sweaty

I really hate the humidity. :( It's really not that hot, only about 78 degrees, but it's so humid. I'm just all sweaty and I still need to clean up which will only aggravate this condition! sigh...

Anyway, I am posting those photos from yesterday as mentioned in my last post. We went to the "Kids in the Park" event yesterday. We got a late start for various reasons which is very typical when we are all going somewhere :) But we spent an hour there and went to all the little craft tables and the girls enjoyed it. They really wanted to do the bounce house and get a free balloon animal, but as you can imagine the lines were really long and with only an hour left before the event ended I didn't want to spend half our time just standing in line. So we skipped it. They were a bit bummed but it wasn't too bad.

The park was beautiful! I had never been there before! It's right over by University of North Dakota. They have a splash park there and a neat playground and lots of lovely flowers and a little bridge so I think I found another great photo op spot! Definitely gotta go back there soon. We were gonna go today but it was overcast and I didn't think it was warm enough to don swimsuits.

Little criminals


painting some big tube thing


jenna's painting


say cheese


at the make a door knob hangy thingy table


Think she'll run out of room?


that's what I thought


they're so crafty ;) lol


making a pinecone bird feeder


She was so excited to see this bear, until he asked for a hug


I pushed her into it though :)


high five


showin' off the tatts


yeah


Tomorrow is another Farmer's Market and there will be a petting zoo there this time so we are planning to make another trip over there. The girls will surely enjoy that. Marah LOVES animals, she loves to pet them and she is not afraid. Okay, gotta go, the kids are needing me.

Friday Feature: Mah Diary

So I came across my old Diary yesterday while decluttering some boxes in my room. I was totally cracking up over it and thought I should share the laughs. It's funny to think there was a time when I would have NEVER let anyone read this stuff! Okay, there are a few things I won't share from when I was in high school but for the most part my diary is completely harmless and hilarious. So these entries will be unedited and include spelling errors, cause they're fun too. :)

Sunday: June 17, 1990 (10 years before Jenna's birthday I made my first entry, that's pretty cool right?)
Today is Father's day. I gave my dad a card from hallmark today. he really likes it. I got a message from Jennifer Blount today she says that she needs to talk to me about school because it's important. I don't know what is so important about it though.

I never mentioned what this important thing Jennifer needed to talk to me about was. However I do vaguely recall that it was stupid and not diary worthy.

So since that was a totally boring post I'm gonna post one more. :)

Monday, June 18, 1990 (I was not always so diligent about writing as you'll soon find!)
Today we had a commander mark lesson in school. (Oh, Rye, remember those!?) When I got home mama had me do the tupperware cabinet. It was easy. Then I had to clean the hall. I took the clothes & put them in the garage. Today when I got home from school I got watch earrings & daddy hadn't seen them so I showed them to him. Mama got mad. I sometimes think she's too mean.

It was really strange to read myself writing mama and daddy :) I was 10 years old and in the fifth grade when I wrote these first entries. I don't know why my mom got mad either. I'm sure it wasn't that I simply showed dad the earrings. I was probably supposed to be cleaning or something and ended up distracted and trying to use the earrings as an excuse to kill time. :)

I'm gonna try to post in the morning cause I have photos to share. Love to all.

quick!

So you are all wondering about our move. We are planning to move to Aberdeen, South Dakota. This is unless God throws us a major blow in the next month. Right now though, we're pushing forward with this and just continuing to pray for guidance and hopefully everything will work out very well.

I don't have time to post anymore than that. I'm busy with organizing in hopes that packing will be easier. I'm trying to get rid of a lot of stuff, donating to thrift stores, trashing what's undonatable, selling some of it on ebay. It's a lot of work and I'm trying to tackle a bit at a time so i don't get too overwhelmed!

Here's a layout I did using a photo I've shared here previously.



Have a great day!

catch up

Playing a little catch up. Last tuesday was Jenna's 8th birthday. EIGHT! It's crazy. I was actually thinking the other day about how Laura was only 9 when Jenna was born and now she's 17 and out of HS and it made me sad to realize that it's going to go so fast!

We have a lot going on in other areas of our lives as well. We are planning to move at the end of July. This is something that we are struggling with. I feel as though it's the right thing to do, my issue now is trust. I'm scared to trust completely and believe that the Lord will take care of everything. But I have felt this in my heart for about a month now and I do believe that it's what He wants for us. I'm excited about it, but also scared and sad. While I don't love it here in Grand Forks, I do love being near some of the people here. It will break my heart to move away. Just thinking about it gets me crying. It's mainly because of the girls. I mean, I'll be sad, but my girls have my heart and these big decisions always upset me.

