A Rockin' Weekend in Chi-town

(Ha Ha Missy- I beat you posting!)
We had such a great time in Chicago! Lisa and Chad picked up the kids around 10:30 Saturday morning and they went swimming, Pizza Hut and back to their house for a fun afternoon, evening, night and Sunday. The realtor called as they were pulling out of the driveway and asked us if there could be a showing yesterday afternoon. Ryan and I were leaving at 11:00 for Chicago, so we busted through the house cleaning up until we had to leave. We got on the road and the fun began! Jason and Julie drove all 8 of us in their Suburban, so we chatted and laughed the whole way there. We got to our hotel (Hotel 71), checked in and dropped off our stuff. We were all starving, so we headed to an Irish Pub called BB's and had some great early dinner/late lunch. It was really handy that Rob works in downtown Chicago, because he knew where everything was and could get us to good restaurants, shopping, etc. The boys left and went to ESPN Zone, and the girls headed off shopping. I bought ABSOLUTELY NOTHING which is hard to believe for those of you who know me well. We went to discount stores (H & M, Filene's Basement, and Nordstrom Rack) and I wasn't in the mood to pick through, so I just browsed while the others shopped. We headed back to the hotel, got ready to go out and went to the House of Blues for the Big Head Todd concert. We had a blast! The Onstotts and the Doans got hungry around 9:30 and ditched the Everses and us for food, but the 4 of us stayed until about 11:30 before we went to Mother Hubbard's and had burgers, Chicago dogs, and quesadillos. We got back to the room around 1:00. So much fun to have a night away with great friends. We laughed a ton. On the way home today, we stopped in Michigan City for a couple hours of shopping at the outlets. An excellent weekend all around- the kids had fun at the Boeves, and we had fun in Chicago. Thanks again Lisa!!!!!

I am excited about my 4 day work week this week- then my 10 days of Spring Break to follow!!!!! YIPPEE!

A Tribute to "Steve" and more house progress

I have to post this for our family to remember. Cobe received "Steve" from Nana when he was a little boy,and they have been inseparable since. Last night when I went to check on the boys before going to bed, I had to take pictures to show how much Cobe still needs and loves Steve. He sleeps with him every night, and you can tell his bed is full of other stuffed animals, but Steve is the only one he cuddles with. How cute!


And I was amazed when I went to our new house this afternoon to see how much progress had taken place since my last visit. As you can see, it looks to be almost completely framed. Wow!
(Ignore the mirror in the pic- I didn't want to get out of my van to take pictures.)

A L-O-N-G picture post

A few updates:
1) Cobe's knee is much better today. Thanks for all the concern.
2) My mom is doing much better. She is back to jogging already (j/k, but she is doing remarkably well for just having hip surgery- thanks for the prayers and please keep her in your prayers for continued healing with her shoulder as well
3) We ended up having 2 showings today and they both went well- keep posted for updates. My uncle said this would be the one, so I am holding him to it. I guess he will buy our house if these don't pan out, right Bobby Doll?

And now for some random pictures from the last few days...

Sadie made up a fun tumbling game- she would get on the ottoman and fall down on top of Baby Elliot. He was belly laughing he liked it so much.



Baby Elliot with his contemplative look.

Sadie after Baby E finally escaped from playing her game.
This is Miss Thang after she got into some "yippies" in Ryan's car the other day. Doesn't she apply make-up well??????
Brooks and Sadie looked so cute the other day in our bed watching a video. They were snuggled right up, but of course, Brooks wouldn't let me take a picture of how cute they looked. He saw the camera and hid.
These two pics are my favorite ones of Sadie recently. I love her big toothy grin in the bottom one.


This last picture must have gotten out of order- it goes with the "tumbling game" ones.

