The Burg's Nest

September Stuff...

2011-11-29T22:15:00.000-08:00

September was a month full of regular days and trying to get used to a school schedule. It was also a month where we were still enjoying summer weather and summer fun, but most importantly it is the month of our sweet Sammy's 1st Birthday

Just playing around

Pushing Sammy in the dolly stroller!

Buddies!

Sweet boy Jace!

It's still hot in September so we went to a great water park

Callie was in town for a few days and didn't mind spending some time in the sun with us!

Valerie and the boys!

Chloe taking a breather!

The big splash!

Sweet sun bather!

Snack time!

Yummy grapes!

Getting ready for Halloween

This little guy turned 1 and we had a carnival party that you can read about here!

I just had to put this picture in again because Elijah was being so cute and wanted his picture taken!!

Gotta love this one of the two mermaids!

Yay! Sammy started walking the beginning of this month... Just a few days before his birthday!

So happy to be walking!!

Chloe's first field trip to Fairy Tale Town!

What a bunch of cuties! Jasmine, Emma, Maya, Chloe, Allyssa, and Anna

The whole class!

Anna and Chloe

Making goofy faces!

Silly girls!

Sam, Eli, and Nana came too!

Anna Chloe and Avery

Chloe, Eli, and Anna sliding down the shoe!

Wee!

Mrs. Reed and some of the kids at the end of the day

Playing Duck, Duck, Goose after lunch!

Chloe taking a picture of Me and Nana!

Getting ready to go to the circus!!

Silly Clowns!

The birthday boy!

Auntie Nicole came along too!

Eli had a great time!

These guys were amazing!

Me and the boys!

Chloe sharing her cotton candy

Auntie Marila was able to come too!

Fun times!

The whole crew minus Nicole

We got in one last trip to Camanche

The kids loved playing in the mud

Especially Sammy!! Look at the grin!

What a sweet moment!

It was such a beautiful evening

We have met Sue (the houseboat owner) a time or two before and she has said that we can use her slide, which Chloe loves!! She took Chloe out to her boat on her jet ski and she went down quite a few times! Eli went with Sue too but wouldn't go down the slide!

Moving on to October... wonder if I can do two months in one day so I can get caught up!!

What our August Looked Like!

2011-11-18T21:46:00.000-08:00

Well after about three days of uploading ALL the pictures I am finally ready to post about August! So at least we are getting somewhere, although I have to say, even though it is a ton of pictures I sure wish Blogger would figure out a faster, better, easier way to upload pictures!! Facebook, and Pinterest are easy breezy, but go to upload a bunch of pictures on Blogger and you had better plan on being on/around your computer for the better part of a day!! UGH! Maybe I'm doing something wrong... In that case please feel free to enlighten me!!

I'll start with soccer... The kids played their last game in August and that was the game that Chloe really "got it!!" She was after that ball and was determined to score!! It was so fun to see.

Here she is trying to score!

I love these action shots!

Having fun

On the run!

Here come little brother and Levi!

Eli's second from the right.

More action!

Hair flying

She looks like she knows what she's doing!

Oops, out of bounds!

Going for the goal!

Here she is so happy because she helped score the goal... I think she though she had scored by herself, but it was actually just an assist... Not that she cared!! :)

Cupcakes and a pizza party afterwards was the highlight of the season!

A big cheeser from Levi!

Chowing down on pizza!

Eli getting his trophy from Coach Holly

Chloe getting hers

So proud of her first trophy!

Riding together in the little car!

Sammy loves the wagon

Sammy was still not walking at this point, so he didn't get to go outside as often as he would like! When I did let him crawl around outside he would put anything and everything into his mouth! Gross!

Chloe's pretty good on her roller skates as long as she's on the carpet! :)

Eli's still working on it!

I forced my family to eat dinner outside because I thought it would be fun...

But the 90 degree temperature...

and the tons of flies made the dining experience a little bit of a flop!

The kids didn't seem to mind in the least!

Joe didn't stick around for long though!

Zucchini bread for dessert!

Yum!

Sweet smiles!

These pictures make me miss summertime!

I love basil!

I love those buds about to burst into bloom on the top of the crape myrtle!

We roasted s'mores one night

We met Mom and Dad for a camping trip in Eastern Oregon where the antelope play!

Eli helping Grandpa get the four-wheelers off the trailer

Taking the fun way up to the camping spot! Eli decided to get out of the truck on his own and went flying on his face giving himself a bloody nose in case you're wondering what that white thing is hanging out of his nose! It was his first and he was a bit freaked out by all the blood at first, but a ride on the 4-wheeler cheered him right up!

So fun!

Sam taking his nap!

Beautiful!!

Dirt and a stick is all a boy really needs!

The sky was so blue!

Down at the creek

They were being so sweet!

They loved playing in the creek!

But the water was reeeeally cold!!

Chloe didn't mind though!

Sammy having a snack!

What a cutie!

These pictures got a little out of order... Here are all the kids clothes hanging up to dry!

Finding pretty rocks in the creek!