I was upset last year when we moved to Grand Forks because I didn't want to move Jenna. She was doing well at school, she had a team that knew her strengths and weaknesses... how was I supposed to make her start all over? It was so hard. I worried... for NO reason! She LOVED her new school! I loved her new school! Her teacher was amazing, her special ed. team was awesome! She thrived and learned so much more than I expected. I was amazed! The school has an awesome art program that really built her skills and confidence, they just did so many neat things and I was very happy with the change. So I try to remember, that wouldn't have happened if I hadn't taken the chance and moved here.

Next year I was planning to hold her back in second grade again. She is one of the youngest in her grade level, with a mid-june birthday and the cut off age here being August 30, there are very few kids older than her anyway, so I think now is a great time to do it. She is already socially younger than her peers due to the language issues and social problems that come with being on the Autism spectrum, and I just worry that she will always be behind. So I'm going to try it. However, I think with the move I'm also going to try my hand at homeschooling. I've been feeling the "pressure" for lack of a better word in my sleepy head, by God for awhile. I have wanted to do it but felt inadequate. I do believe it's what He wants though, and I want to do what He wants me to do. So I'm gathering info and ideas on what to try for next year and I'm excited! I've really always loved teaching and being a teacher has always been high on my list of "what I want to be when I grow up" so why not? I know teaching my own kid will come with it's own set of challenges so I am prepared for that. I just know that there are so many times when I see things on tv or online and I think "I want Jenna to learn about that!" so this is my plan for the coming year.

Okay, anyway, I got sidetracked. I was going to tell you about Jenna's birthday! She had a very nice day. Tera and Fred, gems that they are, let us have her party at their place. I just figured we'd ask if we could do that since they live close enough and our A/C will not support enough people to have a party, even a small family one, as we learned last year. So they agreed. I was expecting to do everything... well, really not much LOL just make the cake and the food and just hang out. I hadn't planned anything special cause it was just going to be immediate family and I didn't want to stress about it. Tera and Fred had other plans though, and they put together a cute scavenger hunt for Jenna! I was really surprised when Tera told me this and I figured we'd be putting the presents at the end of the hunt... nope! They had the idea to put together a little "treasure" at the end! So they gathered some fun little things (frisbee, water guns, glowing stars, whoopie cushions, lip gloss, ring pops, etc.) and put it all in a big bag for her to find.

Did I mention how much I love those two? They are the best :)

So they put this together with a Lara Croft from Tomb Raider (cause Jenna loves the video game) theme. They wrote up all the little clues as if it were Lara herself setting up this treasure hunt for Jenna!It was the coolest thing and Jenna really loved it! So again, thank you Tera and Fred. :) We really do appreciate you more than you know.

The girls head outside for the hunt


The whole family starts down toward the mailbox to retrieve the first clue


Jenna found her first clue in the mailbox in an envelope addressed to her from Lara Croft


Another clue on the lawnmower


Marah, being cute and trying to be patient


The treasure was in the chapel (yes, they have a chapel that was built for Fred's mom by his dad a long time ago)


Jenna got a new Webkinz pet that she named Henry (a black horse)


Jenna also got the scooter she has been wanting for so long


This is the castle cake I made... I learned I was not cut out for cake decorating (well, I really already knew that LOL)


Jenna did love it though, and I got lots of compliments on it


The birthday girl


8 years old


This past weekend we spent all day Saturday together as a family. This is kinda a big deal. We usually don't go out the whole day altogether. It's something I really want to work on. So on Saturday morning when Eric woke up I announced that we were going out. At first he wasn't thrilled... but I think we all enjoyed the day (until he got sick). We hit the Farmer's Market first. I have been wanting to check it out for years but we're not big on going out on Saturday mornings so this was really the first time we have made it over. It was alright. I was disappointed. I thought Farmer's Markets were supposed to have produce! It was mostly baked goods and handmade crafts. There were some really neat things there though, and I enjoyed seeing the recycled crafts and the all natural products they were selling. I was hoping to find some non-chemical sunscreen... no luck :( I even tried Amazing Grains with no success. So I think I'm going to order online from California Baby. They are the only sunscreen manufacturers listed on the cosmetics database that received a 0 which is the best score you can get. Yes, I'm changing what my family uses one product at a time.

Anyway, it was hot, but not too bad. It was pretty much noon when we got there so the sun was at it's worst, but the clouds came through every once in awhile and gave some relief. I also scoped out around downtown, mentally noting some cool places where I can take Jenna for some pictures. I found a few spots that I'm excited about!

After the market, we went to lunch with my father-in-law who was visiting alone since my mother-in-law was working. We ate a nice lunch and then headed to the "animal museum" (which is really a sporting store, think hunting and fishing and camping, not football, baseball and soccer) as Jenna calls it. It's this store called Cabela's and they have a huge animal display at the back of the store. It's really cool. A bunch of stuffed wild animals and the display is set up to look like a mountain so there are mountain goats way up at the top of the wall, pretty impressive. Marah loved it!

After this we went to the park so the kids could enjoy the summer day. They had a great time playing there and I managed to get a couple decent shots

Marah


On the tire swing (so much fun!)


