You lost me at page 2

We received one of those consumer surveys in the mail.

I usually don't even open the envelope and those things go straight to the trash.

This time I decided to fill it out.

You know, do my part as an American.  Take one for the team for all of those other people that have covered me in the past and provided information about their shopping habits, etc.

I started out strong.  Page 1 complete.

Turn to page 2 and 3 to spot this!

Do I at least get partial credit for trying?

*NEW*

Hopefully this works....give it a try :-) 

Still love my comments too! 

Right be next

One of the greatest things about blogging is that it helps me to document those things that in a few years will get covered up by other memories.

Like the phrases and things that the kids say.

This has always been one of my personal favorites.

Hannah:  "Mom, come sit right be next to me."

Let the celebration begin!

February 10th was my mom's Bday.  She is a hard person to buy for becuase she will never give you ideas as to what she wants and also won't give you ideas of what she needs.  Once again we were on our own.
Since there is four of us it is that much more difficult.  Each one of us could do our own thing but then four of us have to try to guess what she would like (and history in this family is that if you didn't ask for it and someone else thinks you would probably like it- chances are it won't get used).  Most of the time the four of us go in together on something.  This year for mom's Bday we made her a menu.
A menu of choices to pick from that included things like Dinner and a movie night, Casino night, Ladies Night Out, and an Activity and dinner night.  For those of you that know mom, it wasn't a choice.  Casino here we come.

Part of her present was dinner at the buffet and $20 slot play.  We had another little trick up our sleeves.

Tonight at dinner we presented mom with her BONUS round.  We asked a question and then presented her with three choices.  Each choice was written on an envelope and each envelope contained either $1, $5, or $10.  Some of the envelopes contained additional bonus rounds (scratch off tickets).

Key:  bold = $10, italics = $5, regular text = $1,  * = the one she choose
Question 1:  Tom picks you up for dinner on your birthday, are you guys going to...?

Envelope One*: McDonalds, is that really a question??? 
Envelope Two: Wherever I want to because I make all the decisions!
Envelope Three: No time for dinner--another tree just fell down in my yard! (Bonus-$2 Lucy scratch off)
Question #2:  You and Bob in a quarrel about what to watch on the new TV, what is most likely to happen?
Envelope One: Nothing. Food Network will win, Emeril and Paula Deen ALWAYS win
Envelope Two: We will argue and argue until the sun comes up, missing the programs we were trying to watch
Envelope Three*: Bob will go for a swat, and this time…he'll get me :-/ (Bonus-$5 cherry scratch off)
Question #3: You're sound asleep when all of a sudden you're awoken by a mysterious noise…what do you do?
1. Hit the floor—have you SEEN my neighbors??
2. Hide under the covers, .I hate mice!
3*. Quick! Close the shades!! It's probably a visitor I don't want to see!!!!
Question #4:  We all just sat down to watch a movie and you are already out like a light! When you wake up again, what are we most likely to find?
Envelope One: A half eaten cracker hanging out the side of your mouth (Bonus $1)
Envelope Two*: *Crunch!* Was that a jawbreaker??!!!
Envelope Three: The evidence three days later….in the form of a picture! (B$1)
Question #5:   The grandkids are over for a visit, you:
Envelope One*: Cater to Hannah as she follows your every move 'Grammy I need…. Grammy, do you have….more chocolate milk Grammy!!" (B-$5 cherry)
Envelope Two:  Nicolas' and Hailey play hide and seek, only Kas got distracted by the candy stash looking for her in your closet. Hailey being a pro at this game, refuses to reveal herself and you are now the seeker.
Envelope Three:  You play piano rolls and Agustin busts out his best robot.
Question #6:  If money was no option—what upgrade would you make first to the cabin?
Envelope One:  A new dock- one that doesn't believe it's a submarine
Envelope Two: A new deck—one of these days somebody is going to fall through!
Envelope Three*:  A transit system—it would go from the side door all the way to Hinkley, with 24 hour service of course!
Question #7:  Your daughters (minus Kari) :-( take you out to Mystic for your birthday, what are you most looking for to?:
Envelope One: The buffet!!! See any crab legs up there?
Envelope Two*:  Spending quality time with my daughters. At least I know they are in this building somewhere.  (B$2 Boop and $2 Cherry)
Envelope Three:  That big jackpot win--k-ching, k-ching!

For those of you keeping track she made out with $61 cash from the envelopes and a handfull of scratch offs.  She didn't win anything with the scratch offs but had soem luck on the slots that night.

