Well Christmas was great. De and Lloyd and Jod and Martin were able to make it, but Mandy and Ryan came on Sunday. The boys loved everything about Christmas this year and they got some great gifts. We went bowling on Saturday afternoon. The twins did such a good job, and Layne had several strikes!

Mandy, Ryan, Debbie and I took the boys to Papa's Polar Patch yesterday. It is is a place where the set up hay bales and slides for kids to play on in the snow. They also have ATV's that they pull sleds behind. We had a great time on that!

Layne has a dentist appointment today. His 2 front teeth are just not coming out, but the 2 adult teeth are growing in behind them and are getting really crooked.

We are having Scott and Debbie, and Mandy and Ryan over for dinner tonight then we are heading over to a friend of mine's for a party. We always have a great time with them. They have 3 girls that our 3 boys love to play with!

Two finals down, one to go! I think I did really well on both test, but we will see! Tomorrow is my speech final. We each get a fortune cookie, crack it open, and give a one minute speech on how it applies to our life. Should be interesting!

Tim is working on the floor as I write. It looks good, so different than what was in there before and it is taking me so time to get used to it!

We got the insurance checks today. We went and got the flooring tonight. Dura ceramic tile, 2 colors, I can't wait to see it. It is going to look so nice! Tim is taking tomorrow off to install it. After we got the flooring we went to Sears and ordered the new stove and fridge. The stove won't come until the 23rd. That means I won't get to bake anything for Christmas and I am a little sad. I don't like the idea of having company and not having baked anything. Debbie is going to share with me, but it's just not the same. The new fridge isn't scheduled to come until the 29th. I am a bit sad about this too, I really wanted it before Christmas. There is a small chance I might get it before then. The fridge we bought is usually a stock item so if it comes in on the truck tomorrow or Thursday we can have one of them. I got everything put back in the kitchen this morning, and all the things hung back on the walls. So all in all a good day.

I have 2 finals tomorrow, Religion and Accounting. I have never taken a college final before so I am a bit nervous about that, but I think I am ready.

Whew, what a weekend. My mom and I finished cleaning on Friday afternoon. There was dust and shoot all the way in to the living room. After we finished cleaning we moved everything out of the kitchen so Scott and Tim could paint. Tim painted the ceiling downstairs on Friday night and then got up early Saturday to pain the ceiling in the kitchen. I love the paint colors we picked. Light grey for downstairs and a dark tan for the kitchen. Scott come over on Saturday morning and we started on the basement. We decided to let the boys help paint. That was so fun. Brenden lost interest early, but Logan painted right along side grandpa to the end. Layne maned the little roller and did a really good job with it. I followed along behind the twins making sure they didn't leave lines. Tim got the floor done today. It looks so good down there now! Now for the kitchen! We are still waiting for the checks form the insurance company to come. They are located in Nebraska and were closed Tuesday and Wednesday because of bad weather. I am hoping to get both the checks for the appliances and the flooring and paint early in the week.

Well it has has been a crazy week. The claims adjuster came on Monday morning. We get a new stove, fridge, flooring and paint. It was total building damage of $3300 and appliances are $1200. So for a small little fire it sure is costing quite a bit! Scott and Tim are going to paint the basement and the kitchen on Saturday and Tim will do the floor on Sunday. Then if all goes well he will take a day off next week and do the floor in the kitchen.

I have my last class tomorrow before finals. This semester went by so fast!!

I am typing this on my new computer!! I love it!! It is so pretty and so much bigger than my old one. Scott spent a couple hours tonight transferring all my stuff from one computer to the other and then he will take the old one and wipe it so we can give it to Layne for Christmas.

It has been a crappy week, I have been sick, Tim has been sick, the boys have been sick. I have a ton of home wrok and only one week until finals and to top it all off our house almost burnt down today.

While we were at the farm Brenden discovered that grandma had a bigger version of his stuffed husky. Once Brenden found it he took it over. We were playing on Friday afternoon I asked Brenden if the mommy husky was taking good care of the baby husky and he said no, it's not a mommy husky it's daddy husky. I asked him what happened to the mommy husky and he told me it died. This was before we went to the funeral, so I was a bit surprised! Gotta love kids imagination!

We had a great Thanksgiving. It was great to see Mandy and Ryan and grandma and grandpa. We stayed at the farm Thursday night. It was nice to have one night there. On Friday we move over to the Americinn in Grafton. We went to the family service for Bob on Friday night. I was so proud of my boys, they we so well behaved for 7:00 at night! After the service Mandy, Ryan , Tim and I took the boys swimming. I forgot the life jackets so it was a bit nerve racking since my little boys are fearless, but we really had a good time. The twins both ended up getting a cold, so on Saturday after the funeral when we went back to the hotel to change Brenden fell asleep in the car. So Tim and I took turns go in to change clothes so he could sleep. We were all invited over to Debbies cousins house for the afternoon and when we got there Brenden was still asleep so we carried him in and put him in a chair and he slept there all afternoon. We then went out to the farm for dinner and at about 5:30 Logan told Tim he was tried and wanted to lay down, thinking I would call his bluff I told Tim to go lay him down in grandmas room. Well he told me! He went right to sleep and slept until we woke him up at 7:30, even then he wouldn't really wake up. I thought for sure he would be up all night, but he slept great it was Tim that was up all night. He started throwing up at about 10:30 and threw up all night. We stayed at the hotel until a little after 9:00 this morning. Tim still wasn't feeling great and I had to pull over 5 times, but eventually his stomach settled down and he slept almost the whole way home. Once we got home he got as far as the couch and feel asleep again. So the boys and I left. I dropped them off at my moms house while I went to Wal-Mart. We just got home a little while ago and Tim seems to be feeling better. So it was a crazy weekend and it feels good to be home!!

We are heading to the farm for the thanksgiving weekend. Debbie's uncle Bob passed away yesterday, so now we have a funeral to go to as well. I just hope all the kids stay healthy!

Layne got another perfect score on his spelling test!

I got the first part of my grant check over the weekend, so I got to order my new computer today! Yeah!!

I only have 2 weeks left of this semester, I can't believe how fast it went by. I am nervous for my first official college finial test though.

My brother called me tonight. He is coming home for Christmas!! I get to go pick him up in Fargo on December 22.

Layne came home from school today because he was sick. He came down with a really bad case of Fakers Disease. I knew the minute I walked into school that he faking it, but he had been sick on Saturday so I decided to play along. He threw up all night, almost every 35 minutes. But on Sunday morning he said he felt fine and he didn't throw up again. So anyway, this morning when I sent him off to school I told him that if he didn't feel good later he could call me and I would come get him. I was not shocked when I got a call from the school at noon, so I went and got him and when we got home I asked him if he was really sick. He said no and then made up some story about someone kicking a ball into his stomach, which after a little more conversation found out that it wasn't true. So I asked him if he just didn't want to be at school and he smiles at me and says yes.

We had Layne's parent/teachers conference tonight. He has improved so much from last year it is amazing! His best scores were in math. On the test that is taken nation wide he scored well above average as well as on the test that is taken in the district. I have to say that at first I was slightly surprise by that, but then I got to thinking. He is always asking what is 10+8 and what is 22-6 and so on. So I guess his mind is often on math. He did really well on all the other subjects, except writing, he got a "needs improvement", which wasn't really a surprise. I also asked if he talked a lot in class and she said no not really, which also surprised me, because last year that was a problem. After a tough year last year it was great to get such a glowing report!

Went to the thrift store today with the boys to get some Christmas tins. I can't believe that I am shopping for Christmas things! Anyway we had to go downstairs so I couldn't use the stroller or a cart. So I decided to give the boys a job. I gave them each a shopping basket and took turns giving them items to put in their basket. They thought that was so cool and they were so well behaved!

Layne got a perfect score on his spelling test. It is kind of funny actually. Mrs. Nesstos reduce his spelling words to only half of the list, but when he took his test he wrote all of them and ended up with a perfect score. So now this week she wrote on his spelling list that it was his choice he could do half or all!

