Kansas City, Here We Come...

Piper, Teagan and Chloe made sand art necklaces.

Taffy and Piper sitting on the pumpkin display.

Piper got a marker drawing on her arm.  (as did Chloe and Teagan)

We parked by a playground.  Teagan is doing the monkey bars.

Piper climbed down the bars.

I took the girls to KC this weekend so that Shane could clean out the basement and THROW THINGS AWAY without the girls knowing.  By the looks of the trash can, he didn't throw ENOUGH away!!  Oh well, it's a start.  Atleast there is a path to get from one side to the other now!! ;-)

Anyway, while we were in Kansas City, we stayed at my Mom and Dad's house and didn't do anything to exciting.  We went out to eat on Friday night when we got there.  On Saturday, we went to Liberty's Fall Festival and caught the parade.  One thing different about their parade, they don't really throw candy, they actually walk by and put it into your hand--how polite is that??  For the first 10 minutes of the parade, we didn't think they gave out candy at all.  That evening, the girls and I just went shopping here and there.  Nothing to exciting.  It was nice to get out of town though.  Enough for now...-AS

Teagan

Teagan ACTUALLY ate HOT lunch today--VERY RARE!!

Teagan and friends: Teags, Olivia, Riley, Allison and Taffy (who thinks she's 4!!)

Olivia holding Taffy, Allison, Riley and Teagan in front

I don't know all these girls' names so I'm not even going to try and Teagan is still at school.

Today, Piper, Aftyn and I went and had lunch with Teagan.  It was walking tacos--YUM!!  We try to do that atleast once or twice a month.  This is the second time we've eaten with Teagan, I think and we've eaten with Chloe once too.  Aftyn gets literally ATTACKED by the little girls.  She's usually all about the attention but today was a little much for her.  I think Piper waking her up at 6:30 had a little to do with it.  Plus we ran errands this morning so we didn't have a lot of down time.  Makes for a cranky baby--she wasn't really cranky, just wanted me more then normal.  Teagan has the GREATEST teacher there is!!  I sit out in the hall a couple times a month and do volunteer work for her and listen to her.  She's got the patience and calmness of a SAINT!!  I try to absorb it and can only dream of being half that good with kids--Miss Reed is AWESOME!!

Teagan also is doing soccer again this fall.  Just the 3 week clinic type deal.  She likes it, I think.  It's handy this session because its in the park that's behind our house--NICE!!  Piper is doing Blastball again too.  Shane took her last night and I stayed behind because Mikayla hadn't gone home yet.  Shane said she's the best one out there--boys included!!  I'm sure he'd love it if ONE of our girls would play some sort of sport!!  Enough for now, I gotta clean up this place while Taffy's napping!!  -AS

Grandma's Party

Grandma Wilma laughing at the card my girls picked out for her:  It sings "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun."  My Aunt Pat said that should be Shane's theme song!!

Allie, Piper, Isabelle, Teagan and Josh on the paddle boat.

Teagan, Taffy, Henry and Cauy watch Chloe bob for apples.  The kids got SOAKED!!

4 Generation Picture: My Dad, George, Grandma Wilma, Piper, Me, Taffy and Teagan.  Chloe had already left.  She rode home with Max.

Taffy and Shane watching the kids on the paddle boat.

We went down to SE Iowa to my Grandma's annual party at my Aunt Claudia's house.  It was a Great Day:  the weather was perfect and we got to see lots of relatives we don't see but maybe once a year.  The day was filled with FOOD, Family and FUN!  The kids bobbed for apples, rode on the paddle boat, played ladder ball, and played with puppies with their cousins.  The kids also got to pick some apples, pears and raspberries.  And, of course, Grandma Wilma opened some gifts.  The highlight for my kids was bobbing for apples.  They had never done that before and they thought it was a BLAST!!  They even asked if they could do it again next year.  Enough for now...-AS

Happy Birthday, Honey!!

Shane's cake--we didn't have enough candles or enough room for all of them on the cake.

Shane burned his finger on hot grease tonight so he's soaking it in water.  This is where he sits almost every night.  I'm not sure what he'll do when winter hits!!

Shane's holding some safety glasses Chloe found on the tracks on the way home from school today.  She wrapped them up and wrote him a poem for his birthday.

