The Children's Museum

Karsyn's class went on a field trip yesterday despite the big snow storm that was suppose to hit during the day. We use to visit the Children's Museum often when the girls were younger so I knew that this was one of those field trips that I needed to go on. That place is fun, no doubt, yet it is crazy busy on school field trip days. To make matters worse when your child is dressed like 100 other children in the same shirt...it makes it difficult to keep track of them. A bunch of the mothers decided to strategically place ourselves in front of the doors and not let any of the little yellow shirts leave the rooms without a parent.

Kaydree has outgrown these exhibits however Karsyn still loves all of those PBS shows and Clifford is still one of her favorites. She loved sliding down his tail. Karsyn's friend Elizabeth is in the background on Clifford. Karsyn is hanging out with her today! Thanks Jody!

I really liked the craft room, I know surprise because I don't really like crafty things. This room however was much more quiet and it had soothing music playing and it ate up a bunch of time when the girls were getting hungry for lunch.

The water room is usually our favorite place to hang out, however there were a group of older kids there that were throwing water at each other, dunking their faces in it and even drinking it! The germ freak in me was just cringing!

Karsyn had to wash her hands after every station...thank you my little "germ freak" child! I think part of it was that she liked using the tiny little Karsyn sized hand dryer.

I am not sure what kind of look Karsyn was trying to portray here? She loved the face painting. To be able to paint your own face....what fun. She really needed a bath last night!

The ride home took us an hour and a 1/2. Almost double the time that it took for us to get there. The snow was really pretty but what a mess on the roads! I didn't mind so much because one of the moms that I have become friends with just happens to be from Marshall and she just took her girls to Disney World last month. She had amazing tips and ideas. I just love it when I get to make friends while my girls do too!

A Day of Surprises...

The girls came home to a package sent to them by Grandma Villarreal.

She made them these cute hats. Kaydree wore hers to school today.

She looked so cute.
Karsyn will wear hers to school on Thursday. She just loves pink! The hats look adorable on both girls. Thank you, Grandma!
Of course Grandma had to try to convince Karsyn again that she has a tail. When Benjy and I were dating and writing letters to each other, when he lived Washington and I lived in Las Vegas, he always drew little pictures similar to this for me! I guess I know where he gets it from now! Karsyn sat and giggled and said, "Grandma really doesn't have a tail, right?!?!"

The girls also were suppose to play a game of hangman to find out a surprise we wanted to tell them. The problem was that Kaydree who was suppose to be sleeping the night before, was eaves dropping on our conversation and figured it out without even playing. Karsyn was so sad that we didn't play the game so until we let her guess all the letters she didn't get excited about the actual surprise.

Procrastination Pressures.

We had to call it an early night, last night because I still had a lot to do before church this morning. We were home by 9:00P.M. and yet my list to do looked like it was going to take all night! Benjy stepped up and made the scalloped potatoes and ham for the Linger Longer Potluck after church, I started another load of laundry and put one away and printed my lesson on the Creation. I had looked at the lesson and formulated ideas however why is it that I always procrastinate and wait until the last minute to pull it all together? Sometimes I wonder if I am some crazy woman who thrives on performing under pressure? When I think back to some of my gymnastics, swimming and track meets, I always did so much better in the meets than in practice. I think it was the pressure/stress???? I think that has carried over to my everyday life. I would do the same thing when I was teaching, I would accumulate items for my lesson plans, make copies and pull together materials ahead of time, but I would wait until Sunday night to actually write out my lesson plans. (Remember Amanda?)
I wanted to share this sweet little picture. Right as we were leaving I noticed that Karsyn's previously done hair looked like a rat's nest. I decided to put it into a pony and needed to put clips in her bangs to hold them back. She started crying and having a melt down. It's in moments like this that I think, "What in the World, child?" And of course one minute into our drive out to our friend's house, she crashed. She fought it so hard, doing the head bob and weave, droopy eyes and then she finally surrendered. I just love the look of a crashed out, exhausted little girl. Then I think, "Ah ha..... hence the meltdown 2 minutes earlier!"

Kaydree had just gotten home from a birthday party and I think she was just as exhausted. She has learned how to fight a better fight and stay awake even when she can barely keep her eyes open!