The past few days

Monday was good- picked up my new van in the morning. I like it way more than I even thought I would. It has the neatest features that weren't around when I bought my 2001 Odyssey. It has Bluetooth technology on the steering wheel (can touch a button to answer my cell phone and there is a built-in speaker to talk), a DVD player, wireless headphones, a 6 disc CD-changer, a plug for my IPod, and numerous other features (like cool storage spaces) that I never even knew about when I bought it. I am very happy with it. I don't like getting new cars dirty, but there is already some dirt on the floormats- guess it can't be helped with lovely Michigan weather and 3 kids, but I hate that it no longer looks brand new. You can't beat that new car smell though. Monday night Jen so kindly watched my kids so I could attend BSF. Tuesday, we had a houseful of kids in the afternoon, so my kids had a lot of fun (Jen's kids and 2 of Lynette's), then Lynette took Cobe to Logan's with them. Today, Sadie and I hit Crazy Bounce and had a lot of fun. She is the type of kid who likes action and to be surrounded by her friends, so she loved it. Ryan and I then had to meet up with our builder's assistant because they have already framed our house and we realized that they never made a change in our lower level that we asked them to make. Uh-oh- hope for their sake it isn't too costly to fix! They have to re-frame our entire lower level. I felt badly, but we did ask for the change quite awhile ago, and our builder kindly is going to have the framers change everything. I am sure it won't slow them down- they are way ahead of schedule. They are trucking along! I'll get over there tomorrow and take a picture to post. Then Cobe had a soccer game tonight. They won 5-0 and really scored 7 goals, but for some reason, 2 didn't count. He played goalie for part of a half and made a great save and scored 1 goal that counted and 1 that didn't. He hurt his knee too at some point in the game, and it had already started to swell tonight, so I hope it isn't worse in the morning.

We have yet another showing tomorrow- just found out today around 4:00 so I frantically started cleaning. You would think that with 4 showings and an open house last week, things would be relatively clean- not so much. I started over today. This grit that is left behind when the snow melts gets tracked in the house and the floors dirty quickly. But the house is clean now and all I"ll have to do tomorrow is make beds, put away the last few minute things, etc. 30 minutes more work max.

We close on our construction loan tomorrow as well. I guess there will be no turning back after that! We meet with the interior decorator on Tuesday next week, so I am excited to start picking out details. Excited and nervous. Well, since I can hardly stop yawning, I am going to stop blogging and go to bed.

Open Invitation

What: Playdate at Crazy Bounce
When: Wednesday, March 26th from 9-11am
Who: Anyone who has a child 7 or younger that knows me or Lynette
Why: For some fun for the the youngins
Cost: $7 a kid (includes 2 hours of jump time as well as drink and popcorn)

We have been before and it is a blast- please join us!!!!!!

Easter Continued

Please pray for my mom. She is in a lot of pain. Her shoulder is actually bothering her much more than her hip at this time. She is going to try to go to the Dr. tomorrow for her shoulder. I can't imagine having hip replacement surgery and also dealing with the pain of something else as well- her hip is pain enough I'm sure. Please lift her up in your prayers for healing and relief from pain.

Off to tuck in 3 tired out little ones. We were blessed with a wonderful Easter as I hope you were too.

Easter Morning

The kids were excited with their Easter baskets. The boys both got Webkins, a book, a DVD, quarters in their eggs, some gummy lifesavers and a chocolate bunny. Sadie got a Dora bath set in place of a Webkins and got some gel pens, 2 headbands, and I think the rest was the same as the boys. We are off to church for an Easter brunch before the service. Enjoy this day that God has blessed us with which proves that He can do ANYTHING and that He has given us the BEST gift possible!!!!!!Brooks getting the quarters out of his eggs- his favorite part!
Cobe with his new Collie Webkins- his favorite part!
Sadie with her stuff- she got some Dora chapstick ("lippies") which was her favorite part!

