Chicago/Wisconsin trip Part 2

We woke up (8:00am - YAHOO!!) Friday morning in La Crosse and I took the kids to the YMCA while I went for my favorite run up Ebner Coulee with my new friend Stephanie. It was so fun to see some of the homes being built, and just enjoying the mild temperature on a challenging run. I was mad I didn't have my camera. Paul went golfing with the Oral Surgery residents (funny how that worked out on a Friday!) After the YMCA we went over to the resident housing so the kids could play with friends and I could chat with mine! I then got to go to lunch with two of my favorite people in La Crosse, Callie and Casey. We had so much fun just talking and catching up. I am so mad I didn't have the camera with me. I wanted a picture with them so bad.

After my lunch date we paid a visit to good old Emerson Elementary School. We love this place!!! Ella got to see her beloved kindergarten teacher Mrs. Bemis. It was so fun to surprise her and see how excited she was to see Ella! With Ella being our oldest child, and having Mrs. Bemis be her kindergarten teacher, all teachers in the future have an incredibly high standard to live up to. We feel so blessed to have had her in Ella's life as her first introduction to Elementary school. Good teachers are priceless!!!

Here is a photo capturing the most anticipated reunion of our trip. This is Ella and her dear friend Ally. They were so excited to see each other and hugged for what seemed like a full minute!
It was so much fun seeing their two cute faces together again. This picture is getting framed!!
Later that night we went to dinner with the residents, wives, and a couple of the assistants. Of course they are more than that, they are our friends too. This picture is of Stephanie, Nichole (resident wives), Me, and Rochelle (an assistant and dear friend). We went to a great new restaurant that is right on the Mississippi.

Saturday we got up to make our last round of visits before we had to drive back to Chicago and catch our plane. There was a rain storm during our picnic with friends, but as you can see it didn't dampen any spirits!

Jack enjoying the rain dripping all over his cute face!

Jack and his friend Aidan.

The "old" neighbor girls Katie Jean, Ally, and Ella.

Ella, Haven Ruby, Jack, and Rowen Ruby in front of resident housing.

The only picture of our good friends the Ruby's with their new baby Lily. I'm sure they are bored with whatever I am going on about. I have to learn to shut up sometimes! Does anyone else have that problem?
Goodbye Mississippi River!!

Audra, Jack, Ella, Hayden, and Lauren. SOME of the resident housing gang!

After we said all of our Hellos and Goodbyes we were off to Chicago and the plane ride home. I was blessed/cursed to be sitting next to a really nice older lady who was on her way to Phoenix to do missionary work for the Jehovah's Witnesses. She sure knew her Bible and that was impressive, but bless her heart, I was wanting to get back to my book! I have a lot of respect for the JW's for their commitment and knowledge, and also because I would want anyone who encountered the missionaries from my church to treat them the same way. Unfortunately for me I was stuck in an airplane on a 3 1/2 hour flight, so I was easy prey. We had a great conversation and she actually inspired me to become a better scholar of the scriptures. She properly warned me of the evils of Santa Claus and "jelly bean laying Easter bunnies." About an hour before we landed she had to use the bathroom and I was engrossed in my book when she came back. Whew!!

Max had a great time with Katherine, her husband Brent, and their baby Porter, but I sure was glad that he was excited to see me when we got home.

Nora was excited too, but she was having a great time in the sprinkler puddles in the backyard!

The cutest dirty, wet, happy face in the world!

We got home in time for Paul to rush to church and teach his Sunday School lesson. What a good guy! Even though church had already started and I didn't plan on the kids going, Ella said, "I want to go to Primary!" Max was down for his nap, and you can see what all the traveling did to Jack, so I stayed home with the sleeping kids, and Paul and Ella made the Kelly clan proud and showed up for the last two hours of church. It was a fabulous trip and made me love my husband, kids, experiences and life even more!!!

Where to begin???

I've been MIA for a while and have SO MUCH to write about. I will have to break it up into several posts so that people don't have to wade through something that bores them! Last I posted we were heading out to Chicago and then on to Wisconsin. We had THE BEST TIME!!! Paul had a conference on Wednesday and Thursday, so the kids and I just jet-setted around Chicago. It was a blast being with just my two older kids. When we arrived at the airport and I realized I had no diapers, sippy cups, car seats, or strollers...I was in heaven!! What a different traveling experience. I was so sad to leave Max and Nora home, but excited to have this time with Ella and Jack. The plane ride was uneventful, and I read almost my whole book -New Moon - Not as good a Twilight, but I wanted to know the story. It was a dilemma though because what was I going to read on the way home? I remedied that situation and bought The Kite Runner at the airport. Anyway, we arrived in Chicago and got all cozy in our hotel room. It was fun to take more time than usual to tuck the older kids in. They were beat, but excited to be on our trip. I just sat there and sang to them while rubbing their feet and scratching their backs. I truly enjoyed it. Our first morning we got up and headed to the Shedd Aquarium! Ella and Jack at the Entrance - right now they have a big Komodo Dragon exhibit The kids loved the bottle nose dolphins! This one was so friendly and came right up to us and was singing some dolphin songs to us!I'm sorry, but isn't he the most adorable guy ever?!!! I'm so sad his red hair is getting so dark!

