...what begins with A

What's in a name?

2010-06-04T09:17:00.014-05:00

Or, The Curious Case of Naming the Kitty Bo-bitty. Meet the newest member of our family, a cute as a button red tabby named... well... we're just not sure. Find the Kitty! There he is! Here's why the trouble with naming: When we got the cat, we decided since we already have three A's, it was time for another J for Mommy. We were told it was a boy, so we picked out some great boy names- the girls wanted to name it Skippy John Jeremy, after the children's book Skippy John Jones. Dad was particularly fond of the name Kevin, but that didn't stick. Dad would have been OK with "Alan" as well, but no one likes Dad's cat names. We had settled on Jeremy, when we took the little one to the vet. Our great friend Sally Wolfe said "Sooo, perhaps you would like to make it Skippy John Jane? It's a girl!" That kind of changed things. We were now all discombobulated. Now we had to come up with a girls name. Dad argued that it doesn't matter what we call it, since cats don't come when they are called, and put Kevin back on the table, but that didn't fly.
Mom started calling the little one "Kitty Bo-bitty", and so far, that name seems to have stuck. Abby, who we got the pretty paws for, has pondered the name "Buttercup", but the little one is just too feisty for a name like that. Grandpa came, met the cat, and dubbed it "Trouble", as in "Here Comes."

For now, it's The Bo-bitty. Kind of like U2's The Edge, or something. In any case, we love the little purr factory and like having a little one in the home, though Aubri is reveling a little too much in not being the smallest in the house. If we can just stop her from sitting on the cat, it may live to see it's fourth month...

Easter Fun

2010-05-11T16:31:00.013-05:00

Easter is always a great holiday- and an especially tough time of the year for Dad. He has a particular fancy for the Easter candy, a veritable peepaholic. But we digress. Holidays are for children, and we had a great Easter, shared with family members this year.

Multiple Easter bunnies warranted some explaining this year. Abby decided the one at Festival was the real one, and the one at Seroogy's wasn't, mostly because you could tell the one at Seroogy's (above) was wearing sneakers. Nothing gets by this 5-year-old.
We dedorated eggs and celebrated with the Amezcua family- dying eggs and hiding them over and over. And over. And over.
We also went to a local non-denominational church for an easter egg hunt in their gym, that was attended by hundreds of children and their parents. Mostly because it was free, I think, though nothing is truly free. As we waited for each age group to go, we got a great sing-along sermon, and a testimony meeting all in one. Interesting, to be sure. Good to see commited people, and taught me a lesson about sharing my testimony, while giving away candy.

What I called "Easter Town", a fabricated indoor playground with candy strewn about, and golden eggs to find. The elbows were sharp, and the parents viscious.

Also face painting/tatoos, and games for more candy. Ahhhh, the candy.

Easter baskets on easter morning. Let the sugar rush begin!

And of course, what holiday would be complete without a major injury. Playing with the dogs on the swingset, Abby got a little too excited with a rope swing taunting the pooches, and fell off, wrapping her neck in the rope on the way down. Our five year old tried to hang herself, basically. Did I mention she did this while Mom and Dad were at the mall? Poor Auntie Allison had to handle the trauma and crying that ensued. And there was much. Luckily, social services didn't haul us off to the hoosegow as soon as we got Abby back in school. A fast healer, that one.

A great time of year for a kite, and Dad and Abby had a ball with Sammy and Sarah flying the kite. Ben Franklin eat your heart out!

For a second view of our trip to the cousins, check out my sister's hilarious blog-

Meeting an Apostle

2010-03-14T21:36:00.006-05:00

With Stake Conference last week, we had the honor of having a member of the Quorum of 12 Apostles come to our area to preside and give us counsel. It was a wonderful weekend, and on Sunday morning, our stake primary had a surprise for Elder D. Todd Christofferson.

The entire primary gathered in the primary room about 45 minutes before the morning session of Stake Conference, grouped according to height, so it looked like they were on a sloped stage.

Abby waited reverently.

Elder Christofferson came in just beaming at the kids- take a look at video of the two songs they sang- Abby is in the middle of the second row.

I Love to See The Temple

I Am a Child of God

Afterwards we spoke to the stake president and his wife, who are family friends, and Abby and Dad got a chance to shake the Apostle's hand, and he leaned over and gave her a hug! Abby said she felt "really good" when she shook his hand. It was a wonderful conference, and we were blessed to be in the presence of a special witness of Jesus Christ.

Losing the Tonsils

2010-03-13T10:46:00.007-06:00

Our sweet Aubri underwent her surgery the first week of March, getting her tonsils and adenoids removed at the same time. They were leading to some serious sleep apnea and were hindering her swallowing, so out they went.

Here's a look at the before picture. Yes, those are tonsils, not boulders or super balls.

We checked in and got a bracelet for our sweet girl.

