So much for Spring!

Well Spring Break is almost over but that doesn't mean Spring should be over too. Mother Nature is calling for 2-8 inches of SNOW!!! Yup I said SNOW! I'm all for snow, but not too happy when it should be spring. Our tulips, rhubarb and lilies are already growing. The tulips got hit hard last year and didn't recover, don't want to see that again. Although the boys are rooting for snow, they want to make snowballs and ride their bikes in it. I'd be fine with it, but I don't want the cold. Of course we'll see when it starts snowing what we actually end up with. Keith is hoping no snow because tomorrow is the famous Kent Park bike race! So are all the other racers too. But we'll seee what comes of it...

So much for Spring Break

This week is spring beak for the kids. Too bad it's not going to be much fun for them. Monday I had an OB appointment. Actually 2, had to have the ultrasound at one time and then the OB appt later. So the kids came to those. At the OB appt I was put on pretty much bedrest and sent over to the hospital to get a steroid shot for the babies lungs. They did good there for the hour of that. The kids brought their Nintendo Ds's but both batteries had died by the time we had to go to the hospital, so we had to come up with whatever was in my car to keep them happy. Salem did some word searches and chilled. Kaden liked seeing the babies heartbeats and me getting the shot, lol. The nurse let them get a carton of milk as we left, so they liked that part. I had to go back Tuesday afternoon to get the 2nd shot. We were a little more prepared, even brought a charger in case I had to stay longer than we though. The nurse let them get the milk right off the bat this time. They really are very friendly there, answering the kids questions, letting them check it all out. No probs and I was out within an hour. I go back on Thursday for my normally scheduled NST and that should be about an hour as well for us.

No huge concerns with the babies coming early, more of a precaution thing in case they do. We're planning on inducing April 30th. I'm sure they will be happy to stay until then! I go back to my OB on Monday to see how things are and see what my restrictions are from then. As of right now I'm supposed to do less than what I have been doing...which I haven't been doing much of anything. So I lay on the couch all day and the kids are great helpers! I figure if I chill out as much as possible then I can go to Keith's bike race on Sunday! I'll bring my chair and sit my happy butt down to watch them go by. But I figure I'll only be really restricted for 2 weeks, so not too bad. Keth and the boys are having to step it up and help out more, but they're being good sports about it. It's good for them anyway!

So the poor kids are stuck at home for their Spring Break :( The weather is yucky out, rainy the past 2 days so I can't send them outside. Keith did take them out last night for a bit when it stopped an so that was good. Today it's chilly but Keith and Salem are going riding outside when he gets home. Kaden and I have been playing Wii and Webkinz. And the kids both got a new Pokemon game, so that keeps them occupied for a bit, Salem more so than Kaden. Hopefully the weather will be nice tomorrow so they can be outside!

Such a nice day!

Oh what a gorgeous day today was! We took full advantage of it! We went down to Kent Park (site of the big bike race next weekend) and Keith did laps while the boys played. We brought their scooters and they rode all over and even up and down the HUGE hill! It's a scary big hill and they had a blast going down it. Keith did a bunch of laps getting a feel for next weekend. I sat and played with my new camera lens. The boys also collected a bunch of nuts to bring home for our squirrels. A nice day at the park!

Came home and decided we were going to go hit some geocaches. Had to hit the lame micro ones since walking miles in the woods is not my idea of fun at this time. We did a bunch of them today and it was so much fun to get back into caching. It's been quite a few months since we did some. The kids had a blast climbing trees nearby at some, or playing football with pine cones and just playing and enjoying being outside being boys!

On such a nice day we HAD to grill out! Stopped by the grocery store to pick up some burgers and brats and while I logged our caches and put my feet up, Keith and the boys played football in the yard and grilled some yummies!

Now the kids are in their playroom (which still isn't completely clean) watching Beverly Hills Chihuahua and are going to sleep down there tonight.

