And the Sports Have Begun

Matt and I decided long ago that we weren't going to sign the boys up for activities until they started to ask to do them. We have various reasons for this decision- partly cost, but mostly time. It's a big commitment one makes when one signs your kids up for stuff. And if that said kid isn't interested anyway- it just seems silly. Time is a precious thing. With that being said- they have been in swimming since they were very little. That is a skill we feel is important to know. Anyway, this year the boys started to ask to do stuff. A couple of weeks ago they went to a tennis camp in Elkhorn.

It was great! At first, Alex fought me the most on it. He didn't want anything to do with tennis. But I knew that if I signed up Josh and Zach and not Alex then I would spend the next week and a half listening to Alex whine that he wanted to play. So I went with my gut feeling and "forced" Alex to try it out. And he LOVED it!! All three of them did!! They had a blast!

Zach (orange shirt) Alex (blue shirt) Sam (red shirt)

The head coach from Elkhorn HS and an assistant coach taught them, along with help form the Elkhorn HS tennis team. It was great.

Josh and Zach

They played games while working on skills! I may be biased, but I think all three of them are pretty good. I am excited to take them out and play with them!! If it every stops raining that is!

Ben, Sam, Alex

What I loved most about it (besides the awesome coaches and teachings) was that we did it with a couple of friends. While our kids played tennis I got to chat with 2 great friends (Amy and Missy) for a whole hour for 7 sessions straight!! How often do I get to do that?!? Not very! Plus the boys had fun seeing their friends Sam and Ben, too.

Ben, Zach, Josh, Sam, and Alex

On a side note-Did you notice that both Josh and Zach are wearing orange?!? That week and a half they decided to dress the same/similar every day. They said they wanted to confuse me! Sigh. And so this begins. :)

They loved tennis camp. What's cool is that they practice in our front yard now. Hmmm, maybe that isn't so cool. But as of yet no windows have been broken. *knock on wood* We have lost some balls down the sewer. But they are having fun and that is what matters! Right?

After tennis camp we moved onto golf. I blogged about that here. After golf, we will move onto swimming lessons again. Its the summer of sports! That's ok. Its been fun. Now they are asking to play baseball and soccer. So I guess that will be what's next for us. Good bye "free" time- Hello to my new job of chauffeur! Now, tennis anyone?

Day 7 of Seven Days

Today is the last day of my 7 Days run. Its been fun again. I love peeking into other people's lives to see what they are up to in their own creative ways. I love taking a snapshot everyday of our life. I love being creative. Today I took the boys to their golf lesson. Here is my day 7 of 7 days shot:

I also took this one. I was being a little silly. Here I am "pinching" my boys.

Like I said earlier, I took the boys to golf today. They LOVE it!!

There is a small group of 10 kids with 2 instructors. And what is really cool is that our friend Sam is doing it too. The boys love hanging out with Sam. In the past we have done swimming and tennis together. Now we are golfing together. I love hanging with Missy (Sam's mom). Its really a win-win situation!!

During their lessons the boys partner up and take turns hitting the ball. Today Sam and Josh were partnered up. (Sam is in yellow and Josh is in orange) Every time they switched places they would high 5 each other. It was cracking me up!!

Zach takes a swing.

Josh takes a swing.

Alex takes a swing.

The last three days they have been working on their swings. Next lesson is chipping. The last lesson is putting. I need something like this!! Maybe it would improve my game. Then again playing more often would probably improve my game as well.

Day 6 of Seven Days

Today I wanted to try and do something with shadows. This is what i came up with.

It works for me.

Day 5 of Seven Days

Today has another theme-COLD! And what is more cold than a Popsicle? Here is my Day 5 shot:

I couldn't decide today which picture I like better so I just posted both of them. It was a delicious chocolaty mess.

And in case anyone is wondering Josh is in green. Zach is in white. Alex is in blue. And I am the one NOT covered in chocolate. :)

Day 4 of Seven Days

Today was one of those days that nothing happened like it was supposed to. Well, except boot camp. That was still at an ungodly hour and a hard work out. The entire time I am thinking WHY AM I HERE?!? Then when its over, I am feeling good about my workout. Anyway, shortly after I got home it started to POUR....again!! Today was a day that the boys were to go learn how to play golf, have a friend come over, and then meet different friends at the sprayground. It seems that everything in the middle got erased. No golf and no play date. So instead I took the boys out to do some errands that needed to be done. One of those being getting them haircuts. I have to admit this is not one of my favorite things to do alone. It is really hard to entertain two boys while trying to make sure the third one gets a decent haircut. Today must have been my lucky day! ALL THREE got to go at the SAME TIME!! WHOOO HOOOO!!!! I know this sounds ridiculous, but really it was awesome!! I had no one to entertain but myself. So I started snapping pictures and got my Day 4 shot:

That afternoon, the sun came out and the HEAT was turned up. HOT! HOT! HOT! So we were still able to meet our friends at the sprayground. YEA!! We met up with Jill and her two really cute little girls.

Anela is a couple years younger than my boys, but they still seemed to like to play together/around each other. Jill had a baby about six months ago, Teagan. And she is a doll! Very smiley and happy. Alex loved her and loved making her smile.

The kids had so much fun! And I had a great time hanging out with Jill and watching the kids.

I tried to get a shot with all the kids in it, but Anela wanted NOTHING to do with being in a picture. Every time I got my camera out she ran. :) Oh well, maybe next time.

After the sprayground I was overheated and tired so I thought grabbing Subway on the way home sounded like and EXCELLENT idea!! The boys thought it was super cool to go into a store in their swimsuits. I thought it was super cool that the subway guy gave me free cookies- he said I looked overheated and could use some cookies. I was overheated and could use cookies, so I guess he was right. We came home. Laid out our beach towels and had a picnic on the family room floor. It was awesome!! Sometimes messed-up, change of plans days are the best!!

Day 3 of Seven Days

Today Josh had an eye appointment. Here we are waiting to see the doctor. Not the best picture but it will do. My hair is going nuts with all the humidity!!

The good news is Josh no longer needs to wear his eye patch!! YEA!! The bad news is now people are going to have a hard time telling Josh and Zach apart again. :)

Day 2 of Seven Days

Today has a theme of hot. I had a few possibilities for hot. We went out to Woodcliff Lake and I thought a nice hot beach shot would be good. Also, we hosted a Father's Day BBQ that evening and I thought a grill shot would be good as well. Unfortunately, neither of those ideas worked as it has been cool and thunder-storming ALL DAY! So instead I stopped at Starbucks for a nice HOT chi tea latte and took this shot:

Today is also Father's Day and its been a nice day. Bill and Linda took the boys overnight and so we got to sleep in a little bit and laze around this morning before heading out to the lake to pick up the boys. Linda fed us a late breakfast of Swedish pancakes. YUM!!

Ronna and Larry came over that night for a BBQ. Which we were able to squeeze in. It stopped raining long enough to cook the chicken kabobs and for me to bury the guy in our yard.

The guy being St. Joseph. We followed the directions on the box very carefully- burying him upside down and by the for sale sign all the while chanting a prayer. Here I am chanting my prayer with Josh and burying St. Joseph.

I think its hilarious that the boys are saying we buried a guy in our yard. And now Alex is saying that we buried Indiana Jones. I sure hope that doesn't anger St. Joseph!!

When we finished a flash of lightening went across the sky. I am going to take that as a sign that St. Joseph heard my request and will get right on it. :) Er something....

7 Days is Back!!!

WOO HOO!! The 7 Days photo project is back. You may remember that I have done this a couple of times before. Like last winter and spring. Now there is a summer one and I am excited to participate again. I love peeking into others lives and taking a snapshot of myself in my life for one week. Its fun and creative. So I am looking forward to it! Hope you are too. If not- just skip the next 7 blogs. :)

Day 1 fell on Matt and I's eleventh anniversary! So it is only appropriate that he is included in my first shot.

This is a picture of Matt and I sitting out front watching the boys ride their bikes. This is something I do often and it was great to have Matt join me!! The weather wasn't too hot or humid (at this time) and it was relaxing. A nice way to spend part of the morning.

The rest of the day was nice too. Bill and Linda were nice enough to take the boys overnight so Matt and I could go out on the town and then sleep in the next day. HEAVEN!!! The boys were so excited! I think Alex packed and repacked his bag 100 times. They all asked "how much longer until Bill and Linda get here?" about a million times! :)

I think all the anticipation got to Josh, as he fell asleep looking out the window waiting for Bill and Linda. :) It cracked me up. The boys left for their fun filled evening and Matt and I left for ours too.

