Cleveland Rocks Days 4 & 5: Shopping, Cupcakes, Dancing, Swimming and Pillows Made of Chicken

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

On Tuesday we went to hang out at Station Park.  We went to H&M.  My girls been begging me to take them there since it opened.  This is how my experience there went.  I about lost my mind.  I could not keep a straight thought in my mind because they were playing the most irritating music at an extremely uncomfortable level.  I seriously developed a splitting headache in that place because I was trying so hard to tune out the music so that I could actually think straight, which was basically impossible at that decimal level.  I sound so old, don't I?  I've decided if I ever have to go back to that place ever again, I will not be able to go unless I take some noise cancelling headphones.  You think I'm kidding, but I'm not.  Seriously.  The girls found some cute shirts.  I tried looking for a shirt for Zac, who was at Trek Youth Conference at the time.  I very quickly decided that was not a place where I could find one single shirt that Zac would wear.  I especially came to that conclusion when we were in the Men's section and Addy kept asking me why I was looking for a shirt for Zac in the girls section. 

After that experience, I really needed a cupcake to calm my nerves.  So we went to Sugar Daisy and had a little refreshment.

Then we hung out at the fountain for a while.

When we got home, Addy found some science experiment kits Zac had put in a DI box in the garage.  She about made me crazy with the mess she made.

 When she wasn't looking, I put the experiments "away".  She did keep the goggles and wore them around the rest of the evening.  Even at the dinner table.

We had a little dance party after dinner.

Here is a dance video:

 Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Teresa and Lauren took Emily, Aubrey and Addy swimming and I got to stay home and take care of cute little Alaina.

When the girls got home Emily and Addy read to Alaina  and kept her occupied while her mom made dinner.

Lauren and Aubrey helped Teresa make her famous Chicken Pillows for dinner.  They were delicious.

Alaina and Grandma

We just hung out the rest of the evening.

Click here for Day 1

Click here for Days 2&3

Cleveland Rocks Days 2 & 3: Pioneers, Nails & Awesome Furniture

 Sunday & Monday June 23 & 24

On Sunday, we went to my mom's house for dinner.  Steve and Zac had on their typical Sunday afternoon attire.  Black church socks with shorts.  Zac is definitely learning from the master.

Addy was trying to relive her younger years by sitting in the  high chair.

We called my nephew Baron to wish him a Happy Birthday.  Aubrey and her BFC (Best Friend Cousin) Tia ended up video chatting for a long time.  How awesome that we live in a time when a cousin in Utah can see and talk to a cousin in Virginia!

Monday morning started off by me dropping my pioneer off for Trek.  What is Trek?  It is a Youth Conference for 14-18 year old youth in our church.  They usually do a Trek Youth Conference every 4 years so each youth gets to go once.  They reenact certain aspects of the Mormon Pioneer's trek across the United States to help the kids gain a greater appreciation for what their ancestors went through.  We are certainly blessed by the sacrifices our Pioneer ancestors went through so we can enjoy the life we have today.

Lauren, Teresa and Alaina came over and we had lunch.

Then we painted nails.

I painted Alaina's cute little tootsies.  Teresa said she wasn't sure what Sam would think about that when he saw it.  I told her to tell him that his sister did it, and she did it to him when he was little too!

 Alaina with her cute pink toes.

That night for dinner we had a girls night at The Olive Garden.

And!  That was the night I got my new couch!

Click here for Day 1

Cleveland Rocks Day 1: Surprises, Big Trucks & Bean-O

On Saturday June22, my Sister-in-Law, Teresa, and her baby Alaina surprised my kids.  Teresa and my Brother Sam used to live in Rexburg while they were going to BYU Idaho.  We got used to spending a lot of time with them because they would come down quite a bit.  Almost a year ago they moved to Ohio.  We have really missed them.  And they added a family member that we had never even met yet.  Sweet little Baby Alaina.  Teresa and Alaina came to visit for a week.  We had so much fun with them when they were here.  My kids didn't know they were coming.  Here are the videos when they first saw them.  There was no screaming like I thought there would be.  I think they were in shock.

 Meeting her cousins

After we had lunch we decided to take the truck out for a little spin.  We all piled in and we added a few neighborhood kids as well.  Don't worry, I did text their mothers that we had them after we were on the road.  Except for one I tagged in the photo on facebook to let her know her son was with us.  Just your typical friendly neighborhood army kidnapping truck, nothing to see here.

My mom didn't want to go but we made her.

 My mom's victory stance after successfully ascending and descending the truck..

When we got home we did a little video chat with my brother Sam who had to stay home and work.  His dog, Bean-O, got excited when he saw us all.  Then he stuck his booty in front of the camera.  So since Bean-O stuck his booty in front of the camera, Zac and Em returned the gesture.

MY TOTALLY GORGEOUSLY AWESOME NEW COUCH!

