Saturday, April 20, 2013

80th Birthday Celebration

April 4th was Grandma Donna's 80th birthday.  Delbert threw a birthday party for her and it was a very nice evening.  It was held at the Rose Garden in Hays and the room was perfect for the occasion.  A very nice crowd and a fun night of playing pitch with family!
 
Happy Birthday, Grandma!
 


 

 
 

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Sillies

Amelia was so proud after lunch one day. 
She had eaten everything off of her sandwich, leaving her bread.  So she decided to make her own sandwich.  She went to their play-food drawer and got a plate and her own toppings. 
 
Look at how proud she was showing her daddy her plate, hot pad, bread,
red checker, plastic pickles, wiffle ball, and teapot lid.
 
Mmmmm!
 
LOVE the spring! 
Nice weather = eating outside! 
 
Two big beds and the twins chose to sleep sideways in one bed.   
 
Chloe had come to me saying she had put Caroline down for a nap. 
I went in their room to find Caroline in a baby cradle that my Aunt Karla had made for me when I was a baby.  (Robynn has one too...we are so happy we have girls to pass them onto!)
 
 Caroilne looks like Will Ferrell in Elf before he
realized he was a human. 

Royce helped Isaac set up a shooting range throughout the house.
 
Chloe set up chairs in her bedroom last week so we could come down for a concert.
I love that she enjoys using her stage & creativity! 
 
Last Saturday evening we went bowling with some friends of ours.
We hadn't planned on bowling so we wore shoes with no socks but purchased some
pretty awesome socks out of the vending machines.  
I think we have a pretty lousy team in the making.
 

Just like my dad

Isaac's preschool class was asked what they would like to be when they grow up.  Here is the list of their responses:

PB Class

Holden.... Police man
Jacob S. Going to Farm
Ethan....Firefighter
Grady...... Army man
Logan.......Priest to help people
Brinly.... Dancer
Rachel....Ballerina
Ava.....A really fancy Ballerina
Lane..... Walmart Worker
John W......book writer and a Holy Priest
John S. Farmer and Fighter
Eli....Firefighter
Dawson....Football player for the 49er's
Isaac... Be a Dad like my Dad
Parker... Cowboy
Kolby....Policeman
Chase....Farmer
Tanner.....Bull Rider
Cade..... A Dad
Braun....Baseball player for (TMP & KU)
Blaise.... Police Officer
Easton....Priest and Army Guy


When I read the list of responses you can imagine quite clearly how proud I was.  I showed Royce and he was a proud papa.  Both Royce and I at different times asked Isaac about his answer.  His response was the same each time.

"Ya, that is a lot of work and important and I want to do it too.  He takes care of our family and our house."

I couldn't agree more, Isaac.  Your daddy does a great job!   

Friday, April 5, 2013

Why wouldn't you?

 
See these sweet little girls? 
Don't they look so innocent?
Aren't they just the cutest little things?
Are you sensing any sarcasm from me yet?
*these were taken at Grandma Pf's on Easter*

 
 
Here is a not-so-little story about our evening of Tuesday, April 2, 2013.
Our NOT April Fools Day.
 
Royce got sick on Easter morning and stayed pretty sickly until Wednesday after.  So things were hectic around our house for a couple days trying to stay caught up with everyone.  There was no school Monday but Tuesday we were back to our routines.  Isaac took a bath before pre-school and as instructed, he had washed himself, drained the tub, dried off, and gotten dressed without any help from me.  Such a big help!  Great day at school.  Chloe had wanted Chinese food for a while so when I picked the older two up from After School Care I drove to the mall and they were excited to pick up food to take home. 
 
In the mean time at home, a sickly Royce was trying to chase Amelia & Caroline.  While he had one of them on the potty the other had been in and out of the bathroom as well.  Then both girls ended up on Amelia's bed and when Royce checked on them they said "No no!" shaking their fingers at him, "Out!".  So he listened and hobbled back to the couch.  Why wouldn't you listen to two girls hiding out in a bedroom?  A few minutes passed and Royce realized they must have been up to no good.  Upon entering the bedroom he found that they had emptied Isaac's body wash all over Amelia's pillow, comforter, sheets, and themselves.  *A few weeks ago the girls had squeezed body wash all over our bathroom floor so all body wash now stays up high, out of reach.  But since Isaac had bathed and dressed himself I did not get his wash put up.*  So Royce put the girls in the bathtub and all of their clothes & bedding downstairs for when I got home. 
 
