Day 5 Aunt Shirleys

Well today was the final day of having the kids. I can't believe the week went by so fast. Being that it is now Thursday night I can look back at the week and say that I had a fabulous time. So here is what we did today, being that it was the last day it was pretty low key.

Once we were up it was eat breakfast, get dresses and head out shopping for Grandma. She wanted me to pick up a few things for Brennetts birthday. So I took the kids to Once Upon a Child where Serenity and Logan went crazy with all the clothes and toys. We were able to pick up a few things for their little brother, with their help of course. Also we picked out an outfit for each of them to wear home tomorrow.

Once done there we had to make a quick stop at Target and then off to Shawn's house to get my golf clubs (can't wait Joe, are you ready?) and some halibut for you dad and mom. While we were there the kids wanted to meet the dogs Pedro and Duchess. They only got to meet Pedro due to the fact that Duchess isn't exactly friendly to new people. While Pedro is the smaller of the tow he isn't the friendliest to little kids.

Once Pedro got a bit use to the kids and once they had petted him we thought that he was OK around them. He was just sitting there on the couch when Logan went to take a toy he had put next to him. Pedro started barking at Logan so he ran away from him, well Pedro the little bugger jumped up and nipped him in the leg. Logan just looked at him and called him a bad dog. He didn't cry and he wasn't even scared of Pedro after that. I can't say he was even really upset. So now he has a little nip mark on he leg.

So after that it was time to go to Aunt Shirley's house. On the ride over auntie got to listen to the Disney channel again. Yeah me!! I can't wait for the ride up north tomorrow. Shirley was so happy to see us and cousin Chelsae was there to help keep the kids entertained. Shirley's dog Dixie was there and Logan couldn't wait to play with her. Shirley had cold meat, tuna salad, chips and fruit for lunch. Once the food was ate we let the kids play while I got to catch up with Shirley. While we talked both Serenity and Logan got a hold of the camera and took a bunch a pictures. We stayed there for many hours talking and playing. They even got to play on Rogers organ in the living room. Finally it was time to head home so Shirley could get some sleep before work.

On the way home both kids fell asleep in the car. So when we got home, I had to wake them up to get them in the house. The kids sat and watched Fern Gully while I wrapped Brennett's presents and made hamburgers for dinner. We had dinner out on the deck again and then it was bath time for the kids.

I put bubble bath and fizzes in the water for them and they had a wonderful time cleaning up that way. Don't worry guys I put those plugs in Logan's ears so he didn't get water in them.

With both kids cleaned and PJ's up we put in Beauty and the Beast and they watched that while I packed and loaded up the truck. Finally it was time for bed and they went to sleep with minimal fuss.

So now tomorrow will be get up to eat and then off to home. Can't wait to see you guys and the kids are super excited to see dad and mom. So until I see you tomorrow Good Night.

Auntie Diane

P.S.Sorry about the pictures, I can't move them right now. I will later.

Day 4: Misty's, Movie & Cookies

Well today was not as busy a day as the past three but I have to tell you and was exhausted all day long. I have been averaging about 7 hours a night but I think I really need more. Oh well this is only for a few more days. Everyone keeps asking me now if I really want kids, and the answer is still yes, but mine will be perfect. Ha Ha fooled you. I know they wouldn't be perfect but they would be close.

OK on to today. We have a few issues this morning with Serenity not wanting to eat her cereal. She was taking her time eating it and it was getting soggy, so out of know where she said that she hadn't wanted milk in there so she didn't want to eat it. Like I said, we got off the morning with some issues. It took her almost an hour but she did eat all of it and now we know to see if she wants milk in it tomorrow. Once the were feed, dressed and packed we were ready to head over to my friend Misty's house for lunch and then off to a movie.

Once at Misty's house we got to play with some kids golf clubs, badminton rackets, feed they're fish and see Sampson her cat. Sampson wasn't very happy to be around kids and he ran away shortly after we got him downstairs. So while Misty was making sloppy joes and salad Logan, Serenity and I went outside to play golf. Serenity had a pin seeker right away when she hit the tree then Logan found out all about foot wedges and gimmes when the ball neared the pin. Then when Misty came outside with the badminton rackets the fun really started. Pretty soon it was time for lunch, so we brought everything outside to the deck and had lunch. There was sloppy joes, pasta salad, salad and raspberries. Note to Mom and Dad, Logan really liked the pasta salad the she made.

After lunch it was time for Kung Fu Panda!!! With Misty's help it was a great success. Only one bathroom break for Logan (at a critical point in the movie of course) and Serenity didn't need any. We had pop and popcorn during the movie, boy can Serenity eat popcorn, she must get that from Grandma Marthaler (right Mom).

After the movie we dropped Misty off at home, telling her how much fun we had at her house and thank yo for coming with us to the movie, That was mostly from me. It was nice to have a conversation with an adult that did deal with planes or the little mermaid. So as we headed home the kids wanted to see where I worked so we stopped on by. I have to say I will take kid conversation for the next year if I can get paid and not go back to work. I don't miss it at all right now. My co-workers were charmed by Logan's shyness and amused by Serenity's silliness. They thought it was pretty cool that I worked in a hospital and that they got to see it.

