sanity

They played happily for over an hour and asked to go in the next day. I know I will have to limit how often I do it or it won't be "fun" but it gave me the sanity I needed to get dishes done, supper cooked and the triple bonus was it kept their toys contained. (It actually forced them to play with them too!)

facebook and a few random thoughts

Just thought I'd let you know that I'm on facebook now. It's more for my family who is addicted and continued to harass me until I finally decided to cave... so in case you're interested you can request to "be my friend". I just posted a very corny video I made of Wendell and me on youtube which is attached to my facebook page. So here I am going all technical on everyone... I hope I don't start texting on a regular basis... that will be the end of me.



Anyways.. the new year is coming. Have you thought of your goals for the next year? Me neither but I do think it's a good idea to reflect on the past year and to think of what's coming. I'm pretty sure I'll be doing at least one if not two triathlons next year. I didn't think I could do a sprint triathlon and it was actually pretty easy.. so now I wonder if I should challenge myself to a olympic distance? I'm not a person to want to go faster so improving my time just doesn't really motivate me. It might depend on schedules as I don't plan to spend my whole summer training for a race. I do have another goal to drag one person along to a 5k to kick start them into exercising and then another person to a triathlon. I have some people in mind for each but neither has fully committed... plus it's a ways off to think about. Spiritually? I need to think of that one.. I think a good place to start exploring my "issues" and trying to tackle them. Like my disappointment with God.. and continue to read and learn from the book I've been reading. I hate when I complain about the same things over and over; and when I become a stereotype. So I guess I might be working on that... becoming the opposite of certain areas. One example of that is that I don't want to be a "nag" to my husband but I also want and need him to fulfill his duties around the house. So we need to find a balance with that.. but in the end, I don't want to be that stereotype.



One last thought. Today is another Turkey day. Yep, I'm roasting another turkey. I even got a giant roaster pan last night from Target so I'm excited to see what happens. Then I'm making a dinner for a family Christmas that is on Friday. I'm also making homemade caramel out of sweet and condensed milk. Yum, Yum! I'll let you know how it all turns out.



See you on facebook and Happy New Year!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

Wow... I'm not sure how much snow we have but.. it's A LOT! So since it was warm (or should I say not freezing cold) outside, I took the kids outside to play. Harlie is still a little unsure of what she likes.. one minute she likes the sled and the next she doesn't. One thing for sure is she doesn't like doing a face plant in the snow. Wendell however, love, love, LOVES the snow! He likes to sled, "dig", or just watch life go on outside (like plowing, talking to neighbors, or the snow blower down the road). Luckily, our neighbor has a plow and he plows our alleyway which creates this mini mountain in our back yard, perfect for sledding or looking around like you're at the top of the mountain. So here are some pictures of our fun today.

On a more important note, today is Christmas Eve and the time of year has come to celebrate Jesus' birthday. Yep, that's how we say it around here. Recently I have been reading a book called "Disappointment With God" and I'm reading about how all through history there has been disappointment with God. In the Old Testament there always seems to be a barrier between a Holy God and very unholy people. After many years of silence from God, something very special happened, Jesus was born... so why is that special? Because for the first time God put on human skin. Jesus as a baby meant God felt the cries, pain, hunger, and even disappointment himself just like a human. I don't know how the book will end but for the next few days I hope to think about Jesus and how his birth and life can help me learn about my own disappointment with God. Anyways, great book... good thoughts. I hope all of you take a moment to reflect on Jesus' birthday and what makes it special to you. So I leave you with a jingle mix: Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Jesus! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! : ) Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

4 Years Old!

What a day for our little boy... I still can't believe how fast time flies.. now that we are out of the terrible two stage... he's now in the fantastic four stage where most of the time, he's really fun to be around.

So here he is with the hat they made him at preschool and him showing us how old he is.






















Here is Mr. Wendell with the birthday cake that grandma made him. I made a cake today for preschool so I let her make one for our birthday party with the grandparents.




















Wendell got a lot of great gifts.. one was binoculars. His other favorites are a camera, a pillow pet, and a firetruck.

