I just realized now that I didn't update yesterday. The past two days I have been busy with getting things ready for our trip. Which I think I am almost finished with just need to throw in the last little bit of toiletries in the morning. Also my brother's family is here until tomorrow so we have hung out with them too. Total chaos here. Yesterday I took the kids to the store to get GG some short sleeve shirts. I found a ton that were 2.88 so I bought her six. Now she is set for summer. That is a good feeling. Other than getting ready to leave we have been dealing with house issues. Talking to banks and such. We may soon be home owners. What a scary decision. Tonight I took the kids outside to ride their bikes it was super nice out just really really windy. Well I am going to make this short I have to get up early in the morning to catch our flight. I will try to update at my mom's but we'll see how busy we are. Later!

Today has been a long day for us. We had a doctor's appointment this morning. The kids were so good that we took them to McDonalds. And no we don't always eat there just lately. Then I took the kids to Toys R Us and J went to work. Being in there was just too funny. I would walk and GG would seriously scream, "GO BACK! GO BACK!" So I would go back and she would tell me that she wanted the toy. I explained to her that she needed to remember the toys she wanted and we would make a list when we got home. I told her that I would keep the list and get them for Christmas or her birthday. I did buy two things from there for our trip though. Then we went to Wal-mart and got some more stuff for the trip. Came home and the kids both took late naps and that is why they are both still awake plus the fact that Uncle Kevin's family came tonight. The three cousins have been running around like crazy people. I'm going to end this so I can get to bed at a descent time.

Ok yesterday was super crazy. I worked, came home, ran a bunch of errands, and then went to get Liz at her friends house. I took her home and when we got there neither one of us had keys. My in-laws went away for the weekend. Since no one had keys we had to drive to the department to get them from J. While we were there he gave Liz a tour of the place because she has never been there before. The kids enjoyed that. I am happy to say that I now have a key to the house. The funny thing about this all is that J had a front and back door key. So I have the back door and he has the front so we will both be able to get in their house. That is kind of a funny thought. Anyway after we got in the house we ordered pizza for dinner. Today was church, which was busy for J and I. During Sunday school we each gave our testimonies and then the class asked us 10 questions each. Then we had to quickly pick up the kids and drop them off at their next location (GG children's church and Monkey nursery) and we greeted at the front door. It was cool we had name tags and everything. I don't know if I wrote this last sunday but Monkey has been going to GG's Sunday school class and he loves it. So much more fun for him then being in our class! After we were finished greeting people we worked in the nursery during the service. We came home and ate lunch and J went to work and the kids and I came home. I started laundry and I now have some free time :) Oh J bought his secondary gun last night. This week we are going to get ready for our trip. Tonight at dinner GG was cracking me up. She was talking about our trip to grandma and grandpa K's house. She was saying something like she can't wait to play with all her uncles because they are a great family. They share with her and play nicely with her. Then she was teaching Monkey how to say their last name which he said, "cookie" She rambled on about them for about 20 minutes and it was really cute. Well that is all I can think of......

Wow what a day! It just really seems like a blur right now. I do know that we went to the Variety Show to watch Liz perform and the kids thought that was great. They also got to eat McDonalds for dinner and GG had her first hamburger. She was too funny! She was like, "Oh yea my first hamburger ever! I am so excited. I can't wait to tell dad I am eating a hamburger." They also got to see grandma and grandpa, Liz and daddy (in his uniform)! We still don't know anything new about the house. The more I think about it the more I think it isn't for us then I think it is. I am so up and down about it and that really stinks. I just wish I knew what we should do. All I know for sure is that I am exhausted and I need the bed so I am off......

