Animal Rescuers

I have been taking Tui and Addy, the little girl I babysit, with me for walks in a local park. There are lots of lakes and it is a large wooded area. We see a lot of wild life there. we usually see squirrels and birds.Sometimes we see deer, but our most favorite animal to see are turtles. We have come across a couple of different kinds. most of them are pretty big....like it takes both my hands to lift them up. On day we even found a huge soft shell turtle that made funny sounds when we touched his feet.

Today while we were driving to the spot we start our walk at, I noticed something in the road. It was small, and at first it looked like a leaf. I stopped and got out to look. It was a baby snapping turtle that had been run over. It had a big crack in it's shell and there was blood coming from it's mouth. I quickly got in the van. put the turtle in my lap and turned around to go to the forest rangers station to see if they could help it. They were pretty surprised it hadn't tried to bite me. Poor little thing was pretty hurt! They said it might not live. How sad!

So back down the road for our walk again. This time in the road there was another creature. The largest black fuzzy Caterpillar I have ever seen...and then minutes later another one with a red stripe. We moved them off the road so they wouldn't get squashed.
We love our walks in George Wyth Park!

Cuddle Bug
We have all had a virus for the past 2 weeks....nothing major, but enough to make everyone feel grumpy and yucky.
Tui is such a snuggler anyhow, but tonight he just wanted to be held. He came out of bed and climbed up on my lap...pulled my arm around him and fell back asleep. Isn't he the cutest!

One Smart Cookie!
Beginning in 3rd grade, ITBS tests are given to all the students in our school district. These tests determine the amount of retained knowledge and skill from throughout the year in math, reading/writing and science. In order achieve an award, you need to pass with a 90% or above. Sydney got 92%.
We received an invitation in the mail for a dinner and award ceremony for Sydney. One of the retirement communities in our city is a partner in education and so they hosted the dinner. It was such a lovely night. We are so proud of our smart cookie! We have been a bit spoiled! She has never really needed much help with homework or understanding any material. I just hope the next 2 kids are the same way!

Tui's Mind in action

Tonight we had to make a quick run to go get milk. As many of you might know, I treat my van like a race car sometimes. I admit...I like speed. However, when my kids are in the van, I am much more careful. Tonight was rainy and wet and I was in a bit of a rush, and I took a corner a bit too fast.

Mom---" Hold on to your potatoes"

I am always saying stuff like that....hold onto your potatoes...horses...spaghetti...hats...whatever.

Tui---" I can't hold my potatoes....I don't have any in my hands!"

Well, That's a 3 year old for ya.

Happy birthday Haylie! 6 years old, it hardly seems possible. Haylie has gone through so much in the past 6 years, but now she is healthy and happy. Haylie wanted to do a salon party this year. We had the front porch set up for Sydney to do pedicures and I curled hair and glittering hair in the living room. All the girls had so much fun getting beautified. It was a fun party.

Things I love about Haylie

Her laugh..it is so contagious

the way her nose crinkles

Her enthusiasm for learning

her imagination

I love to hear her sing

She can be so loving ( when she wants to ;)

Her determination

Her curly hair

I love that she is my daughter

Her love for the Savior

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

It has been 4 years since we have been to a real Zoo. Living in Iowa, we have to travel 4 hours in any direction to get to a really big zoo. Our favorite so far is the Omaha zoo. This was Tui's first time going to the zoo...he loved it. His favorite was the aquarium with it's underwater tunnel. He was fascinated by the sharks and sea turtles. The girls had fun with the Gorillas. all the animals were very interactive that day, letting us get close up and personal. I had fun using different settings on my camera. Here are some more pictures.

Mom's School

Tui was so sad when the girls started school and he couldn't go with them. But then I told him he gets to go to his own schools where the mommies are the teachers. He was so excited to go. Us mom's all take turns teaching a new letter once a week. Tui Has been learning so much! He even got a Lightning McQueen backpack that he didn't take off for the whole day. I hope his enthusiasm continues through out his school years!

Out of the Ordinary

We have some strong bonds in our family. Sydney was instantly best friends with Haylie the minute Haylie was born. And again when Tui was born, Sydney was immediately his favorite person. Haylie on the other hand was a bit....rough with Tui when he was a baby. She would pinch him or sit on him just to hear him cry. Why she felt she needed this extra noise ( and ultimately the added negative attention from me), I will never understand! Well, I feel it has permanently scared Tui. He and Haylie continue to butt heads and he always runst to Sydney when he needs a friend.