Today is Shane's Birthday.  He's 38--doesn't look a day over 29 either.  (Well, except for maybe the gut he's acquiring--ssshhh, don't tell him I said that!!)  I came home from my workout this morning and told him Happy Birthday and so did the girls.  We all colored him a page this week and made him a little booklet of the pages we made.  We had him open one of his presents--it was a rapid fire squishy ball gun thing.  I thought it would be fun for him to take it to work but maybe that isn't really appropriate for the work place.  He left it at home.  This evening after supper we had his ice cream cake that we (the girls) picked out for him last night.  The girls then opened his other three gifts (aftershave, safety glasses and a shirt and jeans) and handed them to him to see.  OK funny story:  We were at the freezer at DQ picking out a cake for him and Teagan kept saying she wanted the Princess one or the pink one with flowers (and if you know Teagan, you realize she's NOT quiet).  Finally I said, "Teagan, Daddy has to deal with enough pink cakes, lets get him the baseball one."  A lady standing behind us with her back toward us turned around to see me with ALL FOUR GIRLS and busted out laughing and said, "That's the funniest thing I've heard in a while."  I told him the story tonight and he said I should have just gotten a pink one because he's half girl now anyway.  Enough for now...-AS

Happy Birthday, Grandma Wilma!! :-)

Piper and her friend, Dylan.  (I don't know the boys)

Piper and Taffy doing Hopscotch in the "big room".

Piper and the girls washing their hands before snack.

Today is my Grandma Wilma's Birthday!!  Happy Birthday Grandma!!  We are going to her annual party this Saturday in SE Iowa so I will have some pictures of that on Sunday.  She looks good too!!  I'm not going to tell you her age because I don't know if she'll appreciate me doing so: However, if I look that good and am in that good of health and live in my own home at that age, I'd like to think that I'll be BRAGGING!!  Hope you have a great day Grandma and can't wait to see you on Saturday!!

Today was also Piper's treat day at school and she got to bring a show and tell.  I encouraged her to bring the picture we have on the fridge of Grandma Wilma (in honor of her birthday), my kids and Pam's kids from 2 years ago when Pam watched my kids for a weekend.  So the whole class got to see the picture.  Taffy and I came just in time for snack and play time in the "big room".  Taffy's been "spirited" lately so she needed to run off some energy!!  Plus Piper likes the attention when we show up.  Enough for now...-AS

Happy Birthday, Isabelle!!

Teagan, Isabelle, Piper, and Chloe opening gifts...

Taffy with Piper, the mother hen

Isabelle looking sweet and sassy in her Hanna Montana hair and crown...

Me (Alli) and Taffy...

Piper and Isabelle...

Today is my niece, Isabelle's, fourth birthday.  She had a swim party at the Wassebaun (sp??) Waterpark near Williamsburg.  All the girls had a great time!  ;-)  The water was actually half warm!!  Always a bonus in my book--I'm more of the hot tub kind of girl -which we got kicked out of TWICE!!  Kids under the age of 16 aren't allowed--oh for crying out loud. There were only 10 kids total in the WHOLE pool and we had 5 of them.  Enough for now...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ISABELLE!!  -AS

Taffy and I had a Date...

Yesterday, after we took the kids to school and preschool.  I brought Taffy home so I could get something done.  Yeah right!!!  Every time I got out of the chair, she started whining (sp??).  So I packed her up and we went to the mall to play.  She was a much happier camper there!!  The best part about taking Taffy to the mall is that she doesn't complain when I want to actually LOOK in the stores and she doesn't ask every 30 seconds if she can have lunch at the mall or a pretzel or a cookie or ALL OF IT!!  She makes her own fun--like when I was in The Children's Place looking at a rack of clothes and she pulled off EVERY pair of pants that were neatly stacked on the table.  And then when I try to put them back, she takes them off again.  She's a TURD!!  Oh well.  It was nice to get out anyway.

Yesterday, after school the kids were walking through the park and some high school kids were also in the park.  Supposedly they were talking schmack to my kids, using curse words and all.  So I proceed to go over and talk to the high school boys and I'm giving them my lecture about talking naughty talk to elementary kids and Teagan chimes in, " Yeah, and I'm a kindergartner and I'll beat you up!"  And Mikaela (also a kindergartner) says, "and I'll beat you up too!"  After I got them to quiet their mouths I busted out laughing and I said to the boys, "You better shape up or these two girls will whip all of your hineys at once!!"  There were 4 of them.  Only Teagan... She better learn to keep her trap quiet or she may find herself in a world of hurt.  Enough for now...-AS

What's up with us...

