Nick's First Loose Tooth

Well, I am a little late on this, but at least it is in. At the end of August Nick lost his first tooth. It was the tiniest bit loose earlier that week, but then he ran into a wall. It became very loose. Curtis tied some dental floss around it and yanked it out. Nick didn't even flinch. He was just proud of his toothless grin!

8th BIrthday Party & Baptism

Saturday night Jacob had a birthday party at the base pool. It was in the evening, so they were able to enjoy some night swimming. It was a nice warm day, but a little chilly for swimming(for me at least, it didn't stop the kids!)


With the help of my friend we made a cake for his party. It turned out really well. So I put the cake into the oven so that it wouldn't be touched before the party. But in the afternoon I went to make some pizza and turned the oven on to preheat it. After a bit I smelled the burning frosting. Oooops. But all was not lost. It just hardened the frosting but the cake was still good. We decided to start a trend with twice-baked cake!!

Sunday Jacob was baptized. It was a great day. We are so proud of him. He is such a good boy and a good example to his brothers and sister.

Chiefs Game

Yesterday for Jacob's 8th birthday we took him and Nick to a Kansas City Chiefs football game. The Chiefs are one of Jacob's favorite teams right now. We were lucky to come across some tickets and thought we ought to take Jacob to see the Chiefs in action.

We had a great time. The game started an hour late because of a rain delay. When it finally did start, it rained on and off throughout the game. But we stuck it out and saw Jake's team beat the St. Louis Rams! We got home much too late but had a great time and hopefully Jake will remember it forever!

P.S. Sometimes I wondered who the boys(even the big one) watched more, the players or the cheerleaders!!

The SueAnnie Face

This is dedicated to my sister SueAnn. I don't want you all to get the wrong idea, SueAnn does not make this face. But we both have a memory when we were very young of an old lady in our ward that was always making that face. It has been a joke between us ever since. So when I discovered that Megan could make the face, I had to show SueAnn!! I am sorry that it is not funny to the rest of you, but it will forever make us laugh!!

I Need Your Help!

Well, I need your tips and advice. We all clearly know that there are some serious differences between boys and girls from the start(anyone who says differently is crazy)! Well, we have come to a point where Megan is getting ready to potty train. I feel like I have the concept figured out but I am asking for some "little girl" tips. So if you have any great tips or successes that you would love to share with me, I would be very grateful!

Relief is in Sight!

Today is Monday, school starts on Thursday. I am SOOOO excited. We have had a fun summer but like all good things, they have to end!

This last week we went to the Missouri State Fair. The weather was beautiful, but the was about the highlight of the fair. It was quite dissappointing. I guess you can expect too much from Missouri.

We have gone several pool parties. It seems that everyone is trying to squeeze one in before summer is over, including us, Jake's birthday party is at the pool at the end of the month.

Besides that, not much has been happening. Just me kicking the kids outside and telling them not to come back for an hour! Hopefully we will all make it 3 more days!

The Five

I was tagged with this little questionnairre so here goes.....

The Five

Ten years ago.....

1. I was not yet married, in fact I didn't even know Curtis.

2. I was working full time for the summer soon to start my second year at Ricks College.

3. I was enjoying single life....going out with friends, staying up too late, going to concerts, enjoying summer!

4. I planned on getting married after college and a mission, then having children around 30 years old!!

5. I was going to school to be a high school History teacher, boy, what was I thinking?

Five Things on today's "to do" list

1. get passport photos for the move

2. do laundry(I save it for one day then do it literally all day long!)

3. go to the UPS store to pick up the package since they can't find my house?!?!

4. make cinnamon rolls to take to the Veteran's Home for FHE

5. close my Tupperware party

Five snacks I enjoy....

1. good'n'plenties

2. yogurt with granola

3. chips with warm salsa

4. almond joys

5. ice water(I know it is not a snack, but I crave it lots!)

Five things I would do if I were a Millionaire....

1. travel to every country

2. buy my sisters' houses next to mine(but not in Missouri!!)

3. hire a maid(but she would have to change diapers)

4. build a dream home in the smoky mountains of Tennessee(with my sisters' next door)

5. invest

Five places I have lived.....

1. Knob Noster, Missouri

2. Japan

3. Little Rock, Arkansas

4. San Angelo, Texas

5. Oconomowoc, Wisconsin

I tag Kate and SueAnn.

I Couldn't Resist

We were getting ready for church today and actually had time to spare. The kids looked all cleaned up so I thought that I would take a picture.

Tennis & Swim

Jacob asked to take tennis lessons at the end of the school year. They started up right before we got home from vacation. It has been every morning at 9am(which sounds ok, except getting up by 7:30 to make sure we are on time is not my idea of summer sleeping!) He has been enjoying it and isn't too bad! Tournaments start next week, then finally we can sleep past 7:30!


One morning during the rush to get to tennis, Jake and Nick thought it would be ok to play roly-poly with the watermelon that was up on the counter. You can imagine how I felt when Jake came up to my bathroom while I was showering to say, "Umm, Mom, we were playing roly-poly with the watermelon and it accidently fell....." I was just glad that it didn't make as much of a mess as I was imagining while finishing my shower!!

The boys are also taking swim lessons. The program on base is so good. They are each in different levels but are learning so much. Caleb doesn't like to be on his back much, but loves to go under the water. Nick is a fish. He loves his goggles and can stay under long enough that it worries me. Jake is starting to get good at the different strokes. It amazes me to see his skinny little body glide through the water! Maybe next year for Megan!

Vacation

Well, we finally made it home from our vacation and are glad to be back. We had a great time and did lots of fun things, but there is nothing quite like your own bed!

First, we went to Commerce, Georgia (outside Atlanta) where my sister Kate and her family lives. We spent a few days with them. We went to the Cabbage Patch Hospital where the cabbage patch dolls are "born". It was fun but not as interactive as I had hoped. Megan got her first cabbage patch doll which cries, then drinks from her bottle. I don't have any pictures of our adventure in Georgia, so you will have to look at Kate's blog to see some(if she has any!)

Then we went up to the Smoky Mountains and Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It was gorgeous up there. We camped and spent our days at some of the tourist sites. I think that the Smoky Mountains are one of the most beautiful parts of the country.

Then we went over to Greensboro, North Carolina, where Nick lives. Nancy and Diannah were there the same time that we were. We went to a Greensboro Grasshoppers baseball game. Curtis has other family there too that we spent the weekend with.

On our way up to Wisconsin, we stopped at the US Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. It had tons of different aircraft on display. My favorite part was the Space Museum.

We made it to Wisconsin a few days before the 4th of July. We spent time barbequeing with family and friends. On the 4th, the guys put on a great fireworks display for us. It was LOUD and amazing, but still 3 out of the 4 kids slept or fell asleep during it!

Lastly, we stopped in Nauvoo. There were some great parts, but we have decided it is better for older children (Caleb and Megan weren't too interested in barrel making!) We will definitely go back another time when attention spans are longer, and we have more time to spend there.

And now back to everyday living. Jacob started tennis today. He loves it. They begged to go to the swimming pool, but it was only about 81 degrees. Maybe tomorrow!