Well since school started, Tui has been home alone without his sisters. He waits by the door for them to come home and as soon as he sees them cross the street he is out the door running. He always...always runs to Sydney saying " Sydney...your home. I missed you so much!!!!!"

This past Sunday at church Sydney got Tui out of nursery. She got a hug from him, but all of a sudden started running down the hall toward Haylie. He threw his arms around her waist and gave her a huge hug and said " Haylie, I missed you so much. I love you!!!!"

I couldn't help the little tear in my eye! Sydney was a bit perturbed at the change in his behavior. I think he spoiled her.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

My baby is now 3 years old.....I guess I should stop calling him a baby. He is so much fun right now. He is stil very cuddly and he loves to be tickled. He is getting better at forming cohearant sentances. He has even started using bigger words like " disgusting" and " dangerous", and he even calls me " beautiful" instead of pretty. I love my boy! He is all about Thomas the train...he an't go anywhere without Thomas! We even saved the piniata for next year since they didn't manage to bust it open. I am sad that he is growing up so fast though!

Grump Old Man

I am proud to say that I have worked in retail and the service industry. I think that everyone should have to work at a restaurant or a retail store at least once in their lives so they will understand how to treat people who work at these places.

Unlike the old grumpy man I encountered tonight. It is Tuis birthday, so we let him decide what he wanted for dinner....it was an easy choice...Pizza! So we ran up the street to Little Caesar's. We love that they have pizza made and ready to go...but I also know that it gets very busy around dinner time. So I was not upset when the girl at the register said it would be about a 5 min wait...no prob...really is 5 minutes a big deal?

After I place my order, 10 more people file in and place theirs...all of whom are asked to wait 5 min...no prob...everyone is cool with that. Then, out of the darkest corner of the universe, comes the grumpiest old man ever!!! He asks for a pepperoni pizza and a cheese pizza...bot of which are in the oven as we speak. The nice college age girl at the register asks if he would mind waiting 5 min like the rest of us. No prob.....NO WAY! He proceeds to rip into her about false advertising and that it just isn't right to advertise " Hot and Ready" if it is not really ready. The poor girl was not flustered and just asked the man if he would still like to place his order. He rudely says yes, but that this was horrible service. He then found the closest seat to me, unaware that I was boiling on the inside and ready to rip him a new one.

Just as I was about to say something, my pizza order was up. The nice girl called my name and I went up to the register. I told her she was doing a wonderful job...and then I turned around to face the old decrepit excuse of a human being, and said " Some rude people just don't get that this is a busy time of day". Nothing to demeaning, but I was pleased to see that his face had gone white and his mouth was hanging open. I took a peek at the girl behind the counter, and there was the biggest, most grateful smile I have seen in a while.

Those two looks are priceless to me....putting rude people in their place....and helping a smile appear when, at the time, that is the last thing the person was thinking of doing.

Back to School

First day jitters were no where to be found at our house today! Haylie and Sydney were so excited to go back to school. Sydney is in officially in third grade but will be learning 4th and 5th grade material for some of her classes. It is hard to decide what to do with her...what is best? She is reading at a 6th or 7th grade reading level and a 4th grade math level and she just soaks up everything she learns. But the more she advances, the more she is separated from her peers. I can't even keep up anymore. But she loves it and she has a really great teacher that keeps her learning.

Haylie is in Kindergarten this year and is now in school full time. It has been so strange not having her home for part of the school day. She has a wonderful teacher as well and is already learning so much! I am so proud of my girls...and of Tui. He is so excited to go to school too. when we dropped the girls off at school the first day he asked where his teacher was and where his back pack was. Man they grow up fast. Tui will be doing a mom's school with me this year and possibly next...his birthday is the cut off day for school...so we will see how he does this year. He is a smart cookie like Sydney though...I bet he will be ready next year for preschool.

Tee-Ball Time

Haylie decide after watching Sydney play softball last year, that she wanted to play too. So we signed her up for Tee-ball with one of her little friends. She loved it! Thank goodness because last year she pitched a fit and sat down in the field and cried the whole time.

This year she was much more active...a bit distracted when she was fielding, but she loved to bat! We we even got her her own pink batting helmet.