So once we got home it was cookie making time. We made two batched of chocolate swirl cookies and they did all the pouring and measuring and egg breaking with a little help for auntie. Logan and I had a little trouble cracking an egg open. I always ended up on the table instead of in the bowl. They then placed the dough on the cookie sheets along with a lot of taste testing. I out the cookie sheets in the oven and took them out but they help with everything else. It was great for them to do something that allowed them to make a mess and not get yelled at.

While the cookies were baking we put the Disney channel on Sirius Radio and I learned all about Hannah Montana and the Cheetah Girls and something about the Jonahs Brother, who ever they are. Logan was rocking out on the deck to the music.

We finally ordered pizza and made another batch of cookies while we waited for it to get there. Once there it was pizza out on the deck with some Rood Beer and bread sticks. I have to say they are absolutely fascinated with all the airplanes that fly over the house. All week long they have been counting the planes and helicopters that they see. I think we are well over 1236 by their count.

We had some trouble with the movie tonight. It was Logan's turn to pick and he wanted Milo and Otis. Serenity of course didn't want to watch that, she wanted High School Musical. Se was giving me the stink eye for sometime. We ended up watching Logan's because It was his turn and she was not happy about that. The funny thing was is that once it was on she really got into the movie. So once it was over it was only 9:20 so guess what we watched? Yep High School Musical! So in the end all were happy and being that it was 11:45 when the movie got over it was bead time.

So now they are sleeping like the little angels they look like. I was a little disappointed that I forgot to take pictures while we were baking cookies but I guess such it life. So tomorrow it Aunt Shirley's for lunch and then who knows what else. It has been a great week, I will be honest, there were a few times I have wondered what I was thinking by taking them for a week but then I look at all the great times we have had and those make the bad times seem insignificant. So until tomorrow.

Auntie Diane

P.S. Wish me luck tonight, it is Serenity's turn by me. Yikes!!

Day 3: To the Beach

I thought Logan was bad the night before but Serenity beat me up last night. I have never slept next to a kid that kicked, punched and rolled like her. I think I had about 15 elbow jabs to the head and twice as many kicks to the back. I would take Logan next to me if I had a choice but I guess it is only for one more night with her. I really wish I still had my king size bed. At least then I could get away, well maybe.

So today was beach/park day. Once awake and fed, we started off by stopping at the local grocery store to pick up some fried chicken for our picnic lunch at the park. Thankfully it was on the way because this chicken is to die for! Once that was loaded into the picnic cooler we were off to find the park.

One of the women that I work with suggested that I take the kids to the beach on Medicine Lake and then later bring them to the park/playground that is also there. I so want to give Lynne a ginormous hug for this suggestion. It was perfect. When we got to the beach it wasn't too terribly crowded and once it the water we found out that it wasn't very deep either. It never went above my hips, and that was the deep part of the swimming area. The kids had a blast swimming and splashing. We were past the second roped area and they thought that was so cool because they were in the deep area. Serenity wanted me to help her with her floating on her back while Logan was content to flop face first in the water all day long. I remember to pack a towel for the kids but for some reason I dodn't grab one for myself.

After about and hour 1/2 we decided to go back to the truck and drive over to the park/playground for lunch. Once there I loaded the kids down with blankets, backpacks and me with the cooler we walked over to a picnic table. The fare was simple, salads, chicken, fruit and a pop (left over from the fay before). Serenity had a huge salad while Logan had three pieces of chicken. Something I will regret a little later.

Finally the food was gone and the kids took off for the playground. OMG this place was ginormous!! It really was. I wanted to play on it. This pictures are only a small portion of what it looks like. The kids played there for hours, while I sat around taking pictures and getting a little sun. Between the nets and the slides I thought I would never get the kids away, but the lure of going for another swim eventually tempted them away.

Back at the beach it was more splashing and swimming, only this time it was somersaults, back flips and handstands that were being taught. Even Logan got in on the fun. Then came the kid toss, they LOVED that so much I was the one who had to call a stop to it. I am not use to throwing small children around in the water.

Then it happened, Logan wanted me to spin him in the water. OK no big deal, he says his dad does it all the time (thanks a lot Joe). So I grab him and we spin in the water, going around until I almost get too dizzy to stand up. I toss Logan in to the water and then grab Serenity for her turn. While I was spinning her Logan went under and swallowed a bunch of water. He came up to me and said he was done and wanted to go to shallower water. Thank god we didn't get there. Before we had went three feet the puke came, and it came for sometime. I count myself lucky that: 1)He didn't puke on me, 2)I was on right side of him up wind so it all went in the opposite direction and 3) Know one else at the beach saw it. Once that was done and over with he rallied like a trooper and we stayed for another hour.

Finally we decided to head out and go home where we had spaghetti and garlic bread, which they both had two helpings of. With a quick call to mom and dad we were ready to head out to the sidewalk and do some painting. The kids really go a kick out of painting on the sidewalk and not getting in trouble over it. Once that was done and drying we were off for our daily walk then back again for the movie. This time at least it was Harry Potter. We had a little problem with Logan getting home sick and wanting his daddy but we got him settled down and once Shawn showed up after work he was back to being his normal self.

