4th of July

Joel was on call for work and had to stay home all weekend. The boys and I met Craig, Jen and kids at my parents' on Friday. Saturday we all went to Krista and Brent's for Drew's 5th b-day. Eli

NoahUnfortunately after Sat., my pictures ended and so did the boys' lake activities. Not only does Eli not like bugs, he now claims that he doesn't like to get wet. Noah has decided that he should be just like his brother. They did however enjoy the 4th of July campfire and watching fireworks from the pontoon.

shark teeth

Someone is getting ready to lose a tooth, and he's pretty excited (try to ignore the food in his other teeth; we just had snack). What does the Tooth Fairy pay for teeth these days???

What have we been up to???

I took the boys to one of the neighborhood wading pools the other day, and Eli was doing all of the things he learned in swimming lessons (including the 2 things he didn't pass). I guess he needed the 2 ft deep pool for a little confidence boost.
Since I still haven't been able to run at all, I had an MRI done on my knee. My iliotibial band (tendon that runs from hip to just below the knee) is inflamed on the outside of my right knee. I had my first session of physical therapy yesterday and was told that the left side of my pelvis isn't right which could be causing the problems on the right, so she adjusted it. I have to do some exercises and go back a couple times a week. We'll see...
Last night Eli had a b-day party at the Redhawks game for one of his friends from school. Joel and I decided to take Noah to the game too. It was a beautiful night, Papa Bucky gave us GREAT seats, and the Redhawks won.
Today, we met Erin, Jack and Ella at the pool. Here are my little fish in action.

Father's Day Fun

We went to the Lake with Craig and Jen for the weekend. Yesterday, Joel went golfing and canoeing before we had a picnic at "the river" with my Dad's side of the family. The kids had fun on the new trampoline and everyone got a ride on the 4 wheeler with Grandpa.

While Joel fished and went "to town" (his favorite lake activity) on Saturday, the rest of us spent the cool morning picking strawberries and eating at Zorbaz. The afternoon was nice, and the kids went fishing with Grandma, Joel and Craig. Noah caught 4 which made a nice supper for the kiddos. They also got to help Grandma make a yummy strawberry pie.

Swimming lessons

Noah was excited that he could jump in by himself! He who loved going to lessons everyday has changed his tune now that he found out that he will be repeating level one with his little brother next year. He did however start swimming a little on his own which he certainly wasn't doing two weeks ago!

He wouldn't do the back float by himself which is one of the passing requirements.

We had a great time at Jack and Ella's on Friday. I stole these pictures from Erin's blog. The weather has not really been cooperating for fun in the sun this week.

The boys started swimming lessons on Monday, so I might have to grab my camera one of these days. They are loving lessons. However, I'm not real sure either will pass.

first day of summer vacation

Noah was just dragging a big bag of toys from the playroom to the family room.
Mom: "What are you doing?"
Noah: "We're robbing a toy store."
M: "You're robbing a toy store?"
N: "Yeah, it's midnight, and we're bad guys"
I guess I should be glad they're using their imaginations. However, it's 10:30, and on my "summer schedule" that means it's time for our morning field trip.

summer reading

On my first day of "vacation", I went straight to the library in search of ideas to help me with a defiant 6 year old. Tomorrow is Eli's last day of school, and then we start our summer schedule which consists of very little TV or DS. We'll see how long I can stick with it.

Memorial Day Weekend

This is the ONLY picture I took!! Noah had a great time at the lake. He didn't do anything for more than a few minutes at a time, but he kept himself busy all weekend. He was VERY excited when he caught a fish off the dock all by himself.
Joel enjoyed some golfing and fishing. I had fun tubing down the river and playing cards. Eli has a new fear of bugs, so after a Friday night campfire/smore, he spent most of the weekend indoors.

doctor's orders

Spend another week lying on the couch eating chips and drinking coke while taking the prescribed anti-inflammatory meds. Then, start exercising. If that feels okay, slowly start running. If the knee is still hurting, set up an MRI to check for a meniscus tear. Otherwise it is probably plica inflammation.
Hmm....what about the iliotibial band syndrome that I was convinced I had?? The treatment would be the same, but he didn't think the pain was in the right spot. Let's hope he's right. I have a 10k to start training for...as soon as Krista finds out her heart it okay!!

It shouldn't be that hard,

but I couldn't get a saved draft to publish with today's date. You have to scroll down to May 6th to see my newest post.