Our day....I worked then came home just in time to leave to go look at that house. I will just say that this afternoon was a stressful time for J and I. We talked about the house if we liked it, wanted to buy it or what. Then we went to school to see grandma A. they were doing the dress rehearsal for the Variety Show so we stayed and watched some of it. I am planning on bringing the kids there tomorrow night for the real thing. They should have fun!!! We came home and I made turkey for dinner so we ate late, oh well. My dad decided that after dinner he wanted ice cream so we went to get Oberweis, yummy :) We were going to take the kids swimming but after the ice cream we were all tired. Plus, ER is going to be on in 15 minutes! Most of the day we spent distressing by having kiss fights. That is where you try and kiss the other person more times then they kiss you. The kids love it and so do we :) Time to get the kids in bed....

Today GG and I went to work and J and Monkey went swimming. Then Monkey came to play and GG went home to get ready for ballet class. Class was fun today because we had a new baby there. Monkey was so interested in him. It was cute. Then this afternoon J and Monkey took a nap and GG and I played. After dinner we cleaned the basement and did laundry. Monkey hid under the laundry basket, which was hilarious. Then the kids and J took a shower came down read books and GG went to bed and Monkey is still awake. GG has been doing this new thing that just is too much. She will tell you something and when she is done she laughs historically at what she just said. I guess she is telling a joke or something. But I can't help but laugh at her laughing! I have another story but I can't tell it J won't let me :( So I am going to end this post.

Ok so I think Monkey is officially poop potty trained, if that is even possible. I say this because for the last two weeks he has only gone poop on the potty. He tells us he needs to go, can't get his diaper off yet, so we help him and then he does it. Pretty cool I think. I am planning on working with him on the pee part after we get back from our vacation. Today I worked and J had court then we came home with Amanda. We hung out and she left. After she was gone we all took a nap. I slept about 2 hours and it felt so good. Then after dinner Monkey and I went to the LLL meeting and J and GG went to the YMCA to go swimming. J told Monkey that he will take him tomorrow so all night he has been saying, "Jump in da wader." That is what he did last time we went swimming! Now I am going to bed.

Well it looks like I missed a few days here! I will say they were filled with fun times. We spent the night at my in laws on Saturday night. Today we went to the storage to get out the summer clothes from last summer to see if any of them still fit. I found about 8 short outfits for Monkey and mainly just shorts and capris for GlamorGirl. So she will need some new shirts. We also went to Wal-mart to get her some new sandals for the summer since Monkey is wearing her ones from last year. They are black unisex sandals...so no we aren't putting Monkey in girl sandals. The afternoon we spent trying on all of the old clothes. Then after Monkey woke up from his nap we went to the park to play. I think that GG tried waking him up earlier so we could go play. Then this evening we went grocery shopping so we now have food in the house. That is always a good feeling. Oh and Thursday we are going to go look at a 3 bedroom house. That should be fun. All I am saying is that I am going to keep an open mind about it...it doesn't have a dishwasher or central air. But it has a two car garage. We'll see what happens on Thursday. I have a sleeping Monkey in my arms right now. I can't believe he isn't waking up as I type. Which reminds me of a funny story about him. The other day I asked him if he was my handsome guy. And he held up his hands! Get it "Hand"some guy!!!! I loved it. And GG was talking with Roberta the other day and told her some stories that she then shared with me. All I can say is what an imagination that one has :) Well that is it for now.

What a fun day we had! The weather was so beautiful. Right now J is giving the kids a bath so I thought I had a few minutes that I could update real quick. So this morning was like normal. I worked and took GG and J brought Monkey in later. This afternoon when we got home we ate and jumped in the car for a trip to Wal-mart to get kites for the kids. GG got a Strawberry Shortcake and Monkey got a Superman one. Then we walked to the park and flew them. The kids each held their own kite and Monkey only let go of his once and I had to run after it. I was amazed at how long they wanted to fly them. I think it was about 30 minutes. Then we put them away and played at the park for about another 30 to 45 minutes. We walked home. Got our swim suites on and went to the YMCA to go swimming. We were there for about an hour. They loved being in the water. Then we came home and the kids took naps it was 5 so it was a late one. I couldn't complain because J being the wonderful person he is gave me a foot, back, and neck massage while they slept. Then we got food from a little place called Ricci's for dinner. After that we took the kids to McDonalds for ice cream and to play. We were there for a little over an hour. Today was pretty go go go. But it was so much fun spending it together! Oh yeah on the way home from McDonalds J and I were talking about his secondary gun and how most people carry it around their ankles. He asked me if I thought so and so seemed like a guy who would carry a gun around his ankle. GG in the back seat listening to our conversation says, "How would he carry his ankle, Daddy?" It was funny. Then when we walked in the door GG said, "It is so good to be home!" Amongst other things that came out of her mouth today!!!