I took a picture of Benjy because I just wanted everyone to feel apart of my picture taking! Benjy did a great job making crepes for 16 people, something that would stress me out but not him, he really enjoys it. I think he has had enough of my failed attmepts that he would rather make them himself and have them turn out? I make the filling and he makes the crepes. He is getting it down to a perfection now! I use to think my sister-in-law, Emily, was so lucky to have a husband who loved to cook and yet I think over our almost ten years of marriage, Benjy has transformed into this same type of husband and I am ever sooooo grateful!

Benjy's specialties: crepes, omelets, ribs, cream cheese bars, Pico de Gallo, egg rolls/cream cheese won tons, and Denver style hamburgers.

Family Fun Night.

Last night we had Family Fun Night with Abby and Janie. We picked them up after school and came back here for some playtime and pizza.Then we went to a carnival at Karsyn's school.

Here they made a couple of quilt squares each.

They played book bingo.
And they each got a book, some of which my parents donated! Thanks Grandpa and Grandma.
They played pin the "helping hand on the person."

They bounced in a huge bouncy house with a slide in it. They did a sucker pull which Karsyn's class made.

They did a cookie walk and Kaydree took forever to win. Finally they purposely called her letter, just to get her out!

They also did a bean bag toss, duck pond, bag making and necklace stinging.

Now after yesterday's post, I have to say....Besides all the games we got 3 corn dogs, popcorn, 2 bags of fruit snacks, a pop and 2 cookies at the snack shop.

THIS IS MY TYPE OF FUNDRAISER. WE SPENT A TOTAL OF $19.00 and had a great time!

Now I am off to play basketball for the first time since middle school, Benjy is snow blowing, Kaydree is going to a Birthday party and then we are hanging and making crepes with some friends. Tomorrow Benjy is teaching Elder's at Church and I am teaching Sharing Time, it's Linger Longer, than I am going Visiting Teaching and our Home Teachers may come over. Gotta love the weekends!!!!

Why We Don't Do Fundraisers. (Warning a negative tone)

WARNING: IF YOU LIKE TO DO FUNDRAISERS...THEN YOU SHOULDN'T READ THIS POST!
WE don't disagree with all Fundraising, just the ones that are raising money for big companies to sell products!

Car washes, family sponsored benefit dinners and homemade bake sales, not included, in the following arguments.

One of my pet peeves when I was teaching full time was when they interrupted learning time to go have an all school assembly on an upcoming fundraiser. Here are my issues:

1. You are going to use my child to sell your products. (Where are the child labor laws?)

2. I pay a significant amount of taxes already to support the public school system. (Just because you waste or mismanage the money, should my young child have to sell a product?)

3. Usually the child has to guilt someone into buying some over priced item that they wouldn't normally buy.

4. Let's see.... my child sells a hundred dollars of product and you give their school $1 and some cheap little plastic toy, that we could get for 25 cents in a gum ball machine! My child does a lot of work and so does the parent for what a couple dollars to the school? Please....

5. And how much do the CEO's of these companies make??????? Hey....whose sweet car is in the teacher's parking lot? OH yeah, right it's the fundraiser guy's car!!!!!

6. For example: Kaydree's current fundraiser.. raise 5,000 dollars and we will give you a 250 dollar wii! (which was probably donated to them.)

7. How about when your child doesn't sell as much as the child that both parents, Grandma and Grandpa, Aunts and Uncles and sooooo onnnnn take it to work to sell... and then they have another all school assembly to show that all the other children that didn't sell as much are the losers. (Kaydree has never done a school fundraiser, so of course she just has lost every time) I have many friends and neighbors that feel the same way...so I know that, you aren't the ONLY one who isn't doing the fundraiser! At this point I start rattling off other kids' names in her class, "did so and so do it," Well no... "did so and so do it," Well.....no. "Okay, then....you aren't the only one!"

8. Should our child spend time selling your needless product or spend time studying or even playing???? Gee, I don't know? Why don't we just hook our children up to work part time after school?

9. Or how about the sports ones, should I pay for your child to do a sport by buying a product I don't want or use? If we did fundraisers....let's see, I am buying stuff from you, you buy stuff for me (out of obligation) but in the end...why didn't we just pay for our own children to do their sport??????? Really what we end up doing in the end is supporting the fundraising company....these companies aren't dumb!