We had a great weekend. Debbie and I made a quick trip to Carrington for an LWML meeting. The meeting was good and we got a lot accomplished for the district convention in June. On Sunday Tim and I riped out the carpet downstairs in the toy room. The carpet down there was just gross. We decided that we need to put something down there that we can clean. We are thinking about rubber tiles. They snap together like a puzzle pieces and are nice and squishy for the kids to have sleep overs on! We are also going to paint down there.

Sunday night we had Scott and Debbie over to celebrate Debbie's birthday. We made nachos and watched the movie "Up". The nachos were delicious and the movie was funny! The company was good too!

I received a letter in the mail from the North Dakota University System over the weekend. I was quite surprised when I opened it and discovered that I received a $1,200 grant from the state. I couldn't believe it. I had to take the letter to my financial aid office to make sure it was legit. I was just telling Debbie and the way home from Carrington that I would really wish I could get a new laptop since I am taking so many online classes and now I can! I think I am going to get a Dell mini like the one Mandy and Ryan just bought. I asked her to bring it over Thanksgiving weekend so I could try it out. Speaking of Thanksgiving I can't believe that it is next weekend! I only have a month left of this semester! Time is flying by!!!!

I don't know what is up with the kids, but they have been driving me crazy!! They are constantly fighting, biting, hitting, throwing things at each other. Days like these make me wish they were 6 months old again! So I guess it is a good thing I am going out of town tomorrow for an LWML meeting. Twenty-four hours out-of-town will be wonderful!!

Whew it has been a long weekend/beginning of the week. The twins ended up getting sick so we couldn't go to the farm. I was quite bummed, but I really didn't want anyone else to get sick. Last week Thursday Logan and Brenden both fell asleep at daycare. I knew the minute I walked in and saw Logan sleeping that he was sick. Dee Dee said Logan fell asleep almost immediately and Brenden had been asleep for about an hour. So I scooped them up and took them home and Logan fell back asleep and slept all night, 15 hours total. He also had a fever of 103, but it must have broke sometime in the night because he woke up and seem to be doing pretty well. Brenden on the other hand had a really rough night. He would wake up and have a coughing fit and then really struggle to catch his breath, then he would say he was choking. It was sad. I took him in to the doctor on Friday and she said he had croup. They crushed up a steroid and put it in chocolate syrup and it made such a difference!! The rest of the weekend went OK considering I was all alone. We went through 2 boxes of Popsicles. Brenden ate 6 in one sitting!

Layne didn't have school today and it was a long day!!!! The boys started fighting at 7:30 this morning and didn't stop until they went to bed tonight! I was so glad that my mom came over to watch the boys so I could go to LWML!! I hope tomorrow is a better day.

Well the twins are sick. High fevers and slight cough so we will not be going to the farm this weekend. Kara is sick too an wont be going to the farm and Grandma Young fell and broke her nose. So it was not a good day:( Mandy is pretty bummed about us not being able to come, but fortunately we get to see them in a couple of weeks for thanksgiving.

Got new tires on the Expedition today. What a difference they make! The car no longer shakes and the road noise is so much less! While we were getting the tires I took the boys to the library. I was worried about them being to noisy and rambunctious, but they were good. Layne and I played checkers, then Logan and I "played" checkers. It was fun!

Got my speech back in class today. I was really worried about it, thought it wasn't my best work, but I got a 179/180, so I guess I did OK!

We are going to the farm this weekend...hopefully. Layne hasn't been feeling good, he has had no symptoms other than a sore throat and he just looks like he doesn't feel good. So we will go as long as everyone is healthy!

Layne finally has a loose tooth! He has been waiting forever to loose a tooth, so it is a happy day!!

We had a great weekend. Had our annual bonfire on Saturday night. It was raining and yucky so Tim cleaned the garage and we had everyone over anyway. By the time people started to come it was only sprinkling so we lit a fire anyway and the kids were able to roast marshmallows.

Scott and Debbie took the kids for the afternoon today so Tim and I went to K-mart to do a little Christmas shopping. Then we decide to use the gift card I got for TGIFidays for dinner. It was nice to spend more than an hour in the same place with my husband!!

Took Layne to the doctor tonight. He has strep throat and a double ear infection. He rapidly got worse after school today. When we left for the doctor he had a temp of 101. They asked Layne to wear a mask when we got there and he didn't like it. He said he it was to hot under the mask and he started to to hyperventilate. By the time we got back to the doctors office he was in full on panic mode. It took the nurse a while to calm he down. The nurse was great with him (he was a male nurse and had a 7 year old son). Anyway Layne is feeling pretty bad for himself, so now I will go and baby him.

It was a yucky rainy day here today, so the twins and I spent the morning cuddling and reading books. I had to peel myself off the couch to go to class. Next semester I have to try and not have an afternoon class, it is so tempting to not go!

Layne is not feeling well tonight. He is running a low grade fever (99.5), but it has me freaked out. We spent 30 minutes of my accounting class today talking about H1N1, all the deaths and the hospitalizations. So I will be praying for good health in our home tonight.

We hit another mile stone today. My MOPS group planned an outing today to the Mandan Community Center to go swimming. I knew Tim couldn't come but my friends assured me that they would help me. While, when we showed up at the center one only other friend showed up. So I decide to try and take the kids in the water myself. I was a bit nervous but it all worked out great. Logan did really well swimming with just a life jacket, and Brenden had made great progress by the time we left. It was fun and it is good to know that I can take them by myself now!

Katie, CJ, JD and Abbie came up this weekend. Katie took Layne and JD to the movie "Where the Wild Things Are" on Saturday afternoon while I was in Lisbon. Layne got a little scared, but overall he liked it. This afternoon we went to the pumpkin patch. It was really nice out today so Tim and CJ stayed home to clean out the gutters and mow the front yard. We had only planned to stay at the pumpkin patch for about and hour, but Brenden had a different idea. He got lost for about 45 minutes. I was sitting off to the side with Abbie while mom and Katie were up on the bale mazes with the kids. I hadn't seen Brenden in a while so I asked mom where he was. She didn't know. Mind you it is beautiful out and everyone and their brother is at the pumpkin patch. So we start looking around and I started to panic when he wasn't on the bales and wasn't inside the maze. So we start look around on some of the other stacks of bales and he isn't there either. By now 20 minutes had gone by, so I decide to go and find someone who works there to help. They ask me what he is wear and what he looks like and I try to tell them, but i can't because I am crying. Once I finally get it out they announce it over the loud speaker. Then I thought I should probably tell her that he is a twin and that Logan is wear the exact same thing. So we keep looking at this point I had run into a few people I knew and they were looking too. I had made a loop around where we were and I decide to go back and check with the ladies working there. I had just turned a corner and I see a beautiful little boy just standing there and a lady that had stop to look at him. She tried to grab his and and take him to the office, but he said no and ran away, and I scooped him up. He wasn't even phased! I asked him where he had been and he said "playing". He had walked all the way across the pumpkin patch to go play in the pumpkin house. We left the pumpkin patch right after we found him and I was telling my sister that I would have bet money that if Brenden were to get lost that he would sit down and cry and if Logan got lost he wouldn't care. I guess I was wrong about Brenden and I don't EVER want to find about about Logan!!

I finally got the laundry done, it only took me 3, OK 4, weeks to get it done! I am so thankful I have a patient husband who was willing to joke with me about it and then help put it all away!

Logan woke up this morning at 5:30. Tim tried to bring him to bed with us, put he was wide awake! I on the other hand was not, I had really wanted to sleep until at least 7:00, but all the boys were awake and in my room by 6:30. I might have been more upset if they were all being so cute and playing so nice!

I made some oatmeal banana breakfast cookies tonight to take to daycare and to MOPS. I put the bowl in the sink to fill with water while I went to the bathroom. I then proceeded to sit down and forget about it and the water over flowed the bowl and filled up the sink and ended up with water all over the kitchen floor. It then dripped down to the basement where I had 3 weeks of CLEAN laundry on every surface in the laundry room. Tim wasn't very happy about it. But we got it cleaned up and nothing was damaged.

We had a really good picture of our family taken at Maria's wedding. This might just end up in our Christmas card!

