The Adventures of the Redheads

Is that Don King?!

2010-03-18T13:55:00.000-05:00

We just can't get over Olyvia's hair. Michael had a little fun after bath time tonight. Look what he did to her.

Springbreak Photo shoots!

2010-03-17T13:48:00.000-05:00

We decided not to travel this year for spring break, I can't remember why...oh yeah, because we just had a baby, still have our house in Meriden for sale, and what was the other reason...our other 2 little monsters! Instead we stayed home and posed them for pictures.

Olyvia is 1 month old!

2010-03-08T13:34:00.000-06:00

Our littlest is now 1 month old. I can't believe it's been a month already, but she's finally growing and gaining weight. She's up to 7 pounds and 4 ounces. Still little, but we're glad she's up over her birth weight!

Andy has decided he really does love his new 'brother' Olybia. He hasn't quite gotten her name down yet either.

Our first photo shoot attempt with all 3. Not too bad!

Mayci turns 1!

2010-03-06T13:20:00.000-06:00

Our sweet little niece turned 1 on March 6th. I can't believe it's been a year and another kid later!

Lilly and Mayci together. If Mayci is around, you can bet Lilly will not be far behind!

Love this picture of my sister and Mayci. Oh, happy day!!

Uncle Chris embrasses his inner princess well. He loves posing with Lilly, his one and only before Mayci came.

All together now.

2010-02-20T13:09:00.000-06:00

Still recovering, but oh, what a life I have. My 3 beautiful kids cuddled up with me. It couldn't be any better!

It's a great day to meet the rest of the redheads.

2010-02-09T12:17:00.003-06:00

Let's talk, just you and me. Look, you don't have my hairline like the other 2 kiddos.

Olyvia's going home outfit. I searched high and low for something that wasn't pink this time. Do you know how hard it is to find outfits for newborns that aren't pink or blue? But the shopper in me prevailed and I found one. It is really cute, I must say.

It was love at first sight. But why, oh why, couldn't I have put on some make-up first?! And I'm so glad all my babies have a little darker skin than I do. Although, either way, they're going to sunburn. Easily and A LOT.

Daddy was trying to nap, he'd had a long couple of days.

Lilly couldn't wait to meet Olyvia. She had gotten sick and been home from school that day due to a fever. The nurses found masks for her and Andy to wear at home when we arrived so she could see and hold her. Andy on the other hand, was more excited to see Michael and I. I hope he stays this way for a while and just ignores her.

Let the visitation begin

2010-02-08T12:05:00.001-06:00

Aunt Chelle, Uncle Chris and Nana couldn't stay away. They left Sunday night and tried to make it time. Missed it by about an hour. It was snowing and Michael had told them that I was going to labor instead of opting for the c-section, so by the time they arrived my sister was a mess. She later told me that before she left she had planned to take a shower and put on some make-up so she looked better in these pictures, but she didn't get that done. She's just happy to not have on a hat in these photo's as she does with Lilly and Andy. She's too funny.

Nana couldn't stop kissing her. And looking at her hair. "She is just precious!"

Aunt Cara and Aunt Tammy made it in finally! The snow was an issue and Aunt Cara had to make lesson plans to be gone, but they still got to the hospital on the 8th.

Aunt Chelle, after sleeping for a while, a shower and some make-up. This one's to make you feel better, Aunt Chelle.

My first bath, as told by Olyvia

2010-02-08T11:45:00.004-06:00

Seriously?! Seriously. I've only been in this world, out of fluid, for less than an hour and now you're putting me back in fluid? I'm confused and tired. And WHY she scrubbing my head like this?

I know, I know, I have a lot of hair. I look like I've been in a wind tunnel. Can someone fix that please?

Aw, now that's nice.

Almost done, hopefully...

Get me a mirror so I can see how they've done!

Why?????? Oh, why did they do that to my hair?!?!

Thanks, mom and dad. I now have a mohawk. The other babies in the nursery are going to make fun of me. Or be scared of me, I don't know which is worse.

Introducing...

2010-02-08T11:28:00.003-06:00

Miss Olyvia Pauline Kimberlin

Born at 1:07 am on February 8th, 2010.

She weighed 6lbs 13oz and was 19 1/4 inches long.

She is a beautiful redheaded baby (of course!) and has a ton of hair.

It's time! It's time!

2010-02-07T11:21:00.000-06:00

Well, after a false start in the morning, we were finally admitted to the hospital. My water broke and that was good because I'm not going home anyway! It's snowing like crazy outside and, to be honest, the pain was too much and I wasn't leaving the hospital. So to say it again, it's a good thing they were keeping me. They called Dr. Maki and talked to her and we have decided to go for a VBAC. I know my sister is going to be upset by this, but everything should be fine.

This was taken after I had gotten the epidural, thank goodness for that!

Just relaxing with the family.

2010-02-06T11:17:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure what they were watching, my guess would be Avatar or some cartoon, but they barely noticed me taking this picture. They were so cozy together, but I have to say, I don't know where the next baby's going to fit in. Michael's lap looks a little full, and Maizy couldn't have been happier.

She's almost here, and I'm ready!

2010-02-03T11:13:00.000-06:00

Here I am at 37 weeks. Holy cow, I can't believe I've 1. made it this far, and 2. am this big! She must be laying horizontally in my stomach because Michael and Aunt Chelle can't stop saying how HUGE I am. I know, that's what every pregnant woman wants to hear, but in all truth, I love it.

Snow, snow and more snow!

2010-01-29T11:06:00.001-06:00

This winter we're had quite the amount of snow. The kids and the neighbor boy built this tunnell and had a great time crawling through it.

Fun before the baby comes!

2010-01-22T10:32:00.001-06:00

We're puppies mom! Look at us!

We really do love each other. (Sometimes!)

Dress up, anyone?

2010-01-17T10:20:00.001-06:00

Both the kids love dressing up. Here they started with hats, and then added Lilly's ballet skirts. Poor Andy, just does what big sister tells him to. Check out the slippers, they definitely add to the outfit!

Who's helping here?

2009-11-16T10:14:00.001-06:00

By the look on Andy's face, I know he already hates this picture. Hopefully someday he'll think it's as cute as I do. A mother can dream, right?

Precious Moments

2009-07-25T13:17:00.001-05:00

I did it! 2 years now and I finally convinced Michael to stop at the Precious Moments chapel on our way home from Branson. It was a beautiful day and the kids had fun running around looking at all the statues. The chapel was awesome and Michael even admitted he thought it was pretty neat. Lilly thought it was one of the "coolest places mom" and she kept asking to take her picture by every statue we saw. I took a ton more than these, but these shots were the best.

New Redhead Coming!

2009-07-06T13:02:00.001-05:00

It's true! Number 3 is on the way, and oh the timing. Found out the very same day Michael got offered the job in Garden Plain. Fate has a funny way of doing things sometimes. We're very excited, and Lilly just knows it's her baby sister. I guess time will tell!

Funny Hats

2009-06-25T12:58:00.001-05:00

We love pajama time and we love playing with hats even more. Wait, those aren't hats, those are swim diapers! Whatever works. They were having and I thought it was pretty funny.

The look on his face is just priceless in this. Steve Vance, gangsta look all the way.

Cuteness

2009-06-21T12:51:00.002-05:00

He loves this dump truck, but won't be able to sit in it much longer,

he's growing like a little weed!

Littliest Pet Shop Obsession

2009-06-20T12:54:00.003-05:00

Need I say more?!

Our Little Daredevil

2009-06-20T12:46:00.002-05:00

"Emergency!! Emergency!!" is all we could hear Lilly screaming from the basement. Who would have guessed he just climbed up to find a seat? We were in the middle of downsizing all our stuff to put the house on the market and he just couldn't help himself. So Michael ran down the stairs to find Andy at the top of the shelves. They do look like stairs, in his defense. So before he got into trouble, Michael yelled at me to get the camera. Good parents that we are, we have to capture everything.

Jetski's First Trip Out

2009-06-15T12:38:00.001-05:00

We finally got them on the lake!! The kids had a great time and so did we, after a few bumps getting them into the water, but all in all a fun day. We just about can't get Lilly off them and Andy just wanted to play in the mud.

Dancing Queen and King

2009-06-07T12:14:00.000-05:00

Ring around the Rosey or something like that. They were having too much fun swinging and dancing with each other, that we couldn't pass up a photo opt!

Crazy Sleepers

2009-06-05T12:01:00.000-05:00

We go to the Great Wolf Lodge every summer with my cousins and I just think this is too funny. This is how we found them the next morning. Exhausted and obviously a rough night sharing a bed!

Oh, You Beautiful Doll

2009-05-25T11:27:00.000-05:00

This year Lilly got to take tap and ballet and the year ended in a great performance. She loves dancing and had so much fun with the girls in her class. Even though she wanted a pink dress, she was very excited to get to wear this costume, but most of all, she couldn't wait to put on make-up. Luckily Stacy had a class to show us how to do the make-up for stage performances, as I wouldn't have known.

We've been singing, "Oh, You Beautiful Doll" for almost 6 months now. I have to admit, I'm ready for a new song!

Lilly and Miss Stacy, her teacher. She is so patient with the girls and is a great teacher. Lilly can't wait for the summer session to start!

Mother's Day Traditions

2009-05-15T11:20:00.002-05:00

As soon as Lilly could sit up, Michael had her outside planting flowers with him. Even though at that time she hated touching grass! This tradition has continued as he takes the kids and buys flowers for our outside pots for me for mother's day every year. The kids enjoy digging in the dirt and we have beautiful pots on our front porch the rest of the summer. I love that they do this and they love doing it!

Our other tradition is going to the Topeka Zoo with Josey and Denise. We have fun looking around for a couple hours on Sunday morning and then feasting at The Olive Garden. The Topeka Zoo is just the right size for little ones as by the time they're worn out, we've seen everything!

Derek's Graduation

2009-05-04T20:15:00.000-05:00

My baby brother graduated from High School! I can't believe he's that old. I still see him as a 5 year old with cute dimples. Mom did surprisingly well that day, as she was a mess when my sister and I graduated!

Andy's 2nd Birthday

2009-05-02T20:01:00.000-05:00

Andy turned 2, oh my gosh... my baby turned 2. Sorry, had a moment there. We were in Dighton for this weekend as my brother also graduated from high school. Nana was nice and made him a jello cake, which he ate up. Well, the whip cream on top anyway.

And it wouldn't have been a party without Wubzy, who Andy is obsessed with these days. Every night at 8:00 on Noggin if anyone would like to watch!

Lilly got to go ride the tractor with Uncle Chris. We couldn't get Andy anywhere near it.

Mayci was excited to be with us too. Can't you tell?!

Lilly turns 5! Oh my!

2009-04-17T11:16:00.001-05:00

For Lilly's 5th birthday this year we headed out to Dighton to be there for my little brother's Senior Prom. So here are a few pictures from the weekend. She did get to open gifts 3 different times, so for a 5 year, what could be better?!

Here is one of the first gifts she opened. Memaw and Papa John have sent her these "pretty" dolls for each one of her birthdays. She loves them and is always excited when she opens the gift.

Littlest pet shops? Absolutely. And not the only one she received.

Andy and Daddy enjoyed playing "hit me on the head" with this Little Mermaid ball. He had fun, with only a few fights between the two about the gift opening.

Beautiful baby Mayci. Isn't she growing like a little weed?!

And I must say, this was the best game that my kids have received thus far. Her and Andy have spent hours upon hours playing Elefun. The next 5 year old birthday party we attend, I will be purchasing this game for them.

Andy's First Potty

2009-04-10T19:56:00.000-05:00

Lilly was trying to help Andy do his business. I don't think she was much help, but it was a great photo opt!! And yes, there is a potty chair under Andy...

Easter Fun

2009-04-01T16:13:00.002-05:00

We colored eggs on Saturday and Lilly and Andy both enjoyed it. Andy was finally old enough to "draw" on his eggs and loved watching them change colors.

On Easter morning, we found the baskets and as you can see, Andy was already on his way to getting for church. They are so cute when they pose these days together, although what you don't see after the last one is Andy screaming and hitting her to let go.

After church, the Snook family made the trek back to Meriden for lunch at our house. We ate and then had the Easter Egg Hunt. Unfortunately it was raining, so we had to improvise and do the hunt in the basement.

Absolutely love this picture of Andy and Aunt Cara. They were under the table looking for eggs!

Pretty Poses, All in a Row

2009-03-31T16:01:00.000-05:00

Just having some fun on a Pajama Tuesday!

For those of you who don't know, Andy, Lilly and I have Pajama Tuesday every week. As the name suggests, we don't get out of our jamies unless we absolutely have to. We spend the day playing, eating and just having fun. (With nap time for mom too!) We enjoy our days of just hanging out at the house and not having any schedule or anything we have to do. I think everyone should be allowed to have Pajama Tuesday. If only in a perfect world!

Mayci's First Visit

2009-03-26T16:42:00.001-05:00

Lucky us, Aunt Chelle, Mayci and Nana got to come up while Chelle's on maternity leave. They stayed for 4 days while I was at a conference in Wichita. I did get to see them the first 2 days and we got to go to Disney on Ice. It was so fun, and my mom had a blast! Her and Lilly were like 2 peas in a pod. Very excited. Little Mayci is growing like a weed and I barely recognized her. Good thing for us, we get to see her about every two weeks this spring!

Additional Photos From the Hospital

2009-03-24T16:34:00.001-05:00

Andy is funny!

2009-03-21T15:01:00.004-05:00

Andy did pretty good at the hospital, but with him, you just never know.

Mayci Dawn

2009-03-21T14:42:00.006-05:00

Here she is!!!! My sister and Chris finally decided to give me a niece. She was born on March 6, 2009 and was 6lbs, 9oz and 20 inches long. Mother and baby are doing great and so is daddy, I guess! Enjoy the pictures!

Our new toys!

2009-02-20T15:16:00.000-06:00

Cara, Tammy, Michael and Lilly have new toys. Anyone wanting to join us this summer, just let me know!

Nap Time!

2009-02-16T14:53:00.003-06:00

Lilly and Andy have decided that it's now fun to play "nap time" and it is really cute to see them all snuggled in together in Lilly's bed. I've been kicking around the idea of making the crib into a day bed for Andy, as he seems to really like her big kid bed. I'm just not sure I'm ready to loose my baby yet....

Haircut Time!

2009-01-31T13:20:00.000-06:00

Our friend Lori came over and helped us out with Andy's hair. It was getting pretty bad! She just sat him in the sink and ran some water and cut away! Much easier this time around...

A few more Christmas Shots

2009-01-16T11:47:00.001-06:00

We had a very busy Christmas season, traveling to see our big family is fun, but takes a while. Here's some of my favorite pictures. The kids got some great toys this year and are really enjoying playing together with them.

Christmas Morning

2008-12-25T10:55:00.000-06:00

I know we're a little behind, but here are some photo's from Christmas morning. The kids had a great time and so did we!

Santa always leaves the kids stocking by their beds. Andy was a little confused.

Christmas Eve Photos - Simpson Style

2008-12-24T11:13:00.000-06:00

Here's us trying to get our 'nice' Christmas eve photo in front of our tree. Just watch the progression of things. I just see Bart and Homer Simpson all over these!

"I said look at my camera!" -- Andy

"Fine, don't look, I'm done with it then." -- Andy

"I'll get it, Andy!" -- Lilly

Almost a good one...

See Michael's face here, it's starting to get to him....

One more try.

Lilly's almost had it.

Okay, we're done. Andy's pulling hair and still throwing the camera and now Lilly's screaming and so are we! Ah the fun of Christmas Eve!

First Dance Receital

2008-12-18T14:05:00.000-06:00

Lilly had her first receital this past weekend. It was so cute. Her teacher, Miss Stacy, made headbands for all the girls to wear and they did their tap dance for a crowd of about 80 people. It was too cute. She did a great job and really likes to dance, so I think we've found a good outlet for some of her energy!

This is Lilly with her friend Grace and below is Miss Stacy.

Let's Go See Santa

2008-12-16T13:50:00.001-06:00

We finally made it to see Santa! We took Aunt Cara and Aunt Tammy and went to the mall in Topeka. Lilly wouldn't tell us what she wanted and then right before it was our turn, she looked at me and said, "Mommy, what did I want again?" If only I'd known it would be that easy this year. So I reminded her of the things we had talked about earlier and up we went. She hopped right up on his lap and they had quite the conversation. She was telling him that she wanted the Littlest Pet Shop Clubhouse, 2 Barbies and a Barbie playhouse (which was not one of the items I remindered her of just minutes before). I was trying to stand close enough to hear, (Santa's helper needs to know too!) and then Michael is yelling at me to get out of the picture. Go figure, it's never as easy as you think it should be!

Then came Andy's turn. Santa said, "I bet you like Elmo" and then out of no where, Andy just yells "ELMO!!!!!". So, even though Santa's Elf already had Andy's gift, they had to find something Elmo to have under the tree too. He was a big boy and thought it was pretty fun!

Grandma Snook

2008-12-15T21:28:00.003-06:00

I know we've been MIA for a little while, but we've had good reason. Wanted to post a great picture of Lilly with Grandma Snook that was taken while we were trying to get our Christmas card photo done. By the way, we tried 3 different times before we were happy with the photo's.

Lilly's First Christmas Tree

2008-12-06T21:58:00.001-06:00

This year we let Lilly put up a small tree in her bedroom. We purchased some plastic bulbs for her to use and also a set of M&M garland and then went through our ornaments and she picked out the ones she wanted to put on her tree. Michael put the tree together, after having to fix it, as it was Grandpa Kimberlin's old tree, and he put the lights on it for us, but then it was up to Lilly and I to add all the "flare" to it! She did most of it, which it took everything in me not to 'fix' it afterwards, since after all it is her Christmas tree.

Breakfast with Nana and Papa Jim

2008-12-04T21:47:00.001-06:00

This is the first year that Nana (my mom) and Papa Jim have decided to join us for Thanksgiving. They brought with them powdered sugar donuts and chocolate covered donuts and of course my kids (Andy especially) thought this was great! Papa Jim got a kick out of Andy that morning. "I munny, I munny" is Andy speak for "I'm funny, I'm funny"! We enjoyed having them here as we always love having guests!

Fun in the Leaves

2008-12-03T14:00:00.002-06:00

Don't you just love fall? Well, I know Lilly does. Michael I'm not so sure about. Here are some pictures we took the other day when he raked up all the leaves in our back yard. Too bad Andy was sleeping during all this fun! Luckily he's too young to know he missed out.

Seriously, who put on that blue hat?! It sure wasn't me.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-25T11:24:00.002-06:00

For those of you who don't know, Michael and I have taken to hosting our family at Thanksgiving. We love having everyone to the house, as we love a good party! We will be having lunch with turkey, ham and all the fixings starting at 1:00, so please feel free to join us or just stop by on your way to say hello!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Halloween

2008-11-08T16:18:00.007-06:00

Halloween was so fun this year with both kids dressing up and enjoying it. Lilly was Ella Barbie Princess and the Diamond Castle (I still haven't figured out the Diamond Castle part yet, but it's what she wanted from day one) and Andy was Nemo. His costume was by far the cutest I think we've had. He still is wearing it around the house and I just laugh every time he wants to put it on. Michael and I got it out a week early so he could get used to it. I wasn't sure he'd wear the hat, and he proved me wrong the first day I tried to put it on him. He put the hat on, but didn't want anything to do with the body part...until Michael walked through the door. Then he put it on with no trouble at all! I think kids have an uncanny knack of proving their parents wrong at a very young age. So Andy wore his costume on and off all week long for small periods of time and he never once fought us while putting it on.

Once Friday came around, I thought, "here's our real test". We were going to make several stops and he was going to have to take it off and on each time, as it wouldn't fit in his car seat with him. It really does look like a big marshmallow. Our first stop was here in town at Susan's shop. She's the lady that pays me at the church and is Andy's "Grandma" in the mornings when I'm there when I'm being the mean mom and letting him cry it out trying to get him to go to sleep. Michael got him out and had him dressed before I could even get Lilly around to the other side of the van to help him. She had entire boxes of fruit snacks for each of the kids. One for Lilly that was all Barbie snacks and one for Andy that is all Nemo snacks. She lives here by herself and her kids aren't too far away, but I don't think she sees them a lot, so I'm glad she enjoys ours!

Then we went to Papa K's house. Neither one of the kids had had a nap that day, so Lilly fell asleep in the car on the way over and Andy just looked like he was in a daze. But he hoped out of his chair and let Michael dress him, no fuss at all! I thought, this is too good to be true.

Papa always gives the kids apples and both of them ate one while we were there. They love them and what a good snack before we get started with all the candy!

After Papa's we went to the Methodist Church there in McLouth where they had Trunk of Treat. We love that they do this. It's a safe environment where we can let the kids walk around and not worry about cars! We also saw the Weissenbach clan and that was one of the highlights of the evening! The kids had fun running around while we chatted. Cara, Denise, Josey, Manda, Kymani, Jamari, Little Kathel, Kerry, and Levi all joined us there too. Which is also why we love that the church does it. When the kids had collected all the candy from there, Kathel invited us back to the house for lasagna. It was great. We got to eat with the family and see everyone for more than a couple minutes that night.

You're never too old for Halloween!

That was our last stop and Andy had to put the costume on one more time. We went to Aunt Nita and Uncle Deak's house and I just kept waiting for the melt down, but I have to say, it never came. I don't know who to give the credit to, my husband or Andy, but they both did it all night long and not once was there screaming, resisting, or crying. (From either one!) I know part of it is just Daddy's touch, as it seems with both my kids, anything that they can do with Daddy is always better. I'm so thankful for that, as it makes my life much easier. All in all, we had a fabulous night! Both the kids were soundly asleep when we got home that night and we were exhausted too. Here are some additional pictures of Andy in the costume. It's just so cute, I can't say it enough!

Carving Pumpkins

2008-11-08T15:51:00.008-06:00

Last Wednesday night I hurried home from the church so I could help Michael with the annual carving of the pumpkins we so carefully selected at the patch. When I got home, everyone was ready to get started, so I grabbed a quick bite and we dug in...literally! Enjoy these pictures!

Lilly had to "show" Andy the pumpkin seeds and what to do with it when you pulled them out!

That's my girl!

He was getting the hang of it... in between putting the pumpkin seeds and goo into his mouth!

Andy only lasted about half an hour and then he had to go to bed. For all our sakes! Daddy and Lilly finished the pumpkins and then scared themselves with them. What a great night we had.

Looking back...

2008-10-16T08:42:00.005-05:00

Okay, I was looking through a folder of old pictures and found this. I know that kids grow and change, that is part of life. But look at how much they have changed. I made me a little sad to think about how they are not so little anymore. --- mike

Pumpkin Patch Fun

2008-10-13T21:30:00.003-05:00

Tenille's mom and sister came to spend the weekend with us, so we thought that this would be a great time to take our annual trip to Schake's Pumpkin Patch. We spent several hours playing on the toys, sling-shotting pumpkins, and hay-rack riding out to the field to pick our own pumpkins. This is probably one of Lilly's favorite things to do that is holiday related. We get to go to the farm, play in the dirt, and then search 40 acres of pumpkins for the perfect, jack-o-latern pumpkin.

Luckly, my sister Cara and Tammy are friends with the Schake's and they work at the patch through out the month of October, so we get rock star treatment. Really, that just means not having to walk far from the parking lot, not much else.

Anyways, the kids had a great time with plenty of help to pick out just the right pumpkin. All in all, Andy and Lilly had Cara, Tammy, Chelle, and Nana (Anita, T's mom) to help them through the field. Of course, Andy with his skills in walking and running, bit the dirt several times and was attacked by several pumpkin vines. Lilly was determined to find the smallest pumpkin that she could find. And she did, it's smaller than a lemon.

Over all, it was a great, yet exhausting day. Now we just have to carve our pumpkins!!!!

Michael

MRI Results

2008-10-12T20:38:00.001-05:00

I finally heard back and the results of the MRI were clear and they say everything is fine with my brain, that they can see anyway. They are still wanting me to take the medicine for the migraines, so we'll see how that goes. Thanks for everyone's concern's and prayers!

