Christmas #2: Grandma Fancy Nancy's

Christmas morning was a blur of wrapping paper and "YES!" and "I WANTED THIS" and "THANK YOU!" and then we had to leave it all behind...

For Iowa.

Five hours in the car and we were at my mom and Tony's, the first stop on the mega-Iowa road trip. The plan was to do Christmas with my mom and Tony, my grandpa and Tony's mom, Linda.

Little did I know my mom was sneaking in my brother and his kids. I was ecstatic to see them (but not their mom).

The kids had so much fun playing together. And, of course, they were spoiled rotten, getting everything else they wanted but didn't already get at home - ie Georgie, the puppy, and an electric scooter (what I dub the lazy person's scooter).

TK on a Roll

Get the back story

Northern Cubbies

The kids had a few days off for conferences so we decided to head north to Iowa to spend some time with family.

Mom's birthday was yesterday so we stayed at her house - where she surprised us with Liam and Lily, both of whom just celebrated birthdays!

We hadn't seen either of them, sadly, in forever! It was so great to see them, and they had no problems jumping right into the chaos with Ashlee and Tyler.

Ashlee and Lily are long lost sisters, I swear!
Liam was pretty fascinated by Tyler!

Grandpa Leroy came to visit. He was excited to see his Cubs in the World Series (where they eventually won for the first time in 100-some years. I still wish they would have played the Royals last year so I could have taken him to the game! That would have been a dream come true for him).

Making gluten free pizza for dinner

Tyler sported his one and only Cubs jersey for grandpa, who wore a matching one - the one we actually got him this past Spring Break at spring training.

Tyler loves to talk Cubs with grandpa, and I know he is "tickled to death" - some of his favorite words - to talk sports with him.

Great Grandpa Roger, Tony's dad, also came to visit so it truly was a family reunion of sorts.

Tomorrow, we are going to visit my dad where we are leaving Ashlee for the day so Justin, Tyler and I can go to an Iowa State football game.

Mom surprised us by telling me Lily and Liam are going too! I sure hope dad can handle three of them by himself! Wish us luck! I don't think dad has had all three of them since his stroke.

Special Visitors

Wordless Wednesday {In the Beginning}

There was a mom, a dad and a dog

My Heart Melts

She did this on her own, in her bedroom at Grandma's

Speeding Through Town

Grandma Fancy Nancy and Grandpa Tony came to visit this past weekend.

We haven't seen them since they moved from Kansas City, back to Iowa, in August.

They surprised us by showing up to Tyler's football game.

Ashlee was off with friends, but she was able to join us for lunch - where they saw this fun race car.

I think my mom and Tony may have been more excited about the car than Tyler, but he was so pumped they came to town, he'd do anything if it means spending time with them!

Dog Sitter

Charlie came to visit.

But that's not the exciting part as he visits us all the time.

This time, he spent the night.
Even though he didn't want to!

Charlie loves his mama and the rest of his family, and when we took him for a walk, he tried his hardest to take all the detours back to his home. But we made him come to our house where he was staying for one night while they were in Branson.

The kid's loved having him at our house, although they were not a fan of his ho-hum, I'm-going-to-lay-down-and-be-lazy attitude. They wanted to run around the backyard with him and have him chase them, but he was more for sleeping.

At night, Charlie slept in our bed and shook it. Eventually, he jumped down and went somewhere. Tyler said he was his bed.

We hoped this would be a trial run for possibly getting us a dog - as our kids are afraid of all things that move. But sadly, I think they only love Charlie (and Tesla, my mom's dog).

Maybe someday we'll get a dog of our own. But for one day, Charlie was pretty fun, for a lazy 8-year-old dog.

It's My Birthday....

You know it's going to be a good day when someone posts the above photo to Facebook.

Gotta love photos from the boat parade! We sure did rock Barbie and Ken, or maybe he was more Elvis, lol?!?

Today is my birthday.
Today, I turn 36.
Where has the time gone?

It seems like I was just celebrating my 30th and awaiting the arrival of Ashlee.

And then there was birthday 26 where I was waiting to walk down the aisle to Justin - in a week.

Birthday 27 brought Tyler.

I wonder what 36 will bring me?

Certainly no more kids. A year of kindergarten and third-grade and another year of wedded bliss with the hubby.