Ok so J had court this morning so both kids went with me again. J worked late last night so he didn't come get one of them after court which is fine. I would rather have him rested. We came home and spent some time with him. Then Monkey took a nap and GG colored and played dress up. We got a call from our friends to meet them at the park. I told GG we were going to the park to play with Zach, Noah and Jessica. She said, "And Ms Chris Berman" that is the mom. Anyway on the way to the park for some reason I thought it would be fun to run with the kids in the stroller. They thought it was great and both of them were cracking up. When I stopped GG said do it again. I told her that I was pooped. She said, "You just said that you pooped your pants!" She was laughing historically. Then I explained to her that it meant I was tired. Oh the mind of a 3 yr old. We came home and made dinner while dancing to the radio...the kids were shacking it! Very cute. We ate, played a little, got baths, and they went to bed. After the bath GG was hitting the wall and a picture fell on her and it cut her foot. I have to say that my kids are the safest kids around. Daddy worked in a ER for almost 3 years, worked for Western EMS and taught CPR (Adult, Child and Infant) and Mommy is certified in professional CPR (Adult, Child and Infant) and First Aid. It is a step up from a normal citizens CPR. So see they are in good hands! I just hope to never have to use any of it on them but if I do I am prepared!

Our day in a nutshell! J had court this morning so both kids went with me to work. Then J came to pick up GG to get her ready for her ballet class. After her class which, she was the only one that got all the moves to the dance they were taught. I was so proud of her, she is a true dancer just like her mommy! We came home ate lunch and I put Monkey to sleep. I was sad because my friend Chris called to see if we wanted to meet her at the park but I didn't want to wake Monkey up. So we are planning on meeting tomorrow! Then I left for my CPR class and grandma fed the kids then took them on a walk to the park. She said they had a lot of fun playing. I just wish I could of been there too, but being CPR certified is something that I really should have. Then uncle Kevin came home and took over for grandma so she could go to choir. GG talked him into playing shuts and ladders with her...we played the Dr. Suess game today before I started studying. She wanted to play shuts and ladders but I really needed to study. So I am glad he played with her. It sounded like they had lots of fun with their uncle so that was cool. Tomorrow I am hoping to find out if I passed the CPR test and practicals. I will say that the teacher said I had really good hand placement! That wasn't as short as I thought it was going to be...sorry!

Today I worked at the Y and GG went with me because Monkey was still sleeping. J came to work out while I was there so Monkey came to play. Then Amanda came over for a couple hours. Today GG and I watched a baby story together then she watched Beauty and the Beast while I slept on the couch. Tonight Roberta made dinner because I didn't feel good after I woke up from my nap. I didn't even study for my CPR test tomorrow. I haven't been motivated. I do better under pressure so I will study tomorrow before I have to take it! I have two tries to pass it so if I fail I can always take it again. I know that is a bad way to look at it but that is the way I feel at this moment. Most of the night the kids ran around playing with their balls. They are such goofs. They seriously play so well together it is almost scary. And GG tells everyone that she wants to marry her brother! She loves him :) Well both the kids are asleep so I am going to take advantage of this and just chill. I was going to update the kids' pages but I am lacking any sort of motivation. I promise to have them updated by Friday if not you can yell at me! I have a funny story at least I think it is funny. Some of you might think I am nuts. When the kids get cuts I put bm on it to heal them faster. Well Monkey fell and scraped the side of his head. I asked him if he wanted me to put milkies on it and he said, "no mouth" as he pointed to his mouth, he was telling me that the milk belonged in his mouth not on his cut. I thought it was cute!