Talking to the sleep doctor- Mister anestheiologist. We had to give Aubri a little Versed to get her to be a little calmer. We asked if we could take a couple of vials home for later in the year...

Getting the blood pressure. "Giving your arm a hug!"

Not sure about the whole thing right about now...

Though she did win a prestigious award while in the pre-op area.

Mom in the haz-mat suit getting ready to go back into the room with her little girl.

Can you tell Aubri is getting a little sleepy? Yeah. We wanted some of that Versed for our own home use...

In post-op. She woke up a little disoriented, and yelling- and didn't like the IV in the hand. No sir, she did not. In fact, she managed to unhook the end of the IV from her hand, causing blood to quickly seep through her dressing, effectively putting her sister Abby on total freakout mode. Dad had to take Abby out until the IV was replaced and the dressing was re-done.

Sleeping one off!

An Evening with the Princesses

2010-02-14T21:31:00.001-06:00

Meeting Cinderella!

Disney on Ice, the Princess edition, coming to Green Bay is like if the Yankees suddenly decided to play a home game at Lambeau for Dad, or if the Short Hills Mall moved to De Pere for Mom. Right in the wheelhouse for the little girls! Thanks to Dad's "connections" we got comped tickets, and were invited to a special meet and greet before the show.

As you can see by the blur, Abby was a little hyper even before the cotton candy, pizza, soda, snowcone, popcorn and lollipops consumed on this evening.

Here is a look at the moment of meeting for the meet and greet- my editing skills aren't here for the home video yet, so skip the first 30 seconds if you want-

Saying hello to a Princess.

Abby beside herself with glee at meeting Cinderella.

After the meet and greet- the pizza party, but not after hitting the vendors for some light up spinny battery operated eye pokers, I mean, light dazzlers!

Such fun getting to see seven Disney Princesses and with free tickets. Of course, the concessions/souvenirs/parking cost us a total of $98.00 (not even kidding. At least we kept it under a C note...), so I think the Disney people still came out ahead on that one.

Ahhh, Winter in Wisconsin...

2010-02-11T09:39:00.004-06:00

Yes, it's still snowing...

Out here they name the snowstorms if there is more than four inches of snow- and that happens pretty often.

The key to a fun winter- correct protection against the elements! I think our kids have a cold gene in them that loves the snow. Plus, they seem to have a knack to know when it is time to come in just before frostbite sets in...

These pics are from the end of last year- we really haven't had that much snow compared to normal- though normal is stinking crazy with snow.

Will the snow ever melt???

The Princesses of the Mountain!

Perhaps spring will come soon...

Andrew

Party Time!

2009-12-09T20:05:00.000-06:00

We had the ward Christmas Party last weekend, always a big of a roll of the dice. Andrew was in charge of the entertainment for the evening, and had the audience participate in the 12 days of Green Bay Christmas song, made up by the congregation with Green Bay only items. Here is the list they came up with:

1. On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a cartridge in a tree stand.
2. Green Bay Wards
3. Super Bowl Championships
4. Degrees below 0
5. Brett Favre retirements
6. Moua sisters (family in our ward)
7. Cheeseheads
8. Inches of Snow
9. Bowls of Booyah (local soup)
10. Schneider trucks a-hauling
11. Channel 11, WLUK
12. Months of winter

All too true!

Daddy as MC with his little shepherd girl.

Abby was the angel who brought glad tidings of great joy! Not pictured here: the cut under her eye and bruise on her face from a flashlight weilded by a boy who had been a convert baptism just two hours before. However, Abby has showbiz in her blood- the show must go on, and it did!

Apparently the glad tidings of great joy weren't as impactful to all the shepherds.

Finally, the Bishop as one of the wise men, who gave gifts to the little girls- no Santa this year, but hey, that's what the mall is for, right!?

The Holiday Spirit

2009-12-09T13:59:00.001-06:00

We love the holidays at our house- of course it's mostly about the Christmas cookies, but also the holiday cheer and traditions and snuggling on the couch when it is cold. Which it always is in Wisconsin.

However, it is also the time for good cheer, and our Abby has shown us what it means to have a big heart at Christmas. We were discussing that we felt so blessed this year that we have enough food to eat and have a warm home to live in, and after thinking about it, Abby had a suggestion.

"Daddy," she said. "I have an idea. How about we share what we have with the people who don't have any toys."

"How would we do that?" I asked.

"We need to have a garage sale, but put everything out for free, so the poor people can have stuff. We have so much, if we gave it away for free, other people could have it who don't have anything. That's what we should do!"

I was, of course, floored to hear my 5 year old, who should be in the "Me, me, me, then a little more about me" phase suggesting we give all of our stuff away. I said we'd think about it.

Then two weeks later, she was on the phone with her Grandma McPherson. Grandma asked her what she wanted for Christmas. Abby said she didn't know, but Grandma pressed her, asking her if she could have anything in the world, what would it be.