My New Ride

We finally bit the bullet and bought a new vehicle this morning. It is a 2008 Toyota Sienna. We pick it up Monday morning- can't wait!!!! I have SO missed my van. I have heard the Sienna's are comparable to the Odyssey's, but most owners think they are quieter. I loved my Odyssey, so I am hoping the same holds true for this van.

A Week of Showings and SNOW??????

Wow! It is March 21st and we are getting a WINTER STORM!!!!! I guess it should really be called a spring storm. It has been snowing since about 11:00 this morning. The driving conditions are not good either. I am not too excited for another layer of snow- everything was turning green before today and looking so pretty... Oh well- I am sure this won't stick around long. Here are a few pictures- someone has already come by and plowed our driveway- that is how much we are getting!




(this last one was taken through the back slider- hence the poor quality)

We had 3 showings this week- Tuesday morning, Wednesday night and this morning as well. Plus we have an open house tomorrow morning. I am sure it will flop since the weather is so bad. But on the positive side- our house has never been cleaner!!!! I cleaned each time before the showings and will give it another once over in the a.m. The people who came this morning said our house is too small for their needs, but the other couple is still considering it (they came twice). The realtor said they have narrowed their choices to 2 houses, ours being in 2nd place. We are always in 2nd place, which is last place when you are trying to sell a house! haha

I am happy that we are staying home tonight- I'm cooking lasagna and I'm sure we'll all snuggle on the couch for a movie. I LOVE being home safe and warm with my family in weather like this! Tomorrow night we are supposed to head to Saugatuck for a night out on the town with a group of friends- can't wait! During the day, we have a lot to fit in- showing our house, checking out more vans, going swimming, going out to lunch, Ryan and Cobe are going to a shooting range, running some errands, and I am sure I forgot something. Sunday is Easter service at church- the boys will be singing in the choir and Easter dinner at Ryan's mom's. We will be celebrating Amanda's birthday as well. Happy Birthday Amanda!!!!!

My mom FINALLY got a room- they put her in ICU the first night because a room never became available. She was doing fine, but that was the only place for her to sleep. Yesterday, she got a regular room. She is already getting around a little with a walker and with help, but says it is very painful to do so. The kids all got Easter cards and Target gift cards from her and my dad today in the mail, so she must have planned ahead. Thanks! The kids were thrilled! If only it weren't a blizzard, then we could go to Target to use them. Hopefully we can go tomorrow if it clears up. She said she'll probably stay in the hospital until Sunday before heading home.

Sadie is crying for me to hold her, so I am going to oblige! Have a good weekend! Happy Easter!

Topic Hopping

I have several different things to blog about tonight and none of them are related, so it will be a random post.

First of all, my mom had her 2nd hip replacement surgery done this morning. My dad called after 11:00 and said she had done fine in the surgery but was still in recovery and would be for 2 more hours. He called back around 5:00 and said she was STILL in recovery, not because she needed to be, but because the hospital didn't have a room for her. They had 10 patients waiting for rooms, so she could possibly have to spend the night tonight in the recovery room. Very poor planning if you ask me- they were all planned patients (scheduled surgeries). But the good news is that she did well. Please pray that she recovers quickly with minimal pain.

Next, here are a few pictures of our developing house. We now have walls. Not much to see, but it will be exciting for us to watch the progress.



Here are a few pictures from Saturday. It is hard to put into words how much my kids love "Baby Elliot." They have even coined a sing-songy way to say his name. I never posted that Brooks whacked Bailey with a golf club in the nose- popped her a good one. She has a horrible black eye. Lynette was kind enough not to post about it either. Of course it had to happen maybe 5-10 minutes before Lynette came to pick them up. Brooks felt horrible about it, and Bailey was a REAL trooper even though her nose was gushing blood. It didn't look that bad when she left here, but I saw her Monday night at BSF and it was the worst black eye/nose I have ever seen. Yikes!


You can see from the above pictures that Sadie doesn't leave E alone for a second. She likes to "mother" him (aka- maul him).
Brooks loves him too!


