Shucking Sweet Corn @ Nebraska City Grandma's House

The kids & I went down to Nebraska City last week and had supper with my parents. My mom got some sweet corn and the kids helped her clean it. Amazingly, Samantha did get her hands a little dirty and helped pull a few of the husks off the corn! Alden just wanted to eat the corn as soon as they pulled the husk off! He had a few bites of corn on the cob before it was even cooked - yuck!! After they were done cleaning the corn, they had to check and see how their pumpkins were growing. They each planted pumpkins this summer and the vines are now growing out of control. But still no pumpkins.

Trouble!!

Alden's middle name is becoming "Trouble"!! He is always up to no good, and he convinces his sister to get involved too now! He was instructed to sit in the Time Out Spot one day and he did so with a grin on his face!!

Michelle's 10 Year Class Reunion

We met some of my old classmates in Nebraska City at the Lied Center for dinner last Saturday night. We celebrated our 10 year class reunion! I organized the event, and we had a great time. 9 out of 17 classmates showed up.

Zoo trip with the Misers

I took the kids to the zoo last week and my friend Mandy met us there with her boys - Cody & Caden. Samantha had fun showing the boys everything she knows about the zoo. We saw the giraffes, zebras, sea lions, rhinos, gorillas, and aquarium and a lot of little animals. It was quite sunny & hot, so we only spent the morning at the zoo. We all went to McDonald's play place after lunch and then ran some errands and headed home. Samantha has already asked when we can show the boys the rest of the zoo. (Funny thing is that the boys have been to the zoo and probably seen more than we will ever see.)

July 5th

July 5th was a lot better for our plan of soaking up some rays! After their bike ride and naps, we met our friends Kathy & Nathan and their 8 month old son Kaleb at Doug's parent's house for some fun in the blow up kiddie pool. Because of Alden's surgery, he couldn't venture into the lake for fear of infection, so we were stuck with the little kiddie pool. Samantha & Alden had a tea party in the water - which was a little too chilly for Kaleb's liking! ;) Alden & Sam also rant through the sprinkler a few times before heading inside for a cookie. Aunt Jodi also brought a few parachutes to shoot off because she found out that Alden loved them on the 4th of July. After Kathy & Nathan left, our friend's Lynn & Nathan came out with their children - Jack & Ava. They played in the little pool for awhile before Samantha & Jack got bored and decided to go play in the sand and leave Alden in the dust! :) Alden didn't like that too much, so I let him play in the sand for a few minutes, which let to wanting to get in the water...so Alden & I went inside and showered off. Jack & Samantha could have played outside for hours, but everyone came in and ate supper a little while later.

Doodlebug Trip

Doug took the kids in the Doodlebug for the 1st time this summer on July 5th. Our friend Joel met Doug at the bike trail and helped him take the kids. They stopped at a playground to play 1/2 through their trip. The kids really enjoyed Joel pushing them and playing with them! And they loved being in the Doodlebug again! Doug must be a little stronger this summer as Sam & Alden together way a little over 50 lbs and the Doodlebug itself weighs 40 lbs!

4th of July

The 4th of July was a day filled with fun. It was the 2nd coldest July 4th ever recorded in Omaha - so you can imagine what we did most of the day....stayed indoors. It also rained off and on all day long, and made toss out our plans for boating, swimming, and getting some sun. :( We went to Doug's parent's house at about 3pm and had a good time with family. Doug's aunt Jodi made some Jello Shots, and his grandma Lila thought she needed to try them, so that was pretty hilarious watching her try to get it out of the little cup with her tongue! :) Next we went back to town to my friend Mandy's house for some early fireworks and social time. We weren't able to stay long, as we had company out at Doug's parent's house, but Samantha & Alden were able to play with their friends Caden & Cody for awhile, which was good, because there were no other kids at their grandparent's house that day. Alden was amazed by parachutes and the fireworks that look like trucks. When we got back to Doug's parent's house, our friends Joel & Beth were there. We sat around and talked most of the evening and then watched the neighbors blow up their fireworks. Alden loved the fireworks and Samantha ran from them and plugged her ears and watched most of them from inside the screen door!

Alden's Surgery

Alden had to have surgery to fix his circumcision on Wednesday - July 1st. We had to be at Boys Town Hospital in Downtown Omaha at 7:30am. My mom came up the night before to watch Sam and take her to swim lessons that day. After we checked in, they gave us our own private room and Alden got to play in the room for quite awhile before they took him back for surgery. He loved to play in the little "bubble" window made just for kids and the child life specialist brought us a few toys to occupy him. He got to wear Bugs Bunny PJ's from the hospital, but didn't like his ID band on his ankle! They came in about 9am and gave him some Versed (medication to calm his nerves) and that made him just plain LOOPY!! ;) He was very entertaining to us over the next 1/2 hour. We learned that after about 10 minutes, he couldn't walk anymore and then just started singing songs from cartoons that he likes! He even let Doug hold him for awhile when was all drugged up. The anesthesiologist came in and told Alden they were going to blow up a yellow balloon and so Alden kept saying "Balloon" until they came and took him back for the surgery. Alden did great during the surgery and he slept like a baby for a little while after it. When they brought him back to us, he was still saying "Balloon". We thought he'd forget! :) Apparently, the "blowing up the balloon" phrase just to get him back there to blow into a mask to put him to sleep, but Alden remembered! Luckily, later in the day, my mom and Sam brought him a balloon to cheer him up. Doug's sister Debra & mom came to give us some moral support after he woke up! Alden didn't like the pulse ox. meter on his big toe, so Debra and Alden were making his new Crocodile that the hospital gave him "jump" over the cord to distract Alden. We were only there until 10:30am and then they thought Alden was doing great, so we got to go home! The rest of the day, Alden was his normal ornery self! :)

Omaha Royals Baseball Game

Doug took Samantha and his dad Jim to the Omaha Royals Baseball game on Monday night. Doug has always wanted to take Samantha, so he bought the tickets and decided to go. Samantha was already asking when they were going home before the game even started, but she stuck in out and lasted until the 7th inning. She ate a lot of popcorn and papa got her some Rainbow Dip 'n Dots (ice cream) that seemed to stain her chin an orangish color. She got to meet Herman the Nut and also see Casey (Omaha Royals Mascot). Her favorite part of the game was watching the baseballs get stuck in the net on top of them. She made Doug take a picture every time one got stuck and there were 3 stuck when they left. When she got home, I asked her if she had fun and she didn't even remember she went to a baseball game - she said they played with that "white" thing (meaning baseball). Oh well - they all had fun, but I don't think there will be another Royals game until next year when Alden can go! :)