2:36:29

was my official time in the Fargo Half Marathon yesterday. Never in a million years did I think that I would run more than 4 miles at a time. In November, Erin talked me in to training for 13.1. About 4 weeks ago, the outside of my right knee started bothering me every time I tried to run. I stayed off it all last week in hopes that I would be able to make it through the race. It started hurting around mile 2. By mile 8, I told Erin to go ahead without me (her time was 2:12:40, yay Erin!!), and I pretty much just walked the last 5 miles which made me crabby.

After the marathon, we went to my cousin's wedding which resulted in a late night for me. I'm sure that didn't contribute to me now having to walk with my leg straight to avoid the pain of bending my knee...I'll never learn.

I stole a couple of pictures from Jennifer's blog. Joel took Matt and Tyler over to his Dad's for the weekend, so Eli and Noah spent a couple of days with Aunt Jennifer.

I went to Krista's to do a garage sale. I was planning to bring Noah with, but he insisted that he was going to Jennifer's. Thanks Jennifer, Rich, Ben and Grace! The boys had a great time.

quote of the day

Last night, I was helping Noah with his favorite computer activities: searching for Batman toys and looking at Robin costumes. Eli, who has been impossible lately, was pretty sure it should be his turn to use the computer.

Eli (in a not so nice voice): "Why do you always have to do what he says? You're like his servant."

The pictures aren't great,

but Eli and Katelynn were. They went to Bible School Mon.-Thurs. night, and the week ended with a little performance for the parents. Eli is in the back row, third from the right, and Katelynn is in the front row on the right.

Noah was sad on Monday when he didn't get to go with, but he soon realized that being the only child has its perks.

Eli's Eating Habits

It seems like everything is a battle lately, but eating is a constant one. I'm jotting this down with hopes that one day I will find it humorous.

~His favorite meal has always been breakfast. He loves cereal, waffles, pancakes...
~He likes scrambled eggs but not for breakfast.
~Will not eat mac n cheese unless it's shaped like some kind of character
~Will eat anything sweet... unless it's a fruit
~There are a few fruits on his "will eat" list: pineapple, bananas (depending on his mood and if they are just the right shade of yellow), golden delicious apples without peels or a hint of brown, and applesauce (with just the right amount of cinnamon).
~Absolutely no vegetables although he will eat corn ON THE COB and tomato soup (with lots of crackers and if we don't have it more than once per month). Do french fries or potato chips count?
~grilled cheese? No. spaghettios? pizza rolls? No, No
~Will eat chicken nuggets and plain chicken breast (depending on his mood) but will not eat chicken sticks because they look like fishsticks
~Loves to eat KFC drumsticks
~Will eat fish prepared by Grandma Connie
~Will eat steak (depending on his mood and only with A1 steak sauce)
~Might eat some ham if it's thick enough
~Will not eat any type of ground beef although we can force feed a taco with very little meat and a lot of cheese down his throat every once in a while
~He used to love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, now he'll only eat peanut butter ones.
~Will eat any kind of bread...without crust of course. This makes eating those tiny little pieces of french bread a little difficult, but he manages.
~Will eat pieces of bacon, salami, sausage, and pepperoni and has eaten roast beef
~Deli ham and turkey are out of the question unless of course it is served in one of those cute little trays with the word LUNCHABLES on the outside. This is also the only time he will eat cheese slices of any kind.
~He has never met a cracker or chip that he does not like.
~Will not eat anything that is mixed together although he requests chicken and dumplings. I just have to be sure not to leave too much sauce on his carefully picked pieces of chicken and dumpling (we would hate to get a sliver of a vegetable)
~Will eat rice with butter and parm. cheese (with a little butter and a few noodles)
~Will not eat hot dogs...maybe a corn dog (that mood thing)
~Again, depending on his mood he will eat cheese pizza if it comes from the right place and he doesn't see any sauce peeking out.

Any suggestions for my picky eater??? This is what I get for being frustrated with cute little Lauren from my Kinderberry days who would eat nothing. Her parents sent a sack lunch one day with all WHITE foods...a bagel with cream cheese, tortilla chips... Kel, do you remember what else? I'm sure Eli would have loved it.

refusing to nap

It's funny how different children can be. Right up to his first day of kindergarten, Eli had "naptime" most days. Even if he didn't sleep, he would quietly play in his bed or look at books (until 3:00). I suppose it helps when you can actually read the books. Noah is at the point where he doesn't need a nap every day, but some days he does. Plus, I really like having a little break during the day. Lately, I have been letting him FILL his bed with toys and books, yet he still can't manage to stay in his room. I find myself getting very frustrated. After an hour of dancing and gymnastics in his room today, I gave up. 20 minutes later, he was asleep on the couch.

preschool program

These two make me smile!!