Abby thought for a moment, and said in a serious voice "I would want everyone in the world to be happy."

Great lessons from a little person.

THANKGIVING FUN!

Thanksgiving was great fun- spent it with the Amezcua family, the A's Auntie Allison. Andrew's entire family was there for the holiday, and to attend Elder Jacob Amezcua's sacrament meeting address just before heading out on his mission to Chile. He gave a great talk, and we got to go through the temple as a family.

St. Paul Temple

We also got to walk the dogs (one escaped, but only for a short time. I think Uncle Hector would have been fine if we had not re-captured...)

Watched the men folk risk life and limb to put up the Christmas lights.

And of course play with the indefatigable Cousin Sarah, the be all and end all of all for the little girls! Thanks for the smile, Aubri. The best of four pictures taken.

A's Halloween Fun

2009-11-04T10:04:00.001-06:00

The spooky fun of Halloween is wonderful for the A's, and that includes Daddy Andrew. The dressing up, the scaring, the free candy. Did I mention people giving out free stuff? Oh yeah, Dad is all over that!

We started with the pumpkins. Aubri's has a stomach flu, and so got sick on the table, Abby's is happy with his new toupee, and Daddy's has a bit of a runny nose. The cold and flu season starts early in the midwest!

Abby's school had a cute program a couple of days before Halloween.

Songs, treats, and here is Abby dressed as a mummy.

The whole class of mummies!

And make a mess... now!

Then it was "Sweet Street" at Shopko Hall that had a performance area, where Abby did a dance with the YMCA in her ballerina costume.

Then it was on to the free hair spraying station- pink with glitter! Like that didn't get all over the car... (Everything in there was "free". Of course it cost six bucks a kid and four an adult to get in, and they didn't let the adults get the candy!)

The finished product- so cute!

They went trick-or-treating, did the haunted house (tame even for the little girls) and saw the cool snakes.

Outside the spooky alley.

Then time for real trick or treating- our ballerina and piglet, ready to go!

Go get the free eats!

Our neighborhood is pretty good for Halloween- lots of participants, and plenty of candy! We'll be eating it for days, and started early, with candy eating by Dad and the kids before we were even half way through. Mom ended up picking us up after about an hour and a half- it was cold!

The Final Diaper!!!

2009-11-04T09:52:00.000-06:00

After five and a half years of cleaning up the refuse of our two children, it is over! Aubri has decided she is done with diapers. We had been telling her for the last month that after she came home from Grandma's we wouldn't be wearing diapers anymore, and without us reminding her, the day after we got back, it was off with the diaper, on with the Dora underwear, and she hasn't looked back. Just one or two accidents, but that's it- her pull-up overnight has never been wet, and she loves being a big girl, though she is still little, according to her.

Her parents are just happy the expense, stench and all around gross-out period of handling the soiled messes has come to an end. And all her pants fit better! How about that?

Plus, what a day of firsts, Abby figured out how to blow a bubble! We now have a lifetime of self contained voiding, bubble blowing fun as a family!

A's at Grandma Smith's

2009-10-20T19:12:00.000-05:00

Ahhhh, the trip to Grandma's house (and Grandpa's too). Our annual pilgrimage back to where the A's Daddy grew up. It is always a week full of trips to the Avenue Deli (Roast beef and swiss joe, please- three layers on rye with cole slaw and russian. Heavy on the Russian...) playing cards, helping Grandpa with the lawn, inpromptu teaching moments with the retired teacher Grandma, more food, watching the Yankees, playing some golf, swinging on the monkey bars at the park down the road, and trips to Delaware.

On the way there, a great and easy trip on the airplane- Abby and Aubri love to fly! A passenger on our flight to NJ said they were the best behaved children she had ever seen on a plane. Now if she had seen them in the airport...

Coming out of the airport, check out how close the guy parked next to Grandpa.

Didn't know he was so limber...

Grandma went on a grand daughter date with Abby to "Little House on the Prarie, the Musical!". Yes, it stars Melissa Gilbert, the original Half Pint, and she called in sick for the Saturday night performance. Way to step it up, Half Pint.

Sunday was church- the girls were very cute- and we showed them off to my old friends at the ward. Why is Abby holding Aubri's face? The ratio to "Aubri looking" to "Aubri looking away" photos is about 1:7.

Went to see Grandma's Cousin Phoebe- more than 90 years old, and we had a great visit!

It is always story time at Grandma's house! "Dooley and the Snortsnoot" was a favorite- one of Daddy's favorites as a wee one.

Always an adventure- the two A's in the teepee.

Home made pancakes! Auntie Allison's recipe- delish! Almost as fun eating them as making them.

Abby helped Grandpa with the yardwork- and got a free ride and $1 for the efforts. Yeah, big spender that Grandpa...