I had a nice time in Fargo on Saturday. It snowed some on the way and I ended up having to slow way down. The flakes were so big and it was swirling on the road so it made it hard to see. Debbie invited us over for dinner last night, which was great since I was gone all day. Scott was actually able to come home which was nice. Besides the few hours we saw him at my moms wedding we really haven't seen him since the middle of September, so the kids had a really great time with him. We ran a lot of errands today, we tried to find Layne's Halloween costume, but I am not paying $30 for a costume. We found a great one a a second hand store last year so I told Layne we could go back to the same one and look. The twins are going to wear their chicken costumes from last year.

Brenden scratched his face up pretty bad. We were leaving Dee Dee's house and he tripped on the sidewalk. The whole side of his face is all scratched and black and blue and swollen. Poor kid!

We pulled the last of the stuff out of the garden tonight. I have a lot of tomatoes that are really big but did not get ripe. My mom said that I should put them in a brown paper bag or in a box with newspaper over it and they should ripen, so I will give it a try and see what happens.

I skipped accounting today and kept the twins home. Neither one of them sleep really well last night and I think they just needed a day at home, and I guess I did too. I got several loads of laundry done and a few other things that needed to be done around the house.

I have to go to Fargo on Saturday for and LWML Rally I am speaking at. I have to take my moms car because I need new tires on my car and it needs to be balanced. Next weekend I get to go to Lisbon and then I am done with the speaking!!

Well things have been absolutely crazy around here. Between moms wedding, Maria's wedding, my school, Layne's school, Tae Kwon Do, church, birthday parties and life in general. But things are calming down now so I will get back to blogging more often!!

Maria's wedding was so much fun. We got to see some friends that we haven't seen in years, I also got to see some people that I used to work with at Taco Johns, and several friends from high school. Mom and Joe took the kids home at about 9:00.

School is going well for me. I only have 2 weeks left of the economics class that I real y don't like. I will then be down to 3 classes so things will be even better. Layne is doing well in school too, although his spelling word are pretty hard this year (at least I think so) so he is struggling with that a little, but his attitude is so much better!

The twins still have a cold. Brenden was up all night last night crying. He said his ear hurt so i took him to the doctor today and he has a double ear infection.The doctor said it was really red and we defiantly need to come back for a check up to make sure all the fluid is gone. So I scheduled their 3 year well check to coincide with his recheck. Now I am worried about Logan he woke up from his nap with a red ear and when Layne was little that was the first sign of an infection. When will I learn to have both kids checked out while we are already at the doctor's office!!

It is a really yucky day here today. Cloudy and raining and dare I say it there is a chance of snow:( So we are having homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner. Making soup is about the only thing I love about fall/winter weather!

Okay so I haven't posted in a very long time, but we have been busy. Mom's wedding is THIS weekend!!!!! I think we are ready for it. The weather is supposed to be really nice. My sister Maureen and I are going to get pedicures and manicures on Friday afternoon before the rehearsal and dinner. Should be fun!

We had a great time camping over the weekend. The weather was perfect and the kids were great! Imagine that the boys spending an entire weekend outside and being happy! All mys boys (the three little and one big) have caught a cold. They all have a very nasty cough and sore throats. I hope they feel better soon and that I don't get sick.

School is going well. I am feeling a little overwhelmed this week though. I have two economics tests, an accounting test, and a speech to write this week. The speech is due on the 30th and I am terrified I am not going to be ready.

Layne is also doing well in school. What a difference a year makes. We are able to sit down and do home work with little to no crying or fusing!!

Phineas is dead. After I got home from class this morning the hamsters cage was on the floor with the wood shavings all over the floor and the hamster was no where to be found and Chloe hiding in the corner. I called Tim and asked him to come home, I did not want to go looking for the hamster, I was afraid of what I would find. So Tim came home and found him behind the couch shaking and scared, but no blood. We put him back in the cage and he immediately dug a hole in the wood shavings. I told Tim he was digging a hole to die in and unfortunately I was right. We didn't tell Layne tonight. I was going to go get a new one after LWML, but our church secretary's daughter has a dwarf hamster that she wants to get rid of, so Tim and I decided we would tell Layne that he died and we would adopt the other one in the morning. So sad.

We had a great time at the farm. Debbie and I shucked 160 cobs of corn. We cut it off the cob, boil it, and put it in freezer bags. The boys were so well behaved. The weather was so nice they played outside most of the time. They went on many frog hunts and managed to catch 8. Layne really wanted to take one of the frogs home, but Tim didn't think that would be a good idea. You never know what they might have gotten into. So Tim suggested that we get him a hamster instead. We already had everything we needed for one so yesterday when we got home we went to the pet store and got a male long haired teddy bear hamster. Layne named him Phineas from the cartoon "Phineas and Ferb". Chole doesn't like him. She sat there and winned at it all day. But the twins like him. Every couple of minutes today they would walk up to him and say "hi Phineas". Really cute! Anyway back to the farm, we went to church on Sunday, Grandma wanted to show off her grandbabies. The boys were all really good. Grandma Debbie help them build a fort and they went running through a wheat field. You can really tell that they are city kids because Layne didn't even know what it was. So we went for a car ride to find a farmer that was combinding so we could show him what they do to the tops and bottoms. We really had a nice weekend.

This is a busy week. I have 2 economic's test to take, LWML, Sunday School meeting, Board of Ed meeting, and then an LWML retreat on Friday and Saturday. I am also trying to work on getting everything together for rally day at church and last minuted details for mom's wedding. It sounds like a lot but everything is coming together nicely!

Layne tested for his orange belt on Friday. He did so well! Master Ben commented several times on how well he was doing. I sure was a proud mama! He had a little bit of trouble breaking the board, he had to do a running jump side kick. One of the other instructors drew a ladybug on the board on told him to smooch it, and then he was able to break it. Now that he is an orange belt he has to have a mouth guard and groin protection. So today after school we went to Scheels to get a mouth guard and groin protection so he would be already for class tomorrow.

We are all adjusting to our new schedules pretty well. The boys have trouble getting up some mornings and are always sad to see Layne go to school, but it sure is quite during the day!

Layne had a great first day of school. There are 4 new kids in his class and he said he is friends with them all already, one boy's name is Brenden! Layne is having a very exciting week, he gets to test for his orange belt tomorrow. He is super excited! Tim is going to get to go with me and watch this time. I will be sure to post pictures!

Layne has his first day of second grade tomorrow. I am praying that God will bless Layne, his classmates, teachers, and helpers. Let all the students grow in their knowledge and skills. Let Layne have a successful year with few hurdles to over come. Let him also be a good friend and respectful student. Amen.

Had my first accounting class today. He went over what we are going to learn over the course of the semester and it should be a cake walk for me, which is good because my two online classes could prove to be hard. I really do learn better in a classroom situation so I wish my two hardest classes weren't online. I guess the saving grace is that my psychology teacher will let us retake tests until we achieve the grade we want!

I really do have the best kids! I think they are going to adjust to this new routine really well. Dee Dee, our daycare lady, said they were really good today and played really nice with the other kids. That makes this new chapter in our lives so much easier!

Layne had an awesome time in Minneapolis with Mandy and Ryan. He got to go miniature golfing, to the Como zoo, and to Lego land at the Mall of America. He also had a great time fishing and riding bikes with Gloria and Paul. I am so happy that it worked out for Layne to get to do this! Brenden missed his brother so much. He woke up on Friday morning and asked where Layne was and I told him he wasn't home yet and he said "where is he hiding". Do you think they play hide n seek much? I have never seen Brenden as excited as when he saw Layne on Saturday night. So cute!

I start classes tomorrow. I am not sure how I feel right now. A little excited, a little scared, a little overwhelmed. I have Religion-Old Testament and Fundamentals of Public Speaking (shouldn't be to hard for me huh?) on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays and Accounting 1 on Tuesdays and Psychology and Economics online. I have taken all these classes before (well not religion, but come on I don't think it will be too hard) so I am hoping it won't be too much!

Well it isn't going to work out for Tim to get that job and I am okay with that. They just couldn't afford to pay him what we need. He did say that he would keep him in mind if anything else came up. So it just means God has something else planned for us. Now if I can wait patently until He lets us know what that is things will be good:)

I took Layne and Debbie to the airport this afternoon so they could fly to the cities. They had some really bad weather in the cities so their flight had been delayed, but the flight that was supposed to leave at 1:30 hadn't left yet so they were able to get on that one. They left at 4:00 and got there at 5:45 so they must have hit some bad weather because it is usually only a 1 1/2 hour flight. Brenden was really upset when we left the airport, he cried for his "Layner" the whole way home. He made me so sad, so when we got home I gave him some candy even though it was only an hour before dinner. I think that Brenden is going to have the hardest time with Layne being gone.

