Hooray for "Elkhorn Days"

Our family was invited to be a part of the "Elkhorn Days" parade. We were asked to represent the ward and be a part of the float. The theme was pioneers. However, we found out soon after the phone call we would need to pull the handcart the entire parade route. We didn't think Zach (or the other kids for that matter) could do it. A couple of blocks alone is hard work for him. Although he is quite a trooper his little body gets so tired. We had to turn them down. It doesn't look like we would of made very good pioneers back in the days. We did however, take the kids to the fair later on in the afternoon. They rode the ponies, played games, ate cotton candy and snow cones. They most enjoyed the water balloon launcher. Each player tries to soak the opponent. Ellie played against Mckenna Wilson. Avery (with Megan Wilson) played against Zach. He was disappointed beacause it was to hard to launch the balloons, and he didn't want help from Jeff. He had a frustration " break-down" and started to cry. We don't exactly know what to do when he gets frustrated and his emotions get the best of him. We know at some point he will handle it better but, what to do in the meantime? He is a tough cookie with strong desires, and I know that is a good thing. Enjoy some pic's from the fair. I carry my camera everywhere we go since I've started this blog. I figure it's a great way to journal. We love you all.

Goodbye!

Bo-Bo's. Today Avery and I packed up her bo-bo's and gave them to Sonia's new baby. We had a mini ceremony as she said goodbye and tucked each one in the box. Although she did shed a few tears when saying "goodbye" she did remarkably well. I don't know who it was harder on ...her or us. Now, we do know this should of been done a long time ago. She is our last baby and "oh" so cute, and I suppose a bit spoiled. But, here we are today and she was ready. She went bed tonight a little later than usual in the hopes that she would fall fast asleep without thinking of her bobo. She mentioned to me with teary eyes that she missed her bobo but, only moments later she was asleep. "Yeah" for Avery.

Twins...an undeniable bond.

We have somewhat settled in on our summer routine. I work out at the gym in the morning. The kids have their classes in the late morning and after lunch we head to the pool. If Avery and Zachary wear a life jacket in the water they can venture into deeper water. They typically don't play together and infact don't even stay close by one another. Two completely different children going two separate directions in the pool. But, Ellie and Zach are a different story. I suppose Ellie will always look out for her brother. And Zachary will let Ellie take his hand and guide him like he does no other. Today I witnessed a true example of the closeness the twins share. Ellie took Zach in the deep end to play with him. He willingly went with her, no grimace or "sour face" as she held his hand in the water. Two cute little heads bounced their way towards the deep end (it's only 4 feet) together. I don't know exactly what they said or did but she never left his side. At one point she jumped up out of the pool, watched as Zach struggled with the same maneuver. Without a second thought she jumped back in and hoisted Zach's rear end up on the pavement. She then lead him by the hand to show him the stairs for next time. She loves her siblings and is such a great example for both Zach and Avery. Thanks Ellie for your love and patience with your brother. Ellie has been a tremendous help this summer at the pool. Thankfully she is good swimmer and loves the water. Zachary likes to "hover" over me (and other moms for that matter) but he is working on being more independent. Avery just loves any water time...shallow end with her friends or deep end with Ellie. She doesn't cry when we pack up to leave like she did the first week but it is still hard for her to leave the pool at the end of the day. We are all exhausted by bedtime. And, I'm off to bed now. Goodnight.

Wet & Wild

6 kids here at our house today. So, we turned our swingset into a water park! Never underestimate the entertainment value of a single hose to a group of children on a summer day. Screams of delight and giggles could be heard all around.

Alyssa, Kylie and Mason are sweet children and are a treat to have with us. After hours in the sunshine the kids came inside for some pretend play. The girls set up a mock wedding with Avery and Mason as the bride and groom. It was quite elaborate. They were the flower girls and instead of throwing rose petals they tossed leaves from my plants. Avery wore her new Cinderella dress. Mason was coerced into saying "I do." As cute as it was -I'm not sure Jeff liked the idea. When I left to take the Fenton kids home I heard him telling Avery "no more kissing boys."

A new look for us

Our blog had a facelift...I wonder if plastic surgery is as easy. I was not loving the plain look of our previous blog and so, I choose a new one. Mia, your blog is still the cutest in town.

"Whew" finally a calm and relaxing day in the Anderson household. Zach went to summer school today and afterwards firmly proclaimed "I'm quitting school, mom" We always have a tough time as we are getting him ready to go each morning. But, usually he has a good time once he is there. I really don't think today was any exception. He just doesn't think it's fair that he is in school and his twin sister is not. Who can blame him? I think this is just the beginning of many more conversations of this sort. Any suggestions on handling "the it's not fair "fight, please send them our way. The girls started a new 2 week session of swimming. I love seeing their smiles in the water during lessons. They both really enjoy swimming. I went to the gym this afternoon and put the kids in the play center. I really pushed myself on the elliptical machine. It kicked my bootie. Jeff and I are both glad to have such a nice fitness facility -it makes working out fun! Well, I wouldn't say I'm to the "fun" stage but I am being very diligent in my efforts. It helps to have Jeff on board. In fact, he is already loosing inches around his waist and leaving me in the dust. Sorry no new pic's tonight. Goodnight.

Summer Lovin'

It's movie time...

outside in the Bischoff's backyard. That's right, we watched "The Night at the Muesuem" projected on the big screen-a hanging white sheet. Mia, always a wonderful hostess, invited 4 families over for a true movie night! She made us a delicious treat of puffed carmel popcorn, and many other tasty snacks. The kids played on the swing set, trampoline & caught fireflies all before the movie even began. Needless to say, Zach was tired so I took him home early. I promised him a night of snuggling and stories in order to convince him to leave the party. It's so important for Zachary to get his sleep. Jeff and the girls stayed and finished the movie and had fun together. Movie night outside-what a fun idea! Thanks Mia and Bruce.