Tomorrow, not sure, looks like rain. But had a great family day today!!

Salem's news

Not HUGE news, but good news for Salem that I thought I'd write about real quick. Well first off he is starting to work on his cycling merit badge for Boy Scouts. Keith is able to help him do it, and Salem's excited to get started!

The bigger news is Salem is now on Level 1 spelling! That's the highest you can go in 5th grade! He started off on level 2 at the beginning of the year, but was just moved to level 1! They have some really hard words like commissioner, immediately, accustomed and affidavit! 25 new words each week.

Go Salem!

Kaden's Pinewood Derby results

So we show up for Test n Tune Friday night with Kaden's car all ready to go! He races it a few times and it seems to be running awesome! Not sure how it will do against his other den scouts, but that's okay. We brought their last years cars so the could play around with them instead of Kaden's nice new car.

Saturday morning comes and we're ready to roll! Keith is helping put the cars on the track and I'm taking pictures and talking with Kaden's assistant den leader. It's weird as the kids are not super excited and there is not much cheering and such going on. I think that needs to change for next year. Salem and Kaden were sitting at the end of the track watching all the races, so I knew they were into it. When they got through all the main races they posted the top 3 from each den. I looked over and was surprised to see made the top 3 in his den! Then I noticed he got 1st place in his den!!! Holy cow, total shock to me!! It's tough when they race against everyone in the pack so you're not sure exactly where they lie in their den. They raced once in each of 4 lanes and the computer averaged the times to get the fastest. Go Kaden!!! He was SUPER excited to get 1st!!

Now it was pack racing time! The 1st place from each den raced to get the placing and the top 3 would go onto district. We all knew who would be 1st place as this kid took it last year and again this year his car is SUPER fast. I mean it blows everyone out of the water! So 2nd through 4th place was up for grabs. The races went quick and at the end Keith knew who had placed where since he was up by the computer. I told him not to tell me I'd wait for the cubmaster to make the announcement. He did say it was REALLY close, which made me even more nervous. Not sure if it meant he was close to making it or almost not making it.

Kaden took 3rd place in the pack!!!! YEAH!! He couldn't have looked any more happier when he realized he was going to districts! And when Keith said it was close, it sure was! Kaden beat out the 4th place scout by .0009! Yeah a pretty much unmeasurable amount! So crazy!

Kaden was like all the other kids dreaming of taking 1st place and then going to districts, I think more so because he saw Salem go a few years ago. And like all the parents we tried not letting the kid get their hopes up too much because there are always good cars! But man we were all so happy when his "dream" came true!!

I can't mention the derby this year without mentioning the scandal, growl! At home Friday night Keith says he thinks a certain car was brought back from last year. I get all ticked because of the person who did this (a leader) and how unscout like it is! So I call the derby coordinator and the cubmaster. We're 99% sure it's the same car, so we decide to approach this person in the morning and give them a chance to remove the car from placing. But come morning it is decided to let the person run, even though no one thinks they should. The only reason we let this certain person race is because it was not written in black and white that the car must be new each year. That will certainly be changed for next year! We find it funny for the past few years this kids car has not placed, except last year he took 2nd and his car shows up again. This year he also ended up taking 2nd place. Can't wait to see this persons face when we talk about rule changes and this new one is mentioned! The other interesting part is the scout was "bragging" last night he was using the same car. The assistant leader and I were talking at the derby and she asked me what if someone brought back a previously used car. She tried playing dumb, but it soon came out she and I knew exactly what was going on and we both were quite ticked! Oh and then the scouts dad had the nerve to complain afterwards about how the rules were as far as which cars went to districts. It's been the same rules for the past 5 years, they've been racing for 3, so they know the rules, they were given the rules in writing. He complained the same thing last year. And the thing is his son wouldn't have made it to districts either year no matter how we placed them. So yeah, dumb parents!!