10. Do parents break down and do these fundraisers because these companies...know how to produce PEER PRESSURE and GOOD OLE' COMPETITION! (hence the prizes.)

So with some of that being said.... WE BROKE DOWN THIS WEEK...and let Kaydree ask her Grandparents only.... for a donation for Jump Rope for Heart. She wasn't selling a product...although it still makes me uncomfortable to have my child asking for money! My dad did have a heart attack, so I felt a little soft on the cause. HOWEVER... how much do the CEO's of "Jump Rope for Heart Make??????" How much of this money is REALLY going to the cause?

I knew that I loved Karysn's private school when at orientation they said, "WE HAVE A NOOOOOO FUNRAISER POLICY!" I WANTED TO STAND UP AND CHEER AND SAY, "YES, ...THIS SCHOOL GETS IT!
You mean you aren't going to have preschoolers work for a huge company by selling their products so that their executives can roll in money??????

Okay...now I will apologize for being really negative, I like to think of it as passionate on this subject???? One thing is for sure....BENJY AND I ARE EXTREMELY UNITED ON THIS ISSUE!!!!
He tells Kaydree just say this, "My dad says you already get enough of his money in taxes!"
At which point, I wink at her and say, "Well....maybe you shouldn't say that."

I will end with this...I believe in not just saying that you aren't doing something...because really you are just LAZY. Sometimes I can't formulate reasons for doing or not doing something...but in this case....I think I had 10 pretty well thought out arguments?

Here is a Visual For You.

In my post on Kaydree roller skating on quad skates for the first time, I described her as a Giraffe learning how to walk on wheels. I thought it was a great description of what Serena and I got to see and enjoy. It was the cutest thing ever! She had so much determination. Someone seemed to have a hard time visualizing this. So here is a picture from Madagascar to help with that. Great movie if you haven't yet seen it or even better Madagascar 2.

A Night Of Roller Skating.

I had a very bad day yesterday. It started out with my yearly OB. exam and the confirmation of a lump in my left bosom. (fibrous cyst...Dr. is not worried about it but it does hurt!) Without going into needless detail, let's just say I wanted to go to bed early and call it a day. Benjy had a Church Meeting and last week our skating adventure got cancelled. I really didn't want to venture out last night but decided to go have some fun so that my day could end on a positive note! We decided to go around 5 P.M. and roped Serena and Taylor into going with us.

Kaydree and Karsyn both had to get bigger sizes of skates, my jeans were so tight (I had to look official at the rink you know!) it was hard bending over to tie these beautiful well worn out, ripped skates. I just love those hip hugging jeans that show way too much bum when you are bending over! It took me and extra 3-5 minutes because I was constantly pulling the back of my jeans up and the bottom of my shirt down!

Serena gave up waiting for me to get my skates on and jumped in to help Karsyn. Serena and I felt very very out of place. Why did the roller skating rink seem so much more cool, clean and fun when I was younger? I hadn't been on roller skates for 15 maybe 20 years. I think the Koch family went once in Marshall when I was in college?

I feel kind of bad now, because I was getting a little frustrated with Karsyn. Serena and I were both holding her hands but her skates kept going all crazy and knocking into ours and we all just about went down numerous times. She would just flail her little skates out and expect us to half carry her. At one point I thought, "Maybe after the day I had, today maybe wasn't the best day for me to try to be patient with Karsyn? :-(

Kaydree was sooooo much fun to watch. She looked like a baby giraffe learning how to walk on wheels. She did really well. She kept falling down and she would just pop back up again, smiling. She did take one really hard fall, limped off to the side, took a minute break and started out full speed ahead again.
Taylor had some mad skating skills! Here she is just about to fall. I think it is a funny picture. I wish it wasn't so blurry.

I have to say they played some great music! We have to bring Benjy back with us because he would get a chuckle out of some the interesting people at the skating rink, then again...WE WERE THERE TOO!