Zachary has been earning stickers each day he goes to summer school without complaining. He needed to earn 6 (2 weeks) stickers and then he got to go pick out new sneakers. Jeff took him tonight to Scheel's. You will never guess what kind of sneakers Zach picked...K SWISS. You may or may not know but that is Jeff's favorite brand of tennis shoe. You might say Jeff has a shoe OBSESSION and I sense he is passing it on to his son. Enjoy this cute pic of Zach smiling as he models his new shoes. The other fun pics are of the girls playing in the Bischoff's backyard. Good night.

It's swim time.

Ellie and friend Kylie today at the pool

Well, today the kids and I ventured off to our new pool. What a fun and exhausting day. It's hard to watch two kids that can't swim go off in two different directions. Zachary is against wearing his life vest this year. So, we made a deal... if he stays right beside me he could leave it off. After all, we hang out in the shallow area. I was comfortable with that. So, I had no problem keeping Zach by me but Avery was a different story. She is a fish in the water. Calm, mild mannered Avery is anything but that in the water. She loves to go straight to the deep end. I think she feels safe and secure in her life vest, she feels as if she can swim on her own. Or maybe she is trying to keep up with her big sis. Ellie is totally enjoying the freedom of being with her friends anywhere in the pool without my "watchful eye" on her at all times. She is a good swimmer and I trust her. Zach was disappointed to learn that he couldn't go in the "fog room" (his word for steam room) because he wasn't old enough.

I made a drastic hair change. Are you ready for this...? I clipped my bangs back off my forehead. The humidity got the best of me and my bangs- no time to fuss and fix them. Now, I know that is some exciting news. Stay tuned for more.

Lifetime Fitness Center

We have been anxiously awaiting our new and very "posh" fitness center to open. Last night was the grand opening. We showed up at 6:45 p.m along with the rest of west Omaha. The line was wrapped around the building to get inside for the festivities. Lifetime Fitness has an amazing play center for a kids. Even Zachary and Ellie are excited to be dropped off. For the kids... they have a computer center, toy room, jungle gym (similar to the one at McDonald's) big screen t.v, and basketball gym. Here is a picture of Zachary playing on the b-ball court. He absolutely loved it. He kept trying to make a basket shot after shot. That kid has some definite determination and strong will. It made us think it's time to look into the special Olympics team for him. They have 2 pools; an indoor pool, outdoor pool, 2 hot tubs, sauna, & steam rooms. Not to mention the fitness room-it's incredible. I started my day at 6:00 a.m and off to the gym I went. I had to go early today because Wednesdays are so busy for us- we don't have any free time. It's an action packed day. But, the rest of the week the kids will go with me and enjoy the play center. We are so excited to swim everyday, also. I hope all the swimming lessons the kids are taking this summer will pay off.
Speaking of swimming how cute is Avery in her swimming lesson? She had just done 8"bobs" ( she goes under the water & back up again) and that is hard work for a 3 year old. Again, she just loves it! Zach's swimming lessons were over tonight. I think we will continue with his lessons with this facility just later in the summer. He needs a break for a couple of weeks.

Strike a pose

Ellie had her first hip hop dance class with Emma today and she really liked it. I thought we scarred her for life with the recital in kindergarten but, she is giving dance another shot. Infact, she gladly posed for the camera with her favorite new move.

Well, I finally I got a bit of housework done today. The first day since school got out. We still had all of our activities but the excitement has worn off and the kids settled in and watched a bit of t.v. I know I am the only mom who encourages t.v. Ha . Actually, we are having a very structured summer. Infact, the children are also doing some "home school." Nobody panic, I haven't lost my mind. We are just trying to continue working on schoolwork through the summer. They each have worksheets to complete each day. It is going surprising well. They all love it. Did you read that right? Even Zach is loving it. Well, he has not done much academic stuff since he is in summer school this month. But, he and I are still playing learning games and reading together. Ellie is working on mastering her math facts and writing. Don't even think about leaving Avery out, she will remind you about her home school. So, she is working on improving her "coloring" shapes and numbers.

Is shopping a sport?

Jeff thinks I should enroll Avery in shopping cart races. He thinks we are a shoe- in to win. Actually, Avery attends very well to the many errands of my day. But, mostly I just wanted to show this cute picture of her taken yesterday.

Tennis, Anyone?

Ellie takes tennis lessons every MWF through the Elkhorn Highschool Tennis Team. She loves it! She just looks like a tennis player out there on the court. She was nervous at first, but when she saw a friend from brownies show up she felt at ease. It turns out they are on in same group and have fun together. She also take swimming this summer, again at the Millard pool. But, this year Avery is joining her. Avery is in the beginning class and is doing great. Every time I look at Avery she is grinning ear to ear. Next week, Ellie starts dance and art. And, in July Zach starts golf. These are mini classes, only 1 week long. Perfect for kids with short attention spans- and quick to change interests- it suits us well.

Busy Times

The kids are all involved with many activites this summer. The whole month of June is scheduled with swimming, tennis, golf, dance camp, art class and then more swimming and tennis. Zachary is in summer school in the mornings on MWF. He is grumpy when getting ready for school, but seems to have a big smile on his face when we pull up to the door. Friday his teacher greeted him with "welcome Zach, join us as we go on a catapillar hunt." The teachers have really tailored this summer program to the needs of the children involved. He only has 3 others in his class. And one is a little boy from the neighboring elementary that Zach seems to like...perhaps, a playdate! Stay tuned. He is also taking swimming, through an adaptive swimming program, one for kids with special needs. Once again, he complains as we are getting ready to go but can't help but smile and love it in the pool.