Looking through the bottom of the dolphin tank. Sorry about the flash glare!
Ella waiting patiently for the dolphin show to start. Isn't the view out to Lake Michigan awesome?
We met Paul for some good pizza at a place where the kids could write on the walls! I'm ashamed to say that I can't remember the name of the place. Could it be Gino's? Anyone who knows Chicago can set me straight!
We finished off the night on Navy Pier! Me and my cutie pies with the Hancock tower in the background!
Paul and the kids with the opposite view - Lake Michigan (am I lucky or what? Look how cute Paul is, and of course those two smileys!)

We took the kids up on the big Ferris Wheel on the Pier. We had to talk Jack into it, but he ended up enjoying himself. Did I enjoy it? Not so much! This picture is me trying to fake how "wowed" I was by the experience. The view was great, but I am realizing that in my old age I do not like heights AT ALL. I didn't get sick, but I had MAJOR anxiety. It was weird because I didn't even anticipate feeling that way. It wasn't until we were on the upswing that I started to get nervous. Needless to say, that was my last experience on a Ferris wheel.

Thursday morning we hit the Hershey store, the Lego store, the Hello Kitty store, the Disney store, and the American Girl store. I don't know what I was thinking about missing a picture with Jack in front of the Lego Darth Vader! After all those visits, all we bought was a treat at the Hershey store, a $10 Lego set for Jack, a $10 Hello kitty activity set for Ella, a $7 peter pan figurine set for Max, and a $2.99 princess ball for Nora. Pretty good restraint if I do say so myself. It's just a good thing Dad was in a conference or the damage would have been much worse. I'm the mean one who doesn't have a problem saying "NO!" The one thing I could have gotten talked into was every book in the American girl store. I didn't even buy one, but now I have a lot on my list for Christmas etc.

After lunch, we met Paul and headed on the 4 hour drive to La Crosse, Wisconsin. I'll document that part of the Journey on tomorrows post! One quick thing though, we had a rental car and they upgraded us to the new GMC Acadia? Anyway, we got all sorts of comments and people asking us if we liked it. It was great, but for me with four kids I need a bit more trunk space and perhaps a bench seat in the middle row instead of two buckets. Anyway, it was decked out with leather, XM radio, navigation, and the kids favorite... a DVD player. Jack even said, "Mom, I sure wish we could keep this cool car!" I guess the crowded, cluttered, boring minivan just isn't stacking up!

Last Day of School Pics

Jack and his preschool teacher Miss Chris
Ella and her best school buddies Macey, Anna, and Macy (Ella is third from the right)
Ella and her teacher Mrs. D'Apuzzo

Today was the last day of preschool for Jack, and last day of 1st grade for Ella. We are leaving this afternoon with the two older kids for a trip to Chicago, and La Crosse, Wisconsin!! The official last day of school here is Thursday, but Paul had a conference in Chicago Wed and Thurs. so we thought it would be fun to take the kids. Chicago is just a 4 hour drive from La Crosse where we lived for the four years before we moved here last year. We are really excited to spend some time with just the two older ones. I will admit that I'm really sad/nervous to leave Max and Nora for that long (5 nights). They will be fine, and we found a really great young couple with an one year old to watch the kids. I will be posting about the trip when we get back.

Quick Sunday Thought

Even though I already have two other posts today, I wanted to write about how I was so glad that it was my turn to teach the lesson today in Young Women's. It was about the importance of Journals. Of course, now that I have entered the world of Blogging, I feel for the first time that I really enjoy journaling! I am so sad to admit that I have never kept a good journal. I regret it SO MUCH now. Especially because I really have one of the worst long-term memories ever! Anyway, I just wanted to "journal" some of the thoughts and impressions that I had in preparing/giving this lesson. First of all, we wouldn't have the scriptures if it weren't for people keeping a record of their day. What a blessing! In Alma 37:8 Alma is counseling his son Helaman that records "enlarge the memory." Like I just said...that is what I NEED! It is so true though. Don't we remember things more when we have pictures and written accounts? The written accounts are imperative! That is why I LOVE blogging. At least my kids will have an account from 2007 on! One of my favorite stories in the lesson was one about a daughter of Brigham Young.