And these above pictures are of Miss Sadie herself this morning. She is a character!

We had a great afternoon. I picked up Cobe at school and enjoyed talking to his teacher/my friend Emily (Hey Em!!!!!) for awhile since she was sweet enough to walk Cobe to the car. Then we ran home for a second to make sure the house was in tip-top shape for the showing this evening. We left and went to Russ' for dinner. I am not too fond of the place, but it's cheap and my kids love it. We had the place to ourselves which was nice since we had to stay gone until we could go to church at 6:30. After eating, it was only about 5:30, so we went over to Knollwood to take the pictures of our walls, then headed to church. Cobe and I watched Survivor when we got home (thanks to Emily we knew it was on tonight), then the boys headed off to bed. I then watched Big Brother. Who could ask for a better TV night????? :-)

Hopefully we'll hear something about the showing in the morning. I'll be sure to post if we do! Brooks has his 5 year old well-child check up in the morning. What a difference there is between him and Cobe. Cobe would have worried himself sick just thinking about it. Brooks, on the other hand, asks me, "Will I get any shots?" I told him probably, but I wasn't 100% sure. He never batted an eye or said a word about it. I just said, "Why does it matter? You're tough." And he just smiled. My little Brooksie! Cobe has another soccer game tomorrow night as well. Just a few more soccer games and then..... a break??? NO WAY- baseball starts up! My athlete made a Little League team that will practice twice a week and have 2 games a week! Oh no! We never thought he would make the team, that is why we let him go out for it. Around 28 eight year olds tried out for a 9-10 year old Williamsport league and less than half of them made it. He was one of them! I am certainly proud of him, but do dread the commitment on my part of all the games and practices. The season goes until June 26th!!!! I think this is the first year they even let 8 year olds try out. They then drafted them onto teams, and he is on the Pittsburgh Pirates- coached by Kyle Curtiss which is the good part- we know him well, and Cobe is friends with his son- Big Coby. (Coby Curtiss is known as Big Coby at New Groningen and Cobe Huizenga is known as Little Cobe at school--haha)

See? I told you this post was going to be all over the board. But I am done! Reward yourself with a cookie if you stuck with me! Good night!

Another showing...

The people who came through our house this a.m. want to come back again. They narrowed down their search and our house made the cut. They are coming either tomorrow night or Thursday night. Let's hope this is our last showing.... EVER!

Today I had to pick some more things out for the new house. We picked out the windows yesterday, and today we had to start thinking about doors, door knobs, hinges, knobs, etc. I asked for a few days before I decided because I really want to meet with the decorator first before we get into this selection process too deep. It will be fun, but so final once you pick something. I know if I change my mind later, it will be a costly change of mind.

I want to run over soon to take more pictures because I heard we now have walls. Keep posted...

Back to It!

Well I guess I should have anticipated what comes with listing your house on the market, but for some reason, I was hoping this time would be different. We already have a showing in the morning and an open house on Saturday. So I clean tonight, and I clean again Friday night. I guess I was hoping someone would buy it sight unseen so I could be done with showings. Haha I am feeling a little overwhelmed these days. We got a phone call this a.m. from our builder's assistant asking us what kind of windows we wanted him to order today for our house. Hmmmm....not something I have ever shopped for before, so it wasn't like I had a clue. So off Ryan and I went to Zeeland Lumber to pick out windows. We got that accomplished and went to the Toyota place because on Saturday, I saw a different van I wanted to check out. It was a 2008 demo model opposed to the 2006 model we had already picked out. It didn't cost that much more, so I think in the long run, it may be more worth it to get the newer one. I test drove it and then sat depressed thinking about the fact that we are used to 1 house payment and 1 car payment and in a matter of months, we could have 2 house payments and 2 car payments. I got stressed out and left b/c I don't even know if it is possible. It would be soooooooooooo super nice if we could sell Ryan's truck. It is just sitting in the garage wasting space. He has a year left on the lease, so we can't turn it in until next year. Our only hope is to sell it. So, if you know of anyone who wants a great 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab with Hemi- EXTREMELY low mileage (46,000 miles), let me know. :-) It is for sale for $15,900 (what we owe on the buy out). If we didn't have to drive to NC in a few weeks, I'd just keep the truck and drive it and wait on the van until we sell the truck. But I refuse to drive the truck to NC b/c the kids fight like cats and dogs in the back seat of that thing b/c they can touch each other. Back to square one.