It was so nice to see Mandy and Ryan yesterday...even if it was only for a couple of hours. All the boys couldn't get enough of her, they all climbed up in her lap and stayed there for a long time. Scott and Debbie came over after church and we had a nice breakfast.

We are heading over to Joe's house tonight to pick raspberries, hopefully I will get enough to make more jam. He has tons of produce that is ready so who know what else I will come home with!

Layne leaves Wednesday night to go and spend some time with auntie Mandy and uncle Ryan. He is so excited! He gets to spend time with his third cousin once removed (or something like that) on Thursday and Friday so that should be really fun for him too. I know that there are two little boys who are really going to miss him though!

TOO HOT TO BLOG!!

So when Tim got home from work tonight he sat down on the couch and the kids crawled up in his lap. He yawned and Brenden pointed in Tim's mouth and said "baby dinosaur". Tim and I couldn't figure out what he was talking about so he asked Brenden to say it again. He puts his finger in Tim's mouth, opens it, and points "baby dinosaur". We figured out he was talking about the hanging thingy in the back of his throat. Guess we need to get him some dinosaurs.


P.S. check out my earlier post and the slide show!

It was finally a nice day. So this morning I took the boys over to the park. I had forgotten that it had rained last night. So the first time Brenden went down the slide he got soaked. I thought he might get upset, but he didn't. He ran over and showed his brothers and before I knew it they had gone down the slides and got soaking wet. Oh well, it was really fun! After the twins took their nap we went outside and I set up a sprinkler for them. The twins learned how to kink the hose and they would all take turns kinking the hose, they even got Layne in the face a couple of times when he was trying to figure out what was going on!

Today was my sisters first day of work here in Bismarck so she came over for lunch, unfortunately it took her 15 minutes to get here so she won't be able to come for lunch as often as we had hope, but it will still be fun to see her family more!

I love this time of year. My garden is starting to produce some great stuff! Last night we roasted some green beans with butter salt and pepper ( thanks for the idea Mandy), today I made raspberry jam from my very own raspberry bush! Now I am working on making pickled yellow beans and tomorrow I am going to make zucchini Parmesan for dinner (thanks for the recipe Pam). I also have a recipe for zucchini quiche I want to try. Before I know it I will have ripe tomatoes that I will hopefully make salsa and spaghetti sauce out of and lots of purple and green beans to do something with!

The weather has been cool so we have been spending lots of time outside. Tim was home tonight so we went for a walk and guess what we ended up at a park! So we played for a while and we had to bribe them home with a bubble bath!

It has been a long time since I have blogged. I have been busy, tired, preoccupied, running errands, doing laundry, cleaning, playing, and on vacation. So now I am back!

We had a great trip. The boys were really good on the way to the cities. It is always hard when I go some where by myself, and I worry that the boys will get bored and restless. The family reunion was nice, there weren't very many of us this year, but it was fun all the same!

We were at the lake for 7 full days and of those day we were able to swim one day. The weather was really crappy, rained on and off most days, was really windy too. We played outside alot, even in the rain. Scott's cousin and her family came on Wednesday. Gretal has a son that is the same age as Layne and a daughter that is 5 and all the kids really played nice together. We had some really great food over the week. Jody made some pork that was wonderful, Layne wants me to make it for him. De made homemade mac n' cheese that I have been dreaming about. All in all is was a very good vacation!

What a beautiful weekend. We went to Maria's house yesterday for Serenity's Birthday party. They have a big pool, 3 feet deep, and of course the twins wanted to go in right away. I didn't realize that they had such a deep pool, I was thinking kiddie pool, so Derek had to run me home to get the life jackets, we had walked. Derek had gotten some thick plastic sheets and laid them out so the were going down the hill. The kids had a great time on that. Derek would set one of the twins on a big inflatable shark and help them go down nice and slow. Brenden didn't really like it all that much, but Logan being the dare devil he is couldn't get enough. When we got home I was getting the boys ready for bed and saw that Logan's shoulders were all red, I forgot to put sunscreen on the boys! Logan was the only one who got really burnt, Layne just had more freckles pop out. I feel so bad.

Busy, busy, busy! Layne has been going to reading club for a week now. It is really hard to get 3 kids up, dressed, fed, and out the door by 7:40. I am so glad that this is only for 2 weeks. Since it is only an hour and half each day I have been trying to find errands to run every morning since it doesn't pay to go home.

Tim had to work late tonight so after the twins and I picked Layne up from Tae Kwon Do we went over to my moms house. Joe was there too so we decide to walk down to one of his gardens and see how everything was coming. As we were walking Brenden fell behind a little bit. He started running and saying "grandpa Joe wait, grandpa Joe wait" He ran up to him and held in hand the whole rest of the way there. It was so cute! I am so thankful that he fits right into our family.

It was fun weekend. Kara's wedding was great the weather was perfect! It was great to see all of Tim's family and get to spend some time with Mandy and Ryan.

Layne hasn't been feeling well, tried , cranky and a yucky nose. His finger is also infected. We had been treating it at home since Last week Wednesday and it just wasn't getting better so I took Layne to the doctor tonight and he has a staph infection in his finger. They gave us some oral antibiotics, so I hope it gets better soon.

My mom's birthday is on Saturday. Joe and mom invited u to Joe's lake cabin for Saturday night. Tim can't go , he has to work but I think I will take the boys myself. On Monday Brittany, Abby, and Daulton are coming to stay with us for 2 nights. Layne is really looking forward to that.

We had a great 4th. We went to the big parade in Mandan. We sat right at the beginning because the parade is so long, when it was over we drove over to the other side of Mandan to go to Art-in-the-Park. When we got there the parade was just barley beginning. It was really nice because there weren't very many people at the park, so we got our lunch right away and look at some of the booths before it was over.Later on Saturday night we went to the capitol grounds to watch fireworks. They had the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony playing so we went up at about 9:00 and listen to them for an 1 1/2 and then watched the 15 minute firework show. Logan kept saying he was scared but then he would say he wanted more. Such a funny kid! When we got home we decide to have a "sleepover" in our room. On Sunday we bummed around and I made a big breakfast. It was a really fun weekend!

Yesterday my sister Katie came up with her 2 kids (still getting used to saying 2 kids). We had planes to go the zoo, have a picnic lunch, and then go to the amusement park. When we were getting ready to go Layne started complaining that his side hurt. I didn't think much of it and figured when we got to the zoo he would for get about it. But I was wrong. I ended up pushing him around in the stroller while the little boys walked. After we left the zoo we went to eat our lunch and Layne was crying in pain and wanted to go home so we ended up leaving the park and taking him home. Once we got there i gave him a laxative and some Tylenol (I thought he was just constipated) he threw up twice and laid on the couch all day. He woke up in the middle of the night crying and cried on and off for a couple of hours. When he got up this morning he felt better, but was a little tried. So I hope he is all better because we have a wedding to go to this weekend.

I love Portland! I had the best trip and I really fell in love with the city! On Thursday afternoon when I arrived Bob and Judy Luebke picked me up from my hotel and we went to the rose gardens with their son and daughter-in-law and Pastor and Michelle. The gardens were beautiful, but it was a little over cast so the view wasn't as great as they say it is. After a whirlwind afternoon they took me to the convention center for my delegate meeting and opening worship service. The worship service was amazing they had drummers from Neah Bay Washington mission perform during Communion. The rest of the convention was just as wonderful. Jan Struck was there again as a humerus interrupter. I was very surprised that she remembered me from the ND convention she attended. When she saw Debbie she ask if I was there. Friday night Heidi Floyd spoke about her battle with cancer. She was so wonderful! Well everything was wonderful!!

On Monday Debbie, Michelle, and I took a wine tour. We went to a sake brewery and 2 vineyards. It was so beautiful. At the sake brewery we actually got to take a tour of the facility and see how it was make. The wine tours were great, got to taste all kinds of wine and discovered that I really hate Piont Noir. It was such a great trip and I would love to go back and see all the things I didn't have time to see.

Logan is really into his biting phase. He bites Brenden probably close to a dozen times a day. Some times for no real reason and sometime very hard when he is mad. Several times he has drawn blood. I am not sure what to do anymore and I feel so bad for Brenden when he does it. I have tried time outs, spankings, and flicks on the mouth. The worst is when he does it at a store while they are in the stroller. What am I supposed to do then? I hope this phase ends soon.

Happy Father's Day! I woke up very early this morning so I showered and went to the grocery store before anyone was up. When I got back Layne was up and wanted to make Tim breakfast in bed. I had already planed on doing this while I was at the store and picked up some sausage while I was there. So Layne and I started making breakfast. I was going to make some coffee and then get the sausage going but Layne told me we didn't have time, we could only make eggs and toast. He was afraid that Tim would wake up before we were done. So Layne made toast while I scrambled eggs. Layne set up the tray complete with a root beer to drink (he must have been living vicariously through Tim) and took it up to him. Tim is like me and can't really eat anything right when he wakes up, so he ate as much as he could and then the boys ate the rest. It was fun to make Tim breakfast in bed.

We had quite a busy day today. The twins and I made 3 batches of cookies. As you can imagine this was not a quick process, and in between each batch I had to wash the beaters because they had a spit bath (thanks Brenden and Logan). After cookies it was on to laundry, lunch, and naps. Layne had Tae Kwon Do and golf tonight so we left the house at 5:30 and didn't get home until 8:20. The twins and I went to run some errands while Layne was at TKD and while he was at golf we went for a walk. So you would think with all that we did today the boys would be tried right? Oh no it is 9:15 and I can hear them playing and giggling in their room. Oh well tomorrow they won't get a nap because we are going to a birthday party in the afternoon so they should sleep well tomorrow night!

Layne had his first golf lesson tonight. It was at the golf dome and I had never been there before so the boys and I decided to stay and watch. Layne is such a natural athlete. He can try any sport and do really well. He said he really liked it, but not as much as Tae Kwon Do. As we were there it started to storm. The noise inside the dome was so amplified it scared Brenden. When it was time to leave it was absolutely pouring rain. We all got soaking wet. It took all my mascara off. Brenden was crying and Logan was laughing.

What a fun weekend we had! Saturday morning all the boys went to grandma Debbie and Grandpa Scott's house. Debbie asked me to bring extra clothes because she wanted the boys to help here wash the car. Well I guess Brenden didn't really help very much, but Logan was very interested in washing the tires. Buy the time the car was washed Brenden was in the bucket playing with water and all the boys got soaked. When I went to pick them up they had every toy scatter all over the lawn.

While the boys were at grandma and grandpas my mom and I made some cream cheese mints for her wedding and then we went shopping. We found shoes for her to wear for the wedding and we also found the bridesmaid dresses. I also got 2 pairs of jeans at JC Pennys for $1.50 each.

We had a pretty lazy day today. We went to church and then out to breakfast with Debbie. Then I ran some errands. When I got home Tim and I couldn't decide what we wanted for dinner so we ended up walking to the grocery store to get fixings for a big salad.

I have a pretty busy week this week. I want to get some backing done and I need to get some deep cleaning done on top of all the other regular things. And I want to start getting things in order for Portland. Have a great week everyone!!

Well I have a HUGE garden. It all started in late May when we got a letter from the city tell us that we had to clean out the weeds behind our garage or they would do it and charge us a huge fee. So I mentioned this to mom and Joe and they offered to come over and help me. There was more than just weeds growing back there, we had all kinds of little elm trees growing. So we spent a few hours digging them all out and when we were done I mention that maybe next year I could have a garden back there. Well Joe though I didn't have to wait until next year. So he came over and tilled it and last night Joe and mom came over and planted. I have corn, cabbage, purple beans, 2 kinds of tomatoes, 2 kinds of beets, yellow peppers, green peppers, cucumbers and buttercup squash. I now have to figure out how to make it all grow!

Layne started camp edventure yesterday. He was not looking forward to it because he was afraid it was going to be like school. I tried reassuring him that it wouldn't be and I was right. He has had a great time so far. Yesterday they made bracelets and watched a movie and today they measured and compared things. I think he will enjoy camp and I will enjoy him staying out of trouble.

Mom and I went to do wedding stuff this morning. We went first to the church. I wanted to see if we could some how put decorations on the pews like mom wants to and I think we found a way. Then we went to the country club were they are going to have the reception. We wanted to see how the room was laid out and get a price list. Then we went to old navy to look at a dress that we thought might work as a bridesmaid dress. So we got a lot done today but we still have a lot to do this week. We have to decide on the design of the invitations so that Kristi can start making them and we are going to make cream cheese mints on Saturday.

My trip to Aberdeen was wonderful. Abbie is so cute!! Layne really liked her, even feed her a couple bottles, but the twins didn't pay much attention to her. We didn't sleep well at all, Logan didn't fall asleep until 12:30 on Wednesday and I had a hard time sleeping on an air mattress.

I spent all Saturday getting ready for Layne's birthday party. Had to make an ice cream cake and cupcakes and then had to get food ready for dinner after his party. It rained all day on
Sunday so all of our plans for the party had to change. We had 4 games planned and I figured that was enough to keep them occupied (there was only 6 kids) but they were done with the games in 20 minutes. Tim got creative with some games and we made it through the 2 hours, barely, but we made it.

This week I am busy with my moms wedding stuff. Tomorrow we are going to go look at the Church and the reception hall and if time allows we are going to go look at bridesmaid dresses (my sisters and I are the bridesmaids). We also have to pick out paper for the invitations. I love doing all this wedding stuff!!

Layne tested for his orange stripe belt on Friday. It was so cool to watch all those kids do their testing. Layne did very well. As part of his testing he had to break a board. He had a little trouble breaking it. I think he was scared it was going to hurt. But he did it and passed his testing and received his orange stripe.

On Saturday I planted all the flowers that Debbie gave me and I pick up a few veggie plants and planted those too. I mowed the lawn and it almost killed me. The self propel feature is broken and it is very difficult to mow now. I will be mowing a lot less.

On Sunday afternoon mom and Joe came over and helped me dig out all the trees be hid the garage. It took us 3 hours but we got it done and it looks so much cleaner back there now. Maybe next year I can finally have a garden back there.

Oh I forgot my most exciting news. Katie had her baby on Friday. Little Abbie Rose was born at 10:36 and weighed 7 lbs. 1 oz. Katie said it went fast, she check in at 8:45. Fast labors must run in the family!

We had a crazy day. We had Ethan and Hunter here today, so I though it would be a good idea to do something constructive. So we went to the zoo. I was a little nervous to take 5 kids to the zoo myself, but the 2 older ones are very helpful and Ethan is so quite and well behaved, and they proved to me that I had nothing to worry about. We went right when the zoo opened and all the animals were really active and the alligators were finally out. Logan was so happy and he knew what they were, I had to literally tear him away with the promise to come back later.

After we got home I made lunch for the kids and while the kids and Tim ate lunch I ran to Lowe's to get soil so I could plant the flowers Debbie gave me. After the twins went down for a nap I mowed the lawn and got the planters ready.

By then it was time to take Layne to Tae Kwon Do and while he was there we went to the grocery store. We got home ate dinner and then walked to the Thompson's for bible study. It was a busy day, but a very fun day!!

Layne had church youth group tonight. They meet at the amusement park and had pizza for dinner. The youth group led negotiated a deal that for $10 a kid they could go on as many rides as they wanted for the 1 1/2 hours we were there. Layne rode every ride at least twice and made it to the top of the rock wall three times! My mom watched the twins while were we there. Chloe and Logan got a little ruff while they were playing in the back yard and now Logan has a black eye.

Layne will be testing for his orange strip belt on Friday. He is very excited. Once he gets this belt it will be about 3 months to train for his next one. I am excited to go watch him!

