Lots of posts coming...

I was just looking through my pictures and realize I have quite a few of our August fun so I am going to post a few for a couple of days. 

Tie Die never dies. Our cute neighbors invited us over one night and we all made these cool shirts. I think I achieved my shirt design objective (notice the bullseye). Chloe insists on wearing hers atleast 2 times a week and Brad even liked how his turned out. This was a picture of us on a Sunday morning walk. 

Here we are making our shirts. This is a really fun activity for kids if you are up for it. We have such fun/great neighbors.
Brad and I decided to give each other a quilt for this "budget friendly" Christmas. Brad's idea! So, I will post our quilt making journey. Here is the beautiful fabric. I love every piece and color and detail and pattern. The colors just make me happy the softness just makes me cozy.

B-rad's job was cutting it all out while I designed and measured and did the math. He also checked and we both rechecked my math. Here I am laying out my "vision"

...and Chloe has been very concerned and scared about alligators on the floor under her bed so we gave her a play hammer to squash 'em in the night. It has empowered her. She is up there right now "squashing". I mentioned Missouri the other day and Chloe told me "we live in Illinois" Seriously, this kid is an old soul. 

Ogres, Ogres, Ogres!

Here is the cute family. I promised Brad and Chloe a "surprise" one night after dinner and it was all contingent upon whether Chloe ate 1 bite of this food on her plate. I told Brad he had to get her to eat it and then we would all enjoy this great surprise. Well, it was quite funny to see Brad's sheer determination. Chloe wasn't terribly interested but Brad was. He wanted that surprise. So finally, she ate and I showed them the surprise which was homemade icecream in ziploc bags. You make individual servings and it's kindof fun and sciency. I didn't have salt. So we couldn't do that surprise and my two loves were sad so we improvised quickly and made greasy homemade donuts. Just a tube of biscuits and oil and sprinkles and powdered sugar glaze and you're off. Here we are enjoying our greasy donuts and some fun Sunday family time. Have  I mentioned I LOVE HAVING B-RAD HOME!!

And this...she has been a potty-going champ of all champs. Last Monday was my last poopy diaper change. Horray! I just love those saggy "underwear-pants/under-roos".

So we started with a popsicle and sticker as her reward.  Brad got a ton of stickers from his last rotation and they were all the characters that she loves like Nemo, Shrek, Tinkerbell, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Thomas the Train. How perfect was that? They served as a real incentive. 

And then I came up with this. I actually learned something from being a teacher of kids that need visual reinforcement. I thought Chloe would be too young for this but it worked so well and let me gradually take away the edible reinforcer which was the popsicle. So we started this chart on day 2. She would color one block in each time she went and then when she got to the top she got a prize. The first time she chose a donut. The second time it was icecream. The 3rd time it was a sticker pack that I bought her and now she doesn't really use it anymore. This all took about 4 days. I gradually increased the number of boxes each time she reached the top.

As for Ogres, Ogres, Ogres. I drew this picture at church and I showed it to Brad and Brad then showed it to Chloe. He asked, "who is this?" to which Chloe responded, "you, daddy!" Have you ever been in a place you shouldn't be laughing and you are laughing sooo hard that you shake and make spasms movements and wierd noises come out of your mouth that you are trying to surpress. That's how it happened in church. I laughed so hard and couldn't resist sharing it all with you. Brad was so shocked, he then asked me, "do i look like that?"

It is an Ogre, though. We love this book by Jos. A. Smith about Ogres who eat foods that go in alphabetical order. I tell you if you want to increase the vocab of your child try this book. Chloe can finish each page and it's adorable to hear her say, "anchovy butter, more zuchini, vichissoyse, watermelon, munches nuts, oysters, necterines, key limes, tangerines and oh so many oddly paired words for a childrens book.

And that is the end of my post.

30!

30 brownies.

30 ones.- A serious wad of well deserved cash

30 ROCKS!!

     Searching for 30 surprises.

30 "presents"
  "30" smiling on his birthday.

and "30" out to dinner with his little wife.

It was like Christmas for me waiting for this big birthday to get here. He is such a good one to do surprises for and free things for. Chloe was more excited about the birthday than ever. For about a week before she talked about "her birthday" and whenever I tried to get her to keep a secret about something I'd planned for the birthday she would whisper and tell Brad the secret and then say, "it's a secret". But I was able to keep the Dan's chocolate donuts a secret that my sister shipped for us to have on the birthday morning. Chloe was so excited about it all-especially the balloons. FYI-I had an artistic vision of 30 yellow balloons but instead he got 3-one for each decade. balloons are not cheap. And not pictured was a pillow case I made for him with a number 3 on it to represent 3 decades. This guys LOVES his pillow so what better way to remind him of how much we love him than by a pillowcase.  He's the cutest guy I know. 

THE BIG EXPERIMENT. It was kind of unfortunate that we started our big experiment a couple of days ago which was to turn off our cellphones. He didn't get as many birthday texts and loves as he would've if he had his cellphone turned on. So, we begin the grand experiment of having no cell phones!! I will email people with our home phone number.

well it was a Wonderful Wednesday last

My cute friend invited Chloe and me to this fun Children's Discovery museum. Chloe gets along so well with all her kids. Chloe thinks she's 7 (like Kaylee), wishes she was 4 and relates to 4 (like Brodee) and is actually 2 (like Hattie) So it makes for very good fun. We really like this little family.