More playing

I took Sammy down to check it out too!

This time we put the kids in their bathing suits!

Playing near the little waterfall

Grammy brought Otter Pops down for everyone!

Sammy enjoying some of mine!

Brrrrr! Now it's cold!

Good down to the last drop!

We loved the pack n' play especially since Sammy was still not walking!

Another picture out of order... This is the creek again at another spot!

Sammy sacked out!

What a couple of cuties!

Love this boy!

And this one too!! He was so tired he couldn't even finish his dinner!

Helping Grandpa fix the 4-wheeler

Cups, creek, and rocks!!

Crossing the creek!

They could have played here all day... In fact they didn't want to leave!!

My cute Mama!

Looking at the moon through the spotting scope!

So cute... And the full moon looks amazing through that scope!

Pumpkin pie for dessert!

Our little camp

Elijah waking up/snuggling with Auntie Nicole!

I love this picture of Sammy!

Our of order again... But Auntie Nicole and the kids!

Me with Chloe and Elijah and Grizzly too!

Another nap!!

On our way out... You can't really tell but Chloe was practically sleeping on Mom and this was after I had already got Eli off of Nicole's 4-wheeler since he had totally conked out!!

Back at home was Chloe's first day of school... Which I already posted about here

So sweet!

And that was our August!! Up next September...

New Baby in the Family!

2011-11-16T23:41:00.001-08:00

Well, I've been working on my August post, but before I do that I would like to welcome the newest little baby to the family! Adeline Grace Ziniker born on November 13 at 2:45pm weighing 6 lbs 12 oz and 20 inches long! Can't wait to meet her!!

Summer in November!

2011-11-07T16:28:00.000-08:00

Well, I've waited so long to get back to my blog that we are in a completely new season!! Ugh! That's what I get for putting it off, and then putting it off some more! Then I began to wonder if it was even worth it, but as I looked through all the pictures I really didn't want to just skip it all, so I'm going to try and do this in monthly installments! Which brings me back to July...

After our few days up at the cabin we went back to Mom and Dad's Weiser house so we could meet up with Sean, Kyra and the boys and get to see some of the extended Ziniker family. One of the days we went up to Grandpa and Grandma Z's house for the afternoon. We had lunch out on the front porch and as you can see from these pictures Chloe and Elijah enjoyed a bowl of delicious cherries!!

Their clothes never recovered from this yummy snack!

Sweet Sammy

Great Grandpa Z and Samuel Otto!

A favorite every time we visit!

Back at the River House there was a lot of Queen Anne's Lace (I think) on our way out to the river.

There were a lot of these thistles too, which are just as pretty, but watch out!!

Nothing like an evening Walmart run to keep things fun!

On Saturday we had a big potluck/Bar-b-que. Bryan made his famous instant ice cream for everyone!

Lana, me, and Joe standing around all the good food!

Cute picture of Johnny, Nicole, Jessica and Auntie Christy!

Dad and Sean relaxing

Grandpa, Grandma and Johnny

Aunt Susie and some of the big boys

The slip n' slide was great entertainment for all the kids!

Chloe splashing down

The boys racing for the slide

Gal Pals + Lincoln!! So cute!

They were having so much fun.

A couple of cuties!

Dessert time!

The boys driving the "tractor" and a couple of hood ornaments! :)

Auntie Nicole taking the kids on a canoe ride in the slough.

Joe is eternally hopeful that he's going to catch the big one!!

A boat full!!

The fishermen

Heading up from the slough.

Grammy and Sammy... I love that it rhymes! :)

It doesn't get much cuter than this!

Playing with their cat tails that Auntie got for them on their boat ride!

Big brown eyes!

Cousins goofing off!

Well, let's see how long it takes me to get August done? Maybe we can get through the summer before Thanksgiving is upon us!!

My Baby is 1!!

2011-09-21T14:26:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe it's true: my baby is one! It must be so though, because he is starting to walk more than crawl, and he is absolutely into everything!! He is still mostly sweet, but we have definitely seen a temper from this little guy! He "talks" all the time although we don't really know what he is saying he definitely gets his point across and we figure he will start talking in complete sentences when he does! :) We love the added entertainment this little boy adds to our family and we can't wait to watch as he grows! Happy Birthday Sammy Boy!

The cake table and all the goodies!

These were popcorn cupcakes! So cute and really easy... Just cut marshmallows on top and then sprayed with yellow frosting spray!

Sammy's cake!

The Circus tent cake... It was actually a lot harder than I thought it was going to be... I tried to cover the whole thing in one piece the first time... That didn't work (the fondant ripped and made a mess) so I had to do it in two pieces... The top of the tent and the bottom of the tent as separate pieces! Not fun reeeeeaaaalllly early in the morning!! :) But it worked out in the end. Not my favorite, but still cute!

Lots of Lollipops!

Cotton candy, clown noses, and Peter Spier's Circus! book (it's got great illustrations!)

Animal crackers, (of course) paper straws, and mustaches!

Bubbles, bubble gum, and Jelly Belly's!