Wendell started the day at preschool where I stayed along as a helper. It was great seeing all the great and creative things he gets to do at school. Then Phil joined us about 1/2 through the morning while my parents watched Harlie (as she napped : ). After preschool we went home and Wendell found a surprise, big Grandma and Grandpa (my parents) and Little Grandma and Grandpa (Phil's parents), were there.. and that is what Wendell calls them, not us. We went out to eat at Pizza Ranch then came back for gifts. He finished the day watching Curious George, a DVD he got this past weekend for Christmas.

We had a great day, Happy 4th Birthday Wendell!

Movie Trivia - Rambo

Phil and I have Netflix and every once in awhile we get a classic. Well, after the movie sat around for a few more days than normal, Phil and I both agreed that we weren't so excited to watch the movie and neither of really knew what it was about. I vaguely remember watching one of the Rambo movies when I was a kid but who knows which one I watched. So for fun, I present you with a quiz... testing your own memory and having a little fun.



Keep in mind this is Rambo - First Blood (the first movie).



1. The main them of Rambo is

a. a war movie

b. a gorilla warfare

c. post traumatic stress

d. aliens



2. The movie takes place in

a. China

b. New York City

c. South America

d. Washington



3. Rambo is

a. a veteran

b. a member of the Mafia

c. a marine

d. an assassin



4. Rambo is a

a. a good guy

b. a bad guy

c. a disturbed man



5. Did Heather fall asleep while watching Rambo?

a. yes

b. no



And for fun, I'd like to know one of your favorite old movies and soon I will post the answers along with one of my favorite movies when I was a kid. Good luck!

3 years ago

It was about 3 years ago that I decided to try and lose weight, again. It wasn't the first time I had tried. Almost 100 pounds later (100+ if you count baby Harlie weight) .. it's hard to believe... but then I always find reminders. Like these pants that I found in the garage tucked away for me to someday make a bluejean quilt. These pants aren't even the biggest ones I owned but they are the ones I had left. Sometimes I look at my jeans I wear now and think they look big.. then I saw these and it puts all things into perspective.

bridesmaids dresses

1,2,3,4 ..and one from my own wedding. Yep, I own 5 bridesmaids dresses. I have always thought I would keep them in case I have a girl/girls (or boy) that want to play dress up and lately I've thought, why? 3 of them are so big that I hope they never fit me again.. or any of my children. They are so big that even dress up would be a drag. I thought, when will I ever wear them again? I will probably keep the one from my wedding because (even to this day) I liked them so much and it's fun for memory sake. And the one I wore this last summer would still fit but what ever will I do with it? and then the other three? One of them is really not my style, one is fine but not exactly the kind of dress I would wear anywhere and the last one is really neat and not really a dress but more a very dressy black outfit... but it's from my + size days so I don't plan to wear it again, even for maternity.

So.. any idea as to what to do with the old bridesmaids dresses? Any neat way to reuse them? other than taking them to Goodwill? Maybe save one for Halloween? Have Phil dress drag? : )

brrrr.. a chilly run

Even in the cold temps I guess I am a die hard for running. Phil informed me last night that it was going to be about 0 degree's for our runs this morning. He went first and survived so then I went. I had almost all the gear on. Three shirts (one long sleeved tshirt, a thermal, and a hooded sweatshirt), two pairs of sweatpants, socks, stocking hat, gloves, and my underclothes of course. I did not have an extra pair of socks (which I rarely wear) and my spikes for icy roads. Anyways, lots of layers but I was warm and sweating by the end. But I slowed my mile by almost a minute.. yuck. I blame it on the extra layers.

Tomorrow I'm off to the pool in the morning, that will be much warmer!

and the winner is???

Today I flipped a coin and Sarah won the great prize of a book/CD combo. Thanks to Sarah and Megan for commenting on my blog... even though the rest of you didn't respond I hope everyone took a moment to thank God for all the blessing he gives each of us!

Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Christmas is coming soon so stay tuned, I'm thinking of a trivia game for you!