Halloween means pumpkins. Grandma helped with the decorating, Mom is in the picture. Sorry Grandma! (Notice Aubri isn't looking...)

Grandma did the solo trip to Turtleback zoo with the girls- Mom was in NYC, Dad golfing with Grandpa. Lots of fun had by all- Aubri still doesn't know where the camera is, however.

Both girls got a chance to get a pony ride as well- heaven!

Abby took this one- not bad! Aubri- oblivious.

We also spent a day in Delaware- a family photo in front of Great Grandfather's studios- Frank E. Schoonover. Lots of history in this place- Daddy used to visit when he was Abby's age.

Uncle John being a tour guide- also gave Abby a small palette used by her great great grandfather at some point in his life. A treasure to be sure!

And the eating continues... Grandpa's famous Ceasar salad and NJ pizza- yum!

Last night in NJ- one more story!

The way home, not as good- 15 hours and four airports. We got the first class upgrade from Cincinnati to Chicago, a city we had hoped we wouldn't see, but went through in a re-route that got us into our final destination only 8 hours late. We got some looks from the passengers filing past our seats in the front, but we deserved them! A great and memorable trip to be sure!

Kindergarten Days

2009-10-02T18:20:00.000-05:00

Despite our best efforts to find a half day kindergarten throughout the summer, from checking other school districts (they have open enrollment in Wisconsin) to private (rejected the place who's teacher's favorite phrase was "there's a rule in school..."), we broke down and sent our dear oldest A to all-day school, much to her parents chagrin. To much weeping and wailing from Mom, though not much gnashing of teeth, we had our first day of school, sending our baby off to the clutches of the public school system, opening her up to peer pressure and teasing, but also to a world of learning, which she absolutely loves.

After Dad dropped her off, without a backwards glance from his eldest, and returned back to the car with a lump in his throat, we realized this is where our Abby begins living her own life, the life she will remember. She has a sharp mind, and now will begin the cultivation.

Her teacher is absolutely fabulous, Mrs. Neuens, who has a reputation of one of the best in the district. Abby says "She is a great teacher and is my favorite so far, and no teacher is as nice as her on the planet." Abby's experience probably isn't as far reaching as she seems to think, but suffice it to say she likes her teacher.

Of course that doesn't mean she doesn't like home better than school. Here she is coming out from her first day- as usual in a blur of motion. School has started, and so begins the next 15 years of our lives!

"Wish you were a smart Mom"

2009-09-29T13:54:00.000-05:00

So Mom was told to fix the prized possession of the 5yr old "A" (which is a pink blankie) while she attended school. Mom, of course, completely forgot. When the brilliant kingergartener found out mom had failed her she said "I wish you were a smart mom."

Later that evening, after a day of teaching, playing, dance class etc., mom put the 'hot' pan on the table containing the night's fare of roast. After serving everyone, the lid was replaced. Then, as if to punctuate the earlier statement of the 5 yr old, the smallest "A" picked up the lid to look in the roasting pan. Nothing worse than little chubby fingers getting burned. Screaming, water, ice, Tylenol, rocking, stories and prayers later, she finally was able to calm down and get to sleep.

Abby and Aubri deserve a smart mom. Know anyone?

Story by Jennifer (The Dumb Mom)

Apple begins with the A's

2009-09-25T19:53:00.000-05:00

With fall coming to Wisconsin, it was time this weekend to head out to harvest. We don't have any land or trees or crops to harvest ourselves, so we went to the local apple farm to get our fill of local fare.

The farm has rows of apple trees of various types, from Courtlandt to Macintosh to Golden Delicious, and also has a play train and picnic area to have a little fun. Later in the year, they will have pumpkins and the like, but right now, it's all about the apples.

We headed out to the rows, and got our weapons, I mean apple pickers, and shockingly, no one lost an eye.

Here's a couple of pickin' pickers!

Abby with the long stretch to get the apples.

They also have the little measuring board- here's our two pumpkins.

Yes, Abby is twice as old as Aubri, and is in the 60th percentile in height, but Abubri is only three inches behind. The doctor says Aubri will be six feet, four inches. That is not a joke. We hope it is not true.

Now the question: what to do with all the apples? We're not the apple pie type, applesauce is too time consuming, and Aubri has already had a tummy ache from the apples she took a bite from and then threw on the ground out in the grove- luckily it is all you can eat out in the orchard. I think we'll just get some caramel, and do what those with a sweet tooth like the best- add the sugary substance and go to town!

The stars of the blog

2009-09-20T23:13:00.000-05:00

Friends!

We are now bloggers!

2009-09-20T23:04:00.000-05:00

Hello all,
We never feel what we do is all that interesting...but what Abby and Aubri are up to is worth passing along. It will take a little while for us to get the hang of it...but it will be worth it!
Jennifer and Andrew