Now it's time for all the jokes about why I have them and who is causing them....my kids, my husband, my family, my in-laws, I know. Joke it up people... I have no clear answers either.

MRI Adventures

2008-10-08T20:09:00.002-05:00

I know, I know, it's not so exciting having to have one done, but as life takes it's turns, that's where I am right now. My dear friend Megan called and left me a voicemail on my new phone (Yes, i went with the blackberry per her great endorsement on her blog a couple weeks ago) and as I was sitting here, I thought I might share a few thoughts on it with everyone.

It was LOUD! And I had to have an IV, which many of you know is not a fun procedure for me as they usually have to call in the IV specialists and I usually have to sit there with warm wraps on both of my arms and it takes forever. But as luck would have it, my radiology tech was a graduate from Fort Hays State University and he just laughed at me once he looked at my veins and got the IV started right away. (I'm not saying that FHSU had anything to do with it, but GO Fort Hays!) My loving husband came in with me and sat in the room while they did the MRI and he also had the pleasure of wearing earphones for the 20 minute procedure. I might add, it is not at all like what you see on Grey's Anatomy. Again, it was LOUD, even outside the room and they put this funny thing on top of your face, as if it isn't bad enough going into a tight cylindar, they cover your face with this thing that has a strategically placed mirror to help those of us that are clausterphobic. I did my best not to freak out and just 'pretended' to be asleep for the most part! I did ask the tech half way through if he was trying to give me a migraine since it was so incredibly loud in there!

I had this done on Monday and I haven't heard back yet from the doctor's office on the results yet, so no news as of today. As my OB office always says, no news is good news, but for some reason, it doesn't seem to have the same calming effect on me. Until I hear otherwise...

Lilly's First Day of Pre-school

2008-09-28T18:01:00.006-05:00

So I know she's been in pre-school now for almost 2 months and I'm behind posting these pictures. (I know, I know, I really need to learn how to pull them off the camera myself!) Her teacher is Mrs. Schwartz and the assistant teacher is Mrs. Rosebrough. She loves her school and is making friends there. Andy was obviously excited for her to go as well. Can you believe I didn't pose them in this picture?

Our Other Children

2008-09-28T17:49:00.003-05:00

I just realized that I haven't posted pictures of our very cute puppies. Well, they're not puppies anymore actually! They had their first birthday on September 24th and you would think we'd be happy that they are no longer puppies, but now I have to come up with a new excuse for all their bad behaving! We do have a trainer coming in November, so I'm very excited about that and looking forward to them 'training' Michael and I. Enjoy!

Our Surprise Trip to St. Louis

2008-09-10T14:15:00.014-05:00

Okay, so it wasn't really a surprise to us, but we did surprise Cara when we showed up at her door that Thursday evening to go with her and Tammy on her birthday trip! We had dropped off the kids with Aunt Denise (thanks Neice!) and we put their stuff in the Malibu and off we went. For those of you who know my husband, we didn't 20 minutes into the trip and he already had taken a wrong turn! In KC, no less. But, our traveling moto is "we will get lost at least once" each time we go anywhere outside the Topeka - Lawrence area. I keep telling my husband I'm going to get him a GPS so we'll stop having these issues....but I do love Michael and I guess that makes our traveling exciting!

Since it was so late with us leaving, we didn't get to the hotel until late that evening, and let me tell you, it was a gem. We stayed at the Econo lodge that night, hole in the wall and all, and first thing in the morning I checked us out and booked us in at the Hyatt. I'm all for saving a few bucks, but not when my safety (or my sleep) are concerned. Needless to say, the Hyatt was fantastic! Here are a few pictures from our trip. We had a great weekend with Cara and Tammy and we're thrilled to have some adult time!

These 2 pictures were taken in the "pod" on the way to the top of the Arch. The doors opened and I just looked at Michael and said "are you kidding me?" But I managed to make it up and back down with only a slight anxiety attack.

We did go tour the brewery, which was huge and a really great tour! Plus we got to sample the beer afterward. We've found a new favorite, Bud Light Lime, of which I even enjoyed!