Posing with kissy lips and handlebar mustache!

Everyone had fun in the "photo booth!!"

A couple of cuties anxious for the party to start!

I told Chloe she was going to hate this picture when she gets older and she asked me what hate means!! ;)

Nicole and Heather having fun!

Some of the kids!

Adults clownin' around!

Mika!

Andrew!

Mika again!

Me and the birthday boy!!

Elizabeth!

The props!

The games... I didn't formally organize the games (this crowd is pretty young so that seemed like a lot of work!!) but the games were there if they wanted to play them!

Kid table!

Sweet Juliet!

Playing around!

The bounce house is always fun with the 5 and under crowd!

Time for cake!

Sammy had NO problem digging in!!

This is good stuff!

Face first!!

Makin' a mess!

All done!!

Getting the glazed over look!

Too much Birthday!

Sooo tired!! But such a fun day!!

Getting Ready for Sammy's 1st Birthday Party!

2011-09-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to do a Circus/Carnival party for a long time now, and since the 1 year old doesn't have opinions about what kind of party he wants, I was excited to choose for him!! I love Costco's photo cards and decided to use those for the invitations, but first I had to get a picture of the birthday boy!

Trying to get a picture of Sammy with a clown nose... Not an easy task

And was one that I quickly gave up! This was as close as I got!

I thought maybe we could distract him with the huge lollipop long enough to get one of him with the wig on... Nope! He's quite talented in ripping things off his head or nose all while still sucking on a lollipop!

Sweet Elijah though has moved onto the stage of loving to have his picture taken and wanting to wear the funny stuff and then looking at his funny pictures!!

Once I put away all the props he did just fine!!

What a sweet little one year old!

I had planned on having him wear a little top hat, but it got lost in the mail and I was already getting the invitations out late enough as it was! No matter, he's still the cutest little guy around!

On to the cake baking... I had seen a bunch of cool rainbow/colorful cakes that everyone is making on the web and decided that would be fun for the party... I just used regular boxed cake mix and dyed equal portions of the mix

My colors were red, yellow, green, blue, pink, and purple...

Then I just added the mix in somewhat equal portions into the pans...

They looked pretty psychedelic baking in the oven!!

And I do believe they made the prettiest dirty dishes I've seen!

The actual party will come soon!

Cabin Trip Part II

2011-09-03T17:03:00.000-07:00

Well, it's only going to have taken me a month to finish this post, but I guess the important thing is that I do eventually get it done, so hopefully memories are preserved!! :)

Love that smile!

Riding in Uncle Bryan's boat up to the hot springs!

This is why the cuddy in Mom and Dad's boat is so great with the little ones!! The bouncing of the boat just knocks em' right out!

Making noise with his lips for Grandpa!

Just a really great picture of Grandpa and Sammy!

Love that cute little diapered bottom and chubby thighs!! And if you haven't seen this commercial for the Huggies Jean diapers... Well, you really should, it's pretty funny!!

See, even Sammy thinks it's funny!!

He is such a little stinker and gets into everything as fast as he can!!

Pots and pans: found!

One last close up of those sweet chubby baby legs!

This is what happens after a hard day of play!

Both kids zonked out during our little Bible study!

Ice cream is a luxury up here!!

The infamous outhouse!

We were so happy to see Becky!

Snuggling right up!

The kids thought they were so big going out on the paddle boat with Kobi!!

Notice the extra safety measures: both water wings and a life jacket!

Helping wash Grandpa and Grammy's boat!

Scrub, scrub, scrub!

Many hands make light work!

Paddle boating with cousin Kobi!

Sweet Sammy's typical reaction when the camera comes out!!

More sweet smiles from little boy!

We made it to the hot springs, but didn't stay long enough to enjoy the main pool. Bryan and some others went back the next night!

Nice warm water!

A boatload back to the cabin!

Auntie Nicole with the kids on the paddle boat... They were on that thing as often as possible!

Kobi and Chloe ready for a ride!

What a star!

My Mama getting it done... New knee and all!!!

Auntie Brynna flying high!

This boy loves a good boat ride!

Auntie and her Mini-me!

A coveted job among the young folks!

Daddy's getting ready to go!

Having fun out on the water!

Chloe's favorite method of helping people into the water!

So fun!!

Ice cream twice? Oh yeah!!

Bryan's special brew!!

Kobi and Chloe going for another ride!

Kobi gets a little bored going with Chloe, but he's a good sport about it!

Loving the boat!

Getting braver!!

Lookin' cool!

Kobi wakeboarding!

Bryan flipping out!

The spectators!

Auntie Nicole... And yes, she landed it!!

Bryan ripping it up!

Sweet Sammy sleeping in one morning

So tired... On our way out!

The best boat driver around!

Sleeping Beauty!


Aww....

The rest of our trip coming soon... Or maybe later!!

Obssesed with Pinterest!!

