We got back from our vacation early this morning! We had so much fun spending time with friends. On Wednesday we left here at 1pm and got to WIU at 7pm. Long trip huh? Well this is what happened...we had a potty and gas break, then Monkey had to go potty so we pulled over on the side of the road and J held a bucket for him to pee in. Well that didn't work Monkey just kept telling J that "pee pee goes in the potty, daddy" Then we got about 10 miles and GlamorGirl took her sandals off and her feet smelled bad. So we stopped at Shopko to buy the kids some new shoes! It was an unplanned shopping trip :) Then we went to McDonalds for dinner and took it to the hospital so J could see old co-workers. Then to the Beech's house. The kids played and were absolutely wired. GG tells everyone that Ethan is her boyfriend and that she is going to marry him.

Thursday we got up and went to see our friend Julie who is pregnant with twins. She has a little girl Grace a little older than Monkey. Then we went to lunch at HyVee...don't ask. When we got back to the Beech's we got the kids ready to go swimming. Angie and her son Mason came over and went with us. The kids were exhausted from swimming and took naps when we got back. The rest of the day the kids played and didn't go to bed until 10pm.

Friday we went to playgroup while J went to his old department to see his teachers. The first thing GG said when we walked in the building for playgroup was, "I've never ever been here before." Donnice told her, "yes you have and I have plenty of pictures to prove it!" So she got out her pictures of playgroups and different activities. It was really fun to look through and see GG so little and with no hair. She had quite a few pictures of her and even some of Monkey. GlamorGirl also got bit on her arm. But other than that she had so much fun playing and seeing all of her old friends. We went to Pizza Hut for lunch with the kid's friends, Ethan, Gavin, Mason, Laura, and Noah. Yeah there was 7 kids and 4 adults! Then we went to Ted and Jo's house and it was non-stop talking for about 3 hours! They have a super nice house, I am so happy for them. Ted is a police officer for campus so he and J talked cop shop. Jo and I talked about anything and everything! We're girls:) Then that night we went to All U on the Mall on campus. We took the kids on the inflatable rides, trampoline thingy, got a caricature for each of them (Monkey was a soccer player and GlamorGirl was a ballerina princess ~ she couldn't make up her mind so the lady did both!) they got tattoos, and we got a family picture taken. Then we went to Subway with Ted and Jo for dinner. J went to the bars that night. We had a great time with the A's despite Jo needing to go to the hospital.

Saturday we visited my college friend Jill who had a baby in July and I didn't even know she was pregnant. Some friend I am right? She is coming up this way and was so glad that we got a hold of them because she wanted to see us when they came. I can't wait to show her our new house!!! Then we went to the hospital to see Joanna and bring her some flowers. It was nice because we got to see Sharie, the midwife that caught GG and Monkey. We went to Burger King for lunch and then to see Joe (J's friend) who lives in the dorm. That was actually kind of fun. It has been a long time since I have been in a room full of guys playing playstation. The kids had fun too. Then we went to the K's for the rest of the day.

Sunday we went to church and got to see all of those people! We hung out at the K's all day until it was time for the Mom's Night Out. We meet at Rocky's for dinner and then went to DQ. I can't even tell you how much fun that was. We were gone for 3 hours!!! J and Aaron went to Jason's house and the men played pool so they had fun too. The kids got to play with Ethan one more time before we left. I feel bad for the other husbands that were at home with the kids all by themselves. Oh well! Sunday night we left and that leaves us at today. We got home around 2am last night. So we are pretty tired today.

Today we really haven't done much but get groceries and get the house into order! And I think this post is already long enough...

Ok Monkey is super cute and funny! At night we have been watching the Olympics...well Monkey the other day was in the living room and he put both feet together and then raised his hands in the air. After that he did a somersault. It was the cute and funniest thing in the world to watch. What a character!!! Today the kids and I went to work. When we got home we spent time with the neighbors, shock shock! At 3:30 we loaded up my car and went to the school. We brought the toys for the pre-school class and watched Liz play volleyball. They won so that was cool. Then we went outside to the soccer field and watched the boys team play. We came home and ate dinner. After the kids bath we played our favorite game of hide-and-seek. Now we are watching the Olympics, GG is sleeping and Monkey is going shortly. I have so much stuff I need to get done tonight before I go to bed.