Well today was the day I worked with Monkey on using the potty. We got up and Monkey taught his doll to use the potty. In the middle of that he said he had to go so he got on the potty and pooped. Then we proceed with teaching the baby doll. He did everything I asked him to do and answered all my questions about the potty. Then he started playing with GlamorGirl in the living room. I asked him to show me where the potty was and he fell down on the ground. When he got up he had peed his pants. So we "practiced" and changed his pants and we kept going. Then he pooped again on the potty! I was starting to get hungry so I figured Monkey was hungry too so we went upstairs to eat with daddy and sister. Halfway through his lunch he peed his pants again. So we "practiced" again and changed into clean dry underwear. After I got done eating I talked to J about how I wasn't ready for Monkey to be a big boy even though he was really into the potty thing. So we decided to wait another month and then try again. But he goes poop on the potty so he is already half way there! Then the rest of the day he would ask to go potty so I would take his diaper off and he would sit on the potty and do nothing. So he isn't afraid of the potty he just needs to learn when he has to pee and use the potty. Alright enough "potty talk". This afternoon Monkey took a nap and GG and I did some girl things. Then tonight we got groceries. So now we have food in the house! Now I am off to sleep zone...

So I asked GG what her favorite part of the Easter egg hunt yesterday was and she told me the bunnies that came. There were 3 people dressed as bunnies. I was shocked she had said that because when they first came out she got scared. Kids! When we got to my in laws last night we dyed eggs and grandma and grandpa hid eggs for the kids to find. Liz had a friend spend the night so the kids had someone new to entertain!

This morning we got up and went to the Easter program. GG was absolutely the cutest little girl! She looked so pretty while she sang and said her line, "Christ Jesus rose and is our King!" She, of course, waved to us and got excited when we waved back, such a sweetie. Then GlamorGirl went to children's church and Monkey went in the nursery while J and I went to the Easter service. Afterwards J's parents, who I feel are my parents too, took us out to lunch at an all you can eat Chinese place. We walked away stuffed! I have the best in-laws, I really do love them, they are always there for us. I am so glad that we moved back this way and they are around and the kids are getting to know them! Oh and J took the day off so that was a great surprise. He is such a great husband. Then we went back to their house and we all took a nap. Now we are home and getting things ready for Monkey's big day tomorrow. So for the next few weeks or so I will probably be writing a lot about Monkey's potty activities but I will try not to bore you!

We were out late last night. J had the day off so we did family things during the day then went over to our friends Sara and Matt's house. Greg and Christine were there also. We ate from the time we walked in the door until the time we left...it was real good. Sara made a dip of spinach and artichoke it was the best I have ever had! She had so much food; chicken, salad, cheesy potatoes, corn on the cob, three different dips with chips and crackers and a cheese spread. For dessert she had chocolate pudding with whip cream. I was stuffed! She also made mac and cheese for the kids. After we ate we looked at Matt's sister's place which is a block away. She has a 3 bedroom 2.5 bath, J really liked her place. I think he wants to buy a townhouse out there. I think that would be fun, the nights that Matt and J are working we could eat together and keep each other company. We had so much fun talking with them it was great conversation about cop stuff and non-cop stuff! We left there place at 11ish. Anyway, before we even left our house Travis and Becky had come home from college. So the kids enjoyed spending some time with them. This morning we got up and went to grandma M church for a Easter egg hunt. The kids had a lot of fun with that and are wanting to have another egg hunt! This afternoon after naps we are going to color eggs and then we will end up at my in laws for the night.