Anyway besides that the derby was awesome! Salem didn't go to his Arrow of Light ceremony (not required) because he wanted to watch the derby. Kaden did an awesome job! Back at home the car went into the box to store until districts on April 25th!

Salem's camping trip

Salem made it back alive from his camping trip! His shoes...I think they are toast! One mom had a good idea and sent her son in snow boots, why didn't I think of that one?? It was REALLY muddy out there! And it only got worse since it rained ALL day Saturday and Sunday! Salem had a BLAST though camping! They had some good food too. Lunch was pizza sandwiches and dinner was hobo pies. Breakfast they ended up coming back to town and cooked at the warehouse where the one Assistant Scoutmaster works. Nice and dry inside. They had pancakes and bacon, 6 pancakes and 8 pieces of bacon for Salem alone.

While camping, Salem tried his hand at fishing, didn't catch anything...noone did. He and some other boys went hiking and got lost, found their way back, just took a bit longer. They helped with food and cleaning up and also learned some new knots. Salem did avoid being with the group that fell in the river! Not sure what the kids were thinking...except they were boys and probably not thinking! Some of the kids were fishing and their bobber got stuck under some ice. Okay first off after our 50 degree weather who woudl have thought we'd still have ice and 2nd who woudl have thought the kids would have walked on the ice to get it. Oh wait, their boys! Thankfully the water was only knee deep so the kids didn't get TOO drenched. But still, not a smart move. But hey they got their bobber back!

He had fun, learned some stuff, made new friends, and stuffed his sleeping bag back into the bag (with some help) so all in all it was good! The next camping trip is at the end of April, maybe beginning of May, hopefully it will be drier!

All packed and ready to go!

Salem's in for one wild weekend I think! His very first campout as a Boy Scout! It would be so much nicer if they weren't calling for over an inch of rain and flash flooding both days! But I'm sure the kids will have a blast no matter what! They are sleeping in a cabin so that will be the nice bonus! Saturday they are going to one park and doing some hiking and fishing and cooking. Then they will head to another park and hike back to the cabin. It's a bit of a hike too!

We had to get Salem a bunch of stuff for this trip. Man that was $$$! He needed a sleeping bag (better than his cheapy kid kind), a sleeping pad, rain gear (pants and jacket), wool shoes, extra pair of shoes (he needed a new pair anyway), some camping silverware and a bag to carry it all in! Granted he could have used a duffle bag, but he wanted one of those fancy external frame ones. I think he's regretting it now that it's all packed and he had to carry it for a short time tonight. Luckily I found a good deal on one on Amazon, but the one we bought is one size too big. All the stuff I read said it was perfect for juniors and scouts. Ends up the model down is better fit for him. Atleast he'll grow into it right?? I think that's all we had to buy for him. But it is stuff he will use over and over again camping. This troop goes camping often so it will be good to have it. We'll see how this trip goes and what we need to change up for next time.

I'll get a picture of him tomorrow all set to go pack on the back and everything. He hasn't fallen over yet...yet being the key word!! I should weigh the pack and see how much it is. It will be interesting to see him Sunday and see what did not fit back in the pack and what he ended up carrying instead. I'm sure the adult leaders will help stuff it though if he asks nicely! Oh he even packed a small football and deck of cards.

He's very excited and can't wait to go! I'm just concerned about the foods they'll be serving. I'm sure it's nothing too strange, but I am sticking a couple snacks in his pack just in case. He is a growing boy you know and with all those other growing boys there, you never know when they might run out of food!!

That's all for now, have to get some sleep. Keith isn't feeling too well...caught my bug I think. We have to get up bright and early to have Salem at the drop of point by 8:30 sharp!

Kaden's new glasses!!

Here are some shots of Kaden's new glasses he got last night. Very cool and fun looking! They look great on him too!! They are a black plastic frame, but two toned in that the inside is red with a clear layer between the two that can "change colors" if you tilt it a bit.

And a shot of Salem stuffed into his new sleeping bag!

Please tell me tomorrow will be better!!!

