Old b-day pictures

This week, we went to JCP to get our family picture taken for our Christams cards. The pictures turned out SO CUTE! Those will be ready in a week. But, it reminded me that I have never done anything with Jaden and Paige's birthday pictures. I don't think I have even given them to grandparents yet.

Jaden turned 3 in July and Paige turned 2 in June--so in September, we finally got around to getting their birthday pictures taken!! And, now in November I will finally post them!My FAVORITE picture of Jaden, ever. This is his little smirk of a smile we see often. The funny thing about this picture--of course we were telling him how cute he was, etc. He still, months later, will lay on the floor in this position and just SMILE--because he KNOWS he is so cute!

He's just SO happy!! Jaden is hard to "make" smile. But, we finally got him to smile and it was his true big smile!

And, this is so him too, trying not to smile!


This is a collage of pictures they did of Jaden. SO cute! Of course, I don't buy the collages. Where would I put one of these every year...for 3 kids. But, it was really cute!

And, if this doesn't melt your heart, then nothing will. Isn't she PRECIOUS! OH my... It's so fun having a girl!

And wow.... pictures like this one(serious and somber looking) just don't turn out near as cute for boys...at least not at our house!!

She's just so happy too!

I love this picture because you can see her sweet little hands and feet. Oh I wish she would stay this size forever. And, this is her exact smile---so big and full of joy.

Stephanie is our photographer at JCP and she is fabulous. If she can get Jaden to smile and all 3 of my kids to look at the camera--then she is GOOD!!!

Shopping and Football

This past weekend was our annual trip to the K-State/Nebraska Football game with the Wilkinson's. Brian Wilkinson is a HUGE Nebraska fan and Steve is a HUGE K-State fan. We started our tradition last year. We will go to the game every year, spend the weekend in KC and Christmas shop. And, did we Christmas shop.

We got to KC about 11:30am on Friday. Shopped til about 7:30. Checked into our hotel and then met Julie and Glen Oetken for dinner at 8pm. Dinner, drinks, shooting pool, talking and to bed at 1am.

We got up Saturday, hit Wal-Mart before the game, hit Oak Park Mall right after the game and then dinner and drinks about 9:30pm. Our eating schedules were all off. We couldn't stop to eat until the stores were closed--so we ate late each night.

Sunday we got up, went to Old Navy and back to Toys R Us and then home.

We took the Wilkinson's Yukon XL. The 3rd row and the ENTIRE back was FULL(to the roof) with our Christmas presents. We shopped and we bought. It was so much fun. I think I have 1 more thing to buy and then I am DONE. What a great feeling.

The boys were such good sports. They shopped with us for quite a bit of the time. But, when they weren't with us, they were eating. They did eat a lot.

The game: The final score was Neb. 56/K-State 28. It was fun, even if we didn't win...again (like last year.) This year we got box-tickets. Now, that's the way to watch a game. Inside, warm, free food, free drinks, etc. Next year, we'll be back outside, hopefully not freezing.

Pictures: I had taken my camera to get great pictures of us in Purple, them in Red. To get pictures of shopping, etc. I pull out my camera to take the first of many pictures of the weekend...it's dead. of course. So, no fun pictures this year.

But, I am getting better at taking my camera places with me. Now, I just need to keep it charged!

Tyler and his shoes

OH MY....is all I can say about Tyler and his SHOES. Yes, Tyler is a BOY and it shouldn't be that big of a deal. Tyler has 4 or 5 pairs of shoes, his size. He has literally worn the SAME pair of brown shoes for the last 2 months of school. HONESTLY.....

So, this weekend when I went shopping, I bought him a pair of fur-lined "Crocs" (from the Children's Place). Of course, he didn't like them. Well, he told me he liked the shoes, he just didn't like the way they felt.

Today, I bought him a pair of brown converse looking tennis shoes. NOPE! Again, he likes how they look, loved them, but didn't like how they felt.

Doesn't he know....sometimes we sacrifice the FEEL for the LOOK!

So, I am still on the hunt for a pair of shoes for this kid.