Just a Random Update:

Whenever we are all at my parents house, we drink bottled water like crazy. The kids and some adults are known for leaving half full or half empty bottles laying around. It drives my dad crazy, so he is known for going around and finishing them. It grosses us all out and he tends to get sick after we all leave. I wonder why? So for his Birthday...we got him a water dispenser, hoping it will cut down on wasted water. It may be easier to identify your glass instead of us all having the same looking bottle. The hot water dispenser works great for hot chocolate or herbal tea.

We let Charlee go outside to run around. He was soooo happy, he actually got to act like a dog! He looked like a double stuffed oreo cookie! He just got a bath. That has to be the dirtiest we have ever let him get.

Today it was so nice out that we went outside to have a fire!

Last night Grandma, Auntie Karen and Doug stopped out for Dinner. Karsyn was showing Grandma all of her trinkets. Afterward Benjy and I went on a Hot Valentines Day Date to the Marshall Theater. Benjy couldn't believe all the different Letterman's Jackets on the teenagers from all the surrounding towns. Thanks Mom and Dad for watching the girls!

Mom made fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn casserole and Karen brought out Snicker Salad. Kaydree had 5 helpings!

Grandpa and Grandma opening their Valentines Day Card.

A Friend who wishes to remain anonymous (Serena) made these cute totes for the girls for Valentines Day. Soooo cute! I am so glad I have talented friends!

A Birthday Surprise.

After school yesterday Kaydree had piano. During her piano lesson I was able to be given a lesson from my Visiting Teachers. Afterward we decided to skip getting Kaydree a hair cut so that we could quick come home and eat with Benjy and then leave to go roller skating. Benjy had a Church meeting so we decided to go skating with some friends. While I was getting supper ready, Kaydree was looking out the windows for her dad.
All of the sudden she started hyperventilating and jumping up and down. I asked her, "What are you doing?" She responded, "Someone is here, someone is here, you will never believe it." Well I was in a hurry to eat and get out the door so I said, "Who is here....tell me!" She said that she couldn't tell me, I would have to find out. I was less than thrilled with her, so I went to open the door and my parents were standing there.
They live 4 hours away and we had no idea they were coming up for my dad's birthday. They met some friends for lunch and decided they were already half way to the cities, so why not come up and have Birthday Dinner together.
Benjy and I got on the phone and were able to cancel or reschedule our plans...It was a little crazy for a couple minutes of panic to stop everyone else in route to the meeting and skating!
We are suppose to see them this weekend, so it was a huge surprise. My parents were here for 15 hours and we had a lot of fun with them, but it was a quick trip. They said it was worth it, just to see Kaydree's eyes pop out when she saw them by accident walking up the sidewalk!

Kaydree upset again because she wanted to skip school for the next 2 days and go home with Grandpa and Grandma.
Of course we told her, "No." Poor thing. I had her hopes up that her, Karsyn and myself would go home with them but the better side of me decided we had too many committments to get out of and that we would have to wait 48 hours to see them again.
She was pretty happy by the time she left for school because she was wearing her new sweatshirt and her favorite toe socks.

She just looked so darn cute this morning! Thanks for coming up Mom and Dad! It was really fun! Kaydree says, "See you in 48 hours!"

A Gloomy Day for a Birthday!

Happy Birthday Dad! Looking for picutres for a later today post! Here are some crazy winter in Minnesota pictures. This time last year I was in Florida visiting my dad for his Birthday and it was so cold back here in Minnesota. Yesterday and Today it rained. WE have a river running through our backyard. It didn't get cold enough to freeze so that is GREAT! Here are some pictures from this morning. A River Runs Through it...Our Backyard!
Charlee comes in soakingn wet now! Ugh!!!!

It is nice to feel like spring...everything looks washed and clean...however it isn't going to last! Snow in the forcast!

Sunday Pictures

Kaydree hanging with Charlee.
Those teeth are finally coming in!

Benjy caught Karsyn's cold and he is miserable! He has a very runny nose and a sore throat. He was happy that I was taking pictures.

Karsyn getting ready for bed after she took out her pony tails. She has some wild hair. We had the most relaxing/lazy weekend, but it was awesome! Even though we were sad that we didn't go to Iowa, again! It was a great day at church and I just love Sundays!

Eight Things Tag.