TEN years of marriage has flown by. A dozen years of being together.

Time is speeding up, and although I feel like I'm still 20, my body begs to differ.

Life is a wild ride where my days are basically living for everyone else, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I love the way things are turning out. Happy Birthday to me!

* Thank you mom for taking me out to lunch, and to Justin, Peg, Rog and the kids for taking me to my favorite KC restaurant and the cake!

Memories

For all of the negative that Facebook brings, it also brings some positive.

Like this random post from a high school friend.

A memory lost in time. 

Remembered and brought to light as she was looking through pictures as she prepared to move into her first home.

Kind words for my wonderful grandma who passed away in December, and whom I miss so much.

A note to brighten my day, to say I'm thinking of you and your grandparents. I love them so much!

Class of 2015

I introduce you to the preschool Class of 2015 ...

It's so crazy to say the class of anything in the 2000s. I guess I graduated college in 2001, but it still seems odd to have things in this era.

Tyler will graduate high school in 2025; Ashlee in 2028.

All in the distance, yet I blink, and they will be here.

Balloons, confetti, cupcakes and cake (and a special, hidden gluten-free cupcake for Ashlee) welcomed attendees to the graduation ceremony in the same gym we sat three short years ago.

Having been through this before, I knew to search for Ashlee's balloon to see what she aspired to be when she grew up.

We'll never forget Tyler's and his dream of being a farmer. Ashlee's was just as good: a fairy!

While we arrived a good 10-15 minutes before the graduation began, the gym was packed and we were sitting in the very last row. I stood almost the whole time not only to see (Ashlee was in the back row because she's so tall), but to take pictures.

After practicing daily for about 6 weeks, they sang a few songs - the same ones that Tyler sang - and hammed it up for the parents and cameras. They were all so happy!

Then they paraded out so we could watch a video of their time at the center. Some have been there since they were born; Ashlee came just after she was 2. They showed baby pictures and others that I had taken over the years; parents cried. I stayed strong!

And then pomp and circumstance started, and if you weren't crying by then, your eyes may have started to burn now....

Each child received their "diploma" - of course, I missed Ashlee's actual hand off - and then it was over. Parents took a gob more pictures (the lighting was totally funky in the gym), and we surprised Ashlee with a stuffed animal; the same one Tyler received - and she had requested.

 Congratulations Princess!

5-2-15

Isn't she adorbs in a hat?

I know that is not today's date.

I was too emotional to write on that exact date. And the weeks leading up to it. And quite frankly the last week.

These emotions I've been feeling are unlike any I've ever felt before ...

For anything.

You see, while the kids and I (plus Justin and one of Tyler's friends) were having fun at the Royals game that Saturday night - after a day of baseball games - we were missing out on an event back in Des Moines.

And it wasn't by choice. 

My brother got married. 

Justin and I were not invited (but my kids were). And neither was my dad. My aunt, my cousins, etc.

Forget I wasn't invited - but the fact that my dad wasn't invited was a low blow.

All because the b&%$* he married doesn't like my dad (shall we recall Dec. 18, 2012?!? I know I didn't give you all of the details of that day, so I'll refrain now - but it was all her fault!).

I reached out to my brother, who said he didn't know I wasn't invited until I sent him a picture of the invite addressed only to my kids, and he said he didn't invite my dad because he didn't know where he lived - he lives 5 minutes from him and has visited.

He never did answer about why he didn't call and tell him?!?

The whole thing was complete BS. There was no one from my dad's side of the family in attendance and some from my mom's side missed in protest.

Nothing says love like missing family.

I hope they both are happy. Really I hope he dumps her ass and moves on with his life with his kids.

Speaking of his kids, my nephew did look pretty cute (I never saw pics of my niece)! I stole these pictures off Facebook

Enough of that drama, let's enjoy some fun pictures from the Royals, including Tyler and Ford racing a guy whom we dubbed "Fake Dyson." He was dressed just like Dyson, although we were certain it was not him, but he could have been him!

Look at all of the gluten-free options ... too bad Ashlee only had ice cream as most of these items she won't eat:

Salvy bobbleheads were handed out, and luckily we got one! Here is the man of the hour and the kids watching from our seats, near the bullpen: