The corn harvest

We got to go out in the field and pick corn.

This nice man taught the kids how to do it.

And I think Ayla is about as good at following directions as me.

She chose to do things her own way.
Good for her.

Did I mention it was beautiful outside?!? Or that I love Iowa in October? It was and I do.

Can't sleep

Really, I should be in bed.
But I just can't sleep. I've tried everything. Seems like these eyes will not close before midnight...ever.
So all these thoughts are rattling around in my head, the most recent being,
"I wonder where Lani put all that candy she collected at Tate's party. I sure could use some."

More Ripples...

"The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt." (Buechner)

Wow. It's already spreading like wildfire.
Jody just posted and update on the pajamas and bags project.
Go read it. It will give you goosebumps.
And the stories just keep coming.
If we all band together, lives are changed. Hearts are changed.
Ripples, I tell ya. Ripples.

9 month and 5 years appointments...

Just got home from our "well-baby checks". I'm not sure when you stop calling them that, but we'll stick with it for now.

Ayla:
17 pounds on the nose (that's like the 10%...great, we have another Brigg on our hands)
26.5 inches...like the 15%
Developing great.
Most likely allergic to milk...no more dairy whatsoever. Only soy-based products.

Lani:
40 pounds (55%)
42 inches (60%)
3 shots...that puts her all ready for kindergarten! :) She did great. She's one tough girl.
Ear infection
Sinus infection
Currently on an antibiotic.

That's it. Hope she's feeling better before we head out tomorrow. She looks pretty miserable today. We've never had to deal with any "allergy" stuff really, so this could be interesting. We eat a lot of dairy in the house. More milk, yogurt and cheese than I care to admit to. So it will be a bit of a challenge. But apparently we can get soy in most of that...and I'm sure it will be MUCH cheaper! HA!

Fun with Ayla photos...

The Parade

Before we left town on Saturday, Lani walked in the parade with her cheerleading group.

She loved it.
She was a perfect little cheerleader!

And I think Ayla was pretty proud of her sister as well!

Do you ever have those moments?

Those moments when you look around you and think "Wow. I am totally not mature enough to be responsible for all this. For the 3 kids. For marriage. For this house. For the bills. For the decisions that need to be made that will affect our future. I really don't think I can do it." I have those moments. Often. (Especially the three kids part!) Having one of those moments right now.

Chicken Nuggets

For mother's day Nalani's preschool teachers compiled all of the students favorite recipes and printed them up in one book to send home with each student. The kicker is that they let the children give them the recipe...without the parents knowledge. Apparently they asked each child what their favorite dish was that mommy served and then how she prepared it. Being the wonderful mother that I am, Nalani chose Chicken Nuggets. Um yeah...of the frozen genre. So here is her recipe...

CHICKEN NUGGETS
Recipe by Lani Burback

Mommy buys them at Hy-Vee. Comes in a red bag. She dumps them on a plate and warms them up in the microwave for like 7 seconds. My mom puts them on a plate so the table doesn't get all messy. I eat them with Ranch Dressing.

So there you have it. Feel free to try this at home, but I warn you, the "dumping them on a plate" part is pretty technical and can easily ruin the whole meal if done improperly.
Oh my...

Oh yay.

Brigg has strep. And I'm thinking Paul probably has it as well. After several days of listening to the both of them "whine", I realized there may actually be something to the complaining. So Brigg went in and had a strep test that came back positive. So she went ahead and prescribed an antibiotic for Brigg, Paul and myself. Oops. Maybe I need to listen a little closer to their "whining"! Let's just hope we can keep the girls healthy!

And little Ayla Lyn

i look at her and wonder what she'll be like. she is definitely her own little person. often times her mannerisms remind me more of brigg, but that sparkle in her eye when she smiles and leans forward is all nalani. although she is a little more leary of new people...sometimes giving them a good long stare right into their soul before offering a smile...which is definitely more of a brigg trait. she is interacting more and more and also becoming quite the little "talker". her personality is coming out a little more each day. so anxious to see how it develops over the years to come. i love them all so much and feel so fortunate to get to be their mommy!

And then there is Nalani

i'm pretty sure she and brigg have the same cold, but when it was time for her to go to school, she got up and skipped to the bathroom to get ready...SO excited to get there and see her teachers and friends. once she is there though, she is much more shy than brigg. she likes to stick by her teachers and be a "helper". she doesn't make friends quite as easily. which seems so strange to me. from the way they act preparing to head out the door to school, you would think those interactions at school would be reversed. it really is so fun to raise these little people and figure out how to romance each of their hearts in different ways.

I love this child...

but often times i just don't "get" him. we are so very different. i have always LOVED school. we often times struggle to get him out the door. he came down with a cold on sunday and has been feeling down and out ever since. this morning he did not have a fever and i told him he had to go to school. he has now missed 6 days (5 for vacation and one for being sick)! he cried and whined and informed me of how unfair it was that he had to go to school ALL DAY five days a week and nalani only had to go three days. and i just don't understand. he has lots of friends. he does really well at school. i have seen him there and he thoroughly enjoys it! it's just GETTING him there. and people, he is in KINDERGARTEN! for heaven's sake, we have 12 years left of this! someone tell me it gets better. please.

I really don't understand why

I don't get it. I literally scrubbed the bathroom a couple days ago. And this is what I found today. WHY? Why must the toothpaste end up ALL OVER the bathroom? I don't get it. I did not include photos of it on the floor and running down the front of the cupboard. Brigg's sink is the one on the left and Nalani's on the right. Is it just MY children? Or is this common for a 4 and 6 year-old?

Getting it together!

That's my goal. I need to get it together by Friday. We leave on Saturday for Florida. I need to be packed and ready. It seems like everytime I feel the pressure of "getting it together" come upon me, I decide to tackle a project...today it was cleaning off my computer desk and sorting through my file cabinet! I have no idea what I was thinking. But I finished it and somehow I feel quite the sense of accomplishment. Yet my bags sit, unpacked and laundry waits to be folded and placed in those bags. I am a MASTER procrastinator! Tomorrow is the day...the day I will get it together!

A glimpse into dinner time around here...

My kids don't really like to eat. It's always an issue. Somehow each night they seem to find something else to divert their attention. Tonight it was Ayla. (Notice at the end Lani saying "Mommy, look at my meat!" That's because it's like pulling teeth to get them to eat meat. She was very proud of herself...she ate her complete serving of roast!)

just weak

well, i keep thinking i'm better, but each time i try to do something productive, i about collapse after 5 minutes. i no longer feel sick to my stomach, but i am definitely not 100%. i'm hoping if i take it easy today, i'll be back to normal tomorrow and be able to get some things done. i have so much to do before we leave on saturday...along with fitting in TKD 2 nights, soccer practice, dance, and a soccer game on saturday before we leave.
i'm tired just thinking about it...

Chris and Bode visit

Chris and Bode came Friday morning and stayed the night. The kids played and rode bikes together. It was so fun to be around Bode, as always. He cracks us up over and over again. (the helmet was a bit big for him!)

Butterflies

I know this is silly, but I have butterflies tonight. Tomorrow Brigg has his very first TKD tournament. He will be doing board breaking, forms and sparring. Tonight after his TKD class, he said he had a stomachache. I asked him if he was nervous and he said, very shyly, "Yes." My heart sunk. I know that feeling. I think he is very excited, but just doesn't know what to expect. They have been preparing for this for months, and tomorrow he'll find out what all the preparation was for. So tonight I can't sleep. And everytime I think about my baby boy sparring, my stomach flips! :0
He'll do great...and I'll be "that" mom. You know, the yelling, shouting, CHEERING kind!! :)

Moving on...

We gave Ayla her first food tonight...Organic brown rice cereal. YUM! She actually did really well...at first. By the 4th bite or so, she started gagging. Literally. So we stopped. She's so funny!

GAME ON!

It's a tradition. March madness rolls around and Paul and I get competitive. We have our brackets filled out and I'm thinking I'll be holding on to my "Champion" title for another year. I seriously beat him every year! Looking forward to the games starting tomorrow!!