Archive | April 2007

A Winter Wonderland in Spring UGH

Apr5

Ok the weather is NOT co-operating!!! But I did find a new way to find old friends and keep in contact with people – Facebook. I am in under Lisa Reinsch-Johnson, look me up and send me a friend invite. I am even able to link this site to is so when I update here it shows up there. I managed to hunt down a college friend (Ally) and had friends of ours from college contact me – Layne and Dee – who just had their first baby in February – Adelynn – so I am now working on their nursery gift. I found someone who I think I went to high school with but am waiting to see if they write me back. Something new to play with at the very least.

Ken is off to the city and Alan’s over night lan birthday party Friday afternoon. So I am flying solo Friday evening, night and much of Saturday. With all the snow on the ground we are probably going to have to stay home. I am thinking I will bring out the paints and stickers and any other things I can think of. We have all gotten rather stir crazy here. I was getting used to a minimum of one walk a week out and about – even with Emanuel on my back. At least by Sunday it should be nice out again.

The twins had a blast at my mom’s last night. She had them there past when they usually are and they wore her out! They decorated Easter eggs, had baths, played with stacking blocks and just generally ran wild. They came home so tired out they willingly climbed into bed! Though they are STILL messing with the dresser. Nap time again today has been a stress. They can be falling asleep at the kitchen table and perk right back up the moment you get them in their bed. UGH…

We went to buy a potty last night and everyone was SOLD OUT. Figures… I have seen them around for the past month but Ken wanted to wait so finally when we go to get one – none there. We didn’t see any trikes at Zellars, Sunday after Easter lunch we are going to Walmart to get summer clothes for the twins (and a t-shirt for Emanuel – otherwise he has enough with the out growns) and we will price out trikes then. I am planning on checking out the marked down Easter craft supplies when we go out shopping on Wednesday – get some cheap stuff for next year. I want to start doing that for all the holidays. Gotta save money and cut corners where we can. I would love to get our smaller credit cards paid off soon.

Emanuel is doing so well – he is signing more, eat, all done… trying to say more and up… he is walking like a pro (still falling down though) and trying to get right in there with his big brothers. It is like we blinked and our baby was all grown up! Ok maybe not ALL but more grown up!

So Sunday is Easter and church and before that I have my two days alone – so if you are in the neighborhood give me a call and come by. I am sure I will be more than ready for some company not long after Ken leaves! I really need to take some time tonight and get that gallery of the kids in the pool up here and update our family site – be sure to check them out after this weekend. I am hoping we can get a couple of nice pictures of everyone dressed nice for Easter as well and Walmart says I should get my pictures by Tuesday of Emanuel! FINALLY!!

Snow in April… Fancy That!

Apr3

You read me right! We had snow yesterday – flurries ALL DAY. What a tease spring is being. In fact the weather all weekend was blustery and cool so we could not go for a nice walk to the park with James and his girlfriend Cindy who were up for his birthday visit. Otherwise our visit was great fun. We took Emanuel swimming for the very first time at the local pool on Sunday, went downtown to the art store on Saturday as well as had Subway, and spent Monday visiting at home while Ken worked. The kids warmed up to Cindy right away and were glad to see their Uncle James… I think the last time he was here was Emanuel’s baptism last June. We took a ton of pictures and videos.

Ken and I also had our first sale with our website (which I promise I will get the link to everyone as soon as the rep looks it over and okays it) – James bought a new pc with his tax return. I have spent much of my spare time this weekend looking online for pictures of product that Ken now has too add to the site. I really hope we can get it going soon. Ken is going to find out about international shipping and all so I can get all that information to everyone.

So swimming… being as it was Emanuel’s first time ever it went rather well. Granted he did not sit on his own in the very shallow side but he managed to be held in the water and not cry and even sat in the flotation device we had bought for the twins for a few minutes before he began to cry. I would like to take him at least 2 more times before the twins’ party in May. They did very well – though Zander kept walking deeper and deeper into the pool. No fear that boy. James and Cindy had a blast both with the kids on their own. My mom was there too… she spent most of her time with the twins. Emanuel just really wanted mommy and daddy. We were there a little over an hour before we decided to call it a day. Emanuel had decided he just wanted to cuddle and actually fell asleep on Ken just before we left. It didn’t help that he had the beginnings of a cold when we took him to the pool and that evening had a bit of a fever though he is much better today.

Saturday at the art store James got Cindy some new art supplies for doing their webcomic, I picked up a magnetic bracelet. Lately with all the cross stitching I have been doing my wrists and hands have been bothering me. The magnets are supposed to help remove the discomfort or something? So far I have noticed a difference and am debating getting another one and maybe a ring for days when my thumb is bugging me. The bracelet was only $4.00. Subway was nice too – mom fed Emanuel so I actually got to eat my sub without rushing. Afterwards we went over to mom’s for a bit of a visit. The kids played with toys, James and Ken looked at James’ DS (I so WANT one!!) and Cindy and I looked at mom’s boxes of old photos while mom repaired a coat she had gotten at a great discount. I managed to find some doubles of James’ old school photos as well as some of my Reinsch relatives I had not seen previously. I am not sure if I can fit them in my scrapbook I had started of old pictures but I plan on making a special book for all my wallets I have been given over the years so I can always make a page up in there. I just have to find the right book to get started and start organizing all the pictures. We keep finding more and more wallets and odds and ends pictures all over the house.

Both James and Cindy have DS’es. Cindy a pink one and James a white… I can honestly say I now want one. They had a ton of games so I had an opportunity to fiddle around. I could have gotten one for Christmas instead of the iPod Nano I got but I wanted the iPod for walking this spring (if it ever stops snowing!) and summer… maybe for Christmas or if we are REALLY lucky and the site takes off my birthday in June I can get one! Apparently they are bringing out a blue one later this year. I actually remembered my iPod when I took all the kids out Friday for a walk and boy was I glad I had it though the DS is so much fun!

Monday was wonderful… the boys played with Cindy and watched James play DS. I was able to finish all the stitching on another Christmas present. I have gotten a good start on yet another baby present for one of my cousins. I miss those two already. Really Cindy is a doll and James has gotten even more mature and enjoyable to be around. They even got the kids some more Baby Einstein videos – Beethoven and Bach. I was going to have to buy more on my Zellars credit card since Emanuel is so in love with the Mozart one. It is nice to have some variety.

Last night we actually watched movies! Princess Bride and Castle in the Sky – what a combination! I have this urge to go through and rent all the ones by Miyazaki that we do not own again. Though I do still have a Scooby Doo movie I have yet to crack the wrappings on.

So today has been a little tiring, Emanuel is sleeping better than he did the night before and is not nearly as cranky or runny nosed… the twins are fighting their nap as usual (yesterday no nap meant in bed by 7 though by 6 we had cranky bums) but I am being stubborn, they are worn out and being very confrontational. Tonight Ken and I need to get through some of the crap in our strorage closet as well as a bucket of toys we found in the storage unit when we got the twins’ lounging chairs out. I want to get through at least one bucker or box a night from that closet starting tonight. I also plan on cleaning out my linen closet (if you can call it a closet) and maybe getting rid of some of the stuff we NEVER use. Tomorrow the twins are at my mom’s – I want to either have Ken pick up today or tomorrow before we drop the boys off an Easter egg kit. They did them with Cathy sorta – they should be more receptive a second time and that is something mom can do with them. Hopefully by tonight I will have some of the swimming pictures up in a gallery here and I hope to have the family site up to date by the weekend. Wow that seems like more to do than I thought!!!