Jennie, Kim, Kristin, and I decided to kill some time by playing Bingo for a few hours.  None of us won but it was fun anyways.  Next stop.....Cosmic Bingo!

Snug as a bug in a rug

This morning while I was finishing my routine getting ready for work, the girls were in their usual position on the couch with chocolate milk and Dankies in hand, watching tv.

Hannah:  "Look mom!  I have Dolphie as snug as a bug in a rug!"

Dolphie sure didn't look to comfortable, after all, he was folded in half....he wasn't putting up much of a fight though so maybe he was enjoying it after all.

Putting the Boy Scouts to shame!

Grandma with Benji:  "Would you like some entertainment this afternoon?"

Us:  "Of course, whatcha got?"

Grandma with Benji:  "Ok Bob, empty your pockets!" 

This man brings a new meaning to 'Be Prepared'.

What you see above is the contents of his pants pockets.  That big huge blue wallet on the left, that fits in his back pocket and he sits on it- ouch!

What else has he got?

Glad you asked:  hankercheif, coin purse, iPod touch, Swiss Army knife, another pocket knife, nail clippers, keyring (full of keys), chapstick, key to car with a remote, tape measure (you will see that he personalized this one), power cord for the iPod (but the USB one that fits to the computer), and Buckeyes (I think that's what they are).

Now, if you need any of those things....good luck getting him to share.

Mmuuahhhhh

Do you ever have those days that you are just annoyed?
Annoyed at everything and once you realize it that day, instead of that turning point making you cope better it actually makes things worse?
That is the kind of weekend I had. 

Never really sure what set me off or what it was but I was really crabby this weekend.  So bad that I was having trouble being around myself.

I was happy to see Hannah and Hailey playing so gently and loving to their babies tonight.  Hailey went for about 3 minutes straight kissing her baby about 10-15 seconds.  Considering that I felt like all I did is yell at them this weekend, it was nice to see that it didn't seem to wear off on them.

Whew!

Grammies

It started on Christmas Eve 2009. 
We were on our way to The Parmley side Christmas celebration when from the backseat Hannah asked "Are we going to my white gramma's or my brown gramma's?"
Brian and I looked at each other in hopes that one of us knew the answer to that question.

We quickly started whispering to each other to get the answer so that we could tell her.  "What is she talking about?  Could she mean the color of their hair? Your mom is always more tan than mine, could that be it?"

We decided to go with the hair color and answered 'White Grandma's....?"  (we weren't totally sure)

We turned the corner onto Denny and Judy's block, Hannah saw their house and yelled out "Woo Hoo!  Brown gramma's!"

Ahhhhh......she must mean the color of their house.  Of course.

Since then her relationships with her grandma's have become very special to her.  She is always talking about them and if she has good news, she usually wants to call them to tell them all about it (by the time I actually get out the phone and start to dial, she is over it, but at least she was thinking about them)

Brown Grandma, Grammy, Gramma Judy, Gramma with the Grandpa, Grandpa Denny's Gramma, Brian's mom, my daddy's gramma Judy, my silly gramma, my gramma that makes the cookies

White gramma, Gramma Chris, Gramma without the grandpa, you mom, my gramma with Jennie, gramma with the cabin, Grammy

 Bob's gramma, gramma with Benji, my other gramma, Gramma Bauer


Whenever I catch her in the act doing something cute or being extra smart I will say to her "Who taught you how to be such a *fill in appropriate adjective here* (cute, good, fun, special, smart, etc) kid?"  She usually answers with "My Gramma did.  She really did."

Why do we live here?

We got more snow this weekend.

That makes the season total 74.9" so far this winter.

The record snowfalls we have had this year have been called a Tsnownami.  A major snowfall this year actually collapsed the Metrodome roof.  You can't make this stuff up.

A few weeks back we were teased with a day that was almost 50 degrees.  Some actually went so far as to wear shorts and tank tops.  That's what happens in Minnesota around this time of year.

This year the winter has overstayed it's welcome.

It feels like it has been snowy and cold FOREVER.  Overall it really hasn't been too cold this year but we have gotten more than our share of the snow.

My sister made a funny comment the other day that she feels like she is living in a snowglobe. 

I am looking forward to this spring more than past years.  It may have something to do with the fact that the girls need to burn some of this energy off, it may also have something to do with the fact that I am traveling between sites for work more, it could be that I just want to open the windows and let some of this inside air out, maybe it is all of the above.

The things that happen when you are asleep

Hannah woke up at 4:30 am this morning.
She needed to go potty.