We have been couch poor since we first moved into this house 4 1/2 years ago.  We have this great big entry room and no furniture to put in it.  It sat completely empty for the first few years we lived here.  Then about a year and a half ago we bought a sectional from a neighbor who was moving out of the country.  That filled the room for less than a year until we moved it last August into the kitchen.  We were having a bunch of people over to watch a movie and we needed more seating.  It doesn't match our other couches that are in there, but we have loved having all the seating in the kitchen so much that we have kept them in there for almost a year now. 

Which means our entry room sat empty again.  Except for the chaise lounge from the sectional that sat all by its lonesome.

We weren't even in the  market for a new couch but for some reason last night around 10:00, I got a hankerin' for a new couch.  I starting looking at furniture stores online.  I didn't really see anything I liked.  Anything that I bought, I would have been settling for.  Plus they were all out of my price range, being that I wasn't even planning on buying a couch in the first place.  Then I thought, why don't I take a look on KSL classifieds and see what there is.  I didn't really see anything great.  I was looking at a kind of OK brown leather sectional when Zac, who was looking over my shoulder, said "MOM!  LOOK AT THAT COUCH!"  And I said, "Just a minute, I'm looking at this one."  And he said, "No really, LOOK AT THAT COUCH!!!"   

HELLO!

I about died.  I couldn't imagine a more perfect couch for our house.  For that room.  For that price.  It was the same price I would have paid for a used plain old regular brown sectional that wouldn't have even matched my house.  It was 10:30 at night and I texted the guy selling it asking if I could come look at it in the morning.  It was hard for me to wait until morning.  I tried to talk Steve into getting out of bed and going to pick it up right then.  He hadn't even seen it at that point.  He was like, "Aren't you even going to show it to me to see if I like it before you go and make arrangements to go over there?"  And I was like, "Uh, you don't understand.  This is our couch.  There is no doubt in my mind that this is our couch.  And there is no doubt in my mind that you are absolutely agree with me."  It is absolutely gorgeous and I love it!  I texted my neighbors to come over and see it and we all broke it in as you can see above.  Now I just need to get a new rug!

Happy Birthday Baron

Today is my Nephew Baron's Birthday.  He is the cutest kid.  He is always smiling the cutest, biggest smile. Care Bear, I hope you have a very Happy Birthday!  I will miss seeing your smile this summer.  I love you!  Here is your Birthday Video you have been waiting for

Can't see the video?  Click here.

Happy Birthday Sue

So at the beginning of the year, I decided to make a Birthday Video for each of our family members on their Birthday.  I've said before, when I made that decision I didn't fully think that through.  We have a lot of family!  And for some reason our Birthdays to cluster together.  I have enjoyed it though.  If you know me, you know I love pictures.  I have loved going back on a very regular basis and looking at old pictures and reliving fun memories.

Throughout this whole process, I have had a #1 Birthday Video Fan.  She has cheered me on at times when I didn't feel like videoing on.  I think she loves my videos just as much as I do (I do thoroughly enjoy them once they are made).  Here is an excerpt from an email she sent me recently with some pictures of her grandson (my nephew) attached: 

                                 "Thanks so much for doing these movies.  I love all of them!!!!!!!!!!!"

So I decided that someone like that deserves their own Birthday Video, even though she is not my immediate family.  She is my sister Kristy's Mother-in-Law.  Sue, you don't know how much you comments have meant to  me throughout this whole process.  I hope you have a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

                                                   Can't see the video?  Click here.

Flashback/Flashforward Friday - Rynearson

Flashback: April 2008

Above: Our friend Greg Rynearson, working on the electrical in our new house.

Below: Taking a lunch break in Addy's room.  Addy's room was always the dining room during construction.

Flashforward: June 2013

Greg, Marci, Skip and Jeff Rynearson

The Rynearson's were in our ward when we lived in our old house.  I guess technically they are still in that ward, we are not.  Greg and his sons did all the electrical work in our house.  Skip and Jeff were Steve's scouts and I used to be Jeff's Sunday School teacher.  He just left a few weeks ago to serve a Mission in Ft. Worth Texas, practically my home town.  So if anyone in Texas sees this kid in the red shirt in a few weeks, riding a bike and wearing a white shirt and tie, stop him and say hi!  We had their family over for dinner before Jeff left for the MTC.

Our kitchen is really bright at that time of day.  They should have seen what it was like before we had curtains.

I'm not sure, but I think Skip and Steve are about to hold hands in this picture.

The Saturday before they came for dinner we were able to go to Jeff's farewell party.

Look who I found there.  Can you believe I used to teach this return missionary when he was a Sunbeam? (Sunbeams is a church class for 3 year olds)  I'm pretty sure I was taller than John when he was in my class.  I think.  Either I am abnormally short, or he is abnormally tall.  Or maybe a little bit of both.

We enjoyed spending time with the Rynearson family and we wish Jeff all the luck on his mission in my home state!  He is getting baptized by fire by going there in the middle of summer.  Hint: Keep cool by eating lots of Blue Bell Ice Cream!