OK so here I am attempting yet another exercise program to get the hot body I long for.  (Shane said, "I don't know why you're doing it.  You don't look that bad."  Uuhh...Thanks, I think??)  It officially started today although Saturday was our orientation.  It's a kick boxing/exercise bands class.  Today was just kickboxing.  It was pretty fun and really good for ANGER MANAGEMENT!!  hehe.  I thought is was great.  I'm still favoring my one hip--it didn't hurt today but I'm afraid to hurt it so I took it easy when I was kicking with my left leg.  I'm afraid if I move just right (wrong!!), I'll fall on the floor and never get up.  We also have to follow this eating plan where we eat every 2-3 hours.  Unfortunately, today I also had to spend the afternoon fasting for our life insurance policy renewal so I was dying!!  I wasn't too sore though--wait until tomorrow!  I still have to do my "homework" for tonight--50 sit ups and 50 pushups--Uugghhh!!!

Chloe and Teagan are in their 3rd week of piano lessons and I'm quite impressed with the progress they are making!!  Sarah is a GREAT teacher and the girls look forward to going every week!  Maybe Chloe has found her "thing"!!  That would be great if this is it.

Piper is LOVING her preschool in the "4 year old" room.  I stopped by early today and observed for a few minutes.  She, of course, didn't talk to anyone she was having snack with.  She didn't know anyone at her table.  The friends she does know were at the other table.  She'll warm up, it just takes a little bit with her--not like Teagan at all! 

Aftyn cried again today when Chloe, Teagan and Mikaela left for school.  She just can't get over that she can't go!!  She stayed home today with Ashley when I took Piper to school so that I could go help out Teagan's teacher.  She cried when we left but was having a great time when we came back.  It's a nice break for me to go to Teagan's room and sit out in the hallway and cut shapes out without a care in the world except for cutting out that teddy bear.  It's no-brainer work but it's quiet time for me.  And no one is yelling "Momma" all the time.  Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade that for the world but it was just a nice break.

Enough for now, I got homework to do...-AS

First Day of Preschool

Today was the first day of Preschool for Piper.  I think we were both equally excited!!  Taffy was NOT excited at all.  I took all the kids to school today and when Chloe, Teagan, and Mikaela got out she cried and kept saying, "Dodo, Dodo". (Chlo-Chlo)  And then Piper got out and she cried again.  She just wants to be 3 so she can go!!  Poor baby girl is stuck with me for 3 days a week for the next 8(or so) months.  Actually she'll have Ashley every other Monday so I can volunteer in Teagan's class room so that will be good for us all.  :-)  Piper had a great time and said she'd even go back again next week.  It helps that she knows the teachers since Teagan had them last year.  Enough for now...-AS

The Zoo--Again!!

Tate and Teagan...

Taffy milking the cow...

All the kids getting REALLY wet!! (the elephant shoots out water)

Piper...

Chloe and Taffy watching the fish...

Today, we didn't have school for some DUMB reason, so I took the kids to the zoo--again!!  And we took along a couple of stragglers, Tate and Mikaela.  When you have 4 kids, what's 2 more, right??   Chloe felt sorry for Tate because he had to use the bathroom alone and we had 5 other girls to go with.  Nice logic, Chloe!!  We did the same things we always do but we didn't eat lunch there.  The grill we normally eat at was closed (we could have eaten somewhere else but I didn't tell them that--te he) and the train was broke when we first got there so we didn't ride that either (it was fixed by the time we left).  We met 2 of Piper's friends, Dylan and Hannah, and their moms' and siblings at the zoo too.  So, that was 3 moms and 10 kids.  We were one of FEW people there, which was pretty nice!!  And the weather was awesome!!  The baby giraffe is soo stinkin' CUTE!!  We even got to see her and her mom run--that was pretty funny!!  Enough for now...-AS

Going to Grandma and Grandpa's House

Yesterday, we headed up to Fort Dodge to see Grandma and Grandpa--always a favorite thing to do for the kids.  They got to play on all the toys and in the giant sandbox.  Taffy even got a new Halloween costume!!  She loved it and didn't want to take it off!!  It fit perfectly and she looked ADORABLE!  Enough...-AS