It was a great celebration! We had family, we had friends, we had fabulous weather and divine food (just look at Grandma Diane's cake creation!!!) - I would be hard pressed to want for more and I think that the birthday girl would agree :) Our crowd consisted of many who have joined us for Olivia's birthdays from the get-go, along with a few new faces. I was struck this year by the change in the dynamic. For the first time, the kids (including Elliott) were almost completely self-entertaining. Behold the power of friends - I've heard that it only gets stronger as they get older. I'm not sure about that though, I should ask Jackie, or maybe have Chris ask Brian... We've been so blessed to have good friends in our lives :)

Olivia brought home her first spelling pre-test of the year. I am such a nerd - but I love to work on her spelling with her. I just can't wait until she starts vocabulary words!!!! Poor kiddo!!! We also started working on her information sheet for "star of the week" - which she will be at the end of September. I'm impressed with her handwriting. She was taking her time and did a very nice job - usually she's in a hurry and tends to be a little sloppy. It was good to see that she can be neat when she tries. I was pleasantly surprised at her answer to one of the questions - Which one person would you want with you if you were stranded on a desert island? Can you believe that she chose mom??? Oh yeah, I'll wear that feather in my cap :) Come to think of it, I may want to laminate that...

Elliott had a better morning today. It was raining - so I think the distraction of being able to carry her umbrella made our morning transition go better. The first thing she starts talking about when we get in the car after daycare is having a tootsie (roll) when we get home. Today instead of a tootsie, she grabbed a piece of gum. And I'm not talking about a little gum ball. It had to be a big wad of Hubba Bubba. She thought it was great and had half of it in her mouth before we realized what she was doing. She was quite hesitant to give up the other half and quite insistent that she was big enough to have bubble gum. Well, I did finally win the battle and pry the other half-a-wad from her hand. I think the other half a wad was gone in less than a minute. She was very adamant that she did not swallow it. When I asked her where it went, she pointed with a big smile and proclaimed that it was in her tummy! She's a hoot. Or she's hooting - there's quite a bit of both...

I had pictures of my sweet baby nephew Matthew this afternoon - poor little guy had his first set of stitches. Man, I can still recall how badly my one and only (north of the border) set of stitches hurt. Well, not so much the stitches as the needle and numbing agent they jam into your gaping cut. Poor Matthew - he does have Bill's genes, and I can't remember how many sets of stitches Bill had growing up. The pictures - while showing the second eyebrow of stitches - also had the most wonderful smiles. Maybe the baby of the family was a little bit proud to be the first one to get stitches... NOT that we're wishing for any more!!!!

I must say that it was the perfect sleeping weather last night, and I'm quite hopeful that it will be tonight as well. I love the cool crisp nights of autumn, I just wish they didn't move quite so quickly into the dark cold lingering evenings of winter.

It's Olivia's big day - she is officially a second grader!!! We were able to take her supplies to school last night and meet her new teacher, Mrs. Epley. Just from reading the material that Mrs. Epley sent home with us last night, I know that we are really going to enjoy her!! Olivia will have 13 kids in her class this year. One new boy - Zach, and the rest old friends from kindergarten and first grade.

Behold - the power of the muffin!!! I've found that freshly baked (note, I did not say freshly prepared - gotta love Jiffy) muffins really motivate my girls in the morning! Poor Olivia didn't want to get out of bed this morning - I think it's the first time I've had her ask me to sleep just a little more.

It's been a good week. My niece, Ms. M, started kindergarten this week. My sister in-law sent pictures of Morgan getting on the bus, and in her classroom, her teacher, and getting off of the bus. That was great, I felt like we got to be a part of such a big event in her life. It brought back all of my memories of O's first day of school. I shed some tears, not because I wasn't ready for her to go to school, or thought she wasn't ready - it was just that I had this huge sense that time was really going to fly once she started school. One day I'd be packing her backpack, and the next we'd be buying her prom dress. Okay, so I may have been a little melodramatic, but time sure has seemed to fly. I can't believe that she starts second grade next week! I'm just forwarning everyone that Elliott starting kindergarten is really going to get my sentimental side going!

It's been a busy week at work. We're getting into the big travel season - a lot of workshops and conferences are scheduled in the spring and fall. I actually get to go to one this fall - I'm so excited - I get to go to SanDiego in October. We have a whole group going - which is nice, I've never flown before, so it will be good to have a bunch of seasoned travelers with me. So - back to my original point - work has been busy. Not bad - but busy - busy almost to the point of give me a paper bag to breathe in - but this too shall pass.

The days are getting shorter. I love fall, but I'm struck this year with a sadness about summer ending. I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe it was the vacation and the pure enjoyment of some summertime activities. Que sera...

Have a fabulous Friday :)

Congratulations Sarah and Steve - thank you for letting us be a part of your celebration!!
Here's wishing you bliss : )

We got to have lunch with Great Grandma Floris today! We met at Happy Chef and had quite the good time. The girls sure enjoy spending time with Great Grams, as do I. Olivia colored a picture for her while we were waiting for our food, and we told her about our vacation activities. Olivia just got back from the dentist with no cavities - you go girl :)

I can't believe it's the last day of vacation!! Where did our week go? I'm not sure, but it has been a lot of fun, I think I could get used to it :)

On Wednesday we invited Savannah to join us for an outing to Chuck E. Cheese. The girls had a great time playing all of the games and riding the little rides. They didn't even much mind stopping to eat pizza. Pepperoni and black olives was their pizza of choice, except for Elliott - she's not a Waller or a Pothoff - she doesn't like any kind of olives. Elliott and I had a great time playing ski ball. She would roll a ball, and then when it rolled back down the slope, I would get to roll it. It worked out quite well.

I also had a treat on Wednesday, my friend Kevin from highschool joined Jackie and I for girl's night. We reassured him that he wouldn't have to wear a dress, so he drove up from North Liberty to join us for dinner and drinks. We haven't seen him since we were seventeen, so it was a lot of fun to catch up.

On Thursday I got to see another dear friend, the girls and I drove to Osage to spend the afternoon with my friend Cindy and her kids Kala and Lucas. They took us to the pool in St. Ansgar. St. Ansgar is about ten minutes away from Osage, and it's where Cindy grew up. The pool is 3 or 4 years old and has a nice slide and a great kids area. It may not have been as big as the Falls in CF, but it was just as much fun, maybe even more fun because it wasn't nearly as crowded. Both girls really loved the slide. I'm constantly amazed by how much of a daredevil Elliott is and how much she loves the water. She really wanted to go down the waterslide by herself!!

After our trip to Osage, we stopped at Walmart to get dinner for the girls and pick up a few things. We were completely out of ranch dressing. Anyone who knows my girls knows how dire of a situation that is. Thursday is kids night at the little restaraunt area in Walmart. They had all sorts of goodies for the girls. They had dinner and ice cream, and got cups of goldfish crackers and candy. They also got to play a game with the "chance" to win a gold fish. There was another boy playing at the same time as O and E, and can you believe that they all won a gold fish!!! That's the game of "chance" I want to play - but not for a gold fish. They were very excited to be able to pick out Scooby and Lucky. I was not nearly as excited to have to push a cart with two little fish bowls sloshing in the front of it. You never realize how bumpy the floors are until you're trying to save two little fishes from tragedy - with a two year old in the cart "helping". We did okay, and made a trip to the storage section of the store where we picked out a little cd/dvd crate for a dollar that helped the fish make the trip home intact. Fortunately we still have fish food from Velma and Daphne, so our free fish only cost us a dollar. Unfortunately, on the way back from Osage, I caught a rock to windshield of my car. Not good, but what can you do. I decided that I could be mad or upset about it, but it really wouldn't change the reality of it, so why bother. I have called the repair place and am waiting for a call back. Hopefully it will be something that they can fill and I won't have to replace the whole windshield, but I'm not sure.

Today has been relatively quiet for us. We spent time wrapping presents - wedding gifts for Sarah, birthday gifts for Kayla and Gillian. We started the laundry, and now O is upstairs playing with Savannah and Elliott is down with me watching - what else - Scooby Doo! Olivia has a dentist appointment this afternoon and then I have rehearsal for Sarah's wedding tonight. Tomorrow is the parade for Janesville Days - good chance for the kids to restock their candy drawer to last them until Halloween - or next year!! Sunday is Kayla's eighth birthday party and Sarah's wedding. I may be ready to go back to work on Monday after all :)

From Olivia... Today me and Elliott were playing on the merry go round at Crossroads Mall and then we went to the big play section. We went to Toys R Us after that. We got birthday presents for Gillian and Kayla. And me and Elly got a toy too. Elliott picked a Barbie - she always likes playing with mine. I got a puppy and it was flat because you have to stuff it yourself. I'm going to have fun playing with that puppy. After that we went to the petting zoo. The picture up there when I'm feeding the goat is when we were at the petting zoo. One of the goats, I think it was a little white one and it had a little black along its back and it kept on trying to eat Elliott's dress. We saw bunnies, and cows and horseys, ducks and chickens, and of course we saw the goats. There were also kitties, and a rat, and chincillas and a doggy. We had a great time at the mall and Toys R Us and at the petting zoo. Then we came home for a bike ride to the library, post office and the Janesville locker. And then we went home and blew bubbles. And then we ate supper and now we're going to watch a movie. Vacation is good!

Boy, I could really get used to this sleeping in stuff :) :) :) The girls and I had a great day yesterday. We went to Burger King in the mall for lunch and then walked accross to the Claire's store to find out information about getting her ears pierced. The woman who was working said that they can pierce both ears at the same time as long as they have two people working, and she explained all about how long it takes for them to heal, and what Olivia will have to do the keep them clean. She still seems interested...

After that we went to the new pool in Cedar Falls. It was a lot of fun - like the water park, but on a smaller scale - which was just perfect for us. We had fun in the kids pool - they have a dumping bucket like Grand Harbor, and it was a hoot to hear Elliott squeal when it dumped. They also had floating alligators in the little bit deeper section and Olivia had a good time venturing that way and climbing on board the alligators.

We spent some time on the lazy river. It was nice, but unfortunately, not very lazy for me. The kids have to be five years old and however many inches to go on their own. So I had to walk with Elliott as she rode in the small kids tube. It was still fun, but not quite as lazy. One perk though was that I could steer the girls into the water features :) Not that I would do that... much...

We had a snack in the snack bar. All of the decadent choices, and Elliott chose a tootsie roll. She's a die hard tootsie girl. Olivia did share some of her shaved ice with her too - so I guess she got the best of both worlds. What a nice big sissie!

Then we went into the big pool. We didn't go far from the edge, but the girls really liked it. Olivia worked on what she learned in swimming lessons accompanied by a steady stream of "Mom, watch this"'s. I was almost convinced that I could have let Elliott go and she would have swam off. She seems to have a natural coordination in the water.

After we got home, we went on a bike ride around town and to steep slide park. We had a mishap as we were getting ready to leave the park. I was buckling Elliott into the trailer when I heard a scream. Olivia, who had just been standing there on her bike had toppled over. She scraped her hand. Not terribly - but there was blood. Anyone with kids (and most of us adults if we tell the truth) knows that the sight of blood immediately makes it a life threatening injury. And she still had to ride home. Oh the trauma. I'm happy to report though that she will live!

From Elliott...
I had pudding tonight. It was vanilla. Mom and I made everyone's bowl a different color. Mine was green. It was good. I got to go naked after dinner because I had so much pudding on my shirt and my shorts :)

From Olivia...

This is me and my friend Savannah. We are hugging and showing our best friends necklaces, they are broken heart ones. And we really like them. We kind of act like sisters.

I had a letter from my teacher Mrs. Epley. It was cut up like a puzzle, so I had to put it back together to read it. I read the letter and all the school supplies I needed. I really want second grade to start right now.

We are going to have the whole week off. So I can play with my friend Savannah and go to the movies and the petting zoo and the new pool in Cedar Falls again.

We worked on my birthday invitations. My birthday is on August 25th. So I invited all of my family and my friend Savannah.

It's not really the terrible two's - it's two: age of the Id. Elliott is very strongly in the midst of the age of the Id. The Super Ego and the Ego have not intervened yet. It's downright amusing at times, but not so much when it happens out in public. She is so serious and determined. I want some candy. You can't have some candy before breakfast. Insert lip quiver and shake of little fist. But I WANT some candy. I understand that you want some candy, but you can't have some candy before breakfast. Insert larger fist shake and sobs, and then as if I really didn't understand it the first time - BUT I WANT SOME CANDY! Poor girl, it's hell having to have your Id tempered. We've had our share of time in the naughty chair, and when she goes boneless and refuses to sit in her chair - her room. It never takes very long for her to get a handle on her emotions again, but for a few minutes it's just plain fierce. Like I said, amusing at home, not so much in public.

We had Steve and Betsy Minkel over last night for dinner and cards. We played 500, which was new to Chris and I. It was fun, had some of the same peculiarities of euchre, but I didn't quite get it like a pro. Then we played hearts. I love hearts - takes me back to college pretty readily, but I still got my ba-hind kicked!


The girls and I are really looking forward to being home on vacation this week. We would like to go to the petting zoo, the new pool in Cedar Falls, maybe take in a movie. On Thursday, we are going to go visit my friend Cindy and her kids in Osage - they are going to take us to the pool in St. Ansgar. So many fun things to do without going very far from home.

Summer is definitely on the wind down. My good friend Sarah is getting married a week from today. I am her personal attendant - I like to say that I am going to be her beck and call girl. It will be fun to be there and to help, and not have to be the lead character. I can still remember walking barefoot down the aisle on my dad's arm - deathly afraid that I was going to pass out. But I didn't, and as I recall - it was a pretty good time - all except for the hotel fiasco, the story of which Chris seems to live to retell.

Well Elliott just woke up from her nap and is announcing that she wants a paper pooh bear, which translates into a pooh coloring page. So I guess I've rambled long enough for today. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

August - I can't believe it! Where has the summer gone? I'm going to blink again and school will be starting. We have registration next week, and then school begins on the 24th. Dang! I'm taking next week off. I hope that we will have some good weather so the girls and I can get out and enjoy some outings.

Chris and I celebrated our 8th anniversary on Tuesday. Jackie and Jamie babysat the girls and we enjoyed a nice adult dinner at the Brown Bottle. Chris still thinks that we should get credit for the years before we were officially married. That would put us at 13 1/2. That's a long time.

Olivia is starting to talk about wanting to have her ears pierced. I think I was in second grade when I had mine pierced. We may do that for her birthday - if she doesn't chicken out. We were talking a little bit about the piercing process and she was getting pretty squeamish. We'll have to wait and see.

Elliott is perfecting the age of two. She is very strong willed and not afraid to assert it. She loves her Scooby Doo books and enjoys "cooking" for us with her play food. She's also perfected the hokey pokey even more - this morning she was putting her "whole self in and shake it all about". Darn cute.

Sugar - well, she's a pretty dog. Actually after reading the book Marley and Me, Sugar doesn't seem quite as deplorable :) That was an awesome book - I highly recommend it for the dog lovers - very pleasurable reading.