i painted a ceiling and Anna can't stop reading

I took it a little easy yesterday.  I didn't even cook dinner (well I did, we had spinach eggs and toast).  We did go to Lilly's house, the park twice and the library though.  And Anna couldn't help herself from reading while biking home.  We jumped on the tramp, I made some photo books online.  It was nice to just take a day to enjoy my girls.

last night Rich was giving me a hard time so I thought today I'd get back to being busy.

We got up, ate waffles, did hair, got some laundry on the line and biked to the school to play (anna bikes, I ran with Julia).  It's good for anna to play on the school playground, she's getting more coordinated and strong.

We came home, Anna did preschool on the computer while I took a shower.  Then we went visiting teaching right away.  We came home from that and I did my billing for this payperiod and then we went to the post office to send a package.  After that we went to home depot and bought paint and supplies for painting the ceiling in my room.

Anna colored in her room, Julia napped and I painted the ceiling.  What a pain in the neck (literally).  We folded the laundry, made 2 batches of pesto to freeze, did some swinging, made dinner and cleaned up.  whew!  Busy days feel good.  Hopefully we can get some more done tomorrow.

some kids just get sick

Anna is still pretty sick today.  We had a small dance party this morning and she just stopped in the middle of dancing and said "I'm too tired to dance."  Poor girl.  We did a lot of reading today.

We had pesto spaghetti for lunch.  The girls love that.  We also had fresh cucumbers from the garden (good job on the garden Richard).

During Julia's nap, Anna often has "room time."  Since she had hours of room time this morning before "room time" I decided to let her do something she can't do when Julia is around.  She painted this beautiful unicorn that I bought at a yard sale a while back.  She thought it was so special.  Then she beaded a necklace for her friend Lilly (her hands are getting quiet dexterous).  After that she colored in coloring books for about an hour.  That girl loves to color.  She was disappointed that some of her paints had dried up and she said "crayons NEVER dry up!"

Then Julia woke up and I had to stop working (I work on the computer during nap/room time almost every day).  I felt like going for a walk so we walked down to the library (after collecting all 30 books we checked out..it's always a challenge).  We checked out more books on robots.  That is the theme of the summer reading program and there are a lot of cute robot books!

Then we walked to Smiths and bought some cilantro to have with our beef roast for dinner (this is the second or third time I've made roast for dinner - its so good I should do it more often).    Anna read books to julia the whole way home.  I love this view of the girls enjoying a book together.

We walked home and made dinner.  Lilly came over to see if Anna was better.  What good friends.  The girls played in the playhouse and sandbox and tramp.  Rich came home and we had dinner.  Julia didn't want to eat with us.  But then we all moved to the couch after dinner and she crawled up on the table and started picking at dinner.  The little stinker.  So I buckled her in her high chair and she sat and ate dinner for 30 minutes all alone.

After dinner anna begged to go for a bike ride, so off we went - to the park.  Julia wouldn't wear shoes or bike.  She ran the whole way to the park.  I recorded her little run, she's just so darn cute.  I carried her a good part of the way home.  I just love holding that little munchkin and snuggling her.  She fills my heart with joy.

We walked home and went to bed.  I worked some more and then my friend TRINA! came over.  It's so cool that she lives here.  Thanks for coming over Trina.  Also we uncovered the garden beds that have been "solarizing" and rich planted some beans there today.  Here's to hoping for a fall harvest of beans!

break in at the buhlers

last night someone broke into richards car, opened the garage with the opener in his truck, then rummaged through my car and stole the petty cash I keep in the console.  Luckily we locked the house door (from garage to house).  They didn't take our bikes or tools, which is crazy, but wonderful.  We must have guardian angels watching over us.

 The neighbors up the street were not so fortunate.  They didn't lock their house door and the person went in their house, stole their purse, ipad, and found the car keys to steal the car with.

It was a good reality check for us.  We lock our doors, but I think we will be better about making sure all the windows have stoppers in them and the car doors are locked when outside.  I don't think I"ll be able to leave the windows open for fresh night air anymore!

In other news today, I finished organizing and cleaning the garage, it looks pretty good in there.  I was able to do that because Anna had a fever all day and laid in bed most of the day.  Julia was happy to just play by Anna and watch some movies.  It feels good to have that done.  Now we can really focus on the bedroom upstairs.

It rained hard this afternoon.  Anna's fever broke an hour or so before it started to rain, so I told her she could play in it.  Rain is really a novelty here!  And it was nice and warm.  We raced boats down the gutter with the neighbor's grand kids.  The girls had a great time.

We had family home evening.  We learned about  being confirmed a member of the church since amber will be baptized and confirmed this weekend.  anna was very interested.  After that, Rich read the girls their night stories.  Julia was mad about that, she wanted her mom.  But when she saw what fun anna was having, she got over it.

I hope I can sleep tonight.  I'm feeling a little scared after the break in.

a homey saturday

Richard got so much done today.  He made us cottage cheese pancakes for breakfast. The morning he went to This is the Place state park and took apart the stake's 24th of July float.  When he got back, he finished putting up shelves in our 'under the porch' storage room.  He also mowed the lawn.  After that he trimmed the doors in the house that were too long.  Then I suggested that we build some shelves in the garage with the leftover lumber from the shelves we took apart in the basement.  We just finished that project.  Wow, what a worker, thank you Richard!

I had the easy life.  I slept in, woke up and read a bit of The Great Gatsby.  While rich was gone I gave the girls baths (anna peed the bed again...3 nights in a row).  Then I did their hair, cleaned the kitchen, washed annas bedding and put it on the line (3rd day in a row).  packed lunched and headed over to Jenn Oblad's inlaws house to see her before she moved to Vegas.  She is a friend (my only) from high school.  We went to a park and then had a reminiscint lunch of chicken salad sandwiches with tortilla chips (in the sandwich).  We used to eat that every day for lunch in high school.  Fun to see a friend.

When I got back Julia went down for a nap.  As did anna.  Apparently she is really sick.  who knew?  She only naps when she is sick.  While the girls slept I contemplated painting our future bedroom.  But instead I decided to finish up our basement job.  So I finally got it all cleaned up down there (it feels so good!).

 Then the girls got up and we made them dinner (peanut butter smoothies with spinach).  Anna was feeling really rotten so I read her all of her library books, then gave them a bath and read some more Great Gatsby.

After hte girls were in bed we worked together on the shelves.  It took forever since our tools like to die in a pattern (first the drill battery runs out, then the air gun stops working, then the drill battery works, then runs out....etc).

It was a good day.  We got so much done.  I've been feeling like we can't live in this house because we never have time to get anything done.  But we do - we just have to be here!  Well, actually Richard just has to be here.  Thanks for being so handy honey.

no time like the present

for starting goals that you write about on your blog (I wrote today that I wanted to keep up better on the blog).......
no pictures!  SAD!

I just went grocery shopping last week!  But we are out of food because I haven't been planning a long enough menu.  So today our fridge was bare and I was planning on having pancakes and eggs for dinner.  My mom called me up and said "Bart and Annette are here, can we come over."  My first reaction was no - I'll come to your house (mostly because I didn't want them to have to drive down so far).  Then I remembered my goal to get the kids in bed by 8 and (since it was 4:30) decided I better have them come here.  So I made up some Lentil Tacos with the food I had, went to Smiths and bought ice cream for dessert (and blue cookies!) and all the family came on over!  Andy, Virginia (+kids), Mom, Dad, Jill, Jessica (my cousin, jills age), Bart and Annette.  Rich was sure surprised when he got home!  It was wonderful to see Bart and Annette again.  They were our only family when we lived up in Portland and they always took such good care of us.  Bart would help us fix things on the house and went hunting with Richard.  Annette and her kids would come over once a week at times and visit.  They remembered us at Christmas and invited us to their thanksgivings.  Family really is a special thing.  Thanks for coming over guys!  And thanks for fixing whatever you fixed Dad and Bart!