I love any chance to pose a shot of a future doctor. She takes herself very seriously as you can see. You are not seeing that after this shot she went around and started checking people's hearts.
Is it okay that I let Chloe eat the plastic food. She was really into this sandwich.
This was the neatest thing. The kids just painted this window and then there was a trough of water in front of them that they washed their brushes in and started over. My little artist!
Later that night we went to the county fair where 4H is a big deal and food and rides are ghetto as ever. It was free and fun. Seriously, why did this guy stand in the "ugly/leftover" line in heaven?
We spent no money on rides or entry to the fair but we spent on treats. That's for sure. We each had one. I got the funnel cake, B-rad and his Kettle Corn (the best is still at a little stand at the Stinger's Games in Utah) and Chloe with her icecream. (she looks a little crazy in the photo...icecream will do that to a girl) 

The best part is that we ate about 2/3 of the funnel cake which was about 1/3 too much and we decided to chuck it before the fat collected behind our ears and our cheeks started burning so we put the napkin on it and headed for the trash. I didn't get a step before I felt a tug on my arm and this woman next to me said, "are you throwing that away?" I knew where this was going and I said, "yes" and then she asked if she could have it. She ate away on our soon to be discarded food. Seriously, that may be something you think but that is something you never ever actually act upon. Happy to help her out. I may have been more surprised but about a month earlier I accidently had 2 frosties and only wanted 1 and I offered the other one to this lady at a park and she gladly accepted. Maybe when I think about eating that untouched food on someones empty table at a restaurant I will do it next time!!
Best icecream I may have eaten in a long long time. It was soft serve twist cone but instead of basic chocolate as the twist is was chunky cookies and cream. I wanted to try all 4 flavors. They also had mint cookie, reeses, and sprinkle. Oh man it was a little piece of perfect that I will have to wait for next year. I considered googling it but then thought better of it. I will be okay with my Eddy SMORES icecream for the time being.
We had some friends there who owned some sheep and let Chloe get right in there and feed her. Her name is Jelly Bean.
This girl is all about tractors and trains and trucks but she loves her dresses too.
Last night, B-rad went to Nauvoo as the volunteer medic person for the Nauvoo pageant. He left at 130 and returned at 2 in the morning. Chloe and I had a little girls night out complete with Nachos and hot chocolate and a movie. I taught her how to get in her jammies and cuddle up in front of the t.v. with mom. I figure we will have a lot of these during residency so why not get started now.
First time mowing the lawn. Not for Brad but yes for Chloe. That's good because I would rather die than mow the lawn. So between her, Brad and Ezra we are covered.

Today I judged...poorly.

So, when we moved here several of our things didn't survive the move. 2 expensive things didn't make it. The DVD player and my sewing machine (tear) Somehow the mechanisms got all jammed in my sewing friend and the presser foot disappeared. I decided I needed my sewing machine to get me through the "not-having-any-friends-hot-hot-summer-stage" of moving in. So, what did I do. I saw there with it broken. Finally, about a week ago I went to the Joanns and looked for an elderly lady to see my plight and say "oh I know just how to fix that" and I'd be off. Instead I found "Jenny" a 17 year old girl working there for the summer. Apparantly I caught her on the phone with her friend but she was not pleased with my question and did not want to help a crafter in need. She referred me to the internet. Thanks Jenny. And then to a sewing store nearby. I went to the sewing store with machine in arm (those suckers are heavy) and Chloe in the other hand and I am carrying a baby on the front. Sheesh...in that heat, too. I entered the sewing store to find "Kelly" a 20 something non-sewer. She took one look at my machine and decided I needed to send it into the Singer home base and pay (lump in my throat) $65 for repair plus some for the foot. Can't I just buy a foot and tinker with it myself, I wondered. As I left I said, I probably would just buy a new sewing machine at Target for $80. She said, "well, when you want to come back and are prepared to pay a higher price for quality services then we can help you." I am glad Great Harvest was next store because we took our sadness out on a chocolate brownie and a slice of cinnamon crunch bread. Plus, I bought something because that store always makes me feel guilty giving you that stuff for free. 

