This week

Oh no, I'm coming upon my one week deadline for a new post. Ugh, I don't really have anything new and exciting to report. I've had a hectic week filled with a doctor's appointment for Bri, my first night helping with AWANA (I'm a listener for Sparks), my first week of MOMS group (I am in charge of check-in and the roster, plus made 3 coffeecakes for it this week), and tonight we went to Jeremy's softball game for a bit. Trying to keep track of a 1-year-old and 2-year-old running around a park (close to dangerous things like softballs flying and cars driving through) is basically impossible, so we didn't stay long.

The girls are good, keeping me busy and somewhat behaving themselves. Here is a funny picture of something they like to do lately:

Why Bri is holding a hairbrush in her hand I have no idea. Kids that age like to walk around holding random objects; one object in each hand is even better.

Well, I better head to bed but just wanted to provide some exciting reading for your Friday! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Another Park

Here's another park I discovered one day right on the Mississippi River. They had a playground of course, but also had a "scenic overlook" which was really not scenic at all. I thought it would be a great view of the river but you couldn't even see the water because of all the trees in between. I tried to get a picture of the girls together but you know how easy that is. At least Emily obliged:

Bri was more concerned with walking around, picking up things on the ground (she likes to pick up trash, wrappers, cigarette butts, things like that. Lovely.) Luckily she didn't pick up the two grasshoppers I saw mating, disgusting.

Then we followed a steep little path that led down to the river. Now that was pretty cool.

I think the girls would've had more fun playing down there but we didn't stay long. Bri was already starting to walk back up the path. As you can maybe tell, it was pretty steep and she kept slipping backwards. I had to carry her the rest of the way.

Last but not least here's a picture for mom. She always likes to know where things are and is probably getting her atlas out right now to look it up! :)

Parks

I can't remember a day this week that we didn't go to a park. That must be the life of a mom with toddlers. My mission lately has been to find a new park whenever we have the chance. Although some days I'm too tired and just need to call Laurie and head to the closest park between us. We have been to 3 different parks the last 3 days. On Wednesday I told her I had discovered a great little park off of Round Lake and Bunker; the girls and I had already been there 2 or 3 times. However, it wasn't as great as I made it out to be. When I pulled in a guy was smoking in the parking lot; ok, no big deal. Then a gruff looking guy came through with his dog not on a leash, which can be a little scary to some kids when the dog comes right up to their face (not my kids, any dog is small compared to Bella.) I also thought it would be fun for us to play barefoot in the sand, until I decided to step in some hidden cockleburrs, ouch. I hate those things! Emily even had one, luckily she didn't even act like it hurt. Then there was a random guy who came smoking and tramping through the park to the baseball field next to it, looked under first base, and went back to his car. Not sure what he was doing, maybe someone said they would leave some drugs under first base for him. Anyway, it's a nice little park for Bri but I don't think I'll be going back there. I did get some cute pictures one day, though. Here are a few:

This one's for you, Kristen :)

Kristen, I see that my daughter acquired one of your daughter's hobbies -- stacking cans. I have found Emily playing in this cupboard for quite some time now, but yesterday was the best tower I'd seen yet. Here are 5 cans, ok, not bad.
But 6 cans going on 7, now that's impressive! I really can't remember if the 7th can made it, I was too busy grabbing the camera. Jeremy honestly didn't believe that she had done this all by herself. Honey, I'm not THAT desperate for a funny picture!

Never Forget

We all remember exactly where we were 7 years ago today. I was at Mounds View High School, just coming back from a morning meeting, when the phone in my classroom rang. Jeremy was at home in our first apartment in New Brighton, and told me to turn on the news. A bunch of teachers gathered around my TV and we watched in horror what was unfolding. I was so grateful that due to construction, our school was starting late that year and there were no students yet.

Here are excerpts from Joel Rosenberg's blog today (please click on the link I have to the right to read the rest and his other entries -- they are excellent.)

"Never forget the evil done to us seven years ago today. Never get fogged about the evil that will be done to us if we get distracted and confused.

As horrible as September 11 was, it pales in comparison to what al Qaeda has been praying and planning for a decade at least: acquiring weapons of mass destruction – ideally nuclear weapons – to be used against the United States to kill between four and ten million Americans.

Even in the darkest days of the cold war, we could count on the fact that the Soviets, just like us, wanted to live. Not so with the terrorists. Al-Qaida boasts that while we fear death, they embrace it.”

Please remember to pray for our leaders today, and never forget what happened 7 years ago.