Soft Ball Season

Sydney was on the marlins this year...her first year of real softball. Last year she was still in coach pitch. She was nervous at first, but she did so well and learned so much! Sydney is the type of person who likes to do everything, but also wants to be perfect at everything. Some things come very naturally to her( smarts) and others she has to really work at and practice ( sports). Needless to say, she was very frustrated when she would strike out or not be able to pitch as well as some of her other teammates who have been playing for longer. She worked hard and had a lot of fun playing though. Her team won 1st place in their division. I am so proud of her for sticking with it! Next year will be even more fun! Maybe I will even coach?? It is so hard for me to sit on the sidelines...after all I played for 11 years...and man do I miss it!!!

Visit From The Canadian Grandparents.

We were very lucky to have my mom and dad come visit us from Canada. They got here just in time for the 4th of July. We invited some friends over to meet them and had a BBQ followed by a trip to the Unidome to watch the fireworks. We sat in a big open field right up close to where the fireworks were set off. It was awesome!

I have to share an amazing experience with you.( those with weak stomachs be warned)

My Dad had an accident when he was a young man. His arm was cut off in a farming accident....well almost cut off. He had about an inch of skin holding on his forearm to the rest of his arm ( just below the elbow). Back then, without the technology we have today, the most common solution was amputation...I mean, his arm was already hanging by a thread...literally. But a miracle happened! Prayers were said and blessings were given and many surgeries later, my dad has an arm. The doctors were able to reattach everything except for the tendon of his pinky finger. Now his arm has a large concave scar on the inside of his wrist all the way up to almost his elbow and his pinky finger is always bent. He can't straighten it...but he can still make those 3 point shots ( my dad loves basketball, but because of the way my dad looks, some people think he can't play...boy does he have them fooled!).

Anyhow, most people avoid that hand or are unsure about what to do when my dad shakes their hand. At the BBQ my dad made a new friend...an innocent child who saw past the scars and saw my dad for the awesome grandpa he is. My good friend's daughter, Kate, instantly bonded and was always near my dad. As we were walking up the hill to watch the fireworks, Kate ran up to my dad, took a hold of his scared hand and held it tight as the walked together to the field. It brought tears to my eyes to see the innocent love of a child and the kindness that my dad deserves!

The next part of our visit with mom and dad takes us to Nauvoo. When I was a child, we had travelled through Nauvoo many times, but there was always something missing...the Temple was not there. My parents are huge church history people and always taught us about the pioneers and all that they went through. I have a deep appreciation for the pioneers because of what my parents taught me. This trip was special for my mom and dad because it is the first time they have been to Nauvoo since the Temple was restored. How wonderful it was for them to be able to go inside and feel the spirit there. It is so calm and beautiful! After going through the Temple, we enjoyed the sights of Nauvoo and all the history there. We happened to be there during the Nauvoo pagent and were able to participate in extra activities. The kids got to play all sorts of pioneer games. Even Anthony played stick pull. Stick pull is a game 2 people play...you sit on the ground facing each other and put your feet together while holing a stick in between you. Then you pull. The winner is the one who can pull the other person up off his butt. One man there thought he could beat Anthony...silly man! Once this man was beat he grabbed the actor who plays Brigham Young in the Pagent....Brigham has never been beat...not until that fateful day. It was a bit harder this time, but Anthony was able to pull Brigham Young up not once, but twice. My big strong man!

Mom and dad continued their journey from Nauvoo, so we said our goodbye's there...the girls had such a hard time saying good bye to them, so did I! We loved having them visit and can't wait till they can come back again!

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Erie Trip

The last day of school was also the first day of our vacation. We picked up the girls from school and took off for Pennsylvania. It is always nice to go visit Grandma, but we had an extra surprise visitor to see. Anthony's brother, Lawrance got engaged and brought his Fiancee out to meet us. Coral was super nice, my kids loved her! We had so much fun going to the beach and down to Pittsburgh to visit James and Amy and their kids. The girls really bonded with their cousins on this trip. One of our favorite memories was trying to catch gigantic tadpoles in the pond by grandma's house. Not only were there huge tadpoles, but also a couple of water snakes that would swim by every once in a while. To top off the trip we went to Waldamere (sp?) park and went on all the water slides and roller coasters we could. What a fun trip!

P.S...to view the slide show above, hit View all....for some reason I couldn't get the slide show to show up on my blog....if anyone know s what I did wrong, let me know!