Taylor Turns 2... Down on the Farm

Before Halloween was Taylor's birthday! (our niece) She loves the movie Babe so they had a farm b-day party. It was ADORABLE. Dave and Amanda turned their garage into a barn complete with hay bales and all. It was so cute.

Here's the birthday girl! I think she had fun!




All the cousins. The kids were suppose to dress as things found on the farm. Yes, there are Ninja turtles on some farms, cowgirls, cows, ducks, and Farmers. Aren't they cute!

Tyler holding his little cousin Mason. Mason is so cute and so happy all the time!

The party was complete with a hayrack ride around the neighborhood. How fun!! The kids thought this was great. Uncle David pulled the trailer behind his truck. WOW!! What a party!

And, the 2 girls! Happy Birthday Taylor. We love you!!

Halloween Fun

We started our Halloween morning with orange sprinkle donuts, topped with gummy worms. Doesn't that sound Halloweenish?

Tyler was out of school, so I was going to take the 3 kids to the Pumpkin patch. Tyler had gone with his school, but I had not had a chance to take the little ones. I got on the computer to get directions...to find that all the pumpkin patches around us, were closed. WHAT?? It was Halloween. I guess they don't stay open for those parents who procrastinate. So, what to do now.


These are the pumpkins Tyler got from the Pumpkin patch--when he went with his Kindergarten class. (This is what they looked like when he brought them home.) Good picks Tyler!! Luckily, Aunt Barb and Uncle Jim had brought each kid a pumpkin from their "patch" so we did have good pumpkins. I decided we would go to the garage and carve pumpkins. Now, to me, carving pumpkins is a DAD job. My dad did it with us, therefore Steve should do it with our kids. But, Steve was at work and I needed something to do with the kids.

I took the markers outside and let the little kids just draw on their pumpkins. THEY LOVED IT! They were busy for some time. Never mind their clothes were covered in marker, but they had fun. At one point, Jaden was using the markers like sidewalk chalk on the driveway. I started to stop him, then decided...what's the big deal.
Tyler and I did the carving. Actually, I let Tyler to his all by himself. He did a great job. I just had to watch him and keep telling him to get his fingers out of the way of the knife. He thought he was big and kept telling me not to help him. And, we only got one SMALL cut on his finger. It was a success.

And, then came cleaning out the pumpkins. If Jaden could do it, then anyone can. He's the kid who doesn't like anything different, mushy, yucky, etc. He doesn't really like to try new things. But, he did this, even though it was yucky!

To McDonald's we went for Halloween lunch--Happy Meals all around!

Time to put on our costumes and get ready for our Halloween party!

This is the 2nd year we have had a Neighborhood Halloween party. We gather in our garage at 6pm, everyone brings a soup to share, we eat and then we leave to go trick-or treating. The kids get hot dogs and sugar cookies to decorate! Last year we just through it together last minute. This year we had some decorations, Halloween plates, etc. and Halloween music. Next year we are going to add games for the kids.

Tyler and his friend Jarod Givens. (Jarod doesn't live in our neighborhood--they just came for fun.)

Paige and Leah Wilkinson. Paige is enjoying her "Halloween" cookie. She choose not to decorate hers.

Jaden and Mary Kate Wagoner. Please note--we did not give Jaden any instructions except, "get with Mary Kate for a picture." This is how he stood. oh my....it looks more like middle school, not 3 year olds. Mary Kate is in Jaden's Sunday School class and she is his new best friend at church. He talks about Mary Kate all the time.

The kids at the party--or the ones that were left when we took the picture. Our neighborhood has so many kids, it's great. Even though most of the neighborhood is girls--Tyler and Jaden don't seem to mind.

We trick-or-treated around the neighborhood and then Princess Paige was ready for bed. It was a FUN day!

Thankful for Grandparents

WOW!! It's been a long time since I have blogged. I have been busy "making" Christmas presents. I can't go into detail because my loved ones who are getting the gifts read this blog. But, I have spent every minute the past week working on these AWESOME gifts. I love them and I hope they do to. So, that's what I've been doing.

I am going to try to be more THANKFUL--appropriate with Thanksgiving coming up, I thought! So, today I am thankful for Grandparents. Steve and I are heading to KC tomorrow to SHOP, EAT, DRINK, HAVE FUN, SHOP, and SHOP some more. Saturday we are going to the K-State/Nebraska football game. This is our 2nd year to go with our friends, Brian and Becky. We are making it an annual tradition. We have LONG lists of Christmas gifts to buy and a LONGER list of stores to find and go to in KC. We had a BLAST last year. We had 2 HEAPING carts at TJ Max last year, so we're hoping to find more bargains there this year. We are also looking for Paige a big girl bed--at Nebraska Furniture Mart. And, lots of toys to be bought.
But, if we did not have GRANDPARENTS, we could not do these fun weekend trips.

Paige went to Grandpa and Grandma Balzer's and the boys are going to the Roth's. Paige woke up this morning asking for Grandpa to come get her. Then, when grandpa did come, the boys CRIED for 30 minutes because they were ready to go to Grandma and Grandpa Roth's. Tyler figured out that Paige gets to stay 3 nights and they only get to stay 2 nights. That just was not fair. They will all have SO MUCH fun! So, thank you grandparents.

Other things I'm thankful for: Steve, my kids, my house, church, friends, neighbors, my Premier job, Steve's new business, my car, food in my fridge, healthy kids, health for Steve and I, my warm bed, my clothes, DIET COKE (seriously, I am becoming more addicted the last week as I've been staying up til 2am working on my "projects"), my siblings, my nieces and nephews, my Sunday school class, and on and on.

I get stressed out and think things are so hard sometimes, but HONESTLY, I (and most of us) have it GOOD. I am trying to teach my kids to be thankful for dinner on the table, because some kids don't get food every night. Tyler will now say, "I know mom, you don't have to tell me again..." But, I do. We need to remember to be thankful for EVERYTHING.

Flash Back Friday

Steve and I have been helping with the middle school youth group at church for 2 years now--can't believe it's been that long. Last Friday, was a middle school "A Walk Through the Woods" party. We took van loads of kids to someones house about an hour from Wichita. We had a bon-fire, roasted hot-dogs, drank hot chocolate, and then the kids could walk through the spooky forest. Then s'mores and going home. We decided we were going to take our kids with us to enjoy the fun. (Thank goodness Savannah's mom offered to take our little kids while we were at the church. She thought it was too cold for them outside. And, was she ever right! So, Paige went to play with Ethan and Brenda, Savannah's mom and we took the boys with us. Of course, Jaden wasn't going with anyone but mom.)

Here's Tyler roasting his own hot-dog in the fire. He thought that was fun.

And, then eating his hot-dog and Cheetos and don't forget his Sprite. Tyler is sitting next to Savannah, a 7th grader. She baby-sits for us sometimes. She LOVES the kids and always finds them at church to say hello. Tyler tried to stay as close to these girls as possible....ALL NIGHT LONG!

Here's Jaden with Kirsen Fisher. We love Kirsten. She is our favorite baby-sitter because she plays with the kids and then she cleans the house before we come home. Gotta love that. Our kids are lucky that all the middle school kids love them so much.

Here's us. It was cold out. We stayed by the fire most of the night, which made it bearable.

Tyler and Faith Denning, drinking hot chocolate. Tyler asked if we could make hot chocolate like this at home. (We made it last year and he didn't like it. Maybe in one year he has grown taste buds to like it?) Faith is in 2nd grade, but these 2 have so much fun playing together. Faith's mom, Shelly, is a YMT (youth group worker) with us. She is awesome and I love hanging out with her.

Tyler, Faith, and Jaden asleep on the way home. The Dennings and us took our own church van so we could leave the party early. We didn't think keeping our kids out until midnight, was wise. So, these 3 sat in the back row of the 15 passenger van and loved every minute of it. Aren't they so cute...asleep on each other. They had fun and obviously wore themselves out.