Best case scenario- our house sells tomorrow with this showing, someone buys Ryan's truck.... leaving me with 1 house payment and 1 van payment!!!!!

Our builder then emailed us a schedule of exactly what will be done when on our house and when we need to select things... like flooring, paint colors, shingle/siding colors, etc. He has it down to the day. Of course I feel like I need to meet with the decorator ASAP b/c several of the dates fall when we are out of town. So that added another stress. Then the doorbell rings and it is DHL delivering the paperwork to be signed for our construction loan. Agh!

So I am off to BSF to get some much needed relief from the stress of worldly things. I know that I will hear what I need to hear from God tonight- such a source of comfort and peace to know that He will provide and He will take care of the details. Now what was I worrying about??????

I was tagged....

10 years ago:
I was living in Raleigh, NC (where I had lived my entire life!), dating Ryan long distance, taking a real estate class to switch professions from being a teacher to get into commercial real estate, and deciding in the next month or so to scrap all of those plans and move to Zeeland, Michigan so Ryan and I could be together. Who would have thunk??????

Things on my to do list today:
1. get a shower
2. go to Sunday School and church
3. go for a walk
4. go to health class with Lynette at Community
5. go to Cobe's soccer game tonight

Too busy for a Sunday!!!!

Three bad habits:
Being obsessive about checking blogs (hence noticing on a Sunday morning that Lynette tagged me)
Needing to be in control of EVERYTHING
Agreeing to do things then regretting that I did (teach at church, volunteer at Cobe's school, etc.)


If I suddenly become a billionare:
Buy a new house, get a new van, fly to see my parents more often instead of driving, go on a long vacation, and quit my job. (Nice that I am doing the first 2 without having to get a billion dollars)


Five Jobs I've had : (I've had 6)

lifeguard and swim coach at Northbrook Country Club
lifeguard at Raleigh Raquet Club
swim coach for New Wave swim team
9th grade teacher at Millbrook High School
7th grade teacher and Dean of Students at Creekside Middle School
7th grade teacher at Cityside Middle School
(And I honestly think those are the only jobs I have had in my life!)

** EDITED- Due to an email I received from my dad, I need to add a job. He reminded me that I was a gift-wrapper at a department store around Christmas time- the store was called Ivy's. I think I did it for 2 Christmases in high school. So I have actually had 7 jobs. :-)

Five things people don't know about me:
1. I also have irrational fears (like Lynette) but they change over time. Now I worry that my kids will be abducted or there will be a school shooting at my school. But is that so irrational to worry about those things?????
2. I have a strict weekly/nightly face cleaning regiment. On Thursday and Sunday morning, I use microdermabrasion, but never on another day. I would never go to bed without washing my face. I take about 20 minutes in the bathroom each night getting ready for bed and most of it is washing my face/brushing my teeth. Ryan wonders how it takes 1 person so long to get ready for sleep.
3. I am slowly changing how I eat to a much healthier way- it is yummy and I feel better about myself. Does that mean I am done eating junk? No, but I will eat much healthier most of the time.
4. I have a student teacher right now at work and she is doing such an amazing job, that I really don't have a single thing to do when I get there. This will go on until the end of April. Aaahhhh!
5. I am going to a spa for 2 nights and 2 days in June with a group of girlfriends from work.
(I realized doing this I don't keep much to myself- some people know each of the above things)

Now I tag Amanda and Wendie.