We had such a good time at the lake. The weather was absolutely perfect on Saturday and Sunday. Layne was not the first into the lake this year, Brenden was. He just walked right in and then fell over so I had to run in after him. Layne was the first one to jump off the dock though. Grandma bought a kayak and we all had fun with it. I was a little nervous at first, I was afraid I would tip it, but it only took me a minute to get use to it and once I did it was really fun. Their neighbors have 2 kayaks that they let us use so Layne gave it a try too and he was really good at it. Tim, Layne and I went out for a ride on Saturday afternoon. What fun!! The twins liked to go out for rides too!

The fishing was really good this weekend. Between Tim and Layne they probably caught 75 fish. Mostly sunfish and I, yes me, went fishing and caught the only bass of the weekend. Tim grilled up the fish for dinner on Sunday night and it was really good.

Tomorrow is Layne's last day of first grade!! This year flew by. Layne had some ups and downs this year, but I think the change of schools was good for him. He really learned to love computers, recces, gym class, and his friends. The title one reading class really helped him become a confident reader. I think he is ready for second grade!!

We had a nice day at home today. I got all my laundry done and got all packed to go to the lake tomorrow!!! It is supposed to be a very nice weekend and I am excited to see the twins play in the water. Debbie came over tonight and I gave us both pedicures. So my feet are ready for sand!!

The boys and I walked with Layne's class to the park today. It was so windy this morning I wasn't sure if we were even going to go, but the wind settled down midmoring. The twins were so good the entire time we were there. Logan just sat in the sand with a couple of
Layne's classmates and dug a hole and Brenden followed all the girls around and talked them to pushing him on the swing. Logan and I got sunburns. The tops of Logan's ears are pretty red and I have a red ring around my neck. Brenden didn't get sunburned because he had his hood up the whole time and Layne stayed in the shade. I was so tried after we got home that when I finally sat down at about 4:45 and fell asleep. The boys were sleeping too and Layne was outside working in the garage with Tim. By the time I woke up it was to late to make dinner and still get Layne to Tae Kwon Do on time so we had A&W, a very special treat!

I am tried. Last week was such a crazy week. This week should be a little bit better. Today was such a nice day the boys played outside this morning for an hour and a half. Tim is building cabinets in the garage so the boys got to spend some time with him. Tomorrow we have to go get an oil change and then we are going to walk with Layne's class to have a picnic at the park.

This is Layne's last week of school. I think he is ready to be done. Homework is getting harder and harder to do when it is so nice outside, I am thankful he doesn't have any this week. He gets one week off before he starts Lego camp and then the next week he starts camp edventure. He is signed up for alot of activities this summer so he should have tons of fun. We are also watching Hunter 2 days a week so that should help keep him out of trouble too!

We are going to the lake for Memorial day weekend. We are all excited because it looks like Tim is actually going to get to go with us!! Layne is dead set on swimming and he probably will. The water will be very cold but that hasn't stopped him before.

Busy. Tired. Gone all day. First to mops, then snoopers indoor play ground, then playing outside, then the play ground at Layne's school, then dinner, then Tae Kwon Do, then errands, then home, now bed!!

Happy Mothers Day!! I have had a great day! We went to church and then Scott and Debbie brought over KFC for lunch. After lunch we took the boys to the zoo. They love going to the zoo and this time we rode the train. It sprinkled on and off while we were there but it was still nice!

On Saturday morning the boys and I hit up some rummage sales. I got the twins some pj's for next year really cheap and I got Layne a couple of t-shirts. The next thing I am going to be looking for is book shelves for the storage in the laundry room and a new bedside lamp (Logan broke mine).

I have a busy week this week, our last MOPS meeting on Tuesday (I have to make an egg bake), LWML salad supper on Wednesday (I have to make a salad), Layne needs treats for school on Thursday, they are celebrating his birthday (I have to make some fancy cupcakes). All this on top of Tae Kwon Do, bible studies, and other regular errands. So I will either be in the kitchen or on my way to or from somewhere this week!!

Isn't he cute!! He is absolutely loving Tae Kwon Do! And he is doing really well!

Tim and I had our meeting with Layne's teachers to find out the results from all the tests he has done over the last month. Everything came out fine, he scored in the average or above average range in almost everything. So no learning disabilities. He does need help with his hand writing and math so next year he will continue with the reading club, and then he will also go to OT and will get extra help with math. So all good news. They also said that he can get extra help during summer school. So I guess we just keep working hard!

It has been a while since I have blogged and to say the least we have been BUSY!!! Scott, Tim, and the boys had a great weekend while Debbie and I were at the farm. It's nice to know the show can go on with out me!

Layne came home from school today saying that his ear felt like it was going numb. As the afternoon progressed he hurt more and the outside of his ear turned red and that means an ear infection. So we had a quick trip to the doctor and then we picked up the boys and Tim and went to church to help plant trees.

We have a meeting at Layne's school tomorrow afternoon. We will get the results of all the tests he has done over the last month. I am anxious to see what they have to say. Part of me hopes that there is something wrong so we can fix it or learn the right way to deal with it and the other part of me wants nothing to be wrong. So pray for us.

Potty Problems

Scott and Debbie came over for dinner tonight (and the show). As we were sitting down to dinner Debbie noticed some water under the table. Well it wasn't water Chloe had peed, so Tim cleaned that up and we went about eating our dinner. Logan' s diaper had fallen off while we were eating so after dinner he was running around naked. He had gone out into the front entryway and started peeing. He just stood there with a smile on his face looking down and then up at us smiling. Doesn't anyone know where they are supposed to go to the bathroom at!?!

Layne had Tae Kwon Do tonight. He really enjoys it and is pretty good. He is really excited because he is going to get his uniform next week. I will make sure to post a picture of him in it! There is one little girl who really likes him and always make sure she is standing by him and another older girl who is always helping him, making sure he has the right foot or hand. He is such a ladies man!

The twins have just been really silly lately. All Logan talks about is alligators and grandma Debbie buying him Lego's. He sees alligators everywhere we go. Brenden has just been talking more about everything. His expressions are almost as funny as Logan's. At mops today the boys had taken their shoes and socks off and the ladies who were watching them said I must have trouble keeping them on at home. I laughed and told them socks were the least of my worries.

Fire, Carnival, and Zoo

We had the first fire of the year on Friday night. It was such a beautiful night. My friend Maria and her daughter Serenity came over, and our neighbors from across the street came over too. The kids wanted to make s'mores and roast marshmallows and Maria and I couldn't resist a s'more either! It was a fun night.

On Saturday afternoon I took Layne to a carnival that was put on my several local churches. I didn't tell Layne what we were doing I just told him to get his shoes on and get in the car. They had midway games that gave you tickets for prizes and inflatable toys. Layne had a lot of fun and couldn't believe it was all free. After the carnival we went home and got the twins and Tim and went to the zoo. All Logan wanted to see was the alligator, but it was to cold and wasn't out yet. The river otters were out and were really fun to watch, they tigers too.

This afternoon Tim and I made some corn muffins and english muffin bread. The bread didn't quite turn out though. We didn't read the directions all the way through before we started and put 5 cups of flour in right away instead of 3 cups and then more as needed. So I will have to try it again.

Logan locked me out of the house today. I went to go put Chloe in the yard this morning before Pastor Thompson dropped off Ethan. They pulled in while I was coming back up the driveway and I went to open the door to let us all in the house. The deadbolt was locked. I panicked at first and then remembered that we have a spare key in the garage. While I went to to it Pastor talked Logan into opening the door. He is such a squirt. He had gotten the stool out of the kitchen to reach the lock so you know he was planning on doing it!

Layne had a program at school tonight. It was just a short cute little program about getting rid of winter and welcoming spring. Couldn't have had a more fitting program!!!

Layne had his first Tae Kwon Do class tonight. He was a little bit shy at first, he didn't want to line up with the rest of the class. After a little encouragement from Master Ben he jumped in. He did really well for his first night, he got his left and right mixed up, but all and all he had did really well!! After he was done he asked if he could be in it forever, so I think we are off to a good start!

Kristi took me to the Steven Curtis Chapman and Micheal W. Smith concert on Thursday night. It was such a good concert, we were sitting 4 row center and I felt like I could reach out and touch them. I had never had a concert experience like that. Thanks Kristi!!

Layne spent the night at my sister's in-law's on Friday night. She called me when they got to Linton and said that Layne had a rash on his face. I didn't think to much of it until last night when we were at the Bobcats Hockey game and I looked at his face and he had red splotches all over his face. As the night went on he started complaining that his knees itched. By the time we got home he had spots all over his ears, arm, butt, thighs, knees and face. Scott and Debbie were watching the twins so Debbie suggested a bath with baking soda and some calamine lotion. I was worried that it was chicken pox, Scott just had shingles so it would have been possible. So I took him to the doctor this morning to make sure that it wasn't anything contagious. The doctor said that it was hives from an allergic reach to something. I thought we were going to get lucky and none of the kids were going to have an allergies, but I guess not. So we will treat him with Zyrtec for 5 days and if it happens again we will try to keep a journal of things he ate or did. Because if he is like me it could be any number of things!

Famliy Time

Tim got home at about 2:00 today. The boys were so happy to see him. Tim was really hungry so we ate an early dinner (4:30, we really are getting old) and since we had so much time before bed we decide to walk down and go to DQ. It has kinda been a tradition to walk down there one day during the first week they reopen. We got our ice cream and went over to the park and watched the boys all chase each other around. They are all getting so big. The twins did not ride in the stroller, they walked all the way there and back. I love spring!!!!

We Are Home

Were are home. We went to Bemidji for the weekend and had a wonderful time. The weather was so nice the boys were able to play out on the lake. Logan fell through the ice but that didn't slow him down much. We had an Easter egg hunt and I hid their baskets. It was so much fun to watch the twins follow Layne around copying everything he did! We left Bemidji on Sunday morning and headed to Cavalier to see grandpa Young in the hospital. He really wanted to see the boys. Layne was able to hear a story and now his collection is complete. We stayed at the farm on Sunday night and came home yesterday afternoon. We had to take the long way home because so many road were flooded. Tim decided to stay a couple extra days and will come home tomorrow.

Wrestle Mania

Tim was able to come home tonight for a late dinner and he did not have to go back afterward. We had a nice family dinner and they gave the twins a much needed bath. I have missed watching all the boys wrestle after dinner. The twins really get into it. They have to get all the blankets off of the back of the couch and cover Tim in them. Then they run and jump on him. I tried to wrestle with them one night and I say it is defiantly a boy thing! The laughing and screaming was music to my ears!

Happy Anniversary Tim! We have been married a wonderful, crazy, loooong 7 years. I would have never guessed what God had in store for us that day, 3 beautiful children, a successful business, a wonderful home. I hope we have many more to come!!

I made a wonderful crock pot chicken tonight for dinner and wanted to share the recipe.

Creamy Crock Pot Mexican Chicken

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1-15 1/2 oz can black beans drained
1 cup frozen corn
6 oz black olives, drained and sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1-15 oz jar salsa
1-8 oz package cream cheese
1-2 tablespoons taco seasoning

1. Add all ingredients to crock pot EXCEPT cream cheese.
2. Cook on high 4-6 hours or low 8-10
3. Add the package of cream cheese (whole) to the top of cooking chicken for the last 30 minutes.
4. Serve over rice or noodles.

I was out of red pepper and did not see that you add the cream cheese at the end (I mixed it with the salsa because I have another recipe where you mix them) and it turned out great. I served it over rice and with a salad. Enjoy!

Sprained Ankle

When Logan got up this morning he was still not walking on his foot, so I took him to the Dr. He said that it was sprained and there wasn't much to do for it except treat it with ibuprofen and Motrin. He started walking on it this afternoon and was still limping a little when I put him to bed, but he was in very good spirits.

Snooper's Tons of Fun and Logan's Foot

It was much nicer here today so I was able to get out and take the twins to Snoopers. Snoopers is an indoor playground sort of thing with slides, tunnels, and a ball pit. We met 2 other moms there and our 5 kids had the place to themselves. The twins had a great time and played so nice with each other and the other kids. Brenden got scared by a video game and ran away crying. He sat with me for about 5 minutes before he felt safe enough to go play again. We had such a good time there that we stayed for 3 hours.

After we got home I noticed Logan was limping. He was rolling around on the floor and whimpering. I didn't think much of it until we were getting ready to go to Scott and Debbie's for dinner. He wouldn't get up and walk, he crawled everywhere and when I put his boot on he started crying and took it off. When we got to Scott and Debbie's house he just clung to grandma and won't let her put him down. His foot was a little swollen, but other than that seemed fine. He went to sleep fine so we will see if it still hurts tomorrow I will take him in.

Snow Day

Layne did not have school today because of the blizzard. It snowed 16 inched in 24 hours. We are now 2 inches away from meeting the all time record for snow in a year. So we spent most of the day in the kitchen. I made pancakes for breakfast at Layne's request. We then made banana bread, beer bread, kneophla soup and a cinnamon cake for dessert. The boys were pretty good today, no major catastrophe's. I hope it is nicer tomorrow I need to run some errands!

The Shriners Circus Has Nothing on Us

Oh boy I have so much to tell you all about the twins. First we will go back to Thursday. Kara came over in the afternoon to say goodbye. We were sitting in the living room talking and the boys were downstairs playing. I told Kara that it was pretty quite down stairs and that is never good. Before I could get up to go see Logan comes running upstairs and he has red stuff all over his face. I said to Kara that he smelt like chili powder. So we go down stairs and sure enough there is chili powder and about 15 other spices all over everything downstairs!! So Kara threw them in the tub and I vacuumed up the mess. Later that night Tim and I went to Pastor Thompson's house for bible study. The twins were still up when we came home so I told them they could come down and see daddy. I noticed some thing on Brenden's face when he was coming down. It was all shiny and at first I thought it was lotion. But I was wrong. It was Elmer's glue. They had gotten into Layne's crafts and smeared glue all over themselves. We got them all clean up and put back to bed at 10:30. So on Friday my sweet little monsters talked me into letting them watch cartoons downstairs. I was hoping to get some computer work done while they were down there, but after about 5 minuets I hear them giggling. I thought oh that is so nice the are getting along and play so well and I decided to sneak up on them to see what they were playing with. Butter!! Butter smeared everywhere and into everything!! So once again they go into the tub and I clean up the mess. Can we say melt snow, melt. We NEED spring.

Scott and Debbie took the boys and I to the circus on Saturday morning. I was worried that the boys would get restless and want to leave, but they didn't . Brenden sat in Scott's lap with a box of popcorn and didn't move for at least 30 minuets. They really loved the tigers, elephants, and bears. We tried to get the twins to ride a pony but they wanted no part of that.

After dinner tonight Tim, Layne, and I sat down to do his homework. He did it all really well and got all but one of his spelling words right. He was in such a good mood so I thought I would give him a haircut. The first half went fine and then all of a sudden he had a melt down and wouldn't let me finish. He wanted to call grandma Debbie so we did that and she calmed him down a bit and I cut some more and then he starts screaming "she's torturing me, she's torturing me" I was trying so hard not to laugh because I just wanted to finish cutting his hair. He wouldn't let me finish, he said he just wanted to go to bed. So he went to bed with an unfinished haircut. Never a dull moment here!!

Happt Birthday Tim

Happy Birthday Tim!! It has been quite the 28th birthday. We spent the morning helping our friends Jeff and Kristi move all their stuff from their 2 lower levels. At one point the were announcing that the ice jam north of Bismarck had broken and therefore their house was under mandatory evacuation. Then it was reported that it had not broken, so it was down graded to a voluntary evacuation. They were able to use explosives to break-up the ice jam south of town, so now the focus is on the one north, which is bigger.

Tim got guitar hero for his birthday from his grandma and grandpa Larson. We spent several hours playing last night. I am not very good at it, but Tim rocks!! The boys got him a board game called "Hive". It was a suggestion from Pastor Thompson and I think he is going to like it. I am going to go play with him now!!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...NOT!!

Oh, we had some nasty weather today and unfortunately I had to go out in it for a Dr. appointment. Layne had school today but I think that they should have canceled. Two schools announced that their students need to be picked up early because they were in danger of being flooded. Scott called and offered to pick Layne up from school and I quickly agreed. At one point today I couldn't see across the street. I was afraid he was going to walk home the wrong way or not see a car. So I was very glad Scott picked him up.

