Tuesday, July 31, 2012

I'm totally going to blog about that!

Sometimes I go through my day and think "I'm totally going to blog about this!".  And then I get home.  My kids need fed, bathed, put to bed.  Laundry needs to be done.  Life needs to continue.  So by the time I actually have a moment to sit at my computer, I've completely forgotten the last time I peed, much less what happened that was blog-worthy.

Today it happened again.  I had something witty and fun to post.  And now...blank.  So instead, I'll treat you to a funny story.  And yes, it's about me.  And yes, I'm making fun of myself so if you're a fun-hater, stop reading now.

A few weeks ago we took the kids to the pool in the million degree heat.  Yea, us.  Parents of the year.  Now let's not overlook the fact that I hate being in public in my bathing suit.  But even still, I was willing to get past that so my kids could enjoy the pool.  Since Hannah and Noah are at the point where one goes one way and the other goes the other way, Joel took Hannah and I took Noah.  Off Joel and Hannah went to the deep end.  Noah would like to think that he's a fish and can breathe underwater.  He'll just take off walking through the shallow end, continuing as the water gets deeper.  Never mind that the water's now up to his chin  and he's needing to tip his head back to breathe.  Nope, no big deal.  Just keep walking.  Little stinker.  So I introduced him to the kiddy slide.  It's a super wide slide that is about 30 feet in the air, gently sloping to the pool where it ends on a big pillow of softness in the water.  No injured baby bottoms for these kids.

Of course he gets scared.  I think if the slide had been in the deep end, he would've walked right up to it but no, he gets scared of the shallow end.  Ugh.  Fine.  I'll go.  What's worse that being in a public pool in a bathing suit?  Getting on a slide where there's barely enough water running down the slide to brush my teeth, much less slide my body down.  But I'll go.  Because I love my son.  I. L.O.V.E. M.Y. S.O.N.  I must keep reciting this phrase.

We get up to the top and wait to get to the front.  I watch at other kids went down before us.  No big deal.  You sit, you slide, you land on the pillow ever so gently and are greeted with smiling faces from all the parents and grandparents sitting in a semi-circle around the pillow.  Now it was our turn.  Ok.  Down we sit, Noah sitting right on my lap with a huge grin.  I. L.O.V.E. M.Y. S.O.N.  The lifeguard gives us the go-ahead sign and we go....nowhere.  Because I'm sitting on a dry spot.  Crap.  I wiggle over a little to where the water is cascading down in a slow trickle.  Off we go.  We land on the pillow.  Oh wait...Noah's on the pillow but I keep going!  It's like a horror movie.  Somehow I went flying off the slippery pillow and landed straight into the pool.  The cement pool with lots of people sitting in the water watching.  There was no graceful landing.  Oh no, it was all legs in the air, hands flailing, wedgy-inducing horror.  When I finally stopped, my swim suit bottoms had firmly planted themselves in wedgy formation, my boobs were precariously close to popping out and I had taken out the first row of on-lookers.  Ok, that last part may be a slight exaggeration but I had sprayed water all over them.

Then I had to get up.  Somehow, without drawing too much attention to myself (because that would just be embarrasing), I had to un-wedge my bottoms, pop the girls back in place and somehow maintain my dignity. I. L.O.V.E. M.Y. S.O.N.

Later I looked in the mirror and saw I had raccoon eyes from my mascara and cement-burns in bad places.  I am all shades of classy.

Hope you had a good laugh at my expense.  Laughing makes the pain go away :)

Thursday, July 19, 2012

HOTLANTA....or HOTANKENY?

For anyone living in the midwest, it's been a strange summer.  Temps have been in the upper 90's and into the lower 100's for many weeks.  Iowa tends to get a few days of temps that high but not a long stretch!  It makes being outside unbearable.  Couple that with 2 very active kids and it makes for some creative indoor activities.  We've taken advantage of anything and everything that's free/cheap and indoors.  On my days off you can find us at the splash park from 10-11:45, while it's free.  Once they want us to pay, we're out of there!  I bring our lunch and we either eat in between splashing each other or go out by the lake to feed the ducks our leftovers.  After that it's back home for some cooling down before heading to either McDonald's to play in their play place or maybe to Backyard Adventures to play.  Whatever I can do to keep the kids active but not overheated!  It's ridiculous how hot it's been!  I feel bad for anyone who has to work out in this heat.  Seriously.  Makes me VERY thankful we have A/C in our house, car and workplace.

So what's new with us?  Well, hmmm...our house is on the market.  That's probably the biggest news.  Yes, we're moving.  Where?  No clue.  We haven't exactly decided.  Our plan is to stay in our house until it sells (good plan, huh?) then move to a rental here in Ankeny until Hannah finishes 1st grade.  Noah will be in preschool this coming year too.  He's already enrolled at the same preschool Hannah went to and it'd be hard to get him in anywhere else this late in the game.  After they're done with school, we'll figure out where our next house will be.  We love Ankeny, we love our neighbors, we love our house.  BUT we feel the need to move somewhere more affordable so we can save more.  It's important to us that we contribute to our kids' college fund.  We haven't been able to contribute as much as we'd like.  There are other reasons too but the main reason is to save more $$.  There is a slight chance we'll stay here, if something things change.  We're kinda in limbo right now.  Have I mentioned how very impatient I am?  Apparently God is trying to teach me something.

I've been doing a kickboxing class at the Y.  I LOVE IT!  It's not just your 'normal' kickboxing class.  In this one, I get to wear boxing gloves and actually hit and kick a bag.  It's awesome!  I sweat more in that 45 minute class than I do mowing the entire yard in the 100 degree heat!  The instructor kicks our butt and it's awesome.  I like to think that I'd be threatening to anyone in a dark alley but in reality, I'm sure I look like a complete fool.

So here are a few pictures of what we've done this summer.  Enjoy...
Family photo shoot

Noah would follow this girl anywhere

They're going to hate this picture later...

The boys at Adventureland

The girls

The kids at the park (and eating an Oreo)

At the beach

Safety First!

Back on the boat and cold after a dip in the lake

Beating the heat at Aunt Salli's house

I thought this was Noah when I uploaded the picture.  It's actually my nephew Jack but he's so stinking cute, I kept it :)