Well we had a rough night last night and didn't get much sleep so the kids and I didn't make it to church this morning. I really wish we would of so that J could of gotten better sleep. I tried to keep the kids as quiet as I could. They had other plans, unfortunately. This afternoon we all went to the K's baby shower. It was really fun to see them and it is making me even more excited about getting to see all of our other WIU friends. I need to write out our schedule and all the people we want to see so that we don't forget to do something or see someone! At the shower there was a little girl Abby who is about 4 months older than GG and Ellie, a year younger then her so the 3 girls played nicely. Then there was Monkey and Abby's brother Caleb who is 6 months younger than Monkey. It worked out really good with the kids!!! I know that GG had a blast with the girls and Monkey just had a blast being there :) Then we came home and hung outside with the neighbors. All the kids were outside playing and there were two new kids same age and sex as ours. They were from out of state, which is a bummer. But they got to play for the night. Then we had to come inside to eat dinner...a late one. Now we are getting the kids ready for bed and planning on watching some of the Olympics.

We had a really fun day today. The kids and I went to the Y to work and then to the fire department. They were having an open house. The kids got to see them put out a fire, slide down the fire pole, spray the fire hose, go in the fire truck and ambulance, and see a EMS demonstration with a dummy. GG thought that the name "dummy" was pretty funny. They also got balloons and a hat. Then we went to my dad's for lunch and the kids told Grandma all about the firestation! Then we came home and J and GG worked in the yard, Monkey took a nap and I cleaned the whole entire house. By the time we were finished with everything my dad got here and we ordered pizza. Then Grandma came after church. The kids got their presents from grandma and grandpa's trip. They each got glow-in-the-dark shirts. They love them! Then we went out for some ice cream. Yum Yum. Monkey and I dropped off GG and J (they went to sleep) and we went to Wal-mart to get a present for the K's baby shower. I got a couple more things as well but we were going to get them eventually anyways! Now I am the only one awake but in a few minutes I have to wake J up. I think I am going to get ready for bed, wake him up and then go to bed myself:)

Alright here is a rundown of the day. The kids and I got up and went to work, got off and went to my dad's for lunch (so J could sleep), came home and we all slept. Both the kids fell asleep in the car on the way home. I was able to move them into the house and keep them sleeping so I decided that I was going to lay down. I crashed. I woke up drooling...I was tired. Actually I have a funny story that I am able to remember to tell :) At my dad's house I made the kids some noodles for lunch. They were sitting in the same chair eating them while watching cartoons. About 10 minutes after I gave them the food I looked over at them and Monkey had fallen asleep sitting in the chair. He had his hand in the bowl of noodles but was sound asleep. It was funny. I laid him down on the couch and gave GG a bath then woke him up to give him a bath and then we came home, which he fell back asleep in the car. When we got up from our naps we went outside to hang out with all the neighbors. I love this neighborhood, everyone is super friendly and always outside! I hate when people stay in their houses all the time, which is what my dad's neighbors do. Then tonight we went out to eat. Nothing fancy, just Wendy's! Now the kids are watching a movie that our neighbors rented and are letting us borrow. Well I need to get off the computer so I can make some phone calls.

Wow I just re-read my last post and it jumped all over the place! Sorry about that. I have a lot of things on my mind and I guess I was thinking faster then I could type and so it made for a jumpy post. J has started the midnight shift and I hate it. So the last couple of days we get up go to work and come to my dad's house for a couple hours so that J can get some sleep. It has been ok because the kids get to see Travis and Becky. Travis goes back to school this weekend so they won't see him for awhile. I am so excited I have gotten replies back from my friends WIU and everyone so far is able to go to the Mom's Night Out!!! It is going to be so much fun. I can't wait. Other than that J planted grass in the area that we worked in the other day so we will see if the grass will grow there or not. I really hope it does because I don't want to pay for someone to do it. The key is doing as much as we can ourselves so that we save money. Well that is about it from this end of the world.

Jeff and I are nuts...we are the talk of the neighborhood. We have done so much work in the yard it is nuts. The people who lived here for 27 years didn't do as much work in the yard as J and I are doing and we have only lived here for almost 2 months. It will look nice when we get finished. The kids will have a nice place to play and ride bikes. Yesterday all four of us were outside shoveling and working in the yard. It was a family bonding day. J said that he doesn't like that kind of bonding! Other than that we are getting ready for our trip! I am so excited and I can't wait. Tonight Monkey and I are going to the LLL meeting. Oh I have a funny story about Monkey. We were watching the Olympics and swimming was on. Monkey started cheering for Micheal Phelps but he wasn't even in the water. He remembered his name from the night before. J and I got a good laugh out of that one. Also Monkey got his hair cut today and it is super short. It doesn't even look like he has hair. I also cut GG's hair too. Monkey and I are in the process of weaning. He asks me if he can nurse and I act like he wants to nurse me. He says, "No mommy, don't nurse on me. I want to nurse on you." He is quite a little stinker...he is still sleeping in our bed not by our choice. We move him in his bed and he keeps coming back. GG really likes playing with kids that are a few years older than her. It is really funny to watch because she is so much like me...poor girl ;) The older kids do everything she wants them too. I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. But she makes friends so easily and kids (of all ages) seem to like her. We were outside earlier today and a lady across the street, she stays home, asked how old I was. She was amazed that we were so young and have 2 kids, our own home, and 2 cars. She said we have accomplished a lot in our young age. I never really thought about it but we are doing things a lot earlier then most people. Most people aren't even married at our age. I wouldn't change a thing. I love our life and our family. Well it is time to get the little babe ready to go. Until next time...

