♥ Girls Just Wanna Have Fun ♥

Friday, July 17, 2009

Ahh...The Lake

We were invited by a friend of mine to a really pretty private lake in Lawrence. It was a beautiful day, weather in the 80's, and we had the beach all to ourselves. All of the kids had fun and Grady and the girls even got some fishing in. The fish weren't biting, but it was very relaxing and Macey became a master at casting her fishing pole!

Emmy was afraid to go near the lake at first, but by mid-day, she was saying, "Don't call me Emmy, call me Dolphin!". Jolee and Macey had a blast jumping off of the dock with their inner tubes. And I soaked up some sun and enjoyed the family time. I forgot how peaceful and therapeutic the lake can be.

Here's Emmy being a dolphin...

peek-a-boo!!

Jolee on the BIG slide...

views of the lake...

here's Macey, the Master Caster!

sweet face...

building a masterpiece!

having lunch on the beach...

Emmy taking time to smell the flowers...

Ems on the dock...

Jolee casting her line...

two peas in a pod...

Monday, July 13, 2009

An Apple a Day...

Just a cute little video of Emmy. She was so proud of the fact that she can eat an apple like a big girl...and the peel, too. She is so funny!

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Pool Time!

Here are a few shots of the girls enjoying the pool.

4th of July & Happy Birthday Max!

This post is a week late, but, better late than never! We had a great time with our neighbors celebrating the 4th of July. The kids enjoyed their fireworks and, for the first time, Macey didn't hide in the garage!...she actually lit some herself!

And, our oldest child, Max, turned 10! Happy Birthday big boy!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Off They Go!!!

Video clip of Jolee:

Last night we took the girls to a park that had a big parking lot so Jolee could practice riding her bike in an open area. It is so amazing what a little confidence can do!! In just a matter of minutes, Jolee was zipping around the parking lot. She even mastered starting and stopping all by herself. The video above is a clip of her tonight. Tonight she looked like a little pro! We are so proud of her!

Video clip of Emmy:

Emmy has been riding her tricycle for quite a while. But last night, we thought we'd get out her big girl bike with training wheels and see how she'd do. By the end of the night, she was riding it all by herself. The video clip above is of her riding tonight. She said that she was going to work! And, as you can tell by the video, she is very proud of herself (as are we!).

Video clip of Macey:

Macey has always been a dare devil. Lately, she has been doing more and more tricks on her bike...everything from standing up on the seat to riding with no hands. The video clip above is her "statue pose" trick. She cracks us up!!

Splish, Splash!!

Nothing like the good 'ol Slip-N-Slide! The picture above was taken after Emmy laid on her belly and Macey gave her a push!

Wheee!!!

Here's Jolee, my goofy poser...

Too funny!

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Family, Friends, Food, Fun

Grady and his BBQ team competed in the Great Lenexa BBQ Battle this weekend. Bernie drove up from Texas and Grandpa Leon drove up from Hutchinson to partake in the smoke and sweat with the rest of the guys. The kids were having fun skipping rocks and looking at the fish in the lake. Grandpa Leon showed Jolee how she could feed the fish pieces of bread, which started a feeding frenzy with the rest of the kids...those lucky fish!

There were 189 teams in the competition and the guys scored really well in pulled pork (21st place) and ribs (42nd place). I thought both of these tasted excellent! They scored 72nd in brisket, and the chicken and sausage scores weren't so hot. Oh well, something to work on for next year! Great job, boys!

I love this pic of Emmy and Grandpa Leon

Best Buds...Bernie & Grady

The kids skipping rocks

Macey, Evan, and Jolee

Grady & I...man, I have a lot of teeth! haha!

Grandpa & Jolee...

Grandpa & ALL of the kids!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Miss You!