We were going to go eat downtown- but decided against it. The college world series is in town and that would have been too chaotic! So we ate out west at Blue. HEAVEN!! SO YUMMY!! Our waiter Justin was AMAZING!! He was so helpful and nice!

I even took a picture of my margarita. It was one of the best margaritas I have ever had. Maybe it was because I was out on a date with my husband and there wasn't a kid around. Or maybe because on a hot and humid day a nice cool margarita is refreshing. Or maybe it was really just a fantastic margarita. Who knows and who cares!!

After dinner we went to the old market to walk around. It was full of life. As we knew it would be. We walked around, did some people watching, and shopped in the fun stores. Perfect!! The excitement doesn't stop there people!! Lookie what I found!! Saint Joseph!! Now our house will sell right?

When I got all excited and showed Matt- he looked at me and said "You do know we aren't Catholic right?" Details! Details! Of course I know that. And I am not all that superstitious- a little maybe- but not over the top. I just think desperate times call for desperate measures! This dude is goin in the ground baby!!

We were going to get some ice cream and walk around but the sky started to get all dark so we decided that it was time to go. We got some ice cream on the way home instead. Good thing too! It started to lightening soon after we got home! It was cool to watch but I was glad that we were watching it from inside our house and not outside in the Old Market!! It was a really great evening!! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband!! Can't wait to see what the next 11 (and more) years bring!!

Matt According to Zach

What is something your dad always says to you?
I love you.

What makes your dad happy?
Giving him presents.

What makes your dad sad?
When we be mean.

How does your dad make you laugh?
He tickles us.

What did your dad like to do when he was a child?
Play at the park.

How old is your dad?
44

How tall is your dad?
44 centimeters

What is his favorite thing to watch on tv?
*Shrugs his shoulders*

What does your dad do when you aren't around?
*Shrugs his shoulders*

If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for?
Being on a dance show.

What is your dad really good at?
Little Big Planet

What is your dad not very good at?
Doing hard things.

What does your dad do for his job?
Work at MSI.

What is your dad's favorite food?
I don't know.

What makes you proud of your dad?
I don't know.

If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be?
Spongebob.

What do you and your dad do together?
Sit together.

How are you and your dad the same?
We both have two feet.

How are you and your dad different?
Daddy's bigger and I am shorter.

How do you know your dad loves you?
Because he is in our family.

What does your dad like most about your mom?
She's loving.

Where is your dad's favorite place to go?
Target.

Matt According to Josh

What is something your dad always says to you?
I love you.

What makes your dad happy?
I love him.

What makes your dad sad?
When I kick him.

How does your dad make you laugh?
He tickles me.

What did your dad like to do when he was a child?
Play trains.

How old is your dad?
36

How tall is your dad?
36 inches

What is his favorite thing to watch on tv?
Ironman

What does your dad do when you aren't around?
Chats with his friends.

If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for?
He got married.

What is your dad really good at?
Little Big Planet

What is your dad not very good at?
Hard levels.

What does your dad do for his job?
Go to work at MSI

What is your dad's favorite food?
Chicken

What makes you proud of your dad?
Because he plays Little Big Planet and that makes me proud because he wins challenges.

If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be?
Little Big Planet

What do you and your dad do together?
Play Little Big Planet together.

How are you and your dad the same?
We're both boys.

How are you and your dad different?
Daddy has black hair and I have blond.

How do you know your dad loves you?
Because I love him.

What does your dad like most about your mom?
What?!? Uh....because he loves doing budget with mom.

Where is your dad's favorite place to go?
Daddy's favorite place to go is restaurants.

Matt According to Alex

Since Father's Day is coming up I thought it would be fun to do these interviews all about Matt. My boys crack me up!! Enjoy!

What is something your dad always says to you?
I love you.

What makes your dad happy?
When he hears us laugh.

What makes your dad sad?
When I punch him in the face.

How does your dad make you laugh?
Tickles me.

What did your dad like to do when he was a child?
I don't know.

How old is your dad?
I don't know.

How tall is your dad?
20 feet.

