Saturday, April 28, 2012

village green egg hunt


It was a little wet, but a successful hunt.  There was a ten egg per kid limit, and we had to get rid of some of our eggs because my kiddos did a little too well.  They even played a few games afterward.  They had different age groups hold an egg (filled with pebbles) on a spoon and walk to a specified point.  Aimee was clever because she figured out that while she couldn't hold the egg, she could choke up on the spoon so that it was "resting" against her fist.  She won.  I lost.  But it was a lot of fun, and definitely something we will miss!

Sunday, April 15, 2012

easter fhe 2012

I think the pictures and movie sum it up pretty well!







conference weekend bbq's

I love General Conference! I love having the chance to sit down twice a year and listen to the Prophet and other church leaders give the instruction and guidance that my Heavenly Father wants me to hear. It is such a blessing to have revelation for my modern day trials! Growing up we had some great family traditions! Since living in the mid-west we have enjoyed some new traditions. One of my favorites is our conference BBQ's. After the Sunday morning session everyone makes their way outside with sides and treats to share (and with any luck, some Jacobsen smoked meat!). We get the guys to haul in the picnic table and spend the afternoon break eating good food, and enjoying good company. When conference is ready to start we all round up our kids, and bring home our empty plates to enjoy the last session with full tummies! We are going to have to figure out a way to keep this tradition going in our new home!

story time

When Aimee started pre-school this fall Porter had a pretty rough time. While those two can fight with the best of them, they really are best friends. In fact we have see for ourselves and heard some pretty cute stories of Porter sticking up for his big sister. So, having her gone three mornings a week has been hard for him. Porter is also as smart of a two year old as they come, and I wanted to give him the chance to do something that was stimulating to him. I tried taking him to the little Cherubs class at the club house that I used to take him and Aimee to, but he wasn't really interested. At the beginning of the year my friend told me about story time at the library. We tried it out, and it was a great fit. They sing a couple of cute action songs read a few books, and then end with a craft. The teachers name is Miss Brianna, and Porter loves her. She always has a cute little theme each week, and does a great job making each child feel important. Porter has loved going, and loves almost as much, having something to hang on the fridge each week next to Aimee's school work!


omaha summers

This is one of the things I am really going to miss about living in Village Green! There is just nothing like a hot afternoon spent outside watching my kiddos playing in the sprinklers and wading pools with all of their little friends! Lucky for us, this early warm weather has given them the chance to get in a few more fun summer days before we pack up and head to Ohio where we will have a fenced yard (if we get the house we want) and play time will have to be much more planned. It usually starts with one of the moms turning on a sprinkler or filling up a pool. Then every kid in the neighborhood runs in their house and begs to put on their swimming suit so they can join the fun. In less than 15 minutes you have something of a pool party happening at the end of Arbor Ct. I love it! Pratt is even getting big enough to join in the fun. At one point on this day he crawled right through a cold sprinkler. He did that stunned gasping thing, and I just sat and laughed instead of rescuing him. Call me mean, but it was pretty funny. We have stocked up on otter pops and have the swim suits ready to enjoy what is left of our last Omaha summer!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

match day

For months we have been talking about Match Day. It was in some ways, the biggest day of the year for our family. We were finally going to find out where we would be spending the next five years of our lives! Once we knew that we had matched (which we found out the Monday before) we didn't really care where we were going. We were just glad to know we would be going, because not everyone was so lucky. I packed a bigger diaper bag than a I bring to church since we knew the event could last as long as two hours. Being the only ones with three small children we thought we would try to keep everyone happy. Then we loaded up and headed out. We arrived with about 15 minutes to spare. We made potty trips, got snacks, and chose a "quick exit" on the side in the back. It was pretty obvious that everyone was anxious, and it only got worse once everyone got seated and things got started. The way Creighton does match day is they mix up everyone's envelope (with their future inside). Then they randomly call up each student and their family to open their letter in front of their entire class, their family and friends, and whomever else chooses to watch the podcast. This only adds to the nerves! Our kids did pretty good playing quietly until Chad's name was called to be on deck. This was about a half an hour into the readings. Up until that point I sat wringing my hands and answering frantic texts from friends and family that the pod cast feed had dropped. We gathered up the crew and walked to the stage. By this time we had both started to get a little shaky. Chad had to hand off Pratt to have a free hand to open his letter. It took him a minute because he had gotten very shaky. Wright State University Boonshaft Orthopedic Surgery and Reasearch Program in Dayton, Ohio! This was the six year program. Our families didn't get to see it, but we were thrilled! What followed were lots of texts and phone calls and just trying to let it all sink in. Everything Chad and our family had done to get to this point in his career had paid off! As we talked about his interview there it was interesting to remember that when he came home he just told me how good it felt there. And, that as he told me that, I felt that same goodness. It was those feelings that led us to have Dayton as one of our top picks on our rank list. For a couple of weeks we debated about our top three choices. In the end location and economics put it as number three, but we are ecstatic to know that we get to create a life for our family there as Chad continues his training!