Noah and Ella had their spring preschool program today. I'm not sure if there were actually sounds coming from Noah, but there were actions and lip movement (most of the time).

Noah lost focus for a little bit and tried to get Ella's attention but there was no distracting that girl!

love them!!

Brown Thumb

Yard issues...Kluver assistance needed.

said Ella

"Heidi, it's our wedding day."

"Noah, go get your wedding clothes." When they do get married, I hope...
A. they hire a professional photographer
B. Noah doesn't choose a "Robin costume" for his wedding clothes

NEW CAR!!

After a full day of work on Friday and a 7 hour car ride home (without cruise control), Joel decided that we were ready to part with my little 10 year old Mazda Protege.

fun at the park

It's a little too windy, but at least it's warm and sunny today.

Grandma was here

Noah likes all Superheroes. He loves Batman, but he is OBSESSED with Robin. He carries a plastic Robin with him pretty much wherever he goes. Although he enjoys searching for all Batman toys on the internet, his favorite computer activity is looking at Robin costumes. When we stayed in Iowa over spring break, Grandma Cathy took Noah to the fabric store, and they picked out a costume pattern. Here he is..in a Grandma Cathy original.The boots are the cutest!! She brought a Batman costume for Eli and capes for Jack and Ella.

With the boys in great hands over the weekend, Joel and I took a mini vacation to the Cities. We had fun spending time with some of our very best friends. Thanks for everything Cathy & Don (and friends)!!

birthday

I had to share this picture that Eli colored and gave to me yesterday. I'm pretty sure it is the first picture he has actually finished (sorry, no time to flip it). He colors so slowly that he gets very bored with it. My parents took him to a baseball game on Saturday, and I guess coloring was better than watching baseball. So last night, I had the choice of going out to eat with my family or spending some time by myself. I was feeling pretty guilty as I was driving to the mall, and then I overheard a phone conversation. I was in Macy's and there was a guy on his phone standing there with his little girl. All I heard him say was, "Do you ever feel like you go to work and bust your ass all day, and then you get home and it's even harder?" It made me chuckle!!

Happy Easter

I forgot my camera, but we had a great time at the lake with my parents, Grandma Mona, and Grandpa Pete.

-going for an early morning stroll

-finding Easter baskets

-egg hunting

-watching Grandma Connie play the organ at church

-playing outside

-eating yummy food

-enjoying the first pontoon cruise of the year

-being surprised with a bunny b-day cake

and ending the day cuddled up watching The Sound of Music.

Spring Break

We spent last week in Iowa. Joel worked. They boys and I played. Saturday was Eli's 6th birthday. The blonde boys are our friends Jake and Chase. They were on spring break also, so we got to spend a lot of time with them during the week. Noah was very busy the whole time we were at Grandma and Don's. He took very few naps. This was one of his non-nap days.

St. Patrick's Day in the O'Brien house started with a decorated breakfast table, hats and treat bags. Grandma even made green eggs and ham. If you can believe it, Eli wanted nothing to do with his food. We went to a parade in the afternoon and I made corned beef and cabbage for supper.

Noah's favorite two places at Grandma's are on the front porch and in the dog room. He thought he was training Belle (golden retriever). He told her to "sit", "lay down" and then he'd put his face right in hers and say, "lick, Belle")
We had a great week. Thanks for everything Grandma and Don!

coming soon

Lots to blog. I'll get to it sometime today!

6 in 6 days

Like Father Like Son

These two are so much alike it isn't even funny!

On a side note, what would you do with a day off? I'm pretty sure I would not spend the day playing Boggle on the computer!!

more photos

I had to steal a couple of pictures from Jen.

Exhausted

That is how I would describe our household tonight. My parents took our whole family to Arrowwood Resort in Alexandria. In less than 24 hours we:

-watched a polar plunge (aka crazy people jumping into a frozen lake)

-went sledding

-made 2 trips to the water park

-celebrated birthdays

-played games

We were so busy that I didn't really get any pictures taken.

The grandkids are growing up! Brady turned 2 on Friday.

Thanks Grandma Connie and Grandpa Steve; we had a blast!!