The girls are at Grandma Judy's and Grandpa Tom's house for a few days. All the toys are picked up, the kitchen floor is clean, and the laundry is done (and it's been like this for 2 days in a row!)...that never happens! I must admit, it's been nice being able to eat a meal without getting up 5 times, and Grady and I enjoyed a bike ride last night (which we rarely get to do). But, I'd rather have a messy house and the sounds of my girls filling it. A little break is nice once in a while, and we know you are having a blast with Grandma and Grandpa, but Mommy & Daddy miss you all! We'll see you soon! We love you to the moon and back and with all our hearts!!!

Sunday, June 14, 2009

C-O-O-L R-I-D-E-R

Emmy has been having lots of fun with the Barbie Jeep lately. Give her a few more days and she'll be cruising the neighborhood!

Sunglasses on top of her head...when did she get so big?!!

Here's a little video clip of our cool rider...

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Snip, Snip!

I've been wanting to cut Jolee's hair for a while now, but Grady didn't want me to. This week, Grady is out of town, so out came the scissors! :) Jolee agreed to a haircut, so I cut 5 inches off! I know Daddy won't be mad when he comes home...how could he be when he sees this cute face?

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Half Marathon #2

Pre-race picture of me and my running friends

Today I completed my 2nd half marathon. And wow...it was a doosey! The name of the run was the Hospital Hill Run. And believe me, the word "hill" was in the title for a reason! The run started in downtown KC at Crown Center. It was a pretty scenic run that included downtown, some really neat neighborhoods and the Plaza. But, it was full of rolling hills. Once you thought you were re-couped from one hill, another one would start. We were totally blessed with perfect running weather...70 degrees and overcast. I felt great for 10 miles and then I hit a wall...literally...there was a hill that went on for a complete mile that just about took the wind out of my sails. Luckily, 2 great friends came by and I was able to finish the race with them. My goal was to finish in less than 2 hours. My official time was 1:59:00! I made it by the skin on my teeth! Whew...I think my legs deserve a little break!

FINISH LINE!!

Front of race shirt:

Back of shirt:

My pace tatoo: It helped me see at a glance after each mile if I was keeping the pace I needed to complete in 2 hours.

Everyone who finished got a medal!

Dialogue with Emmy

"I love you with my most loviest heart."
Whenever she finds a coin on the ground she says, "Look! It's my lucky day!"
"Once upon a time there were 2 little girls: Mommy, Daddy, Macey, Emmy and JoJo"...
"Mommy, I love you every single day."
When asked, "How old will you be after your next birthday?", she replies, "Free".
Emmy: "I love you!" Mommy: "I love you, too!" Emmy: "I love you MORE!"
Favorite questions: "Why?", "Because why?", "What?", and "What's that mean?"
She's been saying this A LOT lately-- "I'm more hungry"...every 15 minutes!

Jolee's Funny Quotes & Questions

"I don't have peanuts, I have a vagina!"
Grady said: "Jolee, you have school tomorrow", Jolee said: "Oh, the PAIN!, THE PAIN!"
"Every time I push my belly out, my pants pop open!"
"Daddy, I love you so much that I can't let you out of my sight!"
"I'm warm...like a piece of toast."
"I have never, ever, EVER tooted in school!"
"Don't eat the yellow snow!"
"If we had a boy cat AND a girl cat, and they kissed...that would be GROSS!"
"Sometimes the world is a mystery..."
"What are bees' feet called?"
"Zip your lip and throw away the key!"
"Mom's the Mystery Farter!" Note: I'm sure it wasn't me...must've been Daddy!
When deciding whether or not to add chocolate to her ice cream she said, "I'm gonna go for it!"
"It smells like there's a butt in my nose!"
"Mom, I ROCK at this!"
"Tell it to the Judge!"