G-day

Yesterday was a big day for me. I tried to make gravy, yep G-day stands for Gravy Day. It's been a long time since I've tried since it's not really a talent of mine but after getting advice from a few people I was up to the challenge again. But before that I want to tell you about another day, that is Turkey Day. As some of you know one of my sisters is due to have twins in a few weeks so I thought I'd make some food for her for when the babies come. When I saw a coupon at Hy-Vee to buy a ham and get a free turkey, I couldn't refuse. So the ham was easy as it was precooked, and no bone. Slice and go. The turkey however was frozen and raw, like most turkeys. This turkey took me for a "cooking" ride. After talking to a few people and hearing "it's so easy" then I was up for the challenge. I could either bore you with all the details or I can bullet the event.. yes, it was an event.

1. Thaw the turkey - this was suppose to take 2-3 days but my turkey liked being frozen so it took 4-5 days. The original cook day was planned for the Friday after Thanksgiving but with it being frozen I decided to wait until Monday after we returned from our holiday travels.


2. Cook the turkey - this was actually pretty easy. I bought a $3 disposable roasting pan as I don't own a big one and did not want to buy one for a possible one time occasion. So I put in the turkey and some water, covered it with foil and baked at about 275 degree's for about 6 hours. I basted it off and on and checked on it but all went pretty well. I kind of had a hard time telling if it was done. I had a meat thermometer but it wasn't working so that didn't help. But they have this plastic thing in the turkey that popped out and I assumed that meant it was done. The thickest part of the turkey was done so I felt safe with the rest of it.

Taaadaaa!

1. Eat the turkey - so as I said I gave most of the meat to my sister but I did keep some for myself as I wanted to try it out in case I wanted to make it again. So the meat part is pretty easy, but then I got advice on what to do with the rest of it. Some of this might gross you out but trust me, it is really good. I took the leftover bones and simmered them in water (about 1/2 the pan) for 2 hours. Drain the leftover water into a bowl and you have homemade turkey broth, which I later made a soup. I will admit I did not eat the giblets and neck, apparently some people love these parts but I declined the delicacy. So onto the grand finale - the gravy! I took the juice out of the roasting pan and put it in a plastic container (after it cooled off) and put it in the fridge. Last night I took the fat off the top and then used the bottom jello-ish stuff to make gravy. And it turned out delish! I won't bore you with the details but if you ever make a turkey and want some ideas then let me know as I'm always happy to share.

For the first time in my life I made one of Phil's favorite meals. Opened faced sandwiches with all the fixin's. I lucked out and had some texas toast on hand, and then did a slice of turkey, a mound of tators, smothered in gravy. And some butternut squash on the side. He said it was one of the best meals I've ever cooked. Yum, yum!

My next challenge: try the same thing only with a whole chicken instead.... I'll keep you posted. Hat's off to gravy day, it was a success!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hopefully we all take a moment to thank God for all the blessing he gives us. Most of us in America have so much to be thankful for and so much we take for granted. I know we all have rough days, years, or life in general can be tough but there is always something to be grateful for. I, personally, and most people around me, have so much to be thankful for... simple things like being able to see, hear, and taste gives such joy to life; or having a very healthy family, having a job that allows me to be home during the day to take care of the kids, and even my little house that we've been trying to sell all year. I do have a blessed life and so much that I take for granted. At church on Sunday our pastor commented on being thankful for heaven... to know that God has prepared a place of eternity for us that is million times better than this life.. I know we can't see it or image what it will be like but to know God loves us so much that he has a special place just for me... I like to think of it as I have my own feather under his wing that will be my own personal cozy blanket to snuggle with and to keep me warm and toasty. So, this year, don't forget to take a moment to thank God. And for fun, let me know what special/unique thing you are most thankful for (not counting the basics like your family or home). Maybe I'll be like my friend Sarah and come up with some fun gift to send to you.... hmmm....actually I just thought of something that would be perfect. So tell me what your thankful for and I'll have a drawing sometime next week. If need be you can email me as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