Spring Has Sprung

No lie- I went on a walk today and there was a teenage girl SUNBATHING in her driveway in a bikini. I realize it was warmer than it has been, but not nearly warm enough for a bikini!!!!!!

I love this weather- love, love, love, love it! I can't say that enough!!!! We started off the day with a walk this morning and took another before dinner. It is just great to be able to get out and enjoy exercise/playing outdoors without coats. The kids all rode their bikes to see the donkeys, and Ryan and I walked. The donkeys weren't out, but we passed so many people out enjoying the day. I hope it is here to stay! (knowing what I know about MI, that is wishful thinking) We are hanging at home tonight- just finished up grilled chicken fajitas and will be turning in early- whipped from the fresh air and fun outside. Brooks fell asleep last night around 6:30 after being tired out from swimming, so I need to go get him in the shower tonight before it happens again. Enjoy the weekend!

You girls are great!!!!

Since it has been 24 hours, I can appreciate that yesterday was pretty funny. I have decided that I will not get worked up about the little things anymore- it was taking years off my life I"m sure! Thanks for all of your comments- one of my favorite things about blogging is to post something like yesterday's post and realize that I am not alone in my erratic behavior! haha

Today (I'm sure you'll be glad to know) was a much better day. It was a great day actually. Nothing spectacular- just calm. Yay! The realtor came this morning (actually we have 2 realtors- a team) and re-listed our house. Then Lisa stopped by to cheer me up (thanks!!!). Then Josh and Jake came over to play (I watch them on Thursdays for a short stint), so my kids had a blast playing with them. I went to work, picked up Cobe from school, and we met Lisa and the other kids at the pool to swim. Stopped at Lil Caeser's on the way home to pick up a pizza (my kids were BEGGING for Pizza Hut, but I looked like a drowned rat after swimming, so Lil Caesar's had to suffice), gobbled it down, and now all the kids are worn out and just calmly chilling. Aaaaahhhhhhh! A much better pace of life. I will get them ready for bed soon and snuggle on the couch with the boys to watch Survivor. Then off to bed!

Nothing much going on here this weekend- Cobe has Little League tryouts Saturday morning, a soccer game Sunday evening, I have a health class Sunday evening and am watching Lynette's kids Saturday, but other than that, we don't have anything else planned. I don't mind low-key weekends. I am hoping for the beautiful sunshine and warmth that we had today- then we can get outside and enjoy ourselves. I'll probably try and go sometime soon to get a new bike- that will be my next big purchase- can't wait to start going on bike trips- love it! Oh- my van won't be ready until Monday or Tuesday the car dealership said today, so I may need that bike sooner than later! Haha

We Have a ........ HOLE!!!!!

Our new home is underway.... here are a few pictures of the beginning stage.