So last night after I updated I went to bed and GG went with me. It was a lot of fun we laid down face to face and talked for about 30 minutes!!! She told me about her day...even though I was with her the whole day :) We have been doing this everynight before bed but last night was longer because I was going to bed at the same time as her. It gave new meaning to the phrase "pillow talk"! Then today I worked and J came in and played with the kids for about 30 minutes they loved that. This afternoon GG and I laid on the couch a head on each end and we took a nap. Monkey took a nap in the bed. When he woke up he told J that he had to go poop so J took his diaper off and put him on the potty and he went!!! I have watched him and when I notice he is getting ready to poop I put him on the potty but he knows when he has to go now. I was so excited (as was He) that he did that! Then after dinner we went to Wal-mart. I asked J if he had the credit card because I didn't have mine. He asked me if I had my license I told him I didn't have any pockets I had sweats on. GG sitting in the backseat said, "I have pockets mom. You can put your license in my pocket. I will hold it for you." What a goof...like I am going to give a 3 year old my license. We got the kids certified birth certificates in the mail so we are ready to go to New Mexico. We also got invited to another wedding...have I mentioned I love weddings? Anyway back to Wally world, we got GG some white shoes for church too cute. She tried them on with her Easter dress when we got home and she looks like such a young lady. We also got her friend a birthday present, a sun dress (GG picked it out so it is purple) and some sidewalk chalk. We tried the dress on GG because they are the same size and it fit. Oh and we got Monkey another bag of underwear because I am planning on starting to potty train him when he runs out of diapers, he seems really interested in wearing underwear and going on the potty so we are going to run with it. He is almost 2, wow I can't believe that :) Ok I'm done for the night.

My day started at 6:20 pretty early for me! Then GG had her ballet class and she got invited to a birthday party the first since we moved here. She is very excited about it. Then I got invited to a girl's night out with some church friends...haven't decided if I am going yet. This afternoon J washed his car and the kids rode bikes, blew bubbles and played with sidewalk chalk. Tonight I had CPR and First Aid training at the Y, they pay for the certification and pay us for our time! J and the kids went to the Y...J worked out and the kids went to the nursery to play. That was weird it was the first time they have been in there without me. But my friend was working so I knew they were being taken care of!!! Well I had a long day so I am going to retire to the bedroom.

I'm such a sucker! I worked this morning and was asked to work again tonight because they needed help. So I said, "yes". I have a hard time telling people no...my mom-in-law is like that too. Anyway other than that my friend Amanda came over for a couple hours. She is so nice and easy to talk to, plus the kids like her. She has a little boy 9 months old, a real cutie. Tonight is J's last night before he has three days off! I have funny stories of the kids so I could write more...but the bed is calling my name. Later......

This morning GG had a phone date. Her friend Ethan called and I let her answer the phone, she thought that was awesome. They talked for about 5 minutes...well GG talked for about 5 minutes! Then she told everyone that she talked to him on the phone and kept asking me when we could make plans to go visit them. She really misses him. Other than that the day was filled with errands and house work. I think that stuff is more work then actually getting paid to work! We had a good day though the kids got to ride their bikes outside before dinner. I am so glad it is warming up out! And our fish princess is still alive I can't believe she hasn't passed on yet, so I cleaned her bowl. Also tonight we got eggs and the coloring kit for Easter. We will probably color them on Saturday after the Easter egg hunt at grandma M church, that way J can be there to see them, help or take pictures! The last load of laundry is calling me so I will end this.

This morning we went to the police pancake breakfast. On the way there GG was teaching Monkey his ABC’s it was really cute to listen to her say one then Monkey repeat it! When we got there our friends for the Y were there and we sat with them while they ate then after they left we met a bunch of J’s friends. We also got invited to a cookout on Friday with three other couples, should be fun, all police officers! While we were at the breakfast I heard Monkey say, “monkey child” as I watched him pull a chair on top of himself. He got hurt but recovered well. Then what we did this afternoon is on my other journal. It isn’t pleasant so if you don’t want to read some venting…don’t read it! We had a pretty good day except for the 2 hours this afternoon. When we got home from the day the kids and I ate and we are relaxing now. I have music on and the kids are playing with their toys, nicely! Oh I forgot to mention I have been doing some research on the internet and I think I have found some grants that we can get for when we buy a house. A couple grants are for 7,000 and the one that I really want is for 22,500!!! None of it needs to be paid back which is the best part. I will let you know when I get more into it. But if we got some of those grants we could buy a real nice house. I really want to at least wait until summer when there are more houses on the market but it doesn’t hurt to get them ready now.

