Cut off...

I got a call last night from my mom! She told me my inheritance is being taken away after posting those pictures of her! I told her that they just prove how much of a "cool Nana" she is!! And, assured her that they could have been a lot worse (better!!)......

Sand Dune City!

Pupsi, Nana, Auntie Susie, and Annika are picking rocks out in what will be a hay field for the little horses. I had Issy on my back, so I couldn't help (grin!).....so I was just there to chat.


The new house! It looks so nice and we cannot wait until its done! I've asked my dad in the past if there is going to be a charge to stay and play! It will be so much fun.

Issy was in this pack for 3 hours! She loved just riding around. She is sleeping here...


Annika looks like she is in the Grand Canyon of Wallace, MI!! Annika refers to these as the sand dunes and can't wait to play on them next time we go to Chuck and Buck's house! Too bad they'll be gone next time!

And who is this??? Oh....its Nana!! I knew she'd be up there when she saw how much fun Annika was having. I didn't get any pictures of her sliding down, though. Actually, it would have been better to have a video camera!

Let's play Nana of the Mountain!


I bet Annika went up and slid down 50 times. There were 3 huge mountains like this, so she kept alternating them! The kids did get dirty, though. Erik and Alaina were there the next day and they all completely destroyed their clothes. Even Nana Shirley couldn't get them clean! But, the laughs were worth it.


Now today I have to make bread, cinnamon rolls, and hamburger/hotdog buns. And, Erik has to help make more cookie balls! Auntie Lissy (Ante Lise) and Uncle Brian are coming tonight, so we have to get all ready for them. That will be fun....they'll be here until Thursday....we are going to a Cubs game tomorrow and am not sure what we are doing the rest of the time! I'm sure it will be a little overwhelming to get dumped into a family with 4 kids for 6 days!

Have a great weekend!!

YEE HAW!

Here's Caleb digging at the construction site!


Chuck and Buck were pretty excited to be ridden! Erik did fall right off...he kind of slid off, saddle and all! But, he got right back on. That was the first time Chuck (the dark one) had a saddle on! He did pretty good! Alaina got a little scared, so the riding didn't last long, but next time everyone will feel a little more confident!



Annika had no fear! She and Chuck could have gone all day! She just bounced around and laughed.


Here's Alaina and Erik on top of the mountain! They are really going to miss these sand piles when they are gone! (I'll go into greater detail about this tomorrow...I'm too tired now and need to get to bed! I have more fun pictures of the "sand dunes" as Annika calls them!)

4 wheelers!

Pupsi is having a good time with the kids....can you tell??! we went to Amy's for dinner (actually it was a David Cook party if you asked Alaina)! Alaina is riding Rosebud....she did very well! It was funny to see Rosebud come around the house with Caleb driving, though! Uncle Aaron was following close behind pointing at which way to go and he would turn in that direction! Caleb already wants to ride the 4 wheelers all day anyway!! That won't be enough....now he'll have to drive by himself!!

2 Wheels!

Erik was so excited to finally be able to ride a 2-wheeler! He practiced with Tim all day on Saturday up on "the hill". I was gone and didn't get to see him, so on Sunday morning he got up and told me that he just couldn't ride without his training wheels. He said he tried and tried, but it was too hard. Of course, he wanted me to be really surprised when he jumped on it and took off down the driveway! He had a permanant smile on his face and even sang while riding. It was so cute and he was so proud! The most exciting thing was the mud puddle at the end of the driveway!

Fat Wip

Whoops!! A little boo boo on the "wip". Annika is pretty tough....she just went with Tim to get grass bags and came home with a McDonald's ice cream cone. She said the ice cream made it feel better. :) And, while we were at Costco today I was never so excited to come across "freezies!" I just can't get myself to by the regular freezies and have been looking and looking for a "kid" popsicle that is not loaded with sugar (or the fake stuff) and that doesn't cost a fortune! Well, Mott's (100%juice) has a freezie!! There are 40 in the box for $7.99. How exciting!!

I always like to have frozen stuff on hand for accidents like this!

7 months

Time flies! Issy turned 7 months on the 19th. Isabel had a "first" and a "last" today. When we were at Costco she sat in the seat like a big girl! It was fun having her right there in front of me. Annika sat next to her (love the 2 seater!) and ate a Churro....a.k.a. fish stick! Erik started calling them fishsticks a long time ago, and it stuck. Well, Issy was not going to let Annika eat it by herself! She had to have many bites, as well. And, to think you could get a sample without having to share?? Nope! She is just a big girl all of a sudden! So, along with the "fish stick" she had curly noodles with marinara sauce, spinach ravioli, and a hunk of cheese.