Once again, I feel like I didn't have time to breathe today. Got the kids off to school and went for a nice, long walk with Lisa. It was a GORGEOUS day (see beautiful sky in last picture- I realize it is dark, but you couldn't ask for a more beautiful sunshine today) Meanwhile, a lady came and picked up my van this morning to take to her mechanic. She dropped it back off at around 10:45. Her husband called a little later and said that they wanted to buy it. Ryan ran and picked up the kids from preschool while I showered, got ready and made their lunch. He came home and took the plates off the van, cleaned it out and got it ready for them to pick up. I went to work, had a meeting after school with a parent that went WAY longer than I anticipated, so I then ran home to get Cobe from the bus before getting the other 2 from Lisa's. Lisa is SO wonderful and never seems to mind- she is a lifesaver!!!!!! Picked those 2 up and Tina stopped over. I am embarrassed to say that I haven't gotten to hang out with Tina in a long time, and she did not see my better side today. I ranted and raved at the kids the whole time she was here. Sorry Tina!!!! I was in the garage cleaning out the last few things out of the van that Ryan missed, and Cobe had just stuck his head out and said Sadie had peed on the floor and in the magazine basket in the bathroom. I basically told him to handle it (which he did good child of mine!) and kept cleaning out the van/chatting with Tina. So the boys ended up coming outside to see Luke and they ran and fell into a mud puddle. And I mean mud from head to toe- inside their pants and outside. They were FILTHY!!!!! As I am telling them to drop all their clothes in the garage, the family drives up to get the van. They said they would call first and it would most likely be around 6:00. It was around 4:45 and they hadn't called. So I have 2 undressed boys and a naked girl (she had never put on clothes from her pee incident), Tina and Luke watching the madhouse, and a family waiting to drive off in my van. AGH! So what did I do? Ask Tina- no lie- I screamed to the top of my lungs. Felt better too. :-) Didn't direct it at anybody, just screamed. :-) And I felt as if I could go on about my chaotic day. The family that bought our van was super nice and ended up being next door neighbors of a friend/co-worker of mine Lara Minnear. Small world. They wanted me to show them the ins and outs of the van, so I took some time to do that. Cobe and Brooks had gone up to shower and get the mud off and I grabbed a pair of pants to cover Miss Sadie up. After the kids were cleansed, we ate dinner and headed over to view the beginning stages of our new home. The kids seemed excited after a year and a half of talking about it, that we finally are starting something. We headed to choir and church and had a great evening there.
I have a new van picked out, so I am hoping to fit that in sometime this week. For now, I am driving Ryan's beast! I'll post pics of my new ride as soon as I acquire it! Off to bed for a much needed night of rest.

Mixed Emotions

Several of you have asked about our 2nd showing and wondered why I didn't post. The reason is that I hadn't heard anything until tonight. Leaving BSF, I noticed I had a message. It was from the guy who recently showed interest in our house. I called him back and he still is very interested, but his hands are tied right now b/c they can't sell their condo. So, he wants us to list them as an exception when we list with the realtor because he says he really wants our house, just can't do anything now. So when and if he sells his condo, he would want to buy our house without the realtor involved. So I guess it isn't a flat out no, but it definitely doesn't help us right now. I am still upbeat and positive and will now refocus my prayers to include him selling his condo. :-) Also, I showed my van today to 2 different guys. Selling big ticket items is a little draining! I feel whipped! Too many emotions involved in wanting to sell things, getting your hopes up, getting invested in thinking, "This might be the one." I was crabby before I left for BSF, but felt much better after hearing what God wanted me to hear tonight. So I can go to bed and sleep peacefully! Sweet dreams!

Whirlwind

I feel like I am caught up in a whirlwind of selling stuff! I have listed quite a few things recently on Craig's List, and it is a good way to sell stuff I am finding. Our crib and changing table sold right away when I listed it, and now someone is driving from St. Louis, MO today to buy our dining room table and chairs. I put our van on the site yesterday, and I have had quite a few responses to it as well. I have someone coming this afternoon to see it. I put Ryan's truck on it as well, but so far, no responses to that ad. I would highly recommend that site for selling- free, no shipping, and the word gets out.

We had a quiet night at home last night. We watched Glory Road with the boys (Sis made it through half of it before she hit the hay)- it was a great movie. This morning Cobe has a soccer game, then we'll return home for all of our potential buyers to show up. I haven't felt the greatest yesterday or today, so I may try to sneak in a nap this afternoon while Sis naps. Just a dull headache and stomach ache.

Tomorrow Cobe has another soccer game (odd for a Sunday), so we'll be soccered out by the end of the weekend. Looking forward to not having a really rushed or hectic weekend though. Enjoy yours!

Still hopeful....

The couple is coming back tomorrow night to go through our house again with the guy's parents. Found out I even have a connection to them, so I hope it will make a difference. :-) Thanks for all the prayers and positive thoughts- keep 'em coming!

Hopeful......