life of the Hunt's

Remember, that stack of books I told you about a few weeks ago? Here it is. I went through my books and these made the to do list. Read or go away.. actually one (not in the picture) did get tossed once I realized it was a Jehovah Witness book. Nothing personal, but I didn't really want to give that one to Goodwill.. it went straight to the garbage. I did glance through it (Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained) and was shocked by how it disagreed with the Bible. Opening statements sounded more like Darwin than Creation. Kind of sad.. so in the garbage it went. Now I'm reading The Faith Club which I've read before.. I like it (not that I agree with all the things the Christian woman says) but I really need to read something enjoyable.. not a thinker kind of book. So I might not make it through my pile... I guess some books may get tossed just out of my desire to read a good old fiction book which is not an option in this pile. The pile must go, before I go to the library. Eeekke...

Bath time can be interesting.. this is Harlie's new hang out spot in the bathroom (at least she's not putting her hands in the toilet, one of her favorite past times when I'm not looking). And yes, she crawls up there herself. She pulls up on the back of the toilet lid/seat, then pulls up on the back of the toilet and then scoots over to the sink. For this reason, I try to keep our toilet clean. As you can see.. she LOVES her hang out spot.

I must say I love this next picture. He was so proud of himself for getting those letters and numbers stuck to the wall.

This was our summer bucket list. After hanging on our fridge all summer, I decided it was time to take the paper down. We got about 95% of it done which is great. It's so easy to look at what we didn't do but then I look at all the things we did do and I realize we did have a good summer as we did a lot of fun things. It has made for some interesting conversation as it's the first thing people see when they walk in our door. Most people look confused but then I explain it and most people love the idea (thanks Sarah!) I'm hoping to make another one for this winter which should include a few things that didn't get done this summer. Any ideas to add to the list?

Last week, in the last few warm days, we played outside. Here are the kids playing in the dirt.. we really need to get them a sand box. Maybe next spring?

Awwwee.. my kiddo's are so sweet (most of the time : )

Did I mention this was going to be a really long post? Full of pictures and golden nuggets of our life.

Leftovers anyone? (yes, that pizza actually curled up on the edges) You can't see it but the meat and cheese was all dried up. It's only a few days old, but old enough.

No thanks, we'll make our own.

Yum, Yum! A post to come on this new pita bread recipe I've been experimenting with. Tonight we made pizza with it but we've also had sandwich pockets and Phil eats it with his hummus.

And last but not least.. my new special treat for Harlie and me. Since we've pretty much given up on selling the house this year I decided I wanted this hung up (I was waiting not wanting to put more holes in the wall). Last year I asked for a quilt rack for Christmas. My dad made me this beautiful quilt rack (thanks dad!) and my mom always makes a quilt for the grandkids and she made this quilt for Harlie (thanks mom!) when she was born. I believe I've posted on it before but in case you don't remember this is a 5 generation quilt. There is material from my Great Grandma Greene, Grandma Elliott, My mom, me and now Harlie. My mom loves to sew so this is a special gift... and the quilt rack to go with it makes it perfect. I just think it looks awesome in Harlie's room.

Enough of the Hunt life.. I'm tired.. but a good day. Praise to God, for all the goodness he give us all.

rebeling...

My body is rebelling. Ever since the triathlon I feel like I can hardly run and swim, and for now I'm not biking as it's too cold out. I think it's mostly the cold weather causing my lungs to work harder and I've had a constant slight head cold /running nose since the triathlon. I think it's just normal winter health blues but it makes me wonder how I ever did the triathlon. I know that it will all come back next year when the weather gets nicer but it's kind of disappointing. It's not really fun when my nose is running while I'm running (I can't farmer blow like some talented people without it coming back to land on my pants or shoes) and then when I swim I start coughing and sputtering.

So I will keep plucking along for now but my body is saying no. And I would be more than happy to take a couple of weeks off but then I don't think I'd start up again.. one of my biggest fears.