2011-08-31T15:38:00.000-07:00

Well, if you haven't heard about Pinterest, you should really check it out... That is, if you have a few days to spare!! That's what I've been doing the last few days, spending every little free moment pinning things! It's really a great way to keep track of things you like! It's also fun to see all the other great ideas, beautiful houses, places, clothes, people, pretty much everything you can think of out there! But I do plan on actually doing something other than spending time on my computer pinning great ideas, like hey, maybe finishing the rest of the cabin trip blog post, or maybe an idea or 2 or 100 that I've pinned, huh!! :) Anyway, just wondering if anyone else has been pinning things like a crazy person, lately- or maybe it's just me!

Chloe Starts Kindergarten!!

2011-08-16T14:24:00.000-07:00

I am interrupting the cabin posts to write about Chloe starting kindergarten!! Yesterday was her first day, but it was also the day where she started late and we (parents) got to stay the whole time... So today was the first real day! I'll start with yesterday- it was so fun! She woke up SOOO excited and had picked out her clothes (with my help of course!) and jumped right into them! We skyped Grammy and got to talk to her and Nicole before going to school, and then Nana came over to watch the boys, so Chloe had encouragement and excitement from all fronts!!

I am a Kindergartener!!

Little brother's not so sure about his big sis going off and leaving him each day!!

So cute!

Me and my kindergartener and little brother too!

Daddy and Chloe on the way to school!

She's such a big girl!

We found her room- Room 8!

The teacher rang the bell and all the kids shuffled into line... Here she looks a little worried and nervous!!

Little school girl!

In line with all the parents snapping away!!

Before going into the classroom the teacher told the kids to find their name at one of the tables and that there were some crayons and a picture for the kids to start coloring. It was kind of amazing how quiet the room was- I don't think I've ever seen a room filled with that many 5 year olds so quiet!! I think they all must have been very nervous and wanting to be good!!

Very studiously coloring her picture!!

Chloe's table

Roll call!!

We got to do a little project together.

She is going to LOVE this part of kindergarten! Projects, projects, projects!!

Chloe and Mrs. Reed

Checking out the playground after we were done!!

When we got home I asked Chloe what was her favorite part of kindergarten and she said "All of it!!"

Today was the full day, and it went just fine too! A little early for all of us, since school starts at 8:00 but we got there just in time for Chloe to go get in line and she started walking off without giving me a hug, so I called her back and got my hug!! Then as she walked into her class she just looked over her shoulder and says, "Bye Mom!" Like it's no big deal!! I have to say, I thought it would be a little harder to leave her, but I barely teared up!! I think it's because I know she is so ready for school and this is just a part of growing up!! Happy learning my little school girl!!

The Cabin Trip: Part I

2011-08-09T15:49:00.000-07:00

I have about 1,200 pictures from our trip, so as you can imagine it has taken me a while to go through them and I figured I would save everyone (and by everyone I mean all three of you that read my blog- hi Mom, Aunt Pam and Anna!) from an E-X-T-R-E-M-E-L-Y long post and hopefully it would break it up for me and make it a little more manageable! Anyway, here is the first of several posts about our cabin/river house trip! As a side note- not all the pictures were taken by me (thank you Mom and Becky for sharing your photos!)

I do believe this is my favorite lake!!

And when the water is high, like it was this year it only adds to my love!

I can't even remember the last time I've been to the lake and seen the water this close to the glory hole!

We have found that the kids want to be in any boat but ours!! Riding up to the cabin in Grandpa and Grammy's boat with Auntie Cole!

So happy to be on our way up to the lake!

Driving with Grandpa!

Grizz was there too!

Sweet boy sitting with Auntie on the porch swing!

The kids discovered the joy of The Archies while we were at the cabin, and have since been "reading" them every night before they go to sleep!!

I just love this picture!!

Look at that amazing water!!

Who doesn't wake up happy at the lake?

The first full day there we took a picnic lunch to the honeycombs! While we were there Chloe got a hold of the camera, so the next few are her photos!

Nice picture, Chloe!

Self-portrait!

Relaxing after lunch!

The sweet photographer!

Sammy got a hold of a hotdog...

And was NOT happy to have it taken away!!

Nap time!! Oh, did you think I meant for the kids?

Grammy and Sammy going for a walk with Grizzly!

Chloe wanted to try wakeboarding!! She was not successful, but I was proud of her for trying!

She told us that she would try next year when she was 6!!

Me and my sweet Sammy boy!

Me and my boys!

Elijah loved being the flag boy!

Elijah was so tired he slept down there for over an hour!!

Handsome Little Man!

2011-08-09T00:36:00.000-07:00

We made it to Idaho Saturday night after a relatively painless 10.5 hour drive. The kids do really great in the car-even Sammy and he was the one I was worried about since he is still in his infant carrier facing backwards! We went to Sunday Morning Meeting and then headed up to the cabin, but just before we left I wanted to snap a few pictures of Sammy in his adorable little suit that Grammy got for him!! I changed him right after these pictures in case you were wondering if I took him to the lake dressed like this!

Big Smiles!

Toothy Grin!

I love those BeAuTiFuL BROWN eyes!!