Fast forward to this week. Brad and I were talking on night and he gets up spontaneously and goes and finds his old cowboy boot. He reaches in the toe and produces $100. He told me to buy my new machine. He decided that my new machine could make things that would be a good return on the expense. Ahh...Brad! I decided I better get working harder on getting my machine fixed. I can't spend this guy's money. Yesterday I ventured to Hancock Fabric. The lady was not elderly but mommish (I guess I'm mommish so whatever that's supposed to mean) She decided she didn't want to even look at my machine and she turned me away to the...internet. When I looked at the internet for sewing stuff it's like looking at a screen full of Hebrew. I decided I may just as well get my machine fixed for 65 bones. I'd save myself atleast 10 plus I'd already know how to use my machine when it returned. Last time it took me about a month before I figured out how to use my basic singer. So I went back to the sewing store. You remember the one...by Great Harvest. This is where the judgement came in. I walked in to be greeted by "Matt" a very handsome fellow in his young twenties. I'm sure I visibly sighed and rolled my eyes as I handed him my machine. I thought to myself, 'like this guy is gonna know a thing about sewing machines'. I told him I needed to pay 65 dollars to get this piece of art fixed. He said, "now, maybe not." Then he proceeded to take my machine over to the sewing center table and plug it in. He pulled his glasses on and cleared himself a little sewing spot just like I would've done. This is when my jaw dropped and I said, "you sew". And he said, "oh yeah, I've been the manager of this store for a couple of years and I also like to fix the machines on my spare time." Seriously, Matt. So that's when he decided to take a chance on my machine and fix it in less than the amount of time it took us to go to Great Harvest and buy some cinnamon butter. He only charged me $4. 

Watty Piper

This past Friday Brad told me to pack a lunch cause we were going on an "illinois adventure" and that we did. We drove to this place about one hour from us called Starved Rock State Park and this is what we found.

Lots and lots of trees and lots of stairs. (we kind of look green in this photo)
We did about a 3 mile loop and this was one of our destinations. 
Of course Chloe wanted to walk most of the way. Brad was a champ and took the backpack for her to ride but we knew better. She would've wanted to ride if we didn't have the pack though so glad we were prepared.
Ahhh...the fam. And yes, I am sporting my gangsta shorts. Still hestitant to buy much maternity so I am wearing Brad's shorts from when he was "fat".
So, we have been reading lots and lots of new books from the library so Chloe can win this pretty awesome summer reading library prize. Well one of the books was written by Watty Piper and since Chloe wants me to read all the pages of the book I happened to mention that this book was by Watty Piper. For some reason it just stuck and randomly she will shout on Watty Piper in this funny fast voice. It's cute. Try saying it. Also, when we were telling her to smile for the picture I told her to say "whisky" instead of "cheese" and well that kindof stuck as well. Needless to say, we are encouraging on the cute phrases and the other we are hoping she forgets!

Tick count=4

I'll start this entry with a sad story. On Sunday night we heard several fire trucks drive by and Brad said he was going on the porch to "check it out". Well, we stepped out on the porch to see 3 firetrucks and a large crowd and sheets of smoke. 5 houses down there was a house on fire. so we walked down and joined the on lookers. How to describe the lady who lives in this house other than by describing her house. The lawn is ripped up because she has 3 huge poodles and a little dog who bark and run back and forth all day. She has tons of decor on the "lawn" including several trolls and signs with different sayings. When we've walked by she just sits on the porch all day. This was her house that burned. She was out of town but the neighbors were all frantic that she may be in there. She wasn't thankfully, but her 4 dogs and cats and birds were. Sadly, after 20 minutes we saw animal control come and pull the dogs out in blankets. At this point the woman had arrived home and was sitting in a lawn chair, amid the crowd of own lookers, watching her house burn. It was truly tragic...so so sad. We were so fascinated by the firemen and their calmness and kindness and courage. I had never seen a fire that close and hope not to ever ever again. In the picture below the house is right between the trucks. The flames were coming from the back and would die down and then errupt high above the trees.

Me in my pregnancy glory. 20 weeks!  And yes...i have found that stretching yoga pants are my friend.
We took 2 trips to Nauvoo in 2 weeks to see our friends and the temple. It's about 3 hour drive. Chloe fell asleep for literally 1 minute and then we stopped for dinner and made her eat. Needless to say, she never went back to sleep for the rest of the ride. The next day we went to church and this is how she looked on our drive home from church. 1 minute? Nope, not this time. She slept for over an hour at 430.  Sweet thing.
Call them what you like. I heart these dutch babies.
Our new house. I will forever remain consistant with my love of a red accessorized kitchen. This kitchen is itty bitty. I long for a perfect kitchen space where I can entertain and relax and cook and be inspired. 
Baby Ezra B's room. I love that ikea fabric that I made the curtain with. My sewing machine broke so I did the sewing by hand. Thanks mom for inspiring me to use a needle and my hand because I saw you do the same thing 2 years ago when we moved to K-ville. Incidentally, my mom hand emroidered that blanket hanging there. Literally thousands of cross-stitches and hours and hours of love.
I like this room. This is a big room we eat in to the left of the picture there is a big shelf and space for Chloe's toy. Behind the picture and to the right is the door to the kitchen and the back door, you can see the computer (which I love and I love it in the main room) and then you can see our living room/tv area beyond. It's cheerful configuration of space and natural light and mix of color and pictures to remind me and inspire me.
Love these two. 
4th of July. We attended a fun variety show in the community on the 3rd and the 4th was spent in Nauvoo with our friends.

And if you are still reading I will tell you that I found a 4th tick on my bod. I'm quite certain many people rarely ever get one tick. I've had 4 in less than 2 months. I can count on one hand how many mosquito bites i've had in my life. They just done bite me. I'm never concerned about repelent or the pests. So I guess that trade off is ticks. Awesome. One gives a bump which causes some itch and a bump, one causes Lime's disease. Perfect!