After the park we drove out to Fred and Tera's to enjoy the pool and some dinner. Jenna was doing a great job with swimming! I was really excited to see that. And Marah could touch the bottom and walk around which she thought was so cool! It was fun. Poor Eric was not feeling well so he laid down for a nap.

When we drove home Marah passed out in the back! I think that was the sleepiest I've ever seen her. She really was so good all day though, I was glad for that. No nap can sometimes be really bad, but she did great! So when we got home she went straight to bed which was a much needed relief, no bedtime struggle after a long day! Jenna stayed up an did some drawing for about an hour then went to bed herself.

Yesterday we just stayed home. It was hot and uncomfortable. Today I don't have any plans except to do some cleaning and maybe go out to the garage to sort through some baby clothes for an ebay sale. So I'm gonna take off. I hope this long blog post made up for a week of no posting :)

Love to all

27 Weeks... it's almost over

and I can't wait! I can't wait for my prize at the end of this thing. I have never hated being pregnant this much. It just has gotten worse with each one. I hate to think what it would be like the fourth time. Thankfully, there won't be a fourth time and I am glad to know that I won't have to deal with this again. sigh...

Anyway, I managed to get a decent shot in the bathroom yesterday. I'm going to need to force myself to get a photo in another room or even outside next time. Make someone else take it. For some reason I just feel self conscious about it, is that weird? LOL



Last night I had a dream about Ryan. I miss him so much... anyway, I had this dream that he had just come back from Japan. He was teasing me about something that had to do with that... being his typical self, thinking he's more worldly and therefore better than me cause he like, knows about other cultures and stuff ;) j/k (kinda)I remember he had been making me a comic book cause apparently I had asked him to. I was very disappointed because he was making me a Duck Tales comic instead of a cool anime style comic but of course I couldn't tell him that so I was trying to act really excited about this Duck Tales comic book. I mean, it was really cool, cause it was Ryan that drew it but still... Duck Tales? LOL

Then the next thing I remember is that we were in a car and he was driving and I had been talking, looking out the window of the passenger side. I then look over at Ryan and he had his head down and to the side and then sits up and his eyes are all bloodshot and he starts to wipe his nose. I just was staring at him in disbelief and started freaking out and told him to pull over the car immediately and let me out. He was acting very non-chalant and only slightly irritated that I had caught him doing drugs. Actually it was more of an impatience with me, like I just couldn't understand how much pressure he is under and all that he has been exposed to in the world. Oh it was so annoying.

I don't remember much after that. It sure was weird. I don't dream about my brother really, so to dream that was a shock. I have no idea why I would dream about that! Anyone wanna try to interpret? :)

Alright, I gotta go. I have a ton to do today! Tomorrow is Jenna's party and I have to start baking her cake. I'm going to attempt a pink castle cake. Should be interesting. You should know that I am the master of big ideas that I procrastinate too long to actually pull off! This is what she wants though, so I'm going to give it a try. I'm excited for her little family party at Tera and Fred's. I know she will have a good time. I just wish the weather would warm up a bit.

Have a great weekend!

n.u.d.i.e.s. and potty mouths

As Marah is walking though the sliding door from the balcony she trips a bit and says "Ouch! Foley Crap!" and then goes on her merry way LOL I thought that was pretty cute.

Later this evening Jenna is fiddling with a piece of paper that is under one of the dressers. She pulls it out and then crumples it up and runs to the garbage with it, Marah trailing behind shouting "What is it Jenna?!"

So I say "Hey, Jenna stop, show me that picture."

"No, it's ugly."

"Well, let me see anyway."

Jenna starts getting upset and runs to her room holding the paper in a crumpled ball. At this point I'm figuring it's probably a drawing of something inappropriate. She is good for that. So I sit on the bed and proceed to take the picture from her hand. Now she is crying pretty hard and insisting that she doesn't want me to see the picture.

When I get it uncrumpled I find that it is a drawing of a boy and a girl in the water going for a skinny dip. Oh geez... LOL

Funny thing is that the girl has no b.o.o.b.s. and they both have no identifying gender parts :) they're like Barbies (minus the cleavage). And they're just swimming.

So it's not that bad. But she is embarrased as can be. So I just had to talk to her about it and try to figure out why she was so upset that I would see it and explain that she never has to be scared to show me her drawings and that I am not mad. She finally calmed down. It's a tough thing to deal with and I don't really know how to deal with it to be honest. It's a lot harder when you're dealing with a child with a language issue. I just do my best and pray that it's the right thing.

Have a lovely weekend :)

could you be the most beautiful girl in the world

Just a couple of pictures I got of the girls this weekend:






And this one with their Uncle Fred and Aunt Tera



I've been a lazy blogger... it's summer and I'm more busy than usual with two kids to entertain instead of one. I'll try to blog a bit more later though. love to all :)