had a huge line of the back to front grinding. I’m trying to think of what our generation did to shock the elders. Probably just “Monie Monie.”
Well, Happy Easter everyone! We had Easter on Monday this year because I had a two-day, intense BodyStep training in Omaha. I am quite sore, but also very proud of myself. Never in a million years did I think I would LIKE aerobics, much less want to teach it!
Val and Connor went outside this morning and hid eggs for each other. It was so cute watching them run around hiding and finding them. They ran in, freezing cold, because I had dressed them in shorts in anticipation of our 60 degree weather forecast today. Then I poked my head outside and it was still about 35 degrees! Poor things! But obviously it didn’t bother them too much!
Val will be starting soccer soon. I am excited to officially call myself a Soccer Mom. Ha ha. 
Doug’s big news is he bought a new lawnmower after 8 years of using our “ElCheapo” one from Menards. We’ve moved up to a Craftsman. Yay!
