Good Friends

We got a package in the mail yesterday. Everything a girl could want while "bedresting." Check it out:

Bubbles for Audrey, and a book about the "new baby."

Martha Stewart Living, Sudoku, and candy for preggo mama. I assume the candy is...er...was for me. It is now...in my tummy. :)

And, just in case you couldn't see it...here's a close-up of the item intended for daddy.

Yep, they know us each very well. We were one happy family opening that package last night. Thank you M & J!!! We miss you guys!!

And thanks to ALL OF YOU who have stepped in to help us out during this crazy time of life. To our family & friends who have stayed with us, taken care of our daughter, done our dishes and laundry, cleaned our house, and all of you who have brought us meals (both in town and all the way from Omaha, NE!) It is SO appreciated!! I honestly have no idea how we would handle this without all of your love, prayers, and support.

Tomorrow morning I'll have a follow-up appointment and ultrasound with my OB. Will keep you posted!

Good Friends, Good Times

So last weekend I looked at Tim on Saturday morning and said, "is there anything you want to do this weekend?" His answer was, "not really." I quickly ran down my to-do list for the day, which mostly included cleaning the house. Afterwards he paused and said, "I'd kind of like to play cards tonight." We wracked our brains trying to think of who we could call last minute to come over for a game of Spades. On a whim, I half-joked, "let's call Dave & Amy and see if they want to come over."
Our good friends D & A used to live in Omaha with us. They were our first "couple" friend after we got married, and we frequently called one another totally last minute to hang out or take road trips. During our first year of marriage when we didn't own a television set, Dave & Amy gave us a standing invitation to hang out every Thursday night so Amy & I could watch ER together, and Tim & Dave could annoy us by providing a running commentary about how unrealistic and overly dramatic the show was. And we took them up on it nearly every week!

About 2 1/2 years ago D & A moved to Kansas City so Amy could start physical therapy school. We've only seen them 3 or 4 times since then, a few times when they came to Omaha to visit and a few times when we road-tripped to KC. But the last time we saw them was over a year ago. So we called them up last Saturday morning. And invited them "over for cards." And a homemade banana cream pie. They laughed and we said our good-byes after a long catching-up conversation. Five minutes later they called back and said, "we're packing!" (I think the banana cream pie may have been the deciding factor.) :)

Needless to say, we were half-shocked and super excited. (We can barely remember those days pre-children of pure flexibility to pick up and travel at a moment's notice!) But I whipped up the promised pie and we opened up our home as a B & B for the weekend. And we had a blast playing cards and just hanging out for the rest of the weekend.

Thanks, Dave & Amy, for a great time!

Ways to pass the time with a toddler #163:

Finger paint with chocolate pudding.

Just testing it out...

"Hey, this isn't paint..."

(I know, I know, for the other PTs and OTs who read this blog...she's "W" sitting. I don't approve, and I don't let it happen often...but when she's covered in chocolate pudding I let her sit however she sits as long as she sits still!) :)

The finished masterpiece:

Notice the chocolate footprints on the floor OFF the edges of the paper...these two movers didn't sit still very long. And they both went straight into the bathtub.

A Few More Animals...

Forgive me, but I must extend the cuteness of small children in Halloween costumes for one more blog post.

We had a great time with some good friends the day after Halloween. It was a great excuse to get together for good food and fellowship, and one last chance to dress up the kiddos. We had a house that resembled a barnyard/zoo, complete with a cow, a chicken, a monkey, a lion, a set of twins, :) and one cowboy to wrangle them all in. Trying to get 7 children ages 2 and under to all sit still for a picture proved to be an impossible task, but we had to try!

And try again.

And keep trying.

Until they one-by-one started melting down. Or just plain walking out of the picture. (Notice one twin is now MIA.) So we finally gave up.
This is the best shot we got of them all: From left, Audrey (as a chicken,) Michael, (as a cow,) Beckett & Maddox (as each other,) Brenna (the lion,) Townes (as a monkey,) and Josiah (the cowboy.)

Later that night Audrey stole Josiah's hat and started parading around in it. I think she decided that she would rather be a cowgirl than a chicken. Maybe next year...

The Great State Fair

So my mom has this book called "1000 Places to See Before You Die." Guess what made the list? The Iowa State Fair!! Can you believe that? Iowa. So we decided to head down to Des Moines again this year to introduce Audrey to our great home-state's fair. To try and give you a picture of the overall "experience," here are some words that come to mind:

Crowded.

Loud.

Hot. (though not as bad as previous years!)

Sequins.

Cowboy boots.

Sequins + cowboy boots worn by the same person at the same time.

Cowboy hats.

Funny hats in general (Dr. Suess, Cy the Cyclone, etc. Audrey's favorite was a huge wide-brimmed black hat lined with purple feathers worn by a teenage girl who ate lunch nearby. She couldn't keep her eyes off of it. How do you teach an 11-month-old that it's not polite to stare?)

Corndogs.

Pork Tenderloins.

Deep fat fried _____ (anything!)

"Fair" people. (Big hair, big teeth, fake tans, you know, good ol' Ioway Rednecks.)

So...you get the idea. It's a very, very interesting place to "people-watch." Hopefully not to be confused with any rednecks, here's a picture of us at the fair:

We had a great time with friends Jessie, Danny, & Townes.

Audrey seeing her first horse.

The highlight for me was trying my first ever deep-fat-fried Snickers bar...
It was, unfortunately, topped by Tim's choice of deep-fat-fried Oreos...
Me & Danny enjoying our deep-fat-fried desserts.My all-time favorite moment at the fair occurred as we were leaving for the day; we overheard a teenage girl look at Tim and then comment to her friend, "that is so hot." And, I must say that I agree. A good-looking man with an adorable baby in a sling...doesn't get much better looking than that!!

The Worst Friend in the World

I may officially be the worst friend in the world. My friend Joanna just had a birthday, and I totally missed it. Not by an hour, or a day, but nearly a week. And I've seen her since her birthday. And didn't even mention it. Because I hadn't remembered it yet. See what I mean? Terrible!!! Her birthday happens to fall on the same day as our anniversary, which should make it easier to remember, but this year I was so caught up in "5 years" that I completely spaced it. Joanna, will you forgive me??? I hope you had a wonderful, fantastic day with your man and your 2 little fellas. For old time's sake, here are some of my favorite pictures of 'the girls' from the past few years...

Joanna & I...Mexican food & margaritas...mmmm

Jessie, Karen, Joanna & me

Karen, Jessie, Me, & Joanna at Jessie's wedding reception

Joanna & I at her baby shower.

(She's got not 1, but TWO babies in that little belly...can you believe it???) Me (expecting Audrey), Jo (expecting Maddox & Beckett), Karen (expecting to get engaged soon!), & Jessie My, how time flies and things change!!! Audrey is almost a year old, Jo's boys are 16 months old and she is expecting #3, Karen IS engaged and getting married this October, Jessie's son is 20 months and she is expecting #2!!! We are SO grown-ups now!

It was so fun to hang out with all you girls last Tuesday. Let's do that more often!

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY Joanna!! I do love you!!