This morning I worked and J worked out. Then we came home and had lunch, I made cheese ravioli and garlic bread for J and I. GG had a pb & j and Monkey had lunch meat. When our food was done Monkey wanted some. He came up to me and said, "want some" then walked over to J and said the same thing. He went back and forth until he got hurt on the table. He walked right into it and now has scratches on his right eye. Then J left and Monkey and I took a nap. I know when I am tired because I wake up in drool...well I was drooling! GG is such a good girl to sit and watch a video and let me sleep. Of course she knew that if she needed me she could come get me. Then I made lasagna for dinner and Monkey got it all over his face so I took a picture! GG decided she didn't want to eat it so I gave her something else. She normally loves lasagna but not tonight. I think it is so funny when she says she doesn't like something and I ask her to try it and she ends up eating the whole thing and asking for more, this happens a lot! Where Monkey will eat anything you put in front of him, so different those two are :) Let me see what else happened today??? Nothing significant stands out to me so I will end this post.

Today I worked and J came in to get our free membership taken care of and now we can start using the Y's facilities. Maybe J's next days off we could take the kids swimming! Monkey is getting used to pooping in the potty...the only thing is, I see he is doing it so, I put him on the potty. I want him to go to the potty when *he* knows he has to go. But this is a start I guess. Today I got the email about the tickets for our trip. Also the car seat that I ordered came today. I will probably put one in the diaper bag and the other in a suitcase. It is really small and will be easy to transport...I really couldn't see me walking through the airport with suitcases, two (full size) car seats, the two kids, and a carry on. I am still trying to convince J to park and help me, he wants to just drop me off and not pay the parking. But I think once he realizes that would be too hard he will help me. GG has been real cute about our trip too. She told grandma A. on the phone that she gets to chew gum on the plane so her ears don't pop. Well that is really all I want to write about.

I forgot...last night when we got home from the game Monkey was crying and I asked him what he wanted. Gg being herself said, "He wants to nurse Mom." I told her then maybe she should do it. Her response was, "I don't have big boobs like you. Mine are up here!" J and I laughed so hard it hurt.

I just love my life! Last night we went to the Wolves Hockey game with some friends Jason and Kristy. Monkey and GlamorGirl loved it. I will say that Monkey did get a little scared of the fireworks that went "pop". GG proceeded to crack us all up the entire game. Such an imagination that little one has! I can't even remember all the funny things she said! I know she was telling Kristy that they could go down on the ice and get the blimp! She actually thought she could go down there. Then she said to me, "Mommy I need to talk to you." I asked what about and she said, "I want to know what your favorite part of the hockey game is?" I told her and she told me her favorite part. Jason bought nachos and shared them with her. She kept eating the chips and Kristy said she was hogging them and GG said, "He is too!" So we all had a great time at the game.

Today GG had class at the Y and J brought Monkey after the class and took GG home. The boys walked into the room with sunglasses on...it was too cute! We also found out today that we are getting a family membership to the Y for FREE!!! We have the free membership for a year, through a scholarship. I am so excited about that. J also looked into getting the kids certified birth certificates from the place they were born so I have to get all the stuff together and send it to them. We need them for our trip to New Mexico at the end of this month. I am getting really excited about going and so are the kids. They have been telling everyone that they get to take a ride on an airplane! They are going to love that considering everytime they see one in the sky they get excited about it. Well I really could write more and brag about my kids but I will stop now :)