I feel like we (I) have accomplished so much. I cleaned out my car and vacuumed it and we have done tons of stuff with the yard. J and a neighbor cut down about 6 trees and 5 bushes. Then we had to move it all to the edge of the street. We also bought some tools to use in the yard so we don't have to keep borrowing other peoples! We have so much to do in the yard still but it has come along way. The next two days both J and I have them off so we will hopefully be able to get a ton more done. Tonight we are going to sit down and get a game plan for the work that needs to be done. Other than that we went to church today. The kids got to play with their friend Alyssa. Monkey has started wearing underwear now and is doing pretty good with them. I love owning a home! It is so much work but it is all worth it :) We are getting excited and ready to go on our vacation to WIU. We can't wait to see all of our friends. It is a much needed vacation for us. Well I am going to go be with my family and watch the Olympics! Have a Go(o)d night...if you go to our church you will understand that! If you want to know about it email and I will explain it to you ;)

Last night was so much fun. We took the kids, after dinner and more weeding, to the car show. We walked around the parking lot looking at all the old style cars. They loved it. They pointed out each purple and green car they saw.

Today the kids and I went to work then picked up Travis from his surgery. Then we came back to dad's house and had lunch. We are hanging out with Travis before we head home. The next three days both J and I have the days off so we are going to have some good quality time together. I really wish I had more time to write about the funny stories my little ones do...I am planning on getting better at this journal again. My life just needs to slow down but it doesn't look like that is going to happen for awhile.

Things at work are getting better they aren't completely fixed but they are getting there. At least things are going in the right direction! Last night we had some friends over and we had a great time. They brought us a house warming present and it was really cute. It was a bowl for salsa and a bigger bowl for chips and they also got the chips and dip for it! The kids loved having company. When they first got here the kids were doing things that they knew wasn't allowed like jumping off the couch and stuff. It is very hard to discipline children when your company is laughing and encouraging the behavior. Matt and Sarah are fun to hang out with and talk to. They aren't engaged but they talk about their honeymoon and wedding. Very funny to listen to. Not much else to report I need to go make dinner...the kids were acting good so I thought I could update real quick!

Wow it is amazing how time goes by so fast when you are busy doing things with our house! The last few nights we have done so much stuff with our backyard. It looks tons better I can't wait to get it all done. We are so blessed to live in this house! Our neighbors have come over to help us with the yard work two nights in a row. We didn't even ask they saw we *needed* the help and they helped. Not only did they help but they let us borrow their tools! One of our neighbors has a little girl who is 7 and she has come over everyday to play with the kids. GG absolutely adores her :) Alyssa's mom said that she loves playing with the kids. That is fine with me because they play so well. I should bring her to work and see if GG gets picked on...

On the down side to everything that is going good in our lives is a situation I have at work that totally stinks. There is a little girl that just bullies GG with words and physically. J and I are sick of it. So tomorrow hopefully something will finally get done. The sad part is that the girl that picks on GG picks on other staff kids as well. So when I do leave there the problem will continue and it will be a new kid that gets picked on and that is NOT right. She is a little terror. I will keep you posted on what happens with the situation at hand.

Yesterday the kids and I went to watch J play soft ball and that was a lot of fun. And today I spent the day doing laundry and cleaning. We are having company tomorrow night!!! I guess of all the days that we had to stay in the house today was a good one because it was chilly outside.

Also we got our cable hooked up and they messed it up and we have a hole in our wall now. But they are going to come and fix it, so that is good. I am just glad we finally have cable and I don't have to keep playing movies and rewinding them. That is such a pain in the butt.