We gave in

Ok, so we lasted 2 days without Directv. Not a real good weekend to cancel it, as it was the start of the NFL season. The problem is that without rabbit ears we couldn't even get local channels. So Sunday night Jeremy made the call and after saying 3 "Yes's" into a recording, Poof!, our Directv suddenly appeared. It's amazing how hard it is to cancel something yet so easy to sign up again. Anyway, I almost wanted it back more than Jeremy. Not because I watch that much TV because I rarely do, but because Jeremy was driving me crazy! When the girls are in bed and I'm trying to do my work on the computer, Jeremy needs something to do! Plus I was tired of listening to "Halo" in the background (X-box game if you don't know.) Then again Halo isn't that much better than UFC or Wrestling or whatever Jeremy watches because he thinks it's funny and pathetic. I can't stand that stuff!

Ok, I have a question for you. What do you honestly think of this dress of Emily's:

When I got Emily dressed for church yesterday Jeremy thought it was the most hideous thing he'd ever seen. Like it was either straight from the thrift store or something my great-aunt Marie (who lived to be 100) would've worn. I admit it was a hand-me-down but I have no problem with that! Plus it's "Hanna Anderson" which although their stuff is a little different, it's actually fairly trendy (I think?) Ok, so even if the dress is a little ugly, is this not the cutest girl in the world?

Friends

Wow, I am just really on a roll with new blogs the past couple days! Probably because Jeremy decided to cancel Directv, and it's either this or watch him play X-Box, which he hasn't played in like 2 years. So I thought I'd show you all the fun the girls have had with their friends Molly, Mariah, and Lily this summer.

Here are all the girls hanging out at Jon and Laurie's after the fantasy football draft.

Laurie and I have to get together at least once a week because the kids are driving us crazy. Well, it's not that bad, but you do need to get out of the house! Here is snacktime at Laurie's.

Emily eating her first ice cream cone (by herself) with Lily. I think their clothes are off because they were playing in the baby pool.

Lily and Emily doing this funny little dance in circles at Mike and Em's house.

Friends have been a lifesaver this summer, and will continue to be as the girls get older. Thanks Em and Laurie!

Rainbow

Tonight as I was feeding the girls dinner I looked out the window to see this huge rainbow. I didn't even notice there was a double until I looked at the picture on the camera. Anyway, it was pretty neat and I took Emily outside to see it, too.

Last night and today was scrapbooking at church which was a lot of fun, especially because my neighbor Kelly came along. Jeremy about died watching the girls, but that's ok. When I got home at 2:00 today all he said was, I need your ATM card, I'll be home by 11:00pm. After a little golf he was better, though, and was home by 6:00. He just warned me that the weekend scrapbook retreat in January that I just signed up for . . . well, his patience might not last 2 days. Maybe we'll need to call Tori (our babysitter) for back-up. Because I already turned in my money, and gosh darnit, I am going on that retreat!

This weekend I finished the scrapbook pages of our trip to Salt Lake City last November, so so far I am staying within my goal of not being more than 1 year behind. I did talk to one lady today who is actually "caught up" on her scrapbooks -- I didn't know that was even possible!

Life

It's been awhile since I've had a post. Let's see. . . what has been happening around here? On Sunday Grandpa Mark showed up on his Harley for a couple days. He had ridden from Las Vegas to Milwaukee for the 105th Harley celebration. He said he saw some pretty crazy people! So the girls got to see grandpa for a couple days on his way back. Here's a couple pictures of the girls and grandpa in his motorcycle rain gear.

Speaking of Grandpa Mark, today is his birthday. Happy Birthday, Mark!

Other than that, not much new around here. We got a firepit last week so Jer and I have been having nightly campfires. Emily got to roast her first marshmallow the other night (well, mom roasted it and she ate it, and loved it). Jer has still been golfing a little, not as much as before, but trying to take advantage of the end of the golf season. I am not ready for summer to be over yet; it was so late to begin with, and what will we do when we can't take our daily trips to the park? We'll have to find some more indoor activities when it gets cold; any suggestions?

This weekend is scrapbooking at church, yea! We'll see if I make it until midnight tonight. Last night the girls went to bed at 5:30 and Jer and I at 8:40. Sad, I know. We weren't feeling the best, though, especially Jeremy and I think Emily.

Let's see, what have the girls been up to. Bri has been wanting to try a spoon. That's a hard one for mom to want to deal with! What a mess. This morning she had some applesauce. I handed the spoon to her right hand, and she switched it to her left. That's the hand she's been using, we'll see if it lasts. 3/4 of the way through her applesauce she switched to her right, so maybe she'll be ambidextrous. I have no idea if I even spelled that right.

Emily. . . she's just been kind of whiny this week. I think she might have a tinge of a sickness, or maybe just being 2. So to help that we went to the park for 2 hours with Laurie and girls in the morning, then a different park for an hour that afternoon.

Well, that's about it. Sorry if I bored you. Hey, at least it's something!