Two More Birthday Parties

We got to celebrate two birthday parties last weekend!!

Sam turned 4!

Waterballoons, donuts, and milk = a wonderful and extremely fun birthday party.

A candle on a chocolate donut

and

1600 balloons destroyed in 9 minutes.

Kids and adults took part in the fun.

Makayla's first waterballoon fight!

Kyleigh turned 5!

Lunch at Firehouse Pizza followed by jumping, sliding, and running at Monkey Joes!

Kyleigh got her Bieber Fever slightly treated last weekend - Justin Bieber doll, JB Pillow, JB CD...among several other Justin Bieber memorabilia!

The girls holding hands sliding down a humongous slide, getting somewhat beaten and battered all the way down! 

 Mason having fun jumping in his baby jumper.  Too bad you couldn't hear his awesome cackle!  He enjoyed himself just as much as the older kids!

 MON-KEY JOES!  MON-KEY JOES!  MON-KEY JOES!

Happy Birthday Sam and Kyleigh. Thank you for letting us be a part of your special celebration!

On top of a couple Happy Birthdays, we also had a grand time at the Balloon Fest.  You can read about that here!



Lincoln Art And Balloon Festival

A weekend of Balloons, Art, and Birthdays!  Today will be about the balloons and art, tomorrow will be about the birthdays.

Makayla was in awe of the beautiful big balloons and all Mason could say was "BALL".  Ball is his new word and anything that is round, is automatically called a ball in his little world. 

Not only did we watch balloons in the air, but we also watched the balloons glow on the ground.

 Mason watching the BALLS glow with Grandma and Grandpa Curry.

 Makayla and mommy watching the balloons glow at dusk, eating a slushie, cuddling under a blanket.  Perfect.

...and we got to see inside and play in a balloon!!  The kids loved this!

...Makayla so excited it looks like she is going to pee her pants!

Of course, we can't leave out the carnival rides and kites!

Makayla, my fair ride junkie,  begged Grandma Allen to ride with her, and finally, Grandma agreed to go on one ride.  It was a sight to see!

 Here are the amazing kites we got to see dance through the sky.  It was very cool!  Kites of all shapes, sizes, colors, and designs! - Something I'd love to see again.

Besides spending time with the balloons, we also visited the park to look at all the art.  Makayla also went to the kids tent and did a few craft projects to hang on the refrigerator.  It was a beautiful weekend!  Beautiful weather, beautiful balloons, and beautiful memories!

On top of the Lincoln Art and Balloon Festival, we had a lot of fun celebrating a couple of birthdays!!...and the story of birthday celebrations will follow in a day or two!

All About Makayla

Makayla is starting preschool next week. 

I'm sure I'll have a lot to write about as preschool starts to get in full swing, but in the meantime...

We had Makayla's teacher come over and visit us last week.  Miss Diedrich gave us a lot of information about what to expect and what to look forward to at school.   At first, Makayla was shy.  She didn't have a lot to say and sat quietly on the couch, but as the visit came to an end and Miss Diedrich gave Makayla a project to work on that she is to bring back on the first day of school, Makayla opened up a bit more and ultimately ended up announcing that her butt itched. 

 She's honest. 

Too honest, sometimes. 

I love her.

Certain is it that there is no kind of affection so purely angelic as of a father to a daughter. In love to our wives there is desire; to our sons, ambition; but to our daughters there is something which there are no words to express. ~Joseph Addison

This is Makayla and daddy. 

Kevin and Makayla went to Walgreens and bought makeup.  They came home and Kevin colored Makayla's face with eyeshadow, lipstick, and glitter.  Then he did her hair in pigtails and they finished playing dress-up by clippping on earrings and putting on a pretty purple necklace.
Makayla was gorgeous.

Daddy was proud.
They couldn't stop looking in the mirror...

Aunt Jenny made us leg warmers!!  On this particular hot August day, it was 100 degrees out...

but that didn't stop Makayla from wearing her gorgeous leg warmers!

They make her happy.

They make her want to dance.

They make her want to jump on the bed.

They make her want to wear make-up.

She loves her leg warmers!

While celebrating Nicole's birthday this past week, Makayla and Mason got to play with Evan.  Currently, Makayla is head over heels for Evan and begs to walk to his house every single night.  She loves this little man, so to see him at the birthday party made Makayla's night.

Mike and 'Tole + Happy Birthday + Cake + Evan = Perfect Night...

After a another busy week, we're looking very forward to another full fun weekend of hot-air balloons and birthday parties!!

Family Is Born Out Of The Laughter Of Heaven

Isn't he so handsome?!  Mmmmm.  He is so happy...so so happy.  He always has a happy face and a joyful soul. 

Something fun we got to do this weekend - celebrate my nephew's 4th birthday. 

A quote I've always loved is:

Family is born out of the laughter of Heaven.  Why else would we delight in wiping runny noses and birthdays that aren't our own?

It's true. 

 I love birthdays.  I love celebrating birthdays.  I love saying Happy Birthday.  I love singing Happy Birthday.  I love watching the birthday person close their eyes, blow out their candles, and make a wish.  I love giving the birthday person a gift.  I love everything about a birthday. 

Kole, along with everybody else, had a great time celebrating his birthday at Chuck E Cheeses! 

Something else we got to do this weekend was build a park!  I am lucky enough to work with somebody who was past the swingset stage and asked if I wanted his swingset.  Of course, I did!  So, this weekend, as we got a new swingset, it was so fun to watch Makayla's eyes and all of her excitement as we built her a "park"! 

Something fun we did tonight was...

She did this over and over and over again as her baby brother sat in his pool and squealed with laughter and excitement with each trip down the slide.

We ended this beautiful August weekend by swimming and swinging and enjoying a nice grilled picnic in the backyard! 

Broken Machine & Full Diaper Bag

Makayla came running upstairs today in a panic and said "My machine's not working!!".  Not knowing what she was talking about, I grabbed her hand and she dragged me downstairs.  This is what I saw...

...a bottle of baby powder poured all over her slot machine.

As I was packing up Mason's diaper bag for our outting today, I came across this in the diaper bag...

...6 packages of fruit snacks and 3 candy bars.  I asked Makayla what this was for and she said "I need to bring those for my cousins"...So, I put them right back in the diaper bag.

Giving Birth In The Bathtub!

Before I get started, I would like to remind you this is yellow text and that means that this is Kevin telling this story.  

I love my family and all of the fun and amazing times that we have.  Our family is full of love and fun. 

Tonight in the bathtub was definately a first for me. 

Here is the story of Makayla giving birth in the bathtub...

Tonight was "my night" to give the kids their bath.  After Mason and Makayla played and splashed I washed Mason up and got him out.  Good thing I got him out when I did!  As I was drying Mason off Makayla started talking about her baby in her belly.  As usual I talked about her baby.  She was telling me how her baby is getting ready to come out... I blew it off and said "Yea Makayla"

O BOY LITTLE DID I KNOW!!!

I heard Makayla starting to grunt a little bit.  As I looked over, I saw Makayla leaning against the side of the bathtub with her legs spread wide apart.  She was grunting sooo hard and peeing.  She was saying "here comes baby"  After she was done having her baby she sat down and went on to talk about her baby being out. 

Oh my...How do you react to this? I guess next time she says that her baby is coming out I probably should not blow it off, and get ready for her to lean on the side of the tub grunt and pee.

Car Conversations

We are a family that is always on the go...

Here are two conversations that took place in the car today.

Makayla:  What's that?
Kevin: A cemetery.

Makayla:  What's a cemetery?

Silence - I was just waiting to hear Kevin's response to this...

Kevin:  Well...it's where people go.

Hahaha, I can laugh because I'm not the one that was asked.  I'm not the one that had to come up with an answer for a two-year old.

Makayla:  My boobies are almost getting bigger.

Me:  What?

Makayla:  My boobies are almost getting bigger because I'm almost a grown-up.

Me:  Yep..almost!

I would love to know what is going through her little mind sometimes!

Our Five Minute Drive

Tonight, I was going to take the 5 minute drive to the mailboxes to mail my bills as "My Time". 

It was going to be beautiful - my favorite songs on the radio, windows down, nobody talking to me and me not talking to anybody - a beautiful, much needed 5 minutes alone in the car. 

As I get in the car, Kevin calls me and said that I was busted.  Makayla caught me leaving.  I slowly asked if she wanted to go with me, and of course she did. 

What the heck - it's good for the soul and mind to take a cruise in 73 degree temperatures at night, with the windows down, wind blowing through your hair...I let her come with me. 

Our 5 minute drive turned into her talking non-stop, me turning down the radio so I didn't have to listen to her and the radio at the same time, and her asking me to 'turn' my window up because it (the wind) was 'scaring her ears'.  Although, I was looking so forward to "My Time", I still enjoyed "Our Time".  It was just me and her...mommy and Makayla...me being amazed at her conversation and curiousity...me filling with laughter at the things that came out of her mouth...

Although our drive was kind of a blur because she talked NON-STOP, this is a little clipett from our 5 minutes in the car together:

Who that neighbor? That neighbor mean? I not mean. I’m a doog girl. I not be mean. Mommy, is that neighbor mean? What’s that neighbor’s name? Honey, I don’t know the neighbors name and no, he’s not mean. I see the moon! Mommy, that where you get your medicine? (Walgreens). Yes, honey. You are so smart. The pet shop! Daddy’s work! I see the moon. There’s the moon. Lightning. There's lightning back there.  It's bright.  Oh, I see sticks. I bited the sticks. You bit the sticks? No! I bited the sticks. You bit the sticks. Movie store! Gas station! ANDY’S work! I want to go by Tylee and Tole’s house. (Kyleigh and Kole) Tylee and Tole’s house! Tole’s! (Nicole - Ace Hardware) She not work there anymore. Why she not work there anymore? Where does Tole work at? (Nicole) She works at the farm.  She not work at the farm! Animals are at the farm! Why Tole at the farm? She just helps the animals.  Silence for maybe 5 seconds. Mommy, what’s that noise?  Frogs. Sweet Caroline. Bu bu buuuuum. I want to go by Tylee and Tole’s house again. No. We’re going a different way home. Mommy, what’s that noise? The brick road.

Silence for maybe 8-10 seconds. I thought maybe she fell asleep. 
Why you never go? The light’s red.

Red, stop. Green, go. Go mom. Go. Go. Green. Go. Where’s the moon at? Where’s the moon at? I think the moon is hiding behind a cloud. Why?!  It’s trying to go to sleep. I want a yellow light. Why you never go? Mommy, why you never go. C’mon cars! Red, stop. Green, go. Mommy, there’s where you get your medicine! (Walgreens) Silence for about 5 seconds. Where’s that black car going?

We pull into the driveway. She pretends she’s sleeping. I pick her up, hold her in my arms like a baby, put her blankey up close to her face, and carry her into the house. She was very good at staying asleep and pretending to stay asleep. I hand her off to Kevin and whisper “Daddy, will you take the baby to bed”. She’s still "sleeping". He walks her through the kitchen and she says “I see fruit snacks”!

Oooh, thanks for the 5 minutes, baby!

Fair Junkies

You know those things...

           places...

                 smells...

                       sounds...

...that take you back?  Back to when you were little?  Back to a time when life was simple...and beautiful...hopeful...playful...imaginary...

"Nothing is more memorable than a smell.  One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains..."

Irish Spring Soap - Almost every time I walk down the soap aisle at the store, I pick up a bar of Irish Spring, put it right up to my nose, and take it in.  It reminds me of my Grandma and Grandpa Ryan.

Sometimes, I buy Caress soap because it reminds me of taking bubble baths at my Grandma Allen's house.

When Kevin hears the song "Tutti Fruiti" it reminds him of eating at Double Nickel.  That's the first place he heard that song and he remembers laughing so hard he 'almost peed his pants'.

The things which the child loves remain in the domain of the heart until old age - and when I was a child, I remember how much I loved going to the fair.  My sister and I would overflow with excitement and anticipation as we would wait for the fair to start.  I loved everything about the fair - the food, the lights, the rides, the smells, the demo derby.  I loved it all...and I still do...and I know Makayla and Mason are going to grow to love it, also!  Just standing in line with Makayla, I was taken back to the days when my mom and dad were standing in line with me.  I couldn't help but smile at my childhood memories of the fair as I was making the same memories with my kids.

We spent the week riding the slide, ferris wheel, and crazy bus...over and over and over again.  The crazy bus was Makayla's favorite ride and hearing her say "crazy bus" made me, and still makes me, laugh out loud.  We played games and even won a goldfish.  Makayla named him Fair.  We ate lots of food and Makayla has a new favorite - cheese on a stick.  She can eat an entire cheese on a stick!  We fed and petted the animals almost every night and doing that brought squeals and smiles from Mason!

We had a wonderful week at the fair...and one of my favorite memories this year -

Makayla and Grandpa Allen riding the Tilt-A-Whirl together!!



...The Day Aunt Nina Graduated

What do you get when your baby sister graduates with a Masters Degree in Accounting?

• A proud family
• A great lunch at The Spaghetti Factory
• A helicopter ride over the Mississippi River
• A walk around the Arch 
• A fun-filled day spent with family making great memories

We are so blessed!

Makayla wanting to suck a noodle with Aunt Nina.  She wants to meet in the middle and kiss.

Makayla gets her smooches from sucking noodles like Lady and the Tramp and Mason looks for smooches by cleaning his plate and looking at me with that heart-breaker face!

Getting cooled off by the hose from the fire truck.

Walking to the helicopter - 5 gallons of sweat from our brow,

Riding in the helicopter - $105

Makayla's reaction being in a helicopter, over the river, flying in the sky - priceless!

Our walk to the Arch. 

A great day in St. Louis with the family...all because one smart girl graduated!  Thanks Aunt Nina, and Grandma & Grandpa Allen for having fun with us!
**************************************8
On the way to St. Louis today, we had only been on the road for 10 minutes and Makayla had to poop. She was in the back seat begging to poop in the grass or on the road. When we would tell her no, she begged ''just a little bit''...the story of our travels!

Mount Baldy

It's amazing all that can be learned, loved, seen, touched...experienced - in just two short days. 

As I've said before, I know Makayla and Mason aren't going to remember the things that we do with them now, but it is shaping them into the kids that they are and the people that they will grow to be.  Everything that we teach them, experience with them, and everywhere we go with them is helping them to love life and everything that it has to offer. 

So - our first stop was in Schaumburg, IL:

We ate lunch at one of my favorite restaurants - The Rainforest Cafe!  We've taken Makayla there before, but this was Mason's first trip.  He loved it!!  Although my favorite spot to dine at is under the starry sky with the moon and shooting stars, there's really not a bad place to sit in the rainforest.  We were seated next the gorillas.  The entire time we ate, Mason couldn't keep his eyes off the gorillas.  They were noisy and scary looking.  He was so enthralled!  But because they were noisy and scary looking, Makayla was scared.  She spent most of her time in the rainforest with her hands over her ears.  The gorillas would get really noisy and dance, and as soon as their dance was over, a storm would roll through.  It would rain and there would be loud rumbles of thunder.  Makayla would push her hands tighter over her ears.  Eventually, she loosened up and could enjoy the end of lunch without her ears covered and without worrying about the scary gorillas.

Our second stop was Indiana Dunes National Lakshore:

We spent time at Indiana Dunes National Park playing and swimming on the beach. 

Makayla and Mason absolutely fell in love with the sand and water.  It was so much fun to watch them play, play, play...

We built sand castles, looked for neat rocks, listened to a band of drummers, and spent a lot of our time being enthused by that awesome feeling of your hands, feet, and butt sinking into the sand once a wave comes up on to you and washes back off the shore.

After playing on the beach, we went to Michigan City and ate dinner at Swingbellies.  It was sooo good, I can still taste it!

 We finished up dinner with enough time to head over to Mount Baldy to watch the sunset.  Mount Baldy is one of the Indiana dunes and it stands at approximately 123-126 feet.  It is a hike to get there, but once you're standing on the beach (trying to catch your breath), you see that the hike makes it all worth while.  It is a stunning view!

She's peeing...

My beautiful baby boy watching the sunset...

I'm so lucky that he's mine...

He makes me melt...

Climbing Mount Baldy...

...and rolling all the way down!

...What we came here for.  We came to watch this gorgeous sunset, but made a few more memories while waiting!

Our third and last stop of our road trip, was the Children's Museum of Indianapolis:

There was no better way to end our trip than to spend time learning, playing, and exerting energy!  We spent 3 hours there, going nonstop, and didn't even get to see half of the exhibits. 

We got to learn about dinosaurs - we got to see where they used to live, we got to sit on eggs to warm them up so they could hatch, and we got to dig for fossils.  This is a picture of Makayla digging away.  

 

Besides playing in the land of Dora and Diego, we also got to go to Barbie World.  We could do Barbie's make up and hair, design clothes, or dress up and walk on the runway.  This is a picture of Makayla dancing on the runway. 

We got to ride a beautiful carousel... 

...and play with mirrors.  Mason loved the mirrors! 

We had a wonderful weekend together on our short road trip.  It was a lot of fun and wonderful memories were made.  I look forward to our next road trip!