Clarissa Young, one of Brigham Young’s daughters, kept a very detailed journal during the years she lived in the Beehive House in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Beehive House was the name given to Brigham Young’s home. Clarissa not only wrote a detailed description of each room in the house, but included such things as the color of the walls, the furnishings used, and what things were set on the mantles from year to year. She even included an actual piece of the drapery fabric used in the “long hall,” the room where all formal entertaining was done. In 1954, when the Church began restoration of the one-hundred-year-old Beehive House, Clarissa’s journal was invaluable. Even the drapery sample she had kept was sent to a drapery company, and new drapes were woven to look exactly like the original ones

Isn't that an awesome story? Anyway, just some thoughts that made me even more grateful for the "find" of blogging!

Tie Dye Experiment

I knew if I was going to do this tie dye party and have it go well, that I better practice. First of all there is this GREAT company called Dharma Trading Co. and it is such a find for those who are into embroidery, screen printing, dyeing, and other crafty things. It has an unbelievable collection of all white items (onesies, t-shirts, hats, bags, dresses, swimsuits, shorts, etc.) that are ready for you to embellish. Just click the name above to link to the website. Anyway, they have complete tie dye kits with instructions. Mine came of Friday, so Saturday was our day to experiment while Paul had work commitments. Here is the end result.

I did a swimsuit for Ella so she could wear it to the party. It turned out so great and if fits her perfectly! Not bad for $8.

The kids all wanted to wear them immediately. I am SO GLAD that I did this little practice run. I am going to have to do a lot of prep work so that the kids can just come and have fun! I think I am even going to have them pre-tied. That actually takes a long time, and the kids just care about putting the color on and seeing the end result! Anyway, I'm up for any suggestions.

This kid cracks me up!

I just had to document this stage for Max. As soon as he gets up in the morning he gets dressed. He just barely turned three and it shows. Without fail, everyday one or more pieces of his clothing are on backwards. He is always so proud of himself for getting dressed, and does not want to change. Of course I have better battles to pick, so I just let it be. I have found the best thing about it is that it reminds me that he is only three years old. I think sometimes we (Moms) forget that we are dealing with little people that don't have the words, life experience, or control that we wish they did. It reminds me to calm down and talk to him sweetly (mostly) because he's just a little boy! He is so darling, funny, curious, crazy, full of personality, and love!!! I love my Max!

This one cracked me up because literally every piece of his clothing was on wrong, including shoes. This is the outfit that inspired me to document this with pictures and a post! Yes, I let him go out like this! We were at Wal-Mart, so it's all good! This is Friday.

Here we are Friday night. He was so good to pose for me. Note the bruises on his forehead, arms and legs. I have been trying to take him in for 3 year old pictures for 2 months, but he always looks wounded!Here is our ham on Saturday after the tie dye experiment. I didn't even stage the hat thing!

Last but not least... Sunday night (the boys are into wearing just their underwear to bed) he got himself ready for bed. Anyone seen the move "Notting Hill"? I know, I laugh just thinking about it!!

Tie Dye Birthday Party

Yes! Two posts today! I'm back...for now. I just wanted to document the cute invitations that Ella, Jack and I made yesterday for Ella's birthday party. She wanted a swim party, but also wanted to tie dye shirts. It is going to be a lot of fun and hopefully it will work without too much of a mess. With all I have going on right now I was more than happy to buy the invitations, but it was hard to find anything with a tie dye theme.


Then I ran across this little puppy for $9. Voila! Fun activity, and homemade invitations. Ella is so excited, and I am too. (the wording says..."We hope you are not TIED up on Tuesday May 29th, because Ella is DYEING to have you come to her 7th birthday party.")

I also wanted to post this cute idea that I stole from my blogging friend Kristi for teacher gifts. Again, I needed simplicity this year! It is a canning jar full of gumballs and tied with a cute ribbon!

Mother's Day Bad Attitude

I have been trying to convince myself that it was okay that I didn't post about Mother's Day, but I now realize that I was just having a pity party for myself...and it needs to stop NOW!! So, I will get it off my chest and BURY IT!