We had another showing last night. It seemed to go very well. What an answer to prayers it would be if this couple would buy it before we had to put it back on the market with a realtor. They understand the "hurry" and know that they have until next week before we re-list it, so they will get back to us soon. They seemed pretty interested.

Jen kept the kids for me while I showed the house, then she invited us to stay for dinner. Thanks Jen! We headed home, kids took baths, and Sadie and Brooks had a sleepover in Sadie's room. They did great until they were standing beside me at 6:15 this morning. I sent them back to their own beds and I don't know if they ever slept again, but at least they were quiet until I got them up. Early to bed tonight for both of them!

Off to Lynette's to make a quinoa salad from our health class.

My Crazy Kids

Here is Cobe (a.k.a. John Lennon) this morning singing "Imagine."





Here is Sadie the other day thinking she was a movie star. I just realized she is in the John Lennon glasses as well.


And here is Brooks this morning before church. Hmmm... don't really know what to call this contraption- I think it is Ryan's gas mask????


Well there you have it- crazy, crazy kids. They have so many of their father's qualities. Haha

This weekend was fun! The kids had so much fun Friday night and Saturday morning with the Boeve girls. Then Saturday morning, Cobe's soccer took an unexpected twist. They were supposed to have a game, but the other team canceled for some reason, so the coach said families could play since they had the hour at the Soccer Stop anyway. So Lynette kept Sadie, and we took Landon with us and headed to the Soccer Stop. 9 of Cobe's teammates showed up plus a few friends and family members, so we all got to play around on the field. Brooks thought he was something else getting to play "on Cobe's team." He took it very seriously. Ryan played goalie while the kids did a bunch of drills, and all of us non-team members played down at the other end of the field. The last 20 minutes or so, they all scrimmaged, and Brooks got to play in that game as well. It was a lot of fun. Of course my ancient body is sore today from all the running, kicking, and FALLING I did out on the field, but it was worth it.

When we got home, I went to Sam's Club to pick up a few groceries. I came home and had just showered, when Cobe came in crying from outside. He seemed to be in quite a bit of pain. He had fallen off our huge snowpile onto the driveway on his wrist- the same wrist he broke last year. He was miserable- couldn't move it at all. So Ryan ran Landon home, and said we'd decide what to do about Cobe when he got back. Cobe still seemed to be in a lot of pain an hour after he fell, so Ryan took him to the emergency room. Cobe kept saying he didn't think it was broken, and it didn't hurt as bad as when he broke it before, but we thought we better be safe than sorry. Turns out we should have listened to Cobe. He just sprained it (thank goodness!). So after x-rays, they headed back home. Cobe was remarkably better already. At least now we'll know that he should be able to tell the difference between a break and a minor injury. He is quite the drama king when he gets hurt!!!!!!!!!

We left for Bar Divani after thinking we may not get to go after Cobe's disaster, and had a great time. The food there is amazing and so are the drinks. We ate, had a few drinks, and went back to the Boeve's for ice cream dessert. Yum! It was a fun birthday celebration-thanks for providing an opportunity for a great night out Lisa!

Today Sadie was a complete wacko at church. She would not sit still and would not leave Chad and Lisa alone. She was all up in their faces and eating all their candy the whole service. At one point, she had come over to sit in Ryan's lap, and she looked at me and said, "I'm going to get Booty." (She calls Boeve Booty for some reason). So she scales over my lap and Lisa's lap and just bites Boeve's shoulder then instantly bites his leg. She thought she was so funny. It came out of nowhere so we were all laughing. Boeve was quite shocked. Needless to say, it was very hard to concentrate on the sermon today. The music was great though!

We came home, made up some delicious fajita's and the boys all went to Community Church to meet Matt and some guys for basketball. When they get home, Lynette and I are going to run out and shop a little and then head to our health class tonight. Tomorrow night we are going to Ryan's parents for dinner before I go to BSF. And the regular busy week begins again.