Macey's Corner: New things I've learned in school

In a handful of soil, there are more living organisms than there are people on the planet.
I have learned multiplication facts by two, three, four and five and division facts by two.
To reduce pollution when shopping, purchase items that are not in a box or that have little packaging.
A refuge is a place where animals and plants are safe.
In statistics, "mode" is the number that appears most often, "maximum" is the largest number, "minimum" is the lowest number, and "range" is the maximum minus the minimum.
A menorah is the candle holder in Hanukkah celebrations and a kinara is the candle holder in Kwanzaa celebrations.
In English, the days of the week start with a capital letter, in Spanish they don't.
In Germany a Christmas tree is called a Tannenbaum
Germany is a country in Europe.
Kwanzaa is a seven day holiday honoring the ancient African tradition of celebrating the year's harvest.
There is a difference between a food chain and a food web. Food chains follow a single path as animals find food and food webs show how plants and animals are connected in many ways to help them all survive.
Another word for collar bone is clavicle.
Not all spiders spin webs to catch food, some dig holes.
Today I completed 100 math facts in less than 5 minutes.
Amphibians are cold blooded animals.
In a math addition problem, if there are more than 2 numbers, find the facts of 10 and then add the others.
A fish that has spikes and puffs up is called a Puffer Fish.
Veteran's Day is also known as Armistice Day.
The phalanges are bones that make up our fingers and toes.
Check back often! Macey will populate this list.

Savin' Green, Bein' Green, Gettin' Lean

No Paper OR Plastic: Instead of buying giftbags for Christmas or birthday presents (especially for adults), buy re-usable grocery bags that the recipient can use everyday.
Cut it Short: In ALL of the baking I do, I always use less sugar than the recipe calls for. Even if you cut it just a little bit, every little bit helps. And, we never miss it!
No More White Stuff: The next time you have to buy flour, buy whole wheat flour. I use it in all of my baking and my family can't tell the difference!
Challenge Yourself: I got this idea from another blog I visit daily. Challenge yourself to not go to the grocery store for an entire week. This forces you to be creative with what you have on hand. It's also a great way to use up the odds and ends in your pantry. It got a little difficult at the end of the week, but we did it! Plus, the savings from that week were very noticeable on our grocery budget!
Rewards Cards: Take advantage of the rewards cards at stores you shop at often. For example, we use the Office Max rewards/recycle program and are able to get free stuff there with the rewards we've accumulated. I also get special discounts at Dick's Sporting Goods which comes in handy buying my running shoes every six months. Other cards I have are for CVS (they give you money to use on your next purchase), Hallmark (free coupons), all the grocery stores (you get the store's discount plus sometimes discounts on gas), shoe stores (special coupons), you get the picture.
Free Movie Nights: Do you have a Redbox kiosk nearby? If so, you can find Redbox codes online every Monday and Wednesday to get a free movie. And, even if you don't get the codes, movies are only a buck! Bye, bye Blockbuster!
Soccer Mom Must: Car pool, duh!
Don't be a Heel: Don't throw away the heels from your loaves of bread. I don't like eating them as sandwiches, either, but toss them in the freezer until you get several of them. Then, toast them in the toaster and throw them into your food processor...wala!...whole grain bread crumbs! And, they're a lot healthier than most of the breadcrumbs you buy at the store.
Behind Bars: Our family goes through granola bars like you wouldn't believe. I love that my kids like to eat this healthy snack, but I don't like how expensive they are. I found a great recipe that is so versatile you can tailor it to your own likes and dislikes. One pan costs pennies and makes 16-18 bars. Recipe is found above in "Janie's Kitchen".
101 Uses for Vinegar: I use it as a fabric softener (and no, our clothes don't stink!), mixed with water it is WAY better than Windex, my friend Stacy uses it to kill her weeds, I spray it on the counters to help get rid of ants, and this is just a few of things I can think of off the top of my head! Google it and have fun!
Stacking Coupons: Did you know that you can use a store coupon (ie. Walgreens, Target, etc.) AND and manufacturer's coupon for the same item? For example, you can print Target coupons (good only at Target) and clip your mfr. coupon to use on the same item. If you do this when the item is on sale, it's an even bigger bonus...many times you can get it free or almost free!