The kids and I enjoyed our Chinese food--we have really good eaters in this family.  The twins ate first and were first cleaned up and away from the table.  I was still in the kitchen cleaning up when Caroline came running down the hallway into the kitchen REALLY telling me a story (in her own words) and shaking her finger towards the bathroom.  She was tattling and she knew it!  What do my eyes see when I follow her to the bathroom?  Amelia holding Isaac's sopping wet pajamas that she had just lifted out of the toilet water.  Upon seeing me she dropped them on her feet & the rugs on the floor.  Why wouldn't you put your brother's pajamas in the toilet?  Caroline's hands were wet too even though she had done the tattling.  Back into the bathtub for the girls, but at this point I thought to myself "that's okay, at least they can sit and play in the bathtub for 20 minutes or so while I finish cleaning up and change laundry".  
 
While I ran the new dirty clothes & rugs downstairs the girls sat in the tub and played as I hadn't washed them yet.  I came back into the bathroom to see Amelia standing up and pooping.  Why wouldn't you poop in the bathtub?  Ugh!  I picked her up & set her on the toilet, grabbed Caroline out to start draining the tub, got all the toys out & washed the tub so I could start bath #3 for the night.  I kept Amelia sitting on the toilet while I washed Caroline head-to-toe, not leaving her side, getting her right back out of the tub and wrapping her in her pink towel.  At that point Amelia was done on the toilet and she got down.  I took Caroline into their bedroom to get a bedtime diaper but Caroline wouldn't let me put it on her without her cream so we went back into the bathroom to get the cream.  I wrapped one naked girl up in the pink towel and put the other naked girl into the bathtub.  Back into the bedroom, I squeezed cream onto my fingers and unwrapped the pink towel only to realize there was no diaper rash and the child had dry hair.  I had the wrong kid.  Amelia was wrapped up in Caroline's towel and Caroline was back in the tub apparently enjoying bath #4.  Why wouldn't you take four baths in one night? 
 
At this point I was overcome with laughter and couldn't stop.  I carried Amelia back into the bathroom so she could take bath #3 and I got Caroline back out.  Oh my.  I know it's hard to tell them apart but they sure fooled me.  I got Caroline creamed, diapered, and into her pajamas and took her straight to Royce, Chloe, and Isaac and said "KEEP HER.  DO NOT LET HER DOWN!"  I finished Amelia's bath and I can honestly say if I hadn't have switched the girls at the end I probably would have let the night be ruined in frustration but instead I was able to laugh.  Why wouldn't you?  If they could only verbalize what they really thought of the night (and of me) they would have quite the story to tell. 
 
Ironically, my friend who has three very young children posted this picture immediately after I had sat down for the night.  I couldn't have said it better myself. 
 
 
This tiny army is the best thing that has every happened to me but boy-oh-boy do they keep me on my toes.  I love them dearly and I love them for their fiesty nature.  And that they are. 
 
 
_________________________________________________________________________________
 
Here are a few more pictures from the farm.
 


 
Don't let the sweetness fool you!
haha!
 

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Easter Pictures

Isaac's preschool class had an Easter program before Easter break.  As usual, it was a fantastic program and the kids did an amazing job.  Isaac didn't feel well the day before the program but he got extra sleep and really took care of himself so that he would be at school the next day.  So proud of him! 


 
Since Isaac had been sick he was one tired boy when he got home from After School Care on the Tuesday of his program.  This is how Isaac stayed until I put him to bed at 8pm.  He slept until 8 the next morning--14 hours of sleep is what he needed!  Poor guy!   
 
Thursday before Easter we had an evening BBQ with the neighbors.  What is better than hiding Easter eggs over and over for the kids?  I'll tell you:  Having your 9 year old neighbor hide the eggs for the kids over and over! 
 
We put a new twist on in this year.  Rachel and I both had leftover glow sticks from various events so we lit them and put them inside of eggs.  It was SO much fun!  We will definitely be doing this more often.  My pictures are horrible...the battery was going dead on my camera so the shutter was extremely slow.  Oh well--point is still taken! 




 
Saturday we went to the Easter Egg Hunt at Sternberg Museum.  Although it was fun it was not worth the trouble and I don't think we'll return.  The kids only got one egg and the crowd was insane.  Oh well--we were social participants.   
 
Amelia, Stella, and Caroline ready to hunt! 

 
Easter Sunday Royce woke up sick.  He had a rough night and was definitely feeling flu-ish symptoms of sickness.  So he stayed home in bed all day and I took the kids to Grandma Pfannenstiel's farm.  It was a beautiful day and the kids had so much fun with their cousins.   
 
Isaac was MIA at one point in time and Gram found him at my car eating Easter candy.
BUSTED!
 
All that fun must come to an end.  A very sleepy farm boy fell
asleep on the porch floor.  Every farmer must rest! 
 
Chloe's Easter party was today, April 2nd, after Easter.  The school really focuses on Lent and all celebrations are held after Easter is over with.  It is a nice lesson for the kids.  The class enjoyed hunting for an egg of each color.