Why I hate nights in MN

This is why I try to NEVER go outside at night in Minnesota . . . My legs and feet are covered with mosquito bites! And to think we were only outside in my parent's backyard (which is in town) for about an hour. The good news is that the kids didn't get a single bite on them - momma took one for the team and now I'm paying. These stupid bites itch like CRAZY!!! Hoping they go away sooner rather than later!

A real nightmare

Funny how my last entry was about one of my dreams coming true and today I'm writing about one of my nightmares coming true - how ironic. Anyway, onto the nightmare . . . the kids were all in the living room playing while I was in the kitchen making dinner. For some reason I decided to run downstairs really quick and replace the furnace filter (it seemed to be getting excessively dusty in our house lately and apparently it was getting to me). As I was coming back up the stairs, I hear Lauren grunting and see her standing over where Ellie was laying - only problem, Ellie wasn't laying on the floor anymore, Lauren had her in her arms hovering above the blanket!!! I almost pooped myself. My first reaction was to yell at Lauren, but I didn't because I figured if I did that she would immediately drop Ellie - not the outcome I was looking for. So instead, I calmy told Lauren to wait and let Mommy help her. To my surprise (and huge relief), she did just what I asked. It took me about two seconds to get to her and take Ellie from her arms. Once Ellie was safe and secure, I turned my attention back to Lauren and let her know in the most stern voice I had that it was NOT okay for her to pick up Ellie. She kept saying "Parrey Mommy, I parrey (her version of sorry). I reiterated my point about a thousand times in the next 10-15 minutes just to make sure she understood completely that it was never okay for her to pick up Ellie. Feeling good that I got my point across, I went back to the kitchen to finish making dinner (I can see the living room from the kitchen so I could keep a close on the little lady). About five minutes later Trav came home from work and the first thing Lauren said to him was, "I want to hold Baby Ellie, please." When I heard that I made sure to tell Lauren what a good girl she was for asking permission to hold Ellie - she was happy and I was satisfied that the situation won't be repeated again.

After all the drama, I grabbed the camera and took a few pictures of the kids and Daddy.

My dream has finally come true!

I know this is super nerdy, but my dream of dressing my kids in matching outfits has finally come true . . .
I can't begin to tell you how excited I was to find these outfits for the girls. It actually took two trips to Kohls to find one for each of them, but once I finally did, you can bet I drove straight home and dressed them immediately! I have no idea why I have always had this weird obsession with dressing two of my kids in matching outfits, but now that I've done it, I somehow feel complete. I can finally breathe and rest easy knowing one of my dreams has come true(maybe this means an end to my obsession, or maybe it is just the beginning to an awful life full of "matchy-match" outfits for the girls - who knows which way I'll go).

Weekend update

This was a long weekend for everyone in the Quast household - the kids and I ventured south to Grandma and Grandpa Loken's house while Trav headed to Nebraska for a "guys weekend." We headed out late Thursday afternoon and by the time we got to St. Pete, it was time for dinner. So we all packed up and headed out to the restaurant by the lake. After dinner it was time for baths and bed - the kids needed lots of rest before they met a bunch of new friends the following day. On Friday morning we headed out to a friend's house to meet up with Kami and her boys and another old classmate from high school, Megan, and her two girls - talk about "baby central!" I must admit, back in high school I would have never pictured the day when Kami, Megan, and myself would be having a play date with our 7 kids - crazy! Here are a couple of pictures from the day - keep in mind how there were four babies under 6 months, two 2 year olds, and one 5 year old. Getting everyone to sit for a picture wasn't exactly easy so these are the best I got.The kids from left to right: Miles, Kenzie, Lily, Owen, Ryan, Ellie, and Lauren. I could be wrong with Miles and Owen - twins in matching outfits really confuse me, and I'm pretty sure I didn't spell Kenzie right, but it is the best I could do. After our fun visit with friends, we headed back to Grandma's house for lunch and naps. By the time the kids woke up, both Grandpa and Grandma were home from work so it was time to hit the pool - a favorite activity for the kids whenever we visit. On Saturday, Mom and I took the kids over to the mall for the morning. The weather wasn't great and I had a hair appointment so it was a good way to get out and burn some energy. By the time we got back home again, Aaron and Ann had arrived to join in on the fun. It was also super hot when we got home so the kids got their suits on and headed back into the pool for the rest of the day. Sunday was more of the same. It was super hot again and you literally could not be outside unless you were in the pool. Because of the heat, I thought this would be the perfect time to let Ellie have her first swim in the pool. So I dug out the baby float, blew it up, and put her in it - check it out . . . Ellie's swim was pretty short (only about 5-10 minutes), but it must have tired her out because she spent the rest of the afternoon doing this . . .Well, it could have been the swimming, or the fact that she is teething - yeah, that's right she is only 3 months old and getting teeth already! The other two kids started about at about 4 months old so this wasn't totally unexpected, but it certainly did take me by surprise. It also helps explain some of her irritable behaviors she's had over the past few days like never wanting to be put down, or her loud wails of pain at random times. Luckily we're getting everything under control now, but she is still having some problems with sleeping, like she never does it! Last night it was almost 1:00 am before I finally got her settled enough to actually stay sleeping - hopefully things will get better in the next few days.

