Saturday, August 29, 2009

Free Sample of Nature Valley Granola Clusters

Heres a chance to get a free sample of Nature Valley Granola Clusters. I've tried a bag and they are actually pretty good. Just click on the above title and it will take you to the site to sign up.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Well on Wednesday August 19th we started another year of school. Max is in the 5th Grade(can you believe that?) and Emily is in the 2nd Grade(that one too?). Emily has Mrs. Borcher which we absolutely love and so she was very eager to go and see all her friends. Max has Mr. Andrade, which we have heard many horror stories about but Max went to school without any problems and showed us how much he has matured. It is hard for us to believe that we have a 5th grader and a 2nd grader. They are growing up way too fast.










I'm sure something smart was said.






It's Big Boy Bed Time

Well a big boy just passed another milestone, he's out of the crib and in a regular bed. We were sorta forced to do it, his crib was part of a huge recall and we had to return it to Target. In return Target gave us a $150 giftcard. Ah gee I don't know what I'm gonna do with that. Target is one of my favorite stores. So off to Ikea we went and picked up a bunk bed for the boys(and had Swedish meatballs too, yummo). Well if you have ever bought Ikea furniture you know it comes in a million different pieces and the object is to make a bed out of them. So Ed got to work and with lots of help, at 9 finished the bed. Time to get everyone ready for bed and into their beds. Jack was so tired that he was ready and just got in there and went right to sleep. Now his parents that's a different story. Your kind've sleeping with one eye or ear open. But Jack slept all night in his new bed. We have had a few not so good nights but all in all it hasn't been too bad of a transition. Jack loves his new bed so he is very good about going to bed. Let me knock on wood.

Jack's first night in his big boy bed






Jack making sure the slats are hang proof



Jack and Emily helping dad out


Ed trying to figure out all the pieces of the bed.








Thursday, August 13, 2009

Jack's First Trip to the Emergency Room(Afraid it won't be his last)



So this last weekend we decided to head to the coast to play on the beach and just have a relaxing weekend. So Saturday we spent a relaxing time Muir Beach and then headed to our hotel in San Rafael. Had a nice evening and everyone slept well(except Ed, who slept with Jack). I had just put the coffee on, Emily and Jack were looking out the window. The coffee pot is a two cup deal where you put the cups on the spout and it fills them up. Well Jacks curiosity got the best of him and he pulled the cup of hot water down on top of himself and burned his head, chest and arm. His arm immediately blistered, so we put him in a bath and packed everything up and called the front desk for directions for the nearest emergency room. Got everything and everybody loaded up and headed to Novato which was just 10 minutes up the road. Lucky for us there weren't any other people there. They put him in a room right away and a doctor came in and said the head and chest were 1st degree burns like sunburns and the arm was a 2nd degree and they would treat it with this white wonder cream and bandage it up. But first they had to make him comfortable, they gave him Tylenol 3 and we waited about 20 minutes for it to relax him. In the process he cried for "Lu". He needed his sissy. She came in and stayed with him while he got all wrapped up. The staff at Novato Community Hospital were great. They asked us what we were going to do the rest of the day, well nothing now. That about wiped us out. Ed and I know that this won't be our last trip to the emergency room with Jack. We have learned our lesson, although we are childproof(as far as we can tell)at home, we need to be more assertive when we are traveling.


In the emergency room waiting patiently to be treated(not really patiently.)







The burn before being treated








Jack showing his muscle.











Two days after the incident.


















Jack showing off his wound, getting ready to have it wrapped again.











Our Trip to Idaho

Mid July the kids and I headed off to Idaho for 10 days(Ed doesn't get vacation in the Summer, so he didn't get to join us). We met up with Poppy in Reno at the Airport, he was nice enough to fly in and drive with us. The drive to Boise is long and there isn't much between Winnemucca and Boise, so I didn't really want do that on my own with young kids.

Poppy and Grandma had reserved a campsite at Payatte Lake and we camped for 6 days. We all had a really great time. This was Jacks first camping trip. I don't know if it was the excitement of it all or what but the first night Jack decided to run a high fever. What fun that was, and what a really long night. He finally shook it off and had lots of fun.

Uncle Eric and Aunt Katie and Tanner and Katie's mom, Jill and her husband Bill came up one day and hung out. The kids and Jill went Huckleberry picking and came back with lots. Which Jack and Emily enjoyed quite a bit. Of course I kept hearing, "mom, we need to head down the bathroom".

On one of the days we went to Cascade Lake and fished, played in the water and sand, and read, and some of us took naps. It was a very relaxing day.

The next day we went to a small lake/pond close to where we were camping and fished. It was a great day of fishing. Emily and Poppy started catching fish right away. Grandma Linda did really well and Jack caught a few. It took Max a little while but soon he was catching them too(although he wouldn't eat or drink until he caught one or two and he paid for it the next day). Brings back memories of a few years ago in Northern Idaho. Emily was so funny, we called her the "worm lady", she would take the worms out of the container but you had to bait your own hook. We caught 15 total, more than enough for dinner. Emily helped clean them and then all of the kids helped Poppy and I cook them. There is nothing better than a dinner of freshly caught fish.

Of course every night we had smores, although Jack mostly had marshmallows. Grandma Linda knows exactly what the kids need for smores.

We made so many great memories and are so thankful for our time with Poppy and Grandma Linda. Can't wait for our next adventure with them.







Yummo, fried trout





Getting ready to sit down to a yummy fish dinner.







The whole family caught 15 fish that day. Can you guess what we had for dinner?






We spent an afternoon fishing. What a great day.







Poppy and Jack hamming it up together.







A day of fishing, picnicking and playing at Cascade Lake.










Just like our last camping trip with Poppy, he and the kids got he birdie stuck in the tree. I think they have more fun trying to get it out then playing badminton.










Emily and Max had the great idea of wearing their goggles around the campfire. Kept the smoke out of their eyes but boy did they look goofy.











Emily feeding her new cousin, Tanner



















Tuesday, August 11, 2009

The Awesome Puddle Jumper


While we were in Idaho(more on that trip to come) Uncle Eric and Aunt Katie took us down to the community pool to swim one night after dinner. Before we left for our trip we purchased a big brand bodysuit that had styrofoam inside thinking that would help to keep Jack afloat. Wrong. Jack sunk, and when a child takes on too much water well, you know what happens after they cough it all up. Not pretty. I had seen on one of my favorite blogs to follow, thelifeofsuz.blogspot.com, some comments about The Puddle Jumper. Well, I decided we needed to try it out. We absolutely love this thing. It keeps him up and as long as he's moving around he stays upright and as soon as he gets lazy it puts him on his back with his face out of the water. Big thumbs up here.

Max's Idol Steve Holm




On June 2nd we headed off to another Rivercats game. This time they were playing tlhe Fresno Grizzlies. The catcher for the Grizzlies is Steve Holm. Steve as a youngster played Little League in South Sutter with Ed's little brother, Joe. Ed also coached Steve. Max's Grandma Linda was also Steve's elementary school teacher. Max has been following Steve as he has been bounced back and for between the Grizzlies and the San Francisco Giants. Max even picks Steve's number(20) for his Cal Ripken uniform number. We arrived at the game early enough for warm ups and Max was able to get Steve's autograph on a ball. Max was a little timid so he, in all of his excitement forgot to try and tell Steve who he was. It was a another fun night at a Rivercats game and a great night for Max to meet his Idol.






It's Been Awhile

It's been quite a while since I've updated my blog. And there is so much to post. It's been quite an eventful summer. So hang on tight as you hear about our wild ride.