Paul is such a great husband and he does so much for me and our family. That said, I guess everyone of us deserves to "miss the mark" sometimes. I was eagerly anticipating a sleep in Sunday morning (Max and Nora get up about 5:45am). Of course I tried my best to pretend I didn't hear Max in our room asking (loudly) if I could come downstairs and make him some chocolate milk. (I have relieved myself of any guilt about morning and evening chocolate milk by mixing the Ovaltine with chocolate protein powder)

When I realized that Paul really wasn't going to get up, I rolled out of bed, put on my flip-flops, and headed downstairs to get the routine chocolate milk and the "Moses show." (The prince of Egypt - a great show for kids and adults - a Sunday pleaser - great soundtrack) The kids got up one by one and by 8:30 were starving. Begrudgingly I got them cold cereal. We RARELY have cold cereal. Not because I don't like it, I actually love it at about 9:00pm. My kids just happen to love eggs, pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, cream of wheat, toast, bagels, etc.

Anyway, I didn't feel the need to put myself out. At about 9:00am I decide to call my sweet Mom since she was leaving for Florida later that day. (More about my wonderful mother after this story) I think Paul may have heard me wish her a Happy Mothers Day, because he wandered down the stairs just seconds after I hung up the phone. He proceeded to give me a very cute face and give me my Mother's day gift (in a Christmas bag I had saved in the guest room).

It is a new heart rate monitor. Mine went "ka-put" a while ago and I just haven't prioritized getting a new one. I do love it, and hopefully will do it justice and wear it out too! I guess you could guess the rest, but it didn't get much better. Sunday is always crazy getting everyone ready, and trying to maneuver naps - or lack thereof. I did myself a big favor and when we got home from church I put the two little ones down for a nap and then went straight to my room and took a nap for 2 hours. It was SO GREAT!! I figured Paul would guess what I was up to eventually. Dinner was whatever the kids could scrounge up because again...I wasn't going to put myself out. So, I need to remember again to LOWER MY EXPECTATIONS. I also want to say one more time that although he dropped the ball BIG TIME this year, Paul is the best and I wouldn't trade him for ANYONE... NO KIDDING!!

This is a picture of my Mother in EXACTLY the same stage as I am right now. She is holding my brother Brian who was number four in five years. He is about the same age in this picture as my youngest is now. She went on to have two more (thank goodness...I'm #6), she is a better woman than I am!

Now, the real reason I was feeling guilty for not posting on Mother's Day....my wonderful, joyful, happy, positive, friendly, outgoing, loving, spiritual, compassionate, giving, beautiful, practically perfect Mother Helen Ward Poelman. How I was so blessed to have her as my Mother I will never understand. She is with me everyday as I wonder what she would do in my situation. I am not half the Mom of little kids she was, but I am trying to improve everyday. I love you Mom. I also have the love and support of Paul's wonderful Mother Mary. She cares so deeply for her family, and everything she does is with the goal of improving every one's situation. She gives, and gives, and rarely thinks of herself. With the examples of these two Mom's in my life I feel like I can handle anything (at least that's what I'm telling myself). Right here is a great place to pass on my new favorite quote. I found it hanging in my cousins house along with a picture of the Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley who said:

"It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don't worry. I say that to myself every morning. It will all work out. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. He will not forsake us...If we will put our trust in Him, if we will pray to Him, if we will live worthy of His blessings, He will hear our prayers."

I know that's not a Mother's day quote, but I think it brings comfort to all Mother's in any stage. Finally, I will sign off with a few quick notes about how grateful I am to be a mother. There is nothing more important to me than my family. The kids that I have been given are so amazing and bring me more joy, pain, wonder, excitement, growth, introspection, and LOVE than I could ever imagine. I love being a Mother!

Running in circles

Do you other Moms out there ever find yourself literally running around the house all day picking up this and that and wonder at the end of the day what in the world it was you did that made you feel so exhausted? (Maybe it was reading that horrible run-on sentence!) Nora is a the perfect age for picking up something in one place and leaving it at another. I find many shoes, the remote, the phone, and other "treats" in random drawers, outside, and yes... even the toilet! Sometimes I wonder, "why do I do this ALL day?" "Perhaps I should just leave it all until the kids are in bed and do it ONCE!" Just to make myself feel a little better about why I do it, I documented with pictures. Here is a quick example of the constant little messes the kids leave for me all day.

Now, this is what it would look like if I didn't do this ALL DAY!

This is the playroom. This is the room I allow myself to throw something into and shut the door!! It does get a thorough pick up once a week. We really don't have that many toys and it still looks like a disaster! I actually get heart palpitations just looking at it. So, I now know why I spend my days running in circles. I am not a clean freak, but I am a bit of a clutter freak. Do any of you have this same disorder? Any tips and tricks to make this more manageable? I would love your thoughts!