She took her last bath in the kitchen sink today. For one, she kept flooding it over the side even though I didn't put very much water in it and she, also, kept trying to escape to reach things that were on the counter! No more for her. She has officially graduated to the big tub. It was just convenient to have her in there b/c then I can see what is going on in the backyard.

Erik still wishes Issy was a boy. Today Chloe was sitting by Erik, Annika, and Tim and Erik asked Tim if Chloe was a boy. Annika said she was a cute little girl. Erik decided that there are too many girls and that Chloe should be a boy. You can imagine the conversation between Annika and him! He compromised on calling her a "girl-boy".

Thursday...

It was so exciting watching David Cook win American Idol last night! WHOOO HOOO!

Yesterday Annika was helping me put laundry in the washer. "Mom, why do wash your boobs in the washing machine??!!" as she's throwing my "undies" in! And, to think...I don't even wash them on the delicate cycle!

Today we are gearing up to get our camper out tomorrow! The kids cannot wait. Its the last day of school for Erik and Annika (sniff), but Annika will have one of her teachers again next year. We are very happy about that. :) And, its Erik's last day of preschool....now he's a big kid!

socks

I am laughing b/c we were at Target today and I saw Thomas's English Muffins. I love those....especially with a fried egg in between! Well, I knew that Thomas's was big on HFCS in their other products, so I just picked up a bag to read the ingredients. Did they read my blog entry on HFCS?? Right on the front of the bag it says, "And now no high fructose corn syrup!" I bought them. :)

I took the kids to McDonalds for dinner so they could eat and then play. Tim is traveling the next couple of days, and we were out getting Alaina's glasses fixed (not a good idea to take all four to the eye doctor's office). The good, clean McD's on on the way, so we stopped in. I forgot about the "sock" rule and did not want to buy socks there so I told the kids to look around and see if they could find some socks in the van. Would you believe they all found a pair?? I guess when they get in after school off come their socks and crocs b/c they get rocks in there!! I guess I am a mother of 4 who drives a mini van....you never know what you'll find!!

Too Scary

Saturday was a big day of yard work. We (I) mowed and bagged the lawn, (I) weed wacked, and weeded. It was a beautiful day, but tiring. Tim was pretty wiped out from "all" the work he did with the back flower beds that he didn't think he'd be able to go on. Erik and I decided to go get a couple movies, so that we could have a movie party that night! What a good idea. While we were at the movie kiosk ($1 a night) at the grocery store Erik picked out Alvin and the Chipmunks.....very cute. :) I was thinking about Tim and know that he likes his "man" movies and decided to get a movie that he would like. So, I Am Legend. Looks tough. You can't go wrong with Will Smith, so with confidence and excitement I brought it home.

The kids went to bed and it was time for our movie. Tim couldn't believe that I'd pick out something that he would like! It started out good......then AHHHHH! I guess my days of "thriller" movies are over. I watched almost the whole thing through my tee shirt or turned away from the TV completely! Tim liked it, so I guess that is all that matters, right??!! Now he's wants to rent it off Comcast b/c the one I rented was not in HD. He's wondering if the infected people would scare him in HD. I guess that's a guy-thing.

For Pupsi...

In honor of your new love of Llamas, Pupsi, (hee hee) we took this picture for you yesterday at a barnyard zoo. :)

Erik and Annika loved feeding the goats! Annika thinks Chuck, Buck, and Rocky could use a goat-friend on the farm, Pupsi!!

Isabel wasn't into all the animals, but she liked the swings!

Mother's Day...

Happy Mother's Day (yesterday) to all the Mommies out there!! We had a great weekend. And, to think that I am the mommy of these 4 amazing kiddos! I had a few emotional moments!! God has chosen me to be Alaina, Erik, Annika & Isabel's mom! What a huge responsibility! I am so glad that He is there to help and guide me through these years!

I had my hair done on Friday night. When I got home Erik and Annika met me in the driveway, "MOM!! Nana is not here, but she will be here soon!!" "What?!! Nana, who??" "Nana and Pupsi, that's who!!"