He is at a really hard age to take pictures of right now because all he wants to do is either grab the camera or crawl away!!

The Fair!!

2011-08-07T00:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I figure I had better get some stuff posted on here if I don't want the whole summer to get away from me (since it sort of seems like it already has!!). We went to the State Fair like we do every year and had a great time, as usual! And this time we didn't completely bake in the sun, since it was a little cooler than when we usually go! The only bummer was that they either got rid of the mama pigs and the babies or they moved them somewhere we couldn't find... I sure did miss seeing those sweet little piglets and their big 'ol mamas!

This year we started with food and it was the usual greasy fair food that I love! I did have an awesome piece of corn on the cob though too! That's healthy, right? Minus the pound of butter!! :)

Sweet boy waiting for his corn dog!

Chowing down!

This little girl cracks me up! She really wanted to wear her cowgirl hat (she got it at a birthday party!) and the pearls along with her cowgirl boots! What a cutie!

Yumm

Sweet boy just taking it all in!

We don't normally do any of the fair rides (mainly cause we're cheap and the kids are too little to know that that's even an option at the fair!) but we did let them ride the ponies, which they loved!

(

Hi Mom!

Practicing to be a rodeo queen!

Checking out the sturgeon

This was a good idea in theory, but little boys love tractors and sometimes they don't want to share or take turns.... We had to ~~sit~~, ~~cry,~~ throw a fit as we waited for a free tractor and that took a r-e-a-l-l-y long time!

The kids had fun banging on the metal stuff, though!

Riding a fake horse is fun too!

Eli was tired and wanted a ride any way he could get it!

Sam was really tired and had the best seat in the house!

Snack time!!

Yes, that is an ice cream cone in one hand and cotton candy in the other!!

A girl after my own heart!! How I love fluffy, airy, blue and pink sugar!! She kept asking all day when we could get some cotton candy!

Yummy treats!

Looking at the cute little chicks

What a great way to spend an afternoon!!

The Garage Sale & Lemonade Stand

2011-08-03T00:26:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we had a combined garage sale with Juan and Cari, so between us we had quite a bit of junk to get rid of!! The day of the sale started off a little cool and overcast, but it burnt off by the afternoon and it was actually a great day to be outside!

The early morning crew!

Sage was watching all the action from the living room windows! This is often how we find him when we come home... I'm never quite sure how he knows to be there when we come home (since I don't think he waits there all day long!) but he usually is!!

I made a lemonade stand for the kids using their Ikea table and some wooden poles. Chloe painted the sign and was sooo excited to sell lemonade to all the customers!!

They even got into our little local paper here (it helps that our neighbor works for the paper!) !

They definitely drank more than they sold, but they had fun doing it!! Chloe is quite the saleswoman and had no problem going up to the garage salers and asking them if they wanted any lemonade or iced tea!! One man said the irony of his situation was funny- he had to pee, wasn't thirsty, and didn't like lemonade, but he bought some from Chloe anyway!!

Chloe is 5!!

2011-08-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

There is something special about being 5, just ask a 5 year old!! Chloe could not be more excited about being 5 years old! When she woke up on her birthday I heard her in her room say to herself "I'm 5 years old!" and then she ran into our room and asked if she got to go to school today because she was 5!! Chloe is so sweet and thoughtful (most of the time) and loves to talk to anyone that will listen! She is so very active and has so much fun swimming, playing soccer, and just running around playing with other kids! 4 has been such a great age and I'm really looking forward to 5!

On her birthday, Sunday morning before meeting! She is holding the doll she picked out with her gift card from Grandma Ruth!

What a big girl!

I can't believe she is 5!

She wanted pink cupcakes for her actual birthday! (That's how she differentiates between her party and her birthday! One is her birthday and one is her "actual" birthday!)

She and Eli added the sprinkles!

Happy Birthday, Chloe!

She got to blow out these ones on her own!

This n' That

2011-07-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

The kids like to have what they call a sleep over, which means that they pick which room to sleep in and they ~~sleep~~ play in that room for the night!!

Here they are finally sacked out for the night!

While we set up his new train table and trains he was busy playing!! I love that you can tell he is making sound effects in this picture!!

The 4th of July

2011-07-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

We spent the 4th of July at our house, and were glad that Juan, Cari, their girls, and Marila could join us for a day of swimming, eating, and watching fireworks!

Sweet Sammy Boy

All the kids were having a crawling race with Sammy!

He didn't win, but he sure loved it!!

What a cutie!

Sweet Juliet in her stars and stripes!

Swimming!

Savannah LOVES to swim and is a little fish!!

Pretending they were choo choo trains!

Scarlett doing tricks with Juan!

Chloe's turn!

The delicious and pretty food!!

Hungry kids!

Auntie Marila is so fun!

A little pre-firework show! Sammy was NOT impressed! The noise really freaked him out and I had to hold and soothe him most of the evening! He never really got used to it and relaxed!

His sister on the other hand LOVES fireworks and can't wait for this day!

Dancing around in the grass as we waited for the big show to start!

Doing sparklers as we waited!