They have had a busy few days, but are ready for more fun things to do tomorrow. Kung Fu Panda is on the agenda so we will let you know how that goes. Night!

Auntie Diane

Day 2: Off to the Zoo and Como Town

First off let me say a little something about sleeping with two little kids. They are bigger bed hogs than adults and they should only take up about 1/5 of the bed. I swear I think I received a deep tissue massage from Logan last night what with all the jabs, punches and kicks I got in the back last night. And how in the world does a child Serenity's size do a complete 180 in the middle of the night and not fall out of bed and then another 180 again so in the morning she it back in the upright position? Also I never knew a child of four could snore like his father!! For any of you that know Joe you know what I mean. Oh hand don't get me started on the fart in the face, that about put me out of the bed! Other than that they slept pretty well and I got to sleep in until 9:30. Wahoo!!

So on to today. Boy did we have a blast!! Getting up in the morning consisted of eating Captain Crunch, coffee for me, the Little Mermaid (which I am beginning to truly HATE!! J/K) and coloring! It took us a little while to get moving but once we got out of our PJ's and into some shorts and skirts boy were we ready to go. Picnic basket was packed, blanket was stored and BOB (my GPS) was ready to direct us to Como Zoo. Oh and I also found out that you should ALWAYS have a spare set of batteries for your camera. By the end of the day it was turn on the camera, take one picture, camera turns off, wait a moment, and start proccess over again.

The drive there was pretty uneventful, we did get to go through a tunnel which Serenity loved and we listened to some AC/DC to get us in the mood to have a good time. Of course they knew this was their daddy's favorite band. I really wasn't thinking about how busy it would be when we got there bit it took us a little bit to find a parking spot and we had to wait for a family to load up and move out but once parked we were ready to Rock n Roll!!

First stop the Blooming Butterflies. This is a giant caterpillar shaped tent full of butterflies. The kids were so excited to have butterflies flying all around them and on them. I tried to get a picture of them but damn those things a quicker than you think. The temptation to touch the butterflies was great but they behaved spectacularly. I can gladly say no butterflies were harmed durning the 10 odd minutes we were there.

So once we were done with the butterflies, we had to check ourselves in the mirror before we left to make sure there were none on us, we headed to the Monkey area. There were spider monkeys, orangutans, gorillas and many other poo flinging primates. There was even a baby orangutan that the kids got to see, he was around the size of Brennet. Once through the crowded halls of the primate we decided to meander over the the African Safari Area and check out the zebras, giraffes, leopards, lions and tiger.

Man those giraffes are tall but they sure were active. Unfortunately the lions, tigers and leopards were all sleeping. But can you blame them, they had just had lunch and it was pretty hot outside. Speaking of food, lunch was sounding pretty good at this time also so we headed out towards the truck for our picnic basket. Along the way we stopped ans saw Rudolph the Reindeer, a sheep with a wounded leg and a baby deer.

Back at the car we got the picnic basket and blanket out and found a nice shady spot in the trees and had a pleasant picnic of PBJ sandwich for Logan and cold hotdogs for Serenity and I. Along with chips, carrots, fruit, a coke and jellybeans. Once done it was back to the zoo for some more animals.

We came upon a a group of flamingos sunning and fighting. the kids loved this, fighting birds huh! Then came the seals swimming circles and only coming up for air every once in awhile. Pretty crazy. I had them making a braking sound, to try and get the seals to talk back. Didn't work, but it got some of the other kids going. I bet there parents loved that. The part we were really looking forward too, the polar bear, wasn't even open. Apparently they are redoing the whole exhibit so he was moved somewhere else for the duration. Darn!!

Well with all the animals seen and no polar bear insight, we are still upset about that, if was off to Como Town, an amusement park for little kids. A kids most cherished dream, a parents or in my case an aunts worst nightmare. This is nothing but rides and candy and I learned the hard way, just get the unlimited pass, don't bother just getting a few tickets. They went on the Frog Hopper, the Swings, they got their drivers license (don't worry I won't let them drive the durango, maybe Shawn's car), rode the sky's with Aladdin, went for a leisure train ride, put out a fire (must be because dad, mom and auntie started one), climbed in a large jungle gym, got auntie on a spinning ride (the Tornado), raced cars, raced horses, spun in a large pumpkin, went back to the Frog Hopper and put out one more fire. After all that it was time to go home. Thank you God J/K

We deiced to stop and McDonald's today being that we had spent 7 hours at the zoo and park. So dinner was a simple affair of burgers, fries and milk. A walk afterward, a call to home, (sorry we missed you Emily, we will call again tomorrow), and a little sidewalk coloring with chalk, it was time for showers. Logan first, Serenity second.

We settled down with the movie Anastasia and popcorn in bed. Then it was lights out little ones. They had so much fun today and can't wait until tomorrow. They do miss their parents but can't wait to see what's in store for tomorrow. Being that I do know what is going on tomorrow I had better get to bed before this blog makes me crabby. So until then have a good night and I will be back again tomorrow.

Auntie Diane