summer is running and I can't keep up

 we bought blueberries at the store from mcminnville oregon.  I hate buying berries at the grocery store.

 but julia loves them, despite this MAD face.  She is really INTo saying "bobbi happy, bobbi mad..."

 one day we were out talking to our nearly ninety neighbor Darwin.  The girls started chasing a cat.  julia tripped, then anna tripped on julia and fell on top of her.  she has another black eye.

 anna got a little owie too.

 we went to a splash pad.  first time this summer I think.  anna love it.

 she danced in it.

 julia wouldn't get in.

 anna was kind to hold her hand.  we bought a cupcake from a bakesale and shared it.

 we went shopping at TJ max for a tablecloth (richard invited his cousins over and I wanted a tablecloth for the 8 ft table my dad gave us).  julia found a lot of pink stuff.

 these girls love to shop.

 aunt joy, and the buhler grandparents came over.  they gave the girls some nice gifts.

 including a huge trampoline.

 which everyone helped set up.

 but richard did most the work.  ti was a hot job.

 the girls love it.  thank you.

 julia especially loves aunt joy.  anna is still recovering from 3 weeks of minimal sleep.

 grandma elaine moved to a nice apartment in bountiful (legacy house).  we were able to visit sunday.  It takes us an hour to get there.

 grandma was up, dressed and at church.  a major improvement from past sunday visits where we would get her out of bed at 11 am.  she seems happy.

 we made our first batch of pesto from the garden.  anna loves it.  she also loves RAW beets.

 we went to the MUSEUM OF NATURAL CURIOUSITY at thanksgiving point.  i didn't really like it.  too many people.

 julia loves legos.  she was sort of bully and kept taking pieces from boys twice her size.  i had to remove her from the area.

 my mom and dad came by the way.

 and chloe and remi and their friend isaac and his baby sister melody.

 anna didn't want to cross this bridge.  i had to have a lady help us across, anna wanted an adult in front and in back.

 mom and anna in jungle attire.

 my dad went across the bridges with jilly.

 baby Trac (what is his real name virginia?  Sterling?)

 chloe and anna at the museums splash pad.

 aunt jilly is going to be a senior this year!

 the whole museum gang.  i am brave to put up this pic with my big fat roll.  ah well.  such is life as a mom.

 julia is adorable.  she likes to sleep in so we send pics of her eating bfast to her daddy at work.

 this is anna's fish face.

 my fish face.  i look like a grandma.  after seeing this picture i gave myself permission to take a shower, shave, wear make up and white pants.

 anna has a reading nook in the basement.  it is a closet corner where she can read and read.  its great.  she loves it so much she peed her pants there and sat in it for a good hour reading.  okay, that part about peeing her pants is not normal or good - but she loves the reading nook.

 our outdoor playground.  when i can get anna out of her reading nook we enjoy our time in our backyard.

 i put up a clothesline.  i love hanging clothes on the line for some reason.

 our garden.

 i had to work a few hours in the 24th so it was just like any other day.  we went to fireworks in bountiful on the 23rd.  amy and her family were there, along with mom, dad and virginia's family (no andy).  we even brought along grandma elaine.

next year we aren't going to stay up that late.  we are still paying for it.  our kids need their sleep to function normally.  and so do I!

other unpictured events of the past 2 weeks:

- making apricot leather with virginia

- putting up storage shelves in our basement

- swimming at our friend lilly's house

- going to the library with our new friend lily and family

- lots of work by me (we are applying for a new grant)

- anna's 4 yr well child check (i got a lecture about anna's weight - they told me to stop giving her pop and to try and feed her at least 5 frutis and veggies per day......)

- biking to the park with the girls

- storytime at the library with our neighbor across the street (millie)

i'm sure more but I don't remember.  I got to get back into the daily blogging habit!