Wow!

Pretty!

Our own little lady liberty!

Savannah gets a little help from her daddy!

Ahhhhh! Fireworks are so pretty!!!

Happy Birthday, America!!

My Job!!

2011-07-19T23:12:00.000-07:00

We've been dealing with an EXTRA whiney Elijah for the last little bit. Whining seems to be his favorite method of communication regardless of the situation! This morning he came out of the bathroom with his pants around his ankles just whining, and not saying anything... So I asked him do you need some help? All you need to do is ask for help! That's my job, to help you! To this he replied, "yeah, and to clean up!!" I just about died laughing!! Wow, they catch on early!! :)

Weekend at Camanche!

2011-07-18T23:12:00.000-07:00

The weekend of the 4th the three Strassburg families all headed up to Lake Camanche for a few days of fun! What could be better than 6 adults, 8 children under the age of 4 (well almost 5 in a few days) and 2 dogs all under the roof of a mobile home!! Chaos is just a part of the deal, but we all had a great time with very few tears or tantrums! :)

Chloe and Elijah adoring their newest little cousin Juliet

Now Eli wants to kiss the cutie patootie! It's so cute to hear him call her that!

Chloe thinks she's such a big girl holding her little cousin!

Sweet Juliet!

Sweet Sam taking a little snooze with Daddy!

Cousins!!

Boys digging in the dirt!

And throwing rocks!

The kids were running as fast as they could down the hill and sliding on the red mat-I'm telling you kids don't need toys they will think of ways to entertain themselves!!

Big smile!

Beautiful sunset!

Joe and Roxy the 80 pound lap dog!!

The annual cousins on the couch photo!

Brothers!

Best Friends!!

A couple of cuties!

Sammy has the most expressive, beautiful twinkley eyes! His eyes always smile first!

What a cutie!

Running through the sprinklers!

Ready, Set, Go!!

All the kids having fun on the front lawn!

Cooling off!

Watching the water

Joe was nice enough to bring us all some nice cold lemonade!!

It was a big hit!

Yummm!

Drinking up!

One of Chloe's favorite things- lotion!!

Sammy joining the kids!

Sweet Savannah playing on the shore!

Me and Sammy enjoying the sun!

Uncle Jimmy enjoying the water with the kids!

Joe took Chloe and Elijah on a little canoe ride!

The geese didn't like how close they were getting!

Away they go!!

Going for a boat ride!

Happy to be on the boat!!

First boat ride for Sammy boy!!

Chloe & Elijah's Soccer Birthday Party!

2011-07-14T23:36:00.000-07:00

Well, since Chloe and Elijah are in soccer they (and when I say they, I mean Chloe!) decided that they wanted a soccer themed birthday party! I thought this was perfect for a boy/girl combined party!

They had a soccer game that morning and then we came home to get ready for their party!

This cake was one of the least complicated, but it still seems to take a long time to make such a big cake!

The soccer ball on top!

The fan filled stadium was really cool and the kids loved it!

A full pool as usual!

Warming up!

Bombs Away!

Looks like Grandma Ruth has something important to say!

Blowing out their candles!

This is the face of a candle sniper whose candles have just been sniped by her little brother!!

Auntie Marila has the magic touch!

Their favorite part!! Look at all those gifts!

Digging in!

The party goers! (minus a few that left earlier!)

A sweet little boy

With his sweet Daddy!

Brother feeding Baby Sam!

2011-07-13T23:46:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when I leave the room for a minute!! I came back and Eli was feeding Sammy the rest of his lunch!

He was actually doing a really good job!

Eli's open mouth "showing" Sammy what he should be doing cracks me up!!

Got the spoon!!

Eli's trying to get the spoon back... Looks like Sam's got quite the clamp down on the spoon!!

9 Years Ago...

2011-07-13T23:18:00.000-07:00

we said "I Do!!" Seems like yesterday, but then where did all these kids come from? I thought I loved Joe then, when I said "I do!" I thought, this is love, but I'm so amazed and thankful that that was just the beginning. I look forward to each new year and the way our love can grow!

Swimming Lessons!

2011-07-12T02:43:00.000-07:00

In June Chloe and Elijah had their usual two weeks of swimming lessons... Chloe loved them and has completely taken to the water... We are expecting her to sprout gills here pretty soon! She has started doing the crawl and loves to go down to the bottom and get dive toys etc.. ! She thinks she's really good (and she is) so the other day I told her I was on a swim team when I was younger and the first thing she asked me was if I won any races... I don't think I ever did actually win, so I told her no, and she promptly offered to teach me how to go fast!! Hilarious the confidence of children!! Sometime I wish I had this absolute confidence that children have, that they are great at whatever they are doing!!! Elijah on the other hand is a little more tentative in the water, but he did well. He still doesn't like to get his face wet, so that hampers swimming quite a bit, but he loves to go in and paddle and kick around, so we're making progress!

Elijah getting ready to go in

Floating on his back (kinda)!

Batman arms

Practicing her big arms on the wall!

More practice

With the teacher!

