Three Kids

This is Reagan before her first day of preschool:

Not only is it her first day, but she is also the designated "treat-bringer" and "show-and-tell" girl today... She was nervously excited and said more than once, "Now Grant, I'm going to school. While I'm gone you're going to take a nap and then I'll see you at 2:30. Ok?"

This is Grant while we were singing Happy Birthday to him at Grandma & Grandpa's house last weekend: Grant is my little extrovert and wanted to go to preschool more than Reagan did today.

And finally Riley - with a "pretty" in her hair. I've started calling her Smiley Riley because she's so happy all the time. She was having lots of trouble eating anything besides bottles, so last week we did 'baby cereal boot camp'. Twice a day I fed her little bits of cereal and after some tears, finally yesterday was the day she started to get the hang of it. And now today she ate baby cereal and bananas like a pro. :)

Family Vacation

Our vacation this year was nearly identical to our trip last year, except we added a day at an indoor water park and a 6-month-old baby. Other than that, it was all basically the same.

Day 1 at the Omaha Zoo:
Day 2 at an indoor water resort in Omaha:

There were two sets of kids' slides - a blue set and a yellow set. Reagan and Grant alternated between those two slides and the lazy river. For six hours. Riley has the patience of a saint.

(If you squint and look at the screen just right, you can see Grant in a blue life-jacket in the middle of the yellow slide.) (Again you have to use your reading glasses, but Reagan is at the top of the yellow slide and Grant is off to the left in the glue and green.) This was probably my favorite part of the trip, and I'm glad I got it on video. Grant is usually my crazy one, except around water. He rarely wants to get in, but has been getting better since watching Reagan at swimming lessons. I still wouldn't have predicted a day like this, though. :) (Reagan goes down first in the red life-jacket and Grant is second.)


Day 3 at The Omaha Children's Museum and Chuck E. Cheese:









Our last day swimming at the hotel pool. By this time I had given up on trying to get anyone to look at the camera... Maybe next year.

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And finally, the "Baby of the Year Award" goes to........... Riley!

Riley at the Zoo:


Riley at the Waterpark:

Riley at the Children's Museum:

All in all, we had some great family time :)

The Star Spangled Banner - Part 2

Recall that since Memorial Day we've been singing Reagan the Star Spangled Banner as her bedtime song. And every so often she asks me to explain another line of the song.

(Until you try to explain things like spangled, ramparts, twilight, and perilous you don't realize how strange it is for a four-year-old to claim this as her favorite song.)

Last night after we sang it together (she knows all the words now) she asked me what the "land of the free" meant.

Me: (something like) "We live on land in the U.S. and get to do what we want and worship God if we want. That's what it means to be "free".

Reagan: "Okay.... so where do all the trapped people live?"

I'm Just Saying...

If you're going to adopt two stray kittens that you aren't sure you want in the first place -- you should at least check to see if they have ringworm before you let the kids cuddle them.

I'm just saying...

Help Me Out...

We need your help to settle a little um... situation at our house. Let me explain it and then you can vote...

A little background:
Reagan's had swimming lessons for the last two weeks. After her lessons, the baby pool is available for anyone who wants to swim - this includes Grant. The first week he couldn't swim because we were out of swim diapers and I couldn't get to Target.

The second week, though I bought swim diapers and I let both kids swim in the baby pool every day. When we were done, I changed them in the locker room and brought all their wet swimming clothes home. I hung them on the clothesline so they would be dry for the next day.

One night I asked Joel to go out and bring in the clothes in so I could pack them for the next morning. He almost choked on his gum when he saw that I had hung out a disposable swim diaper. "I mean, they call me the cheapest guy at work, but you just one-upped me!"

Joel told his (frugal-type) boss and they both had a good laugh. I don't see anything wrong with it... :) I mean it was barely used - we only swam for 30 minutes - and we were going back the next day! Am I crazy??

Please vote -------->