If you don't think it will, then don't tell me! Today started off good but ended up bad! Nothing too earth shaking, but just not my day with the boys!

I had work, ended up working a full day since one gal had the flu so I covered her kids the full day. Wasn't bad, I got to work in some classrooms with teachers I really enjoy, made it nice.

Came home, Salem didn't bring in the recycling container like he forgets to every week...yet he walks by it every week and gets reminded every week that's his job...every week! Ya think he'd remember to do it, once in a while!

Kaden and Salem were playing football again when Kaden decided Salem wasn't playing fair and had to start beating him up. Now even though Kaden is smaller he packs a bigger punch than Salem and can kick his butt! So Kaden got a chill out time on the love seat. Not in big trouble, but he needed to calm down before he could play again. That ended up being a 30 minutes all out temper tantrum from him! Haven't seen one of those in ages! Finally he calmed down enough and went to play Legos with Salem. That is until I told them both they had to empty the dishwasher which Kaden started throwing another fit. UGH! No more soda for him! (I bought him one at school today after work, bad mistake I guess) He finished the dishes and went back to playing nicely.

Salem had his musical/play tonight. It went well...sort of. He did a great job with his signing and speaking parts. But in the down time when other kids were speaking, he became part of the problem. Let's just say he's lucky my eyes only looked like daggers and didn't really shoot them, cause he'd be dead! problem started when I noticed he was standing on the stage by one of his friends...a friend who is a troublemaker in my eyes and proved it tonight! Salem started goofing off with this kid and being disrespectful. Salem wasn't doing anything too bad, but he wasn't giving it his best and that was very disappointing! The other kid found a featheon stage and started batting it around like a cat! Seriously it got so bad the music teacher had to yell out his name and tell him to stop! I'm surprised she let his actions go for that long. But yelling at him then didn't stop him either. Salem was looking at me and he could see my eyes and did shape up, but I'm sad with him that it took my eyes for him to realize he needed to stop. He needs to realize what he was doing was not right and fix it on his own! All the other kids worked SO hard to put on such a good play and here are a couple kids messing around. Granted Salem was an angel compared to this other kid, but still...just not right! The last picture was just for me...that's my ok silly kid!

So anyway...we had a talk about it and he sees how wrong he was and hopefully he will heed my talkings and apologize to the music teacher for following this kids behavior. If not, he'll be writing a letter.

Kaden...decided tonight to break his glasses, ugh again! He's had them a full year so I guess it's lucky they withstood the test of time this long and again he's lucky his insurance is available again. Bad thing, he won't be able to wear them tomorrow and be semi blind. So tomorrow I'll be seeing if I can get Kaden in for an eye exam tomorrow evening and Keith says he wants one too. Eye exams for everyone! Okay not me and Salem. And no his glasses are not fixable, he broke off the nose piece where they have that tiny metal part. Why that part is so thin I have no idea, not good for kids, we'll take that into consideration when looking at new ones tomorrow.

So what good things happened today??? Fareway had strawberries for 99¢lb, yummy! Yeah that's about it, kind of sad. Just hoping I sleep good tonight and hope we all have a better day tomorrow! The kids did say they are going to try and behave tomorrow, I hope they remember that!

My boys are back!

I knew it wouldn't last long, my boys are back to boys! I've had basketball and football games being held in our dining and living room the past couple days. We've got the Steelers vs the Hawkeyes football game going on right now while I'm cooking dinner. They don't like having to take time outs for mommy to pass through though, oh well. I should mention they all have some crazy hats on, which makes the game even more interesting! As a bonus nothing has been broken yet...nor noone. Knock on wood though I'm sure it will happen soon, I just hope it's not another window, they've broken enough of those in previous years! Keith is being a good sport and switching teams after each play so each kid gets a turn with dad. I never realized our house was big enough for a football game including 1-4th downs! And we've got my Buddy Holly cd as background music. Ah fun times!