No, I didn't forget how to blog!

It has now been over two weeks since my last post! I can't believe that. I am so disappointed in myself. I think I lost a little steam when I got home from women's conference and realized that my camera wasn't working all that great, and most of my pictures didn't turn out. Anyway, I had a great time at women's conference and am still trying to tell myself that all I have to do is my best.

I am so grateful for such positive, uplifting, good examples of women that I found at the conference. The theme was from Esther 4:14 "thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this." I have been thinking lately about what exactly I was meant to do during my time here on earth. I was blessed with parents that made me feel like I could do anything I wanted. I do realize that raising my children and being a part of building a strong family are what is most important at this stage of my life. I can't help but think that somewhere down the road there is going to be something else that I will also have a strong passion for. Someday I will have the time and energy to ponder on that question. I'll let you know when it hits me!

I had so much fun spending a "sisters day" with my two sisters Heather and Shauna during the first day of Women's Conference. I cannot believe how blessed I am to have such amazing women as my older sisters. I have always looked up to them and it has never failed me to try to walk in their footsteps. I would be hard pressed to put into words how much I love and admire my sisters. I wish so bad I had a picture to post here of the three of us. I will get some this summer at our family reunion, so stay posted!

Thursday night I was able to stop by and see Paul's brother Steve and his wife Quinn at their new house. They are such fun people and their house is adorable. Quinn has such a great sense of simple style. That night I had a sleepover at my sister Shauna's and got to see her great husband Brian and their way-too-cute son Zach. He will be 16 next month and I am dying!! I love this kid so much.

Friday was so much fun being with my sister-in-law Sue and my mother-in-law Mary. We went to the classes at Women's Conference, and then headed out for a great dinner. Before I go on, I have to mention how incredible the closing session of Women's conference was. Elder and Sister Holland gave such a great talk, and Brother Holland closed out the conference by giving an Apostolic blessing from the pulpit. The spirit that was there was so amazing, I will never forget it. Again, I am so grateful for such good people to look up to in my life. Sue and I headed to her home in Draper after that and I had a little sleepover with their cute family. Again, a picture would be nice here! Ryan and Sue are two of my favorite people and I wish we could see them more often.

Saturday morning I headed back to Salt Lake and had lunch at my brother Brad's house with his wife Tee and two kids, Henry and Gwen. It was SO MUCH fun and it made me wish again that I lived closer to these great people. I have to brag a little about how great my brother Brad is. We have always been close, and there aren't many people that are as fun for me to talk to as Brad. He knows so much about so many things, and is such a compassionate person. He really cares about people and has the best heart. He always gives me good tips on books, music, and food. You have to check out his website (click here). His kids are about the cutest things in the whole world. They are so fun and expressive, and so well behaved. Brad is mostly a stay at home Dad, so it makes it even more fun to talk to him about life.

After lunch I headed to my parents condo and watched the Kentucky Derby with them. It was so fun to share this special event with them. After living in Louisville, Kentucky for 4 years, it would seem a little sac-religious to to spend the first Saturday in May doing anything else. My Grandpa was a HUGE fan of the Derby and never missed a race, so it was fun to share that with my Mom too! There are always great and inspiring stories that come out of the Derby..."the greatest 2 min. in sports." I know it seems like I am praising everyone in this post...that is because I am. My family is incredible. I owe the majority of that to my parents for not only their great genes, but their good hearts. I really do like "hanging out" with my parents. We get a long so well, and I always feel so comfortable with them. I always tell Paul that if I need a little ego boost, I just have to call my parents. Without even asking them, they will tell me how wonderful I am, and how I am doing everything perfectly! I'll just let them keep on believing that HA! I love them so much and try everyday to figure out how they did it all as parents.

My final stop before heading back to Heathers to sleep was to go to my in-laws house for a visit. I was so happy to be able to see Paul's brother Dave and his wife Ashley while I was there. I had never seen their sweet baby Anna, and she didn't disappoint. She is such a good, adorable, engaging baby. Dave and Ashley are so great too. They have a lot on their plate, but if anyone can do it they can!

My final night was at my sister Heather's house. She is always such a great host, and so easy to be around. I love her so much. I am so excited for her and her family to come visit in a couple of weeks. I will post pictures!

Well, that is probably much more detail than anyone cares about, but at least now I can get back into the saddle of blogging. Hopefully our camera woes will be solved soon as there is an impending purchase. Now, if my learning curve doesn't get in the way we will be golden!!