Father's Day...

2011-07-09T00:32:00.000-07:00

I'm only a month or so late in getting this up, but I'm doing the best I can to get updated little by little!! Chloe, Elijah, and Samuel are so lucky to have Joe as their Daddy! He is so good with them and is always ready to get down and wrestle with them, and yes, Chloe asks to wrestle with Joe- this is something I do not enjoy doing and am so glad that they have Joe to climb all over and be a human jungle gym for them!! Even Sammy seems to enjoy the show and gets excited when the kids are being crazy with Daddy... I'm sure it's only a matter of time and he will be joining the crew!

Joe with the kids!

Meet Alice!!

2011-07-09T00:07:00.000-07:00

Or sometimes Sissy or even Scruffy, the dog!! I think it's so great that Eli is able to imagine and play with Chloe and lately he has really loved dressing up and pretending he is "Alice." Not to mention the fact that little boys in fancy dresses, hair bows, and plastic dress up shoes are a total crack up!! I'm not sure where he/they got the name, but when he's being Alice or Sissy or Scruffy and I call him Eli, he will correct me and tell me that his name is Alice or whichever character he is being at the time!! His Scruffy character is pretty funny too... We have one of those backpack/leash things (not sure what to call it) that he likes to put on and then he crawls around on the floor like a dog with Chloe leading him around. I should really get a picture of that sometime too!

Need to Strengthen Your Core?

2011-07-07T23:49:00.000-07:00

Just sit on the grass like Sammy does and you'll have a six pack in no time!!!

I guess I normally set Sammy down on a blanket in the grass, because when I set him down right on it the other day this is what he did!! It was hilarious and he wouldn't relax or put his legs down the entire time!!

It takes talent to sit like this, don't ya think?

Not exactly relaxing!!

I felt bad, so we went back inside and he was back to his usual cheerful self!

This is how he used to crawl... Lurch forward while sitting and kind of drag his legs behind!

It wasn't the most efficient way to move, but it did the job!

And since Sammy was getting his picture taken, Chloe wanted hers taken too!!

And of course this smiley guy wanted his taken as well!!

Before it got hot...

2011-07-07T23:15:00.000-07:00

we made S'mores

Eli eats just the marshmallows, but as many as he can, as fast as he can, and Chloe loves the actual S'more and eats them like a pro!! Poor Sammy just watched us eat!

Eli was warming his buns here!

One Sunday we were a little bored, so Joe and I decided to try making some new foods. No real rhyme or reason as to why donuts and coconut shrimp, but that's what we were feeling like! First up were the homemade donuts, but they were a bit of a flop!!


They sure looked like they were going to be yummy deliciousness!!

Luckily the coconut shrimp were perfect!! I used this recipe here, and the dipping sauce is so simple, but I absolutely loved it and plan on using it for a lot of other things too!!

Where We've Been Spending Our Saturdays!!

2011-07-06T15:10:00.000-07:00

We signed Chloe and Elijah up for soccer and since their birthdays are close enough they get to be on the same 3-4 team!! Their team is very appropriately named "The Swarm" and so far it's been really fun to watch them play! Practice has been interesting... One week it was canceled because of rain, the next week it was canceled because it was so hot/bad air quality and this week it was brutally hot!! 104 as I was getting out of the suburban!

Eli is as young as you can possible get to be on the team-you had to be 3 by June 3rd, which is his birthday, and you can tell he's young!! He is now spending about half the time in practice and half with me, which is actually quite an improvement!! In fact this week he was the stereo-typical kid picking clover flowers, and running over to give them to me several different times during practice! Very sweet and cute! And his first game was hilarious!! Once he finally decided to go out on the field and play, he had fun running around with everyone until he got the ball... Then everyone started coming after him and he just plopped down on the ball and kind of sat there with a "what are you gonna do about it" look on his face!! The coach had to coax him off the ball so they could resume play!! And wouldn't you know I had put my camera down for that one moment and missed getting the shot of him sitting on the ball... I would have loved to have captured that moment since it probably won't happen again!!

Chloe is old enough to "get" a lot more of the concepts and what is going on, so she is doing pretty well and has even scored a few goals, although she is a little less aggressive than I would have anticipated her being! She really loves to trot along with the "swarm" of kids and doesn't really look for the ball or go after it but if it happens to connect with her foot then she does know to run with it towards the goal!!

This was a picture of them before their game on the day of their Soccer Birthday Party!!

Go Swarm!

Water break!

Orange slices are just a part of youth soccer, right!

Warming up before the game!

Chloe's in the middle watching herself run!!

Water break for Eli!

Watch out!

Fancy footwork!

Eli's got the ball!

Running after the ball!

Go Chloe!!

Wipe out!!

Go Swarm!!

This is right before Chloe scored her goal!

Go #4!!

This was funny too... Eli fell and then just lay there for a really long time!!

I'm sure you will be seeing more soccer pictures as the season progresses!!

Far Away Friends Were Near...

2011-06-28T23:00:00.000-07:00

So we had to go see them!!