What is his favorite thing to watch on tv?
Grown up shows.

What does your dad do when you aren't around?
Works.

If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for?
A tickle monster.

What is your dad really good at?
Painting....wait...No he's not. He is really good at working.

What is your dad not very good at?
Carrying a car.

What does your dad do for his job?
Work at MSI

What is your dad's favorite food?
Spaghetti and meatballs. I think.

What makes you proud of your dad?
When dad makes us laugh and tickles us. I LOVE YOU DAD!!

If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be?
A batman guy.

What do you and your dad do together?
Play batman sometimes and walk-e talkies and he snuggles with us and tickles us.

How are you and your dad the same?
Dad has the same hair as me.

How are you and your dad different?
He has whiskers and I don't.

How do you know your dad loves you?
He just loves me.

What does your dad like most about your mom?
When mom kisses him.

Where is your dad's favorite place to go?
I don't know. Probably to go to MSI.

Another Puppet Show

Personally, I think Josh and Zach are super creative kids. They are into making and creating things out of whatever is around. The other day they asked if they could have some empty eggo boxes and bags. I said sure no problem. They got busy and created this:

They have evolved from simple puppets to more complex ones and even made costumes!! They also created their own audience.

They crack me up!! Here is the show that they put on for me and some of their animals- and now for you as well! :) Enjoy!!

Baby No Name

I am happily spreading the news!!! My cousin Wade and his wife Allison had their baby yesterday morning!! And we are so happy and excited for them!!

They had a little girl. 4 lbs 12.5 oz and 18" long. And she is just a doll!!

Allison and the baby are doing fine. You may have noticed I didn't mention a name. That is because Wade and Allison are still thinking about it. They didn't find out what it was going to be and then the baby came about three weeks early. Allison's blood pressure was starting to go up so the doctors thought it would be safer to induce her. Both Allison and the baby are fine.

Last night we got to meet her and we all just fell in love. We are so excited to welcome her into the family!! Plus its nice to add a girl into the mix!! Congrats again Wade and Allison! We love you!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Matt Alex Josh Zach

Sunday we took the boys to their very first baseball game. It was so much fun! I am wondering why we didn't do it before. And really we all know why. Taking toddlerish triplets into a crowd and then make them sit to watch anything- NO THANK YOU!! Now that they are older, its the perfect age to start doing things like this!

This is also the last year that Rosenblatt stadium is going to be by the zoo. So I wanted to see at least one more game before they tore it all down. We got AWESOME seats. I haven't been to many baseball games. But when I have gone I am WAY UP in the stands.

Our seats were third row right by third base! Very cool.....until we realized that on a hot and sunny day....maybe not so much.

Then again...with seats this close we got to meet a mascot. Josh wanted NOTHING to do with him.

Alex Zach

We lasted one inning before the whining started. And yes the whining included Matt and I. It was hot! So we left to get something to drink and get some snacks. And then dilly dallied a little bit.

Zach Josh Alex
It was family fun day that day. So there were lots of fun things to do!! The boys got to play games for prizes.

There was a clown that painted on your face/arm/where ever. Alex got a snake going up his arm.

Zach chose a baseball on his arm.

And Josh wanted NOTHING to do with the clown or his painting. He was all about the cotton candy.

After we cooled down and dilly dallied some we were ready to go back and watch the game. But this time we decided to move seats. There were a bunch of seats that were in the shade and the game was next to empty so we figured that no one would mind. And we were right.

Katrina Josh Alex Zach

Now that we were in the shade SO MUCH BETTER!! There was a nice breeze and it was actually quite comfortable.

We sat and enjoyed the game. The game went into overtime. Is that the right word? Not sure on my sports vocab. We stayed an extra two innings and the boys looked like this:

We had been there for 4 hours by this time. So it wasn't a surprise. We would have left earlier, but they kept announcing that since it was family fun day kids get to run the bases after the game. Josh and Zach REALLY wanted to do that. So we stayed. But then it came to the point where it would just be better to leave. So we did. Later that evening I looked up who had won and how many innings it went. Turns out that OKC scored 8 runs the next inning and Royals 0. Final score 10-2. Oh well.

Alex Josh Zach

We had such a good time that we would totally do this again!! And I can't wait until we do!!