Jeff and Kristi's house is in an evacuation zone. The river is backing up and really causing some serious problems. I am praying for them tonight. Jeff and Kristi lost their house and everything in it in a flood in Grand Forks and do not want to go through that again. Stay dry and safe everyone!!

Scott and Debbie took us to Red Lobster for dinner tonight to celebrate Tim's birthday and to send Kara off to her last rotation. The twins took a nap today so they were in a very good mood. Debbie ordered them chocolate milk. They had never had chocolate milk before and Logan just loved it. He made everybody take drink of it. Layne was an adventurous eater tonight. He ordered popcorn shrimp for himself, then tried some of Kara's tilapia, Debbie's lobster, and my shrimp scampi. He must be going through a growth spurt, because he ate everything on his plate, a bit or two or everyone else's and still wanted a snack when we got home.

Tim and I were sitting in the living room watching TV. We could hear the twins up stairs playing and then Brenden started singing "Praise Ye the Lord". We muted the TV and listened to him sing for quite a while. At one point Logan was singing "alleluia" too. I wish I could have gotten that on tape!!

Weekend Wrap up

I had a Pampered Chef show on Friday night. It was a really good show and lots of fun because it was all ladies from church, but as I was packing up my stuff to go home and I really hurt my back. One of my bags was really heavy and I lifted it up in the back of the Expedition and I was instantly in pain. So tomorrow I will go see the chiropractor.

Had a great weekend with Katie and JD. JD got his 4 year old pictures taken on Saturday and they are so cute!! Katie, JD, Layne, and I picked mom and Joe up from the airport on Saturday night. They had a great time and they boys were so happy to see them (mostly because she brought back presents).

We went to a swimming party today. The twins are learning to swim really well. We had them in just an inflatable ring. Brenden was being really giggly. He was splashing everyone and he would lift his arms up so he could slide down and put his face in the water. Logan had a really good time throwing a ball at Layne.

I am tired today and I wish there was one more day to the weekend. Tim will be working more long days this week, I don't think he will even get to take time off for his birthday. Hope you all have a good week!!

Carmel corn

Since my sister is coming up this weekend I decide to make one of her favorite treats. Ethan Thompson was here today so he help me make carmel popcorn for her. The recipe calls for air popped popcorn so the boys helped me with that. They thought it was very cool. The boys and I had some for an after school snack. It tasted very good, but not as good as I remembered when my mom made it. I guess somethings just taste better when they are made by your mom. Anyway I thought I would share the recipe with you. Enjoy!

6 to 7 qts. popped corn
2 cups brown sugar
2 sticks butter
1/2 cup white syrup
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Mix sugar, butter, and syrup. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add baking soda and cream of tartar. Stir quickly and pour over popped corn. Mix well. Put in large roaster in oven at 200 degrees for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in air tight container. *keep corn in oven while you make syrup. Peanuts can be added if desired.

Walks and Taxes

The boys didn't take a nap today so we walked over to get Layne. They did not want to ride in the stroller, Logan wanted to "run". So I let them run, through puddles and all. Their shoes are soaking wet, but the boys were very happy!!

Our tax appointment went well and it feels good to have that done. We will have to go in and sign the papers in a couple of days. Afterward we went to the Sweetheart Bakery Outlet store, the grocery store, and then to bible study. So it was a good day!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!! Being that I am half Irish we go all out here. Everyone was dress in green and we had a true Irish dinner, corned beef hash with fried eggs and Irish soda bread. We veered off course with dessert and had girl scout cookies!!

Spent all day getting my tax stuff in order for my appointment at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. I can't wait until this appointment is over and I can have one more thing off my list!!

Catching up

It has been a while since I have blogged and a lot has gone on. We had a lovely weekend and what turned out to be week with De and Lloyd. We watched Layne wrestle on Saturday and played a lot of cards while they were here.

I headed to Carrington on Friday night for an LWML meeting. They roads were terrible and it took Michelle Jenks and I 2 hours and 45 minutes to get there. We came back through Jamestown and the roads were much better.

Jeff and Kristi came over for dinner last night we hadn't seen them in a very long time. It was nice to catch up with them. Layne didn't have school today so Hunter spent the night last night. The boys had a great time playing today and you could really tell they missed each other.

I have a busy week this week. I have Mops and bible study. I also have an appointment to get our taxes done and my sister is coming on Friday and we have a birthday party to go to on Sunday afternoon. Tim is working very hard and unfortunately is not coming home for dinners. I think the boys are already missing him. Hope you have a great week!!

When I woke up this morning I thought it was really quite in the boys room. I could hear them talking but they weren't laying on the floor yelling for their dad. So went to go get them and they were so excited to show me what they had been doing. They had taken all the blankets and put them over Layne's bed and made a "fort". It was so cute and they were so proud of themselves.

My friend Becky came over today so we could swap watching kids and go to the store. We both really cherish being able to go grocery shopping by ourselves, it is actual really relaxing!! Her littlest, Nola, slept the whole time Becky was gone and the twins were sleeping too, so I was able to bake a cheesecake!! It was a very productive day!!

Layne had a wrestling tournament on Friday. It was one of the cutest thing I have seen. There were 12 teams all wrestling at the same time. The head coach timed 3 one minute matches. He would blow the whistle and kids would start flopping everywhere. There were high school wrestlers there refereeing each individual match. Layne was matched against 2 very tough little boys, but he did great!! I forgot my camera so I will be sure to get some pictures at his next tournament!

The retreat was great. The weather did keep a few people away, but all in all it went very well and it was fun getting to know a few new people. But I didn't get to see much of the boys I was gone Friday night, all day Saturday, and all afternoon today for a Pampered Chef show. So no funny stories about the boys today!

The twins have been really into biting each other. Yesterday we were at the grocery store, they were riding in a car cart, they started to fight about something and Logan bit Brenden. Today we were in the car waiting for Layne after wrestling and Brenden got mad at Logan for something (I didn't see what) so he bit him, so bad he drew blood.

We were watching American Idol tonight before the kids went to bed. The twins love to dance so they got down from Tim's lap and started dancing, but Brenden thought I should dance with them. He was pulling on my arm saying "dance, dance" So I got up and all 3 kids and I were dancing. They are so cute when they are not biting each other!!

Layne had a great time at wrestling. He did really well and listen to the coach. He is the only first grader so he got paired up with a kindergartner. So it should be a fun couple of weeks for him.

Kara is in town doing her rotation for her pharmacy program. She came over tonight to play with the boys. They showed her all their best tricks, they danced, they hopped, they skipped. I hope we get to see lots of her while she is here!!

Tim got strep. I guess it was wishful thinking that we could both avoid it, but no such luck. We didn't realize that it was step until Friday morning and unfortunately we had Scott and Debbie over for dinner on Thursday night and now Scott is sick too!! Nothing like sharing!!

Layne got to go sledding today with the youth group from church. It was a beautiful day to be outside nice and sunny. I met the group at church when they were done and made them all hot chocolate and popcorn.

K-mart is doubling coupons this week here, I went with my mom and shared some of my coupons with her. She spent $50 (she had to get vitamins and some stuff we didn't have coupons for) and saved $30 and I spent $10 and saved $42!!!! I got some cough drops for free. We need them with all the sickness we have had.

The twins are monkeys. The have now figured out that they can climb over the ledge from the dinning room, onto the kitchen counter, and slide down the cabinets. They have also figured out how to open the door to the office and they go in the bathroom and play. Today Tim found them playing in the toilet. So we put a hook and eye on the door now. Monkeys all of them!!

What a very long day. Logan played in poop again. I was in the kitchen making dinner, our friends Becky and Adam came over for dinner with their 2 girls, and Layne says to me "uh mom I think Logan is playing in poop". Sure enough he is sitting at the top of the stairs cover in poop. All over his hands, feet, clothes. I follow the poop trail into our bedroom where he naps and there are little poop footprints all over the room!!!! I thought that after last time he learned that it was gross and he should do that. He didn't even cry this time so I have know idea how long he was playing with it, but from the look of the footprints it must have been a while. So on top of everything else Tim is doing right now, he had to shampoo the carpet after dinner.