It only took a few minutes and then while we were washing my hands we had this exchange...

Hannah:  "Mommy, my bed is so comfty."
Me:  "It is?  That is great!"
Hannah:  "Yeah, it is so so comfty.  Wanna try it out?  You can."

It was hard to turn that offer down.

Blog 2 Print

There is a website called Blog 2 Print.

This website allows you to turn your blog into a book.

It was the easiest thing I have done.  You basically choose which blog site you use and enter your URL.  The site will then walk you through a few steps; choose your date range, set up, write a dedication, choose your cover and then wait.  After about a 5 minute wait the site presents you with your book.

The books are 8 1/2 x 11 in size with a soft cover (like a workbook).  You can print the book in color or black and white. 

My grandma doesn't have the internet so she isn't able to read either my or Kari's blog. 

So, for Christmas my sister's and I decided to print her a copy of my blog and Kari's blog. 

For Christmas she received Jan - June 2010 Vol I

For her Bday she received July - Dec 2010 Vol II

It's my turn next to get a copy of my blog in print. 

How special will it be in 10-20 years to sit around and reread these memories. 

My little gift to them and their children.

More from Hannah's tastebuds

Someday Hannah is going to look back at these posts and hopefully throw up in her mouth a little when she reads about what she used to eat.

Today she decided to dump her applesauce into her 'white dip (AKA ranch dressing).  After the dump she proceeded to eat her new creation with a spoon.

*nasty*

Princess Monster

Grammy Chris gave Hailey a puzzle for Valentine's Day.  She likes to sit on the couch and put the pieces in.  Then she will dump them out and start over and over and over.

The crown must make her feel pretty :-)

Today is Grammy Judy and Grandma Bauer's Birthdays.  Happy Birthday Grandmas!!

Call-un-der

Hannah was looking for something to do.  I started to name off some options "you could clean your room, you could clean up the living room, you could play with Emerson, you could do puzzles or play a game, you could play your Leapster, watch a show, color or practice writing your name...."

When I got to the color option her eyes perked up.

Hannah:  "Mommy, how bout I make a call-un-der!"

I printed some pictures of Emerson(s) that I had taken, she used those for her calendar. 

Zzzzzzz

Hannah:  "Zzzzzzzzz.  Mommy, look at me!  I sleeping on your comfty robe! Zzzzzzzzz"

All you need is love

Happy Valentine's Day!

No better way to spend 'the day of love' than with the ultimate signs of how great love can be.

Hannah wanted to get daddy some 'Milk-dogs (Milk Duds)' for Valentime's, we picked them up at Target yesterday and also picked up a new handheld Tetris game.  This morning while Brian was in the shower Hannah and I wrapped his gift and filled out his card.

Me: "Hannah, do you want to give this to him now or wait until you get home from Jackie's?"

Hannah:  "I want to wait.  I have a great idea!  I will put daddy's present in my room with my Dankie and then I will bring it to him when I get home from Jackie's.  How 'bout that?  Is that a good idea?"

Me:  "Sounds great!"

She ran into her room, placed his gift under her pillow, tip-toed out of her bedroom, shut the door and started to giggle...she was real happy about her surprise.

Just a few minutes later, while I was downstairs changing Hailey, I overheard this:

Hannah:  "Daddy, know what?!  I have a present for you in my room."

Brian:  "You do?  What is it?"

Hannah:  "I got you a new one of these (pointing at the Tetris game)!"

Needless to say daddy got his present in the morning before work.

Today is also Nash's 10th Birthday.  Hannah was real excited to learn it was his Birthday and was extra nice to him all day.  She even sung Happy Birthday to him.  I stopped on my way home to get cupcakes to celebrate.

I came home to a dozen red roses.  They are beautiful!

I think my ears and eyes might be bleeding

Every generation has a show that is so ridiculous and annoying that kids love.

Yo Gabba Gabba is that show.

Me:  "Hannah what would you like to do?"

Hannah: "Get Dankie, go to your room, cuddle on you bed and watch Caillou."

Me:  "Sounds good to me, let's go!"

A chance to lay in my bed with my favorite 3 year old and cuddle?  I'm in!  Sounds like a nap could also be in my near future ;-)

I started to turn on Caillou and since Nick Jr was the last channel that was on Hannah caught a glimpse of these fools before I could hit the On Demand button.

Hannah:  "Wait Mommy!  I want this.  Gabba Gabba."

30 minutes of my life I will never get back.

Too annoying to fall asleep....ARUGH!