Ok yesterday was a bad day. I left work early because I was in pain. And spent most of the day laying on the couch while the kids watched movies. I hated doing that to them but I really had no other choice.
Today was a great day. My in-laws came over for dinner. Joe and J fixed our shower and now we have awesome water pressure!!! I am super excited and we didn't have to spend any money...the best part. This morning the kids and I went to work and then the fun began. After work we went out to eat with my co-worker Jen and her 3 kids. Then we went to her house and the kids played and I picked out material for the kids coats she is going to make for them. GG's is going to be purple on both sides, the coats are reversible, light purple and then dark purple. It is going to have Cinderella on it. It will be very cute. Then Monkey's is going to be forest green on one side and a dark plaid on the other side. The green side is going to have a soccer ball on the back and a 02 on the front. That was J's soccer number and it was the year Monkey was born! They are going to be so cute in those coats :) Then we got home and we had our company. After they left I had to call my boss and give her the bad news about me not working there anymore. I hate doing stuff like that because I feel like I am letting her down. I just hope they find someone to fill my spot, I know what it is like to be short staffed. That is all from this end of the world.

Our day! The kids and I got up and J had already left for work. We ate breakfast and headed out on our errands. First we went to the bank to pay our first payment on a loan. Then we went to the R's house but they weren't there so we just dropped off the stuff, they leave tomorrow for 6 weeks. Then to school to see grandma and drop some stuff off for the preschool program. J has the rest in his truck. Then the last stop to the cable company. I had to show that we just bought the house because the people who lived here before us had an outstanding balance with the cable company. Then I had to ask them to put cable hook ups in the house. They didn't understand why there wasn't any if the people had cable before. The only thing I can think of is that the people who rehabbed the place took them out. They weren't the brightest people in the world...they claimed they didn't know they had to have a permit to work on the house, yeah right! Anyway the lady was nice and gave me the second hook up free. She was going to do the first but the computer wouldn't let her because it said the house was cable ready. Well it was but not anymore. Then we came home and had lunch then Monkey took a nap and GG and I looked through her school supply list and talked about her going to school. It should be interesting to see how she does. Then when Monkey woke up we had freeze pops and got in the pool. Then J called from work to tell me he was going to be a long time and he has been...still not home at 8 and he was suppose to get off at 3. We were going to have steak on the grill but instead we had pizza, the kids were fine with that because they got to help make it. Oh and we went over to the neighbors house across the street today, I needed some info, and Monkey peeped on her pergo floor. Then we came home and a couple hours later he did it again. I don't know what the deal was because this is the first time since we lived here he has had an accident. Oh well he was having an off day, kids can have them too ya know. We also spent some time at Jack's house at the request of the children and they got ding dongs and balloons while there. Can you see why they always want to go over there? GG fell asleep on the couch about an hour ago and now is in bed so I need to work on getting little rug rat in bed.

Ok this is so cool to my world. Last night Monkey slept 8 straight hours!!! It has been a few nights that he has started to sleep longer periods of time and I can tell that my body is getting more rest at night. It makes me so happy. Well today we got up and got ready at no special speed which was nice. I received a phone call from my work telling me that I was suppose to work today and I told my boss that she told me not to come in. I was subbing for someone else and she didn't think she was going to need me, well someone called in sick, of course. I didn't go in. So the kids and I went grocery shopping at Aldi and then at Jewel. I wish we could get everything at Aldi because it is super cheap but they just don't carry everything and somethings aren't good to get there like their bread. We got home and ate lunch then we all took naps. After our nap my dad came over and we went to buy a tv for our house it was his house warming present. We got a 27 inch panasonic flat screen one. We both like it so that is a plus. Then we went out to eat with my dad at Baja Fresh a mexican restaurant, it was pretty good, first time I had eaten there. Then we came home and put the tv away and got the kids to bed. Tomorrow my plan is to go to the cable company and get our cable hooked up sometime soon. Then the rest of the day we will probably spend in the pool!!! Oh yeah I officially excepted the job as a Teacher's Assistant in the preschool department. That should be fun :)

We were late to church this morning. I don't even know why because I got up before the alarm went off. Oh well. After church the kids and I went to J's parents house for a huge lunch. It was awesome. Sue makes the best food. Then we came home and both the kids fell asleep in the car and stayed sleeping when I brought them in the house so I laid down too. I got an hour at least of sleep. Then my dad and cousin Cory came over to bring me an organ. I just found out that my cousin is going to be staying with my dad for awhile. That should be interesting! After they left the kids and I got in the pool and played for about an hour in it. I really like the pool it is so big :) Then we hung out with our next door neighbor. The ice cream truck came down our street like it does everyday and Jack bought the kids and I a treat from it. We have already adopted him and his wife as our grandparents! They are so nice and generous...they gave J a power washer. Anyway J didn't get home until about 20 minutes ago. Which is good but not so good. The money is nice but I would of liked to see him more. And that was our day...