The highlight of the trip was going to the Cardinal's stadium for the evening game. We had great seats (Cara and Tammy will tease me for not knowing the name of the section) in this special area that was gated off and had it's own food court area that was air conditioned (they knew they were traveling with me I think!). The game was a blow out, 18 to 2 I think was the final score. The Cards did great and we had fun at the park!

To end our trip, we did go to Six Flags. We did the waterpark on Saturday and then came back Sunday morning to ride the rollercoasters. Cara rode more than I did, so I gave props for that! All in all, I think everyone had a great time and I'd do it again next week. Well, maybe in a few weeks....we did buy the Big 6 pass to Six Flags!

Saddle Sore the Next Day

2008-08-27T21:19:00.003-05:00

T and I took the kids down to my cousin Shelly's for lunch a few Sunday's ago and we got to spend the afternoon riding this beautiful and well behaved horse named Max. Lilly had a ball! She loves horses and is always talking about how much she wants one, so hopefully this will be enough get her buy for a while. And yes I did ride Max around the yard, I didn't just get on to pose for the picture. However, it's been many a year since this cowboy had seen a saddle for any length of time...so the following Monday was an interesting one.

Mike

Our Ballerina

2008-08-20T20:08:00.005-05:00

I finally did it. I signed Lilly up for her first 'extra-curricular' activity. I took her on Saturday to try out the dance class and she absolutely loved it! Of course, our shy daughter, was the first to answer questions and volunteer to try out the steps. Andy and Dad stayed home, so I think this will be perfect mother-daughter time. Here are some pictures of her in her ballet shoes and tap shoes. She said she likes ballet better, so Great Grandma Snook will be thrilled! Stay tuned, I'm sure I'll have more pictures and video of our budding star!

Look at that form, and she seems to get so high on her toes already!

Seriously, she looks so grown up here. What has happened to my baby?!?! Sorry, just had to have a moment there....

Corn on the Cob

2008-08-19T20:26:00.000-05:00

I don't know why, but both our children love corn on the cob. And at such a young age! I have pictures of Lilly about this age eating it too. I guess I should just be glad it's a vegetable! We loved this picture, so had to add it too.

Just because we like to laugh...

2008-08-12T08:55:00.007-05:00

Michael here, this is my first post, so be kind!!

Okay, Lilly and I like to sit around and watch TV together. And one of our favorite shows is the original Muppets Show. Recently they have actually been coming out with DVD collections of the first few seasons. Well Lilly and I are now the proud owners of the first 3 seasons and we love to watch and re-watch the episodes. Last night I was surfing the net just looking around and thought that I would look the Muppets up on youtube.com This short by Beaker was Lilly and I's favorite of the night. Hope you like it too. Just follow the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpcUxwpOQ_A

Grunting Duo

2008-08-06T18:02:00.005-05:00

So here's my first try at video. I don't know if I'll like this or not....but here goes.

On our vacation to Branson this summer, we spent most evenings just hanging out at the condo. Here's a funny video of the kids on night that Cara and I shot. Enjoy!

One For Good Measure

2008-08-06T13:30:00.003-05:00

Both our kids are very good eaters. They aren't picky, they eat just about anything we want to put in front of them. Including tomatos, of which Michael and I neither like. But we've tried to encourage them to try everything and not force our likes and dislikes on them. But here of late, Lilly has been bargaining with us on bites and how many she has to eat at each meal. Now that she's four, we make her take 4 bites of whatever it is we're eating. And then just for fun one day, I said "4 bites and one for good measure". She just giggled and smiled. Who would have guessed that I could use this old saying to make Lilly eat one more bite. So now we do "one for good measure" on anything and everything I think it will work with. Ah, the joys of finding a new 'tool' in my mommy toolbox.

Novice at Work

2008-08-01T15:07:00.001-05:00

My friend Megan has been trying to get me to do this for several months now, after I have praised her several times on her blog! I love it and I think this will be a great tool for our family and friends to view pictures and videos of the kids. They're growing so fast and what a great way to capture all the funny things they say and do.

Hang with me while Michael and I learn how to use it!