On a side note.. I got some interesting, mixed emotions, information from my OB doctor the other week. Since I've lost a lot of weight and had 2 babies in the past four years my stomach has become the great (meaning big, not good) jiggle and is not just your normal after pregnancy jiggle.. you can image what people from The Biggest Loser look like.. well I have that plus add two pregnancies on top of that to help matters. Anyways enough details.. you get the visual. What I asked my doctor was how I could correct this.. and he said point blank - surgery. Hmm.. that's not an option I'm interested in now so I proceeded to ask him what else there was, basically I wanted to know if I lost more weight would it get better or worse. He said at this point it wouldn't get much better but I could try crunches but it probably wouldn't do much (I have done crunches in the past and it doesn't seem to really help much). So as he was pushing on my stomach/female parts (near my belly button). I asked if he could tell if there was a lot of fat still in there and he said no, that is mostly just extra skin. So, the mixed emotions.. I don't have a lot of fat on my stomach, yippee! That's not something I hear very often but to find out it's mostly extra skin means there isn't much I can do other than wait for it to correct it's self (or surgery). I did ask if we have another baby if it would just get worse and he said probably not. On a side note, I did ask my regular doctor the same question about two years ago and she said that I am young enough that it will get better but also the more weight I lose the better it should get... in one way.. but worse in another.. more jiggle but thinner jiggle. Hmm... not sure if any of you out there have any suggestions. At this point, I think it'll just take time (like years, if not the rest of my life) to correct itself so I guess I think I'm stuck with it... but alas, I have little fat on my belly - per Dr. O. : )

Trick or treat?

I have to be honest, I wasn't really feeling it this year for trick or treating. In the past we've gone to visit family and since this was our first free weekend in a long time we decided to just stay home this year. We couldn't decide what to do so at the last minute, we decided that I would take Wendell out trick or treating in our neighborhood and Phil and Harlie would stay back and hand out some treats. So at 6pm, I was at HyVee buying 5 bags of candy to hand out and then we rushed home to get started. But I have to say, this was one of the best times I have ever had with Wendell. He did a great job of walking up to each house, saying trick or treat and thank you, showing great enthusiasm with lots of smiles, being careful while walking around the streets, holding my hand when asked and knowing when it was time to go home. We went around our block to our neighbors (most who we sadly don't know) and then down the block to a "haunted yard" which he was excited about the blowing bubbles and "christmas tree lights". Everyone seemed to love his costume, which is hard to see in the pictures but he's a train. One of the first houses we went too had a guy answer the door in a mask. The mask had long grey hair and pasty, wrinkly, skin and some googly eyes... but Wendell so engrossed with the bowl of candy being handed to him, he didn't look up right away. When he did, Wendell just stared at the guy and I believe his thoughts were "hmm.. you are a strange looking fellow.. thanks for the candy" and we walked away. Another funny story was one person handing out candy had one of those bowls with a hand in it that will grab at your hand when you go for candy which is kind of scary when you don't know what to expect. I'm not sure if Wendell was scared or just stunned, but he just stood there frozen for a minute before he finally shook his head no and walked away. It was kind of cute but sad too... as kids can really get scared at this age. Anyways, we walked a block, trick and treated at our house and then did another block. We got enough candy to keep our whole family on a sugar high for the night (and probably the next week). When we were done then we hung out at home for awhile and two treaters came to the door. Wendell was outside looking at the pumpkins and all of sudden we heard his little voice say "come on in, you can have candy from here". Phil and I laughed at our little solicitor. So Wendell got to hand out some candy too. No one else came for awhile so we hopped in the car and went over to Phil's Aunt Mary Lou and Janice's house to show off the kids costumes. In the end, both kids were very excited to see and then eat so much candy. And of course, Phil and I indulged as well. Next year, I will be more excited... as I can't wait to see the smiles on my little pumpkins' faces.

good books

Last year I posted some of the books that I enjoyed reading and it's kind of nice to go back to see what made the list. Since then I have been keeping a list of books since then that I have read and enjoyed. Apparently this list is pretty old because I don't remember some of them, but, I had written them down so at some point I've read and enjoyed these books.

The Myth & Me by Leah Stewart (yep, don't remember this one)
The Nine Lessons by Kevin Alan Milne (Sarah - I think you might like this one)
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist (a very unique yet odd book - a bit disturbing)

And more recently...
Eve: a novel of the first woman by Elissa Elliott (a fiction book based on the Bible, culture and other history sources - mixed feelings on this one but it makes you think)
By Searching by Isobel Kuhn (this is a book in my possession that someone suggested I read about 20 years ago and I never gave back.. oopps!! Sorry about that... I'd give it back if I knew where she lived or could even remember her name... anyways, this is a book written by someone who was challenged by a professor in college who told this lady "you only believe in God because your mama and papa told you so".. or something like that. So it's her process of "searching" for God.
The Bible (ongoing) - I'm currently reading Acts and am really fascinated by the beginning works of the church and how it went from 12 disciples to spread like wild flowers across to places like Ethiopia.. and some of the decisions they made and why they made them - like whether or not to make non Jewish people get circumcised when they became believer or who should even be accepted into the "church".

What's next? Glad you asked! I have a stack of about 5-6 books on my basement steps that are either getting read and put back in storage, sent to Goodwill, or thrown in the burn pile. I love books but have determined that I really don't have to keep every book that was ever given to me...especially if it takes 20 years to read it. : )

on the mend.. and off to more exciting things

I'm happy to say that I think we are on the mend. After my last depressing post, I am happy to report that I think Harlie is teething. I feel bad as I think it's been rough on her but at least it's not contagious so we can get out of the house to get some fresh air.

So we were VERY happy to get out to our good friend Mieke's birthday party on Saturday. The theme was pirates and princesses so here we are in our best last minute costumes. Wendell was a little unsure as he was worried as he told me that "people will laugh at me". Interesting comment, where did this come from? So I had to put a mustache on myself as well but self consciously wiped it off before getting to the party... was that wrong of me? I debated in my head what to do and in the end wiped it off.. because I didn't want people to laugh at me. Please note: I was NOT dressed up like a pirate before you judge my decision.






















So onto other exciting things! Like carving pumpkins.. personally, I love carving pumpkins and so does Wendell. Although I did most of the cutting and digging out, he loved helping me design, watching me work, and (taking pictures of) the finished product.

fever II

That's what I'm calling it. Fever II. We have had a sick child the last 5 weekends in a row... and I'm loosing my patience. Week 1 was the triathlon and Harlie was vomiting all night, week 2 was Wendell vomiting 3 times in a night, week 3 was Wendell having a bad cough and running nose (requiring we use the nebulizer), week 4 (last weekend) Wendell had a fever, and now this weekend week 5, Harlie has a fever. Erggggg.......

So I wasn't very happy this morning at 1:30am when Harlie was crying. I asked Phil to check on her and he found a dirty diaper that we both had to work together to change because she was fighting it so much. She had a terrible case of diaper rash which has been an ongoing issue the past week (I think it's teeth, again). But with the dirty diaper we also could tell she had a fever and sure enough, the thermometer read over about 101 degrees.

I am feeling at loss. We have missed so many fun things that it is starting to make me angry and very isolated. Wendell visiting my parents for the weekend, going to the Omaha Zoo, visiting Phil's parents, watching the Des Moines Marathon, MMO, Sunday church, and this weekend, a birthday party.

I feel like we've been stuck at home the past two weeks, although we did get out for a bit on Wednesday and Thursday this week. And Phil and I have been sleeping poorly with all this sickness so that doesn't help either. I feel bad because I work this weekend meaning Phil has night duty on his own (for tonight at least). His parents are coming up tomorrow so his mom or dad might help out the next two nights while they stay. Either way, it's not fun getting up in the middle of the night to dish out medicine for a fever.

A small part of me feels like I shouldn't complain because this is the first time she's had a fever since she was born. We made it the first year with hardly any sickness. I suspect that now that I'm done breastfeeding (yes, we are done!) that she will get sick more often now.

But I am curious as to this.. now that she's sick, Harlie has her tongue sticking out almost constantly.. causing excessive drool. Any thoughts? As this is very unusual for her.

sickness blues

We are going on almost four weeks of sickness around here. Harlie had the flu (vomiting) the weekend of the triathlon.. then I felt a small head cold and queasy that week but never really got sick. Then the next weekend Wendell got the flu (vomiting), then last Thursday Wendell started with a head cold and we had to cancel his plans to go stay at Grandma and Grandpa's for the weekend. He was coughing a lot and we had to give him some nebulizer treatments to help him breath. Then he seemed to be getting better when a fever kicked in this past Wednesday night. Thursday Phil stayed home from work as I was up part of the night coughing and couldn't sleep myself, and later had a head full of junk in the morning - hacking up flem (which totally grosses me out and makes me dry heave). Then I called in sick to work (you know I'm really sick when I call into work because I haven't called in sick in a very long time.. at least over a year.) At one point Wendell's fever got up over 104 and that is with medicine. He's already had two baths today so we tried an ice cream cone and not snuggling with mommy or a blanket. He has also run around 1/2 the day with only underwear on. Luckily for now, it went back down but one of us will have to get up in the middle of the night to check on him. (Phil my very loving husband volunteered to do this). So far Harlie only has a slight runny nose and Phil is not affected, lets hope that continues. I am starting to feel better but still not 100%. I did call the doctor today and they said this is going around and the fever could last 5 days... so two more days of this. So long story short, sorry not much blogging but we're just under the weather here. And quite frankly, sick of being sick.

The big bummer is that we had a big fun weekend planned. We were supposed to go to the Omaha Zoo with Phil's family this weekend. He had taken Friday off so we could drive to his parents in Guthrie Center, then go to the zoo on Saturday, then go watch the big Des Moines Marathon on Sunday and see Phil's Grandma who is in the hospital. But we are home some more.. we've been stuck at home since Wednesday. I'm hoping that we can at least go on a car ride this weekend, maybe out to Hickory Hills park or something to see leaves and get some fresh air. I figure as long as we're not in direct contact with people then we should be fine in our vehicle and maybe a little walking around. Phil might take Harlie down to Des Moines on Sunday to see his Grandma but we'll see, maybe by some miracle Wendell will be feeling better by then, but most likely not up for a long car ride. So we continue to watch tv, read books, play games and put puzzles together. And hope to not go stir crazy.. but more importantly not visit the hospital. Earlier today I was thinking of the people back in the 1800's who were helpless when this happened, at least I have a hospital that is close and easy to get to if needed. Anyways, enough depressing thoughts.... if you have a moment, please say a prayer for Wendell as this fever just doesn't want to go away.

**Sorry if there are proofing errors, I'm too tired to keep rereading...

Yummy in the tummy!

Phil and I took the kids to the newly opened Pizza Ranch in Cedar Falls on Saturday night and although we've been to them before, we still say we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!

Here's why:

• For buffet, they're is pretty much no wait. Food is ready instantly, which anyone that takes little kids to a restaurant knows that the wait can be torturous. Not only do you have to wait to get your food, you can go back and get more when you need it.
• They have good food and good options. The kids and I love pizza and cheese sticks. Phil loves chicken and mashed potatoes. We can drink anything we want (wish they had chocolate milk though) and get refills ourselves. They also have dessert pizza (YUM!) and soft serve ice cream. AND all their food is good, especially when it's fresh and hot. We also like that they have veggie options. Phil and I like salads but the kids don't really eat raw veggies yet so they could also eat green beans or corn.
• You can eat as much as you want, kids can try different things if they're being picky. I will admit I ate too much though.
• It only cost $20... you just can't beat that price. We did get a special 15% off for Phil being friends with them on Facebook but I don't think it'll cost too much more the next time we go. And for our healthy eating family of 4 that is a good price.
• For us, the location is good too.. just down the road.

So, if you're ever going out to eat at the PR, let us know.. and we'll try and join you! Yum... that dessert pizza was good!

More pictures off Phil's cell phone.

Was she really this little once?