You can tell that we are all are inside a lot more in the winter here in Minnesota! Benjy is at a Priesthood Meeting, Kaydree is reading, Karsyn is putting together a puzzle and I am going to blog!
Here is an "Eight Things Tag" that Shantel passed along...I enjoyed reading her lists.

Eight
8 Favorite T.V. Shows:
1. 24
2. Heros
3. 24
4. Heros
5. The Office (if Benjy is watching it with me. I love to hear him laugh)
6. Sid the Science Kid (Karsyn's)
7. Wizards of Waverly Place (Kaydree's)
8. Hannah Montana (Both Girls and Benjy's) 6-8 by default they just happen to be on!

8 Favorite Dishes:
1. Salmon and Garlic Mashed Potatoes from Outback
2. Mom's Roast Beef Panini Sandwiches
3. Smothered Green Burritos
4. Ham and Cheesy Potatoes
5. Salads at Buffets (lots of choices for toppings)
6. Benjy's Crepes
7. Spencer's rib recipe with asparagus
8. Steak and a grilled onion

8 things that happened Yesterday:
1. Layed around in my pajama's until 1:00 P.M.
2. Then I took a nap with my hubby
3. Watched Madagascar 2
4. Took a shower/bath. I like to do both!
5. Went to the post office
6. Returned a Red Box DVD
7. Ate Pizza at the Hobbs
8. Drove home from St. Francis (My idea of a GREAT Saturday!)

8 things I look forward to:
1. Going to my Parents this weekend
2. Going to Texas this Summer for Villarreal Family Reunion
3. Losing 15 pounds
4. Paying off Student Loans
5. Deciding on how we will bring another child into this family.
6. A Spring Break Trip with Benjy (snow skiing or a warm place???)
7. My Birthday (not really)
8. Warm Summer Days at the Pool with the Girls!

8 things I love about Winter:
1. Fire Places
2. Christmas
3. Being Snowed in
4. Watching it snow
5. Being home together and feeling like we don't have to go anywhere.
6. Watching Movies together.
7. Listening to Kaydree play the piano

8 things on My Wish:
1. Either Having another Child or Adopting (maybe not quite sure yet!)
2. Making a decision about bringing another child into our family or what my life will look like when Karsyn starts school full time.
3. Paying off Student Loans
4. Another stimulus check in May???? Last year was sweet!!!!!
5. Having a Happy and Healthy Family that wants to strive to be like our Savior.
6. A Family that Counts our Blessings Daily and is thankful for what we have and not dwelling on what we don't have.
7. To be able to help my family be happy and feel loved! If I can succeed at that...then I am successful each and everyday!
8. To be kind, helpful, a hard worker, considerate, compassionate, forgiving, find balance, open, honest, caring, hopeful, humble, physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally and intellectually HEALTHY. I think that is about it!

I tag these eight people:
1. Emily Koch
2. Courtney Koch
3. Becky Serreyn
4. Tammy Brust
5. Chris Lohman
6. Luann Wilson
7. Jamie Schreurs
8. Andrea, Audrey, Brenda Johnson, Crystal, Heather Irsik, Janice, JoDell, Lindsay, Laurel, Nicole, Samantha Hussong, Serena, Shalayne, Tina and anyone else who wants to do this... #8's selected alphabetically! ;-)

I wanted to just say, "I tag everyone and anyone," but then I notice not as many people do it without being tagged! So we will see if being tagged and "it"....increases the game participation.

Random Picture Tag:

I have been tagged numerous times, so here it goes:
The Rules:
1. Go to your documents/pictures.
2. Go to your 6th file.
3. Go to your 6th picture
4. Blog about it.
5. Tag 6 people to do the same.
6. So here we go.......

This picture was taken in the Fall of 2007 when myself and some friends went to my parent's house to pick apples. We were just getting ready to sit in the hot tub and I think we stayed in it until 2:30 A.M. We were all so tired by the time we got home but we had such a great time "girl talking." To be able to get away together and share some of my deepest concerns, greatest joys and silly moments with these friends is something I will always treasure!

I tag:
1. Luann Wilson
2. Emily Koch
3. Courtney Koch
4. Heather Irsik
5. Brenda Johnson
6. Chris Lohman