"It's lovely out today"

That is what Hannah said to me as we were playing outside today.

And she was right.

The sun was shining, the sky was blue, you could hear the snow melting.

Brian was outside taking snow off of the roof and blowing it away from the garage to prevent a flood this spring.  Hannah and I got dressed in our winter gear and went outside to join him.

He blew us some paths in the front yard so we had a snow maze to run through.

This snowman probably only stands 12 inches tall.  He is a baby guy and we called him Frosty (very original).

This is Abigail. That is what Hannah named her after we made her.

She stands about 2 1/2 feet tall.

She has a tongue :-)

It was so nice to see blue sky today.

That is one place that blue does belong!

Don't break the ice

When I caught a glimpse of this icicle today it reminded me of winter as a child.

If you stood on the front sidewalk at my mom's house and looked at the top-right hand corner of the house, you would see a very large and very thick icicle hanging.  I haven't actually seen it there this year but I would bet it is there.

I used to love knocking that icicle down.  Thinking about it now it makes me quiver thinking about how dangerous that could have been. 

Still to this day when I see large icicles, I want to knock them down. I can't really explain what it is about it but it is that sort of feeling that you get when you have bubble wrap in your reach.  You just can't resist.

Sad to say the warm weather got to this guy before I could.

I got beef

Blue candy hearts?!

Almost, ALMOST, makes me as made as blue M & M's

Remember the good 'ol days when M & M's used to have tan instead of blue?

Then someone decided that they needed to let the chocolate eaters of the world vote on what color should replace it.

Replace?! Why mess with a good thing?

Needless to say I am not a fan.  It is just unnatural.  They look good, I will give you that but they still bug me. 

Now to see that they have added blue to the candy heart color wheel.

It is bad enough that they changed the yellow ones from tasting like the best banana heart in the world to lemon. 

 *sigh*

Oh, and by the way, Happy Birthday Mom!

L is for the way you look at me

Hannah brought this artwork home from Jackie's last night.

Each heart contains a letter L-O-V-E.  Within each letter she had to draw something she loves.

L =  Nash

O =  Daddy with Hailey in his belly

V =  Dankie  (polka dots and all)

E = Mommy



Rolo or Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Bites

The answer is yes.
They are delicious!

Mix a package of brownies.  (I just used a box mix)
Fill each mini-muffin tin 2/3 of the way full.
Place either a Rolo or Peanut Butter Cup in the batter (no need to cover the candy)
Bake at 350 degrees for 18 mins

One box made 48

Just chillin'

Brian brought Hannah to Menards with him this weekend and they came back with this tent.

We set it up in the living room and the girls hung out there for most of the day.

I got out Hannah's sleeping bag and some pillows and tied the door open so they could see the TV.

Add in some puffcorn and mommy had a few hours alone!

Like mother like daughter

Brian made us chicken nuggets for lunch today.  I wasn't in the mood to eat them plain so I decided to make a salad.  Lettuce, cheese, sunflower seeds, chicken nuggets, croutons, and French dressing.

Hannah came in to join me for lunch, looked inside my bowl and said "I want to eat a salad too".

This picture is actually her salad.

Is it weird that a 3 yr old eats this for lunch?

Stored up for the winter

This winter has seemed so long.

It hasn't been so cold but there has been so much snow that I am having trouble remembering what it was like when you could look outside and not see white in every direction.

I am not the only one who feels like this winter has lasted forever.

The girls have been pretty squirrely lately-they haven't been going outside at daycare as much as they normally do.

In hopes to burn off some of that stored up energy I decided to take the girls to Eagles Nest today.  Tammy and Chloe joined us.

It started off busy but as the day went on it started to get crazy busy.

My plan must have worked since I was serenaded by two snoring beauties the whole way home.

Silence is not always golden

It's never good when it is quiet and the kids are nowhere to be found.

I thought they were upstairs with Brian until I heard some giggles coming from the back room

Shoes, blankets, bibs, thrown everywhere.

A quick glimpse into our future.

Something tells me that these two could be trouble together.

Her creative side

This is how I found Emerson.

All wrapped up, buckled up tight and ready to go.

Yep, Hannah found the diaper stacker that came with Hailey's bedding and has found a better use for it.

Snack Monsters

You know it was a weekend full of snacks when you find yourself washing this many snack bowls.

Sisters

The girls were wearing SISTER shirts today.

Hannah's says BIG SISTER and Hailey's LITTLE SISTER.

They looked so cute in their matching outfits so I wanted to try to get their picture.

That is a task that I have not yet mastered.