With the busy weekend behind us, we are now looking forward to some more fun this week. Auntie is flying home on Tuesday and will be here for a little over a week! The kids are very excited to see Ash again and can't wait to make our trip to the airport to get her tomorrow. I'm sure our days will be packed with lots to do and see once she gets here so we're using today as our day to rest and recuperate before all the commotion starts again! Can't wait to see you tomorrow Auntie!

National Night Out

Our neighborhood had another successful National Night Out on Tuesday. This year we decided to change things up a bit so we got one of those huge bounce houses delivered so the kids could bounce the night away! The bounce house was not only a hit, but also great way to keep the kids entertained while the adults had some adult time coupled with adult beverages - always a good combination. The only down side to the whole day was the heat and humidity. It was in the 90's and you literally felt wet when you walked outside - not exactly the best conditions for jumping in a bounce house, but somehow the kids managed. In the three or so hours we were out there, Ryan and Lauren went through two huge water bottles full of ice water - some was dumped over their heads, but the rest they drank. In addition to the bounce house, we also had visits from the local police and fire departments. Ryan loved them, Lauren not so much. She hates the loud sirens and when she hears them, she comes running with a terrified look on her face and her hands covering her ears. I'm guessing this means she won't be a police woman when she grows up - oh well. Ellie also did a great job hanging in there with all the heat and humidity. She managed to stay happy until 7ish - that's when I took her in, gave her a bath, and put her to bed. The night wrapped up around 9pm when the people came to get the bounce house. By this time, the kids were sweaty and gross, and I mean really sweaty and gross! So it was into the shower, and then off to bed for everyone. Another fun event with the neighbors - have I mentioned how great our neighborhood is lately - it's great! Here are a few pictures from the day. The bounce house was delivered in the morning so the kids got to use it all day by themselves before the party started - lucky kids!

The end is near

I fear that the end may be near for Ryan's pet fish Steve. We cleaned the tank and changed the water the other day, and since then, Steve just hasn't been himself. He basically just sits at the bottom of the tank and rarely moves. Every once in a while he'll swim to the top to get some food, and if you knock on the tank hard enough, he'll move away, but that is about it. So now I'm having a dilemma . . . do I tell Ryan that Steve might die soon and have to answer all the questions I'm sure he'll have, or do I just go buy another fish and replace Steve without Ryan ever knowing? Well, I decided to ease into it a bit and see what kind of reaction Ryan has. I told him we needed to talk about Steve the other day so down to his room we went. When we got there I told him to look at Steve (he was in his usual position - sitting on top of the rocks, not moving). When I told Ryan that I thought Steve might be sick and that maybe he could die, Ryan immediately turned to me and said, "no, Mom, Steve is just fine" as he proceeded to tap, then bang the side of the tank to get him to move. Once he did finally move, Ryan said, "see, he still swims, he was just really tired." So now we're just in a holding pattern. I'm waiting for Steve to die, and Ryan is waiting for him to start swimming again. I'm hoping for Ryan's sake that Steve can pull through, but if I were a betting person, I wouldn't take that bet. I guess we'll just keep waiting and watching . . .

In other news, Ellie had her first experience at the YMCA. In my mind, I had always planned on waiting to take her to the Y until the end of August (she would be 4 months by then), but when Monday rolled around and it was hot and sticky again, I decided the day had finally come. Ryan and Lauren needed some time to burn off some energy and I could use a good workout, so off we went. When I got to the play area to drop the kids off, I was telling one of the teachers that this was Ellie's first time, and was going over a few things with her. When I wrapped up, Ryan piped in with, "don't worry, I know how to make her happy if she is crying." With that, I left and headed upstairs with pager in hand. An hour and a half later, I went back to get the kids. Ellie was sound asleep, and Ryan and Lauren were in the kid zone running around - everyone was happy as can be - I guess that means the trip was a success! As I was getting them all ready to leave, one of the teachers came up to me and said, "you have one protective older brother there" (pointing to Ryan). She said when she took Ellie out of her car seat, Ryan went right over to her, asked how Ellie was doing, then gave her a kiss. After that, he turned back to the teacher and said, "I'm going to check out the kid zone for a little bit, come get me if she (pointing to Ellie) needs me." He is such a good little daddy!

Photo shoot

The kids and I did an informal photo shoot on Friday. I am in the process of putting together a video for Ellie's baptism and realized I didn't have any recent (and by recent, I mean in the last month or so) photos of all three of them together. So, when Friday afternoon rolled around and we had nothing planned, I took the opportunity to get my camera out and start shooting - here are some of my favorites . . .
The pictures would have been better had Lauren agreed to take off her pajamas. But, as usual, she was refused and I wasn't in the mood to argue with her so I just left her be. At least I got some pictures - that was the important part.

On Saturday Trav and I ventured out alone for the first time since Ellie was born. We had a wedding for one of Trav's buddies so Grandma and Grandpa Quast came to watch the kiddies for us. Not only was it the first time we were alone, but it was also the first time we left all three of the kids with someone. As usual, I was a little less excited about the idea of leaving than Trav was, but once we were away and catching up with old friends, it turned out to be a great time. When the night finally came to an end around 12:15am, it was nice to walk into a quiet house knowing the kids were well taken care of and sound asleep and all we had to do was go to bed ourselves - what a treat! Thanks again Grandma and Grandpa!!