The Biggest Rip-off EVER--aka the circus

(You may ask why one child is in shorts and a jacket, while the other is in sweat pants and a winter coat---3 words should explain it all -- stubborn ,red, head, If she would have found the winter gloves those would probably have been on too. Also, didn't Dad wear that same outfit to the circus 2 years ago...hmmm)

Well the circus came to town, right to the Pamida parking lot; which tells you what a great circus it was. Our neighbor gave us some free tickets for the kids. I thought it would be a rip off for parents to get in but I was thinking something like eight bucks, ten bucks max. Well, my dad came with us and we discovered the adult fee was $14.00!!!!! When the lady asked for $28 from my Dad and I, we had to scrap the bottom of our pockets to come up with the ridiculous amount.

The insanity continued inside. We bought some cotton candy - $4.00. Then they announced that they were selling candy bars for $1.00, but if you saved the wrapper you could get a back stage pass to see Sponge Bob. Well, we fell for the trick and when they handed us the candy bars we were shocked to see the tiny little candy bars for a buck... at least give us the normal size. Then to make matters worse, at the end of the show when they announced Sponge Bob they then, announced to actually get your picture taken with him it would be an additional 5 bucks. What the heck!?!?!? So my Dad stood on the side and we took our own picture, while the kids used the candy wrapper to give Sponge Bob a high five (which Brooklyn was afraid to do).

The show itself was a jip too. There was not one animal in the circus, unless you count the two pigeons the magician used during one of his three tricks. The talent was lame, and most the time was spent parading around people dressed as Madagascar characters, in the oldest, worn out costumes one could imagine. We did get to see ponies outside the circus tent, which I'm surprised we didn't get charged for just looking at. Needless to say that is the ONLY time we will attend the Pamida parking lot circus. I think I should call the BBB of circuses!!

Movie Party

We had to babysit the little boy across the street a few weeks back. All the kids were playing outside but it started to get dark so I invited all the kids in for a movie night, with popcorn and all. Aren't I the coolest mom? Really I just wanted to have something to do until Aiden's parents got back. The kids had fun...they didn't watch much of the movie but they had fun anyway.

Nap Time....

or at least it was supposed to be; instead I went into the girls room to find them looking like this. Weird how magically they change clothes while they are sleeping. Pretty cute nonetheless though.

Let's go fly a kite

John took the girls to fly the kite Mom gave Kynadi for her birthday. They had lots of fun.

*Warning: you may become sick after watching the video, it's a bit shakey!

Unfit Mother

It is times like this that I feel unfit to be a Mother.

Kynadi and Brooklyn were playing outside one day and then decided they wanted to play in their little pool and sprinkler. So off they went to get in their swimming suits. I had put sunscreen on them earlier, but didn't after they had changed to swim. I was mostly worried about Brooklyn burning since she has the red hair and burns more easily. But this is what Kynadi popped up with that night....

I can't believe how awful it was. I have not forgotten to put sunscreen on them since though. I felt terrible, all because of my laziness and forgetful mind!

The other pics are of the girls being silly that night and wanting me to take their pictures. I couldn't resist capturing their cute mugs!

Kynadi's 4th Birthday

Kynadi was so anxious to have her birthday this year. She has been able to go to a few birthday parties this past year and so she was so excited to have her very own. We had been to a few princess parties already so I was trying to have her decide on something else. She finally liked the idea of a water party. My girls have played outside in the water a ton this summer so it seemed fitting. Well, the planning went better than the party. We found goggles, water guns, little toy squirters, and splash balls to give to all the guests. I also found a slip 'n slide, a cool beach ball sprinkler, and our old pool to set up for the party. I found a great cake to make online (and it actually turned out decent), and the invites turned out pretty good too. Kynadi was excited about it all. Her party felt like a flop though. It wasn't terribly cold, but the wind was blowing enough that the kids were getting cold when they got wet and didn't want to play in the water. I felt disorganized, and no one seemed interested in the water games. So I just let them do what they wanted and we BBQ'd some hot dogs and then opened gifts. That part was ok, I just wish everyone would have had more fun. Oh well, what do you do? Kynadi was just excited that it had finally come and she was finally 4!

After her party, when John got off work that evening , we invited Grandma and Grandpa over and we did our traditional scavenger hunt for her gifts and had cake with them. That was pretty fun. She finally got her V-tech gaming system that she has seen sitting in the closet since Thanksgiving. I felt bad that she knew what her main gift was, but I surprised her with some Fancy Nancy books, and a Tinkerbell hat, as well as Tinkerbell dishes to match Brooklyn's Dora ones. Grandma got her a hula hoop, play dough and a kite. I think I could always just buy play dough and that would be good enough to keep my kids happy.

The kids all got their own cupcake with a bear in a tube on it.

The kids watching Kynadi open presents.


Here's the cake...not too bad considering I'm far from a pro

Anyway, I love my little Bean so much. She doesn't seem like a four year old. She says and does things that seem much older. She is soooo helpful to me and just has the sweetest little spirit in her. She is so eager to learn and asks many questions, as well as catches on to everything. Here's a cute example of that. John had been talking about going camping and I was complaining about not wanting to go and get eaten by a bear. Kynadi, who was listening to every word, pipes in to let me know it is ok. She said, "no you'll be ok mom, remember you even said in primary you just have to pray and you will be safe from the bears" She was sooo right, the last time I had done sharing time I had read a story about some kids who had been approached by a bear but they prayed and were not hurt by the bear and knew how to get away. I couldn't believe she remembered it. It made my day to know that not only had a child remembered my sharing time, but it was my own child and she had learned about prayer. She has a tremendous desire to do good. I love to watch Kynadi with other kids. She is such a leader at times, this probably has to do with being the oldest, it can turn into bossiness, but I know her heart is in the right place. I have watched her in primary tell other kids they have to stop "messing around" and in fact today she was so excited to be the reverence child and be the example to all the kids. She's so cute and I love her to death!!! Happy 4th Birthday Kynadi Bean.

The start of the scavenger hunt...Kynadi loves it

Understanding the Young Mind

Kynadi is always right on top of things. As I've said many times, she keeps me on my toes. About a month or so ago, while we were taking Linken to get his heart x-rayed at the hospital we were trying to find the way around. There were signs with different colored arrows showing which way to different departments (typical). Anyway, I was telling Kynadi we had to follow the purple arrows. So as we walked she would look for them and guided us to our destination. Well then the next week we had to go back to the hospital to get Link's EKG done. As we walked into the hospital Kynadi quickly asked, "Mom, can we follow the mouse again?" "HUH?" was all that went through my mind (as usual). But, she repeated it a few times and then it clicked (no pun intended)...the mouse as on the computer which is obviously symbolized with an arrow! I chuckled, and told her yes. It's crazy to think how the world has changed in technology even since I was her age...wasn't it a turtle we followed then?...what's with the animal theme?