It was 7:15 when I got home, Tim said they'd be here at 9. They called from Green Bay and said they were on their way!! Whoo Hooo!! So, I ran around and picked up a few things and got the "bouncy bedroom" all picked up and vacuumed. That's the extra room that the kids also use as a playroom. We were ready for them!! They did get here at 9 and everyone was so excited!!

What a surprise. I like these kinds of surprises. :) On Saturday we didn't really have anything planned. I had no food in the house, not even milk, so my mom and I went to Costco while Tim, the kids, and Pupsi went on a big hike. Then later Tim, Erik and Pupsi went to Sears to pick up our new grill. We all went to Schaumburg and ate at Red Robin. It was just a really fun day.

I think Chicken Pupsi got his "silly" fix for a couple weeks!! They get so goofy when they are together!



On Sunday morning it was so nice to have mom and dad here! Tim made breakfast and we just hung out and talked. :) The kids were their normal selves and all excited to give me their cards and presents. From Erik it said, "D Mom. Happy Mather's Day! I love you. Erik." Too cute. I was so excited to see a box wrapped (from Amazon!) with a card that said, To our Mommy. Happy Mother's Day from your adorable photogenic kids!!" Could it be???!!! Yes!! It was a new Camera! A digital Cannon SLR!! How exciting. :) So, here are a few pictures we took with my new toy!!









After a nap, a trip to Costco and then Coldstone, we came home for pizza and then early bed for everyone. Alaina has all day kindergarten today to "practice" for first grade next year. Then this afternoon we have a field trip to a big farm. Last year Annika came with us and a goat ate her whole paper bag with the food in that she was feeding the animals! She remembers that well, so she is prepared to hang onto the bag tight today! The kids are excited. :)

Have a great day!

Issy

Issy's proofs are online!! http://www.monacellaphotography.com/ Click on "proofs" and the password is Issy . They are adorable!!!

Emeril

Last Sunday Annika got up before the rest of us. When they get up early they are allowed to watch cartoons in the bonus room upstairs by our room. I could hear a man's voice coming from the room, so I went to see who it was. Annika was sitting on the floor watching The Essence of Emeril! She said, "Mom, look! He is making tomatoes....I love tomatoes!" She really does love tomatoes! Emeril was making a Bruscetta and she watched it until it was done!

Annika likes Emeril and Alaina loves to watch anything Paula Dean and Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals! I have two little girls that love to cook!!!

Too cute...

I had Isabel's 6th month pictures taken on Saturday.....here is a sneak peak. Julie is not done with all the proofs, but she has a few up on her blog. Check them out!! After seeing these three I cannot wait to see all of them!! http://www.monacellaphotography.blogspot.com/

HFCS

I did it......I'm so excited about it! I've been working on a little goal for about a year and I finally hit it. As most of you know who know me....I'm big on healthy eating. Grinding wheat and other grains, making bread, and all that comes along with feeding my family healthy. I've been on a mission to get high fructose corn syrup out of the house. Just google it and you'll see that its not an ingredient that your body needs or likes, but then again, its in almost everything! Its a sweetener and a preservative, so even foods that you wouldn't think as being sweet.....there it is.

Last week I went out to buy some fruits and veggies along with hamburger buns and pita bread. The hamburger buns that I have been buying for the past couple of years, Sara Lee whole wheat, second ingredient is HFCS! I was shocked! So, I had to think....do I stick with my plan or do I just buy these b/c they are so good? I put them back. Same with the pita bread.....I love (or used to love!) the Thomas brand. There, again, it was the 2nd or 3rd ingredient. I did find a whole wheat brand without it, though, a few brands down. :)

I got home and have never made hamburger buns before even though I have the recipe. I just didn't think they'd turn out good with a hamburger! They turned out great. :) And, now have a freezer stocked for the upcoming grilling season. I have made pita bread before and it turned out pretty good, so I'll have to try that again soon.

Wait....I do have 1 thing in my fridge that has HFCS......Tim bought shrimp cocktail sauce last night. Of course, we had to read the ingredients when he got home and it is there! But, he didn't know to look for it, and now he does. I'll have to check out some other brands next time I go to the store.

I do promise that we do eat and it does taste good! I've found that the more organic or natural that we eat the better it tastes.....right down to ketchup!! Right, Uncle Vince??!! Try organic ketchup sometime.....it is so good. :)