While Amy and her boys were in town, her parents were kind enough to share them and their home with us so we could catch up and the kids could play!! The weather had finally warmed up so the kids were brave enough to go in the pool!

Funny boy in the sun!

Amy holding Sammy

Chloe loved the slide!! This was one of the first few swims of the season so I wasn't sure if she could do it without wings, so I made her wear them for the slide and the diving board!

Weeeeee!

Swimming, swimming, swimming!

This picture of Jace cracks me up!

And here she goes off the diving board!! This took a little more contemplation... She would go to the end, look down, and then decide to go down the slide instead, until she finally worked up the nerve to jump!!

I love this picture!!!

Amy's parents had a raft which the kids loved playing in too and is such a great idea!!

Playing on the floatys!!

Jace coaching them to the wall!

What a fun guy!

Lunch by the pool is the best!

Trying to figure out how to row the boat!

This picture is so funny!! Looks like they are on a date!

All of the pictures are courtesy of Amy's Dad!! I stupidly forgot my camera at home, but as you can see there was a great photographer around, so I didn't really miss mine! We had so much fun and sure wish they lived closer so we could see them more than once a year!! Until then we look forward to their annual visit to this side of the country!

Elijah Turns Three!!

2011-06-10T22:41:00.000-07:00

I'm only a week late posting this one, so for me that's not too bad!! My sweet "Lijah" boy went from the wonderful two's to the terrible threes!! He was such a sweet little 2 year old, but man is he testing me now!! I think he must need to know that I mean what I say, because he is sure making sure I follow through these days!! And the other thing is that while he and Chloe still love to play together all the time, he has started liking the reaction he gets from his big sister when he hits, kicks, takes her toy, or any other number of things he can think of that he knows will annoy/cause distress... And the louder the scream-the better!

The good side of three is that we have been potty trained for about a month or so now, and he was way easier than Chloe to train! His only problem is thinking that anyplace outside is his personal restroom, as noted earlier here!

When he's not being a terror, he really is still the sweet little "Lijah" we know and love!! He is very quick to say, "sorry, Mama" and he says the funniest stuff-none of which I can remember right now!! I thought he was going to be a little quieter than Chloe, but so far it doesn't look that way! When he and Chloe are playing well together, it is so fun to hear him chime in with his own ideas now, since for so long he just went along with what she said! He loves to play outside and ride his bike and his tricycle. He could play in the hose and dirt all day if I let him, and he loves his cars and trucks and recently has really liked playing with his little bulldozer, backhoe, and dump truck in that mud I was mentioning! He's so fun right now, (when I'm not pulling my hair out!) and I can hardly believe that he's three years old!! It seems like just yesterday he was Sammy's age! We love you little "Lijah" boy!!

Making faces!

Big Three Year Old!

I can't believe he's three!

What a big boy!!

We are combining His and Chloe's birthdays again this year... So the party will be later this month!

Convention!

2011-06-07T23:27:00.000-07:00

We had another wonderful convention and heard so many good things! I thought having three little ones at convention was going to make it nearly impossible to hear much, but Joe and I had a pretty good system worked out! When Sammy wasn't content to sit in my lap (which is less and less!) Joe would usually take him and walk with him or give him a ride in the stroller close enough that he could hear. Joe is so good at bouncing Sammy and would get him to sleep quite often!! We had one problem when I took Sammy into the nursery to nurse... Joe had Chloe and Elijah and Eli had to go to the bathroom, of course! Joe didn't want to leave Chloe, but he didn't want to bring her into the men's bathroom either, so he asked Chloe if she knew where the nursery was and she said yes, (she had never been in there!) so he sent her in while he took Eli to the bathroom. I was sitting quite peacefully listening to the speaker in the nursery since Sammy had fallen asleep when another mother came in wondering if I was Chloe's Mom because there was a little girl named Chloe that was crying and lost. Apparently what happened is that Chloe went into the dorms but couldn't find the nursery and then was wandering around outside (in the rain!) when someone found her, but didn't know who she belonged to and she was so distraught that he couldn't understand who she said her Mom was... It was just lucky that he went up to Joe and asked whose daughter she was!!

The other "exciting" event was when Eli decided he had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the lawn in the middle of the afternoon while everyone looked on laughing!! Soooo embarrassing!! There was nothing I could do except go help him pull up his pants and smile at all the other parents with my cheeks flaming red! I'm sure he's not the first, and won't be the last little boy to pee on the center lawn at convention... I'm just hoping it's not Sam in a few years!

Sweet Sammy

Chloe's almost ready...

What a handsome little boy!

She's going to hate this picture in a few years, but right now she thinks it's incredibly funny to do things like this when I'm trying to take her picture!

An unwanted hug from big sister!

So cute in their Sunday best!

Brothers!

Our personable little girl!

Too Many Photos!

2011-06-06T23:31:00.000-07:00

Well, apparently I have too many pictures in Picasa and Blogger so I have to purchase storage... Not that it's much-$5.00 for 20MB or something like that! Looks like I need to do some deleting! :)