Friday, July 30, 2010
5QF
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tumbling (or bouncing around)
Jenna just finished up a 4-day class of tumbling over in Marshalltown. This gym has been the state champs since 2004. The best way to describe what they do in their advanced classes is-- it is like watching one run of the floor excercise in regular gymnastics. They do some trampoline stuff too but mostly this is a strength and conditioning thing using tumbling.
Anyway, Jenna got to bounce around on these long trampolines (you will see in the video). She had a lot of fun and Aaron says he would rather have her do this than go to dance! I know it sounds bad but I was suprised at how well she did. You hope your child might have some athletic ability, but when you see she actually does, it's kind of exciting! :) Anyway, they learned some stretches and then worked on balance through jumping. Here is a video of her in action (if she stays with it she could be doing some flipping around -- no she isn't going to a gymnast Aunt Jill, but she might be able to do some stuff, right?)
Watch as Jenna works on keeping her arms tight to her ears and also keeping her feet together. Listen to the instructors comments after, Jenna was just "all smiles!"
Two and Four Year Outtakes
We (not very recently) had the kids' two and four year pictures taken. Oh boy! They are at quite the age right now! Getting both of them to look at the camera is a challenge. Here are my favorite outtakes from our session:
This is what you get when you tell a 2-year old to say cheese:
Jenna was all about giving herself hugs that day (no idea where that came from).
My favorite!
Love the painful look on Brody's face!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
The way I see it...
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
One of my summer loves...
The State Center Farmer's Market is small (7-10 vendors), but I've gotten to know the gal who sells zuchinni and she knows I love to make bread, so she always saves me the biggest one that she has.
She completely outdid herself last Friday! The second she saw me, her eyes lit up and she pulled out from under her table this...
...it is GINORMOUS! I think it looks like a caveman's club or something. Keep in mind I only need two cups of zuchinni for my bread, which leaves me wondering: A. How much bread I'll be making or B. How much zuchinni I'll be freezing.
Fast forward to Brody and I making chocolate-zuchinni muffins. The kid is crazy in the kitchen and always loves to help and have his hands in everything, literally....
Doesn't he look surprised that I caught him "taste-testing" the batter?
He's giving me the, "what are you gonna do now, mom?" look. :)
Monday, July 26, 2010
Bible School
Catching up...
Two weeks ago our friends, Scott and Lisa, road-tripped to Iowa. They were actually on their way to Lake Panorama, but made a side-trip to State Center to stay with us on Saturday nite.
We didn't do anything too exciting, but since we hardly ever see each other it was a great time. The kids (as you can see below) LOVE Scott and Lisa. I think they've officially adopted them as an aunt and uncle! For more on their trip head over to the Nelsen Blog. By the way, those two are celebrating their 2nd anniversary today, so Happy Anniversary to them!
Jenna and Brody thought Scott was a jungle gym or liked to wrestle or something. Let's just say Scott got beat up on pretty good. :)
Posing with Lisa! What a cute group!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
The way I see it...
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Cool pics on a HOT day!
Today makes me think of the song, "Water" by Brad Paisley. I love that song and it just makes complete sense today. Here are some of the lyrics:
Inflatable pool full of dad's hot air
I was three years old splashin' everywhere
And so began my love affair with water
And when that summer sun starts to beatin' down
And you don't know what to do
Just go and grab someone you wanna see in a bathing suit
And drive until the map turns blue
All you really need this time of year
Is a pair of shades and ice cold beer
And a place to sit somewhere near water
Hope everyone stays COOL today! I know my kiddos certainly will!
Baseball season over
It was a tough season for the team. Their youth and inexperience were a constant thorn in their sides all season and it seemed like they could never put an entire game together. One or two bad innings would always cost them the game.
I always get sad when the season is over because I love baseball and love going to the games. We get to enjoy what's left of the summer because school will be starting before we know it.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Brody's Big Boy Bed
Oh yeah and he likes to sleep with 3 stuffed animals and 3 blankets!
The way I see it...
Friday, July 9, 2010
5 Question Friday
1. What is one food you could eat everyday?
Pizza. It's an obvious choice, but I do love pizza because you can mix up the ingredients in three million different ways, so it always seems sort of new.
2. Are you working in the career you thought you would be when you were 18?
Heck no! I thought I was going to be a teacher. I can't see me as that...at all...not even a little bit. When I have to work with the kids just taking pictures my patience is tested because they don't listen and they're always screwing around. That being said, I do sometimes wish I could coach, but two coaches in the family would be just too insane. Plus, I couldn't deal with bitchy/whiny parents complaining about their child's lack of playing time! I think I'd want to tell them the truth, "I'm sorry you have blinders on, but your kid doesn't have one iota of athletic ability." Harsh? Yes! So, I'm avoiding the coaching thing. :) Too much honesty could be a bad thing.
3. What is something that you wish you would have done when you were younger and you didn't?
Cooked with my Grandma Beadle. I love to cook and bake and do domestic-y sort of things and she was a farm-wife, who was the Queen of all of those sorts of things. I wish I could have made her homemade noodles or fried chicken with her. Or, she could have taught me how to can stuff, since I don't have a clue.
4. What color are your kitchen walls?
Plain-boring-white. We rent our house. Every single room is white, except one. I hate it. I would love to have a really pale yellow. I have an obsession with yellow kitchens because the first color I remember in our kitchen at home was yellow.
5. Do you remember what your very first favorite song was?
I don't, but I remember certain singles I bought at On Cue in Fairmont. On tape! Those were the days... "Under the Bridge" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. "More Than Words" by Extreme (I think?). "The Sign" by Ace of Base.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Patriotic Cupcakes!
Here's Jenna mixing up the batter into red and blue.
All you had to do was put a little red, white and blue in each little muffin tin to get the tri-colored cupcakes.
The end result! Complete with red and white cream cheese frosting. How can you go wrong with cream cheese frosting? :)
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
4th of July Parade
Miss Jenna in her red, white and blue.
Waiting for the parade to start...
In 20 minutes our bag was half full of candy! If anybody needs any candy let me know, I can hook you up!
This was the memorial they had on Main Street in Nevada. I took a picture, just because I liked it and it seemed appropriate for Independence Day.
Blank Park Zoo
Anyway, Aaron and I decided to take the kids on an educational/fun trip to Blank Park Zoo. We had never been there, so it seemed like something fun that they would enjoy.
We had a good time! I will say, you probably shouldn't go to there after you've gone to the Omaha Zoo, but with a 4 year old and 2 year old, it was just fine.
The kiddos and me crossing the bridge.
Brody was a little apprehensive to cross by himself. I don't blame him because it was pretty wobbly.