Really Long Post With A Lot of Pictures

I can't believe that after only 10 days I have so much to write about, but I do so here it goes. On the 22nd the Cannon's came for a fun Easter time visit. The Cannon's are Eric, Andrea, Sterling, and Kerrie Ann. Andrea is Dave's sister. They left their home in Virgina the afternoon of the 21st and drove straight through and arrived at our house around 1am. Saturday morning we had a yummy breakfast and got ready to go to the zoo. It was cold and a little rainy but still fun. A lot of the animals were not out and the train wasn't running, but we made the most of it and the kids really could have cared less.

Since the train was not running we went over to Riley (the children's hospital) to ride the People Mover that connects three of the hospitals in the area. It sounds kinda silly but the kids LOVED it!

Sunday was Easter and it was a great day. Dave didn't have early morning meetings which was really nice and I had a lot of fun getting the boys dressed in their Easter wear. Taylor and Austin have shown a recent desire to wear Dave's ties. So I decided to get them their own. I can't believe how a tie and a belt can make someone look so grown up!

After church we tired to get a picture of the cousins in their nice clothes. This is the best one...OK not really but I am not posting the "real" one yet. The "real" one is part of a gift for someone who is to go nameless, so I am going to wait until unsaid person gets it.

The next activity was coloring eggs, this didn't turn out like I had expected, but it was still pretty fun. Then we decorated craft bags with stickers for our Easter baskets. While we were doing this activity the Easter Bunny came and left tons of treats and prizes.

This is the kids acting like bunnies before they went hunting.

How cute is she?

Right before this, he was playing these "flutes" with his nose!! Now that's talent.

We had a great time and a yummy traditional dinner with Honey glazed ham, funeral potatoes, green bean casserole, home made rolls, and triple layer lemon pie for desert. It was soooo good, if I do say so myself.

Monday Dave had to go to school, and Austin and Taylor went until 1, when we picked them up and went to the Children's Museum. I still can't believe how much there is to do there, you definitely leave exhausted but fulfilled.

Tuesday morning the Cannon's packed up and went home. The first thing Taylor said when he got home from school and they weren't here was "where is Sterling? I want him to play with us" I am so glad that they had such a nice time with their cousins, family is such and important factor of life. I am so grateful to be part of such a great family!! Oh and in case I haven't said it lately, I really do love living in Indiana. When I think of all the other places we applied to for school, I smile to think that we got into the school that fits us perfectly. Dave found this neat picture of our downtown.

OK, just a couple more things...I know this is really long. Saturday the boys got invited to a birthday party for one of their friends. It was a pirate party and it must have been fantastic because it is all they have been talking about since. They are still wearing their vests and playing with their swords.

And last but certainly not least. Caden has decided it is OK to wear underwear and go potty in the toilet. After so much resistance from him, and way to much putting it off. I finally decided it had to be done. There was a little crying and fighting when I first tried to get the diaper off and the underwear on, but now he tells me when he needs to go (he even told his primary teacher yesterday at church) and he gets sad when he has to take his underwear off at night. YEAH!! Good work Caden!!! No more diapers for you.

Whew! Did you make it through all of that? Thanks for looking!

What's That Smell?

In a nutshell yesterday was a bad day. We woke up to rain and wind and cold....again. Caden and I after putting the boys on the bus headed to the outlets to return a couple things and see if a dress I had my eye on might just work for Easter. When we got there it was so windy and raining so hard we ran into the store and were still soaked! The dress that I thought was going to be so cute, turned out to make me look 8 months pregnant, and I am not, so that isn't a good thing!! That really shouldn't have bothered me, but it was my second choice outfit for Easter, I could not find a skirt that would match this wonderful shirt I wanted so badly, so I moved on, with no luck. I had to stop at Target on the way home and had a very cute but very whinny 3 year old barking orders and demands at me. I hurried and grabbed what I could and promptly took him home, later realizing that I had forgotten all the things I really needed and only bought things I didn't really need. The boys came home from school and their day was pretty good, actually Taylor got a Star Student award for doing all his work so good, and for setting a good example for others. Yes, I said Taylor, I don't know what happened but he is doing so much better at school, and I am grateful. After snack the boys went upstairs to play, fine whatever, they do it every day. Then, I am on the phone with Dave and screaming Caden comes downstairs because Austin has hit him, then I hear screaming Austin because Caden had hit him. At this point my hands are up in the air, and I am about ready to give up my day. After calming everyone down I decide it is time to cook dinner (it is still pouring rain by the way) so I take the boys upstairs to watch a show so I can make dinner in peace. Well, remember the title of this post? I could not find it, I could not find the burning smell, where was it coming from? This clearly wasn't OK. Oh there is is up in the torchiet, a burning monkey. Yup you heard me right, a burning monkey. Apparently Taylor had thrown said monkey up in the air and it landed on top of the torchiet. It was on fire...I kid you not...flames!! I grabbed the one leg that was hanging over the edge of the lamp and ran to the bathroom to drown the monkey in the sink. Everyone and everything is fine, a little stinky, but fine and safe. It scares me to think if we hadn't gone up stairs what might have happened, but it didn't. After a very emotional talk with the boys and this and that I got tears in my eyes for the monkey, you see this monkey was made by Grandma Kerrie for Grandpa Rod probably 30 years ago. Austin and Taylor got monkeys made for them before Caden was born, so when Caden was old enough to realize he didn't have a monkey Grandpa gave him his. Caden was VERY sad at the sight of his bedtime friend, he looked at the black face and went into the other room and sulked on the couch for quite a while. I wish I would have thought to take a picture, it was really very sweet, but my mind was elsewhere. I did take a couple pictures today, Caden wouldn't hold the monkey because he says "it's to scary now." Understandable I guess.

On a brighter note...the sun was out today, the wind was minimal, and we had a great day!!

Spring Break

So, Dave is currently on Spring Break. Austin and Taylor however are not...Dave and I decided though that it would be no biggie if they missed a day of school so we could go do something fun together as a family. Now, I am not quite sure why but the boys all love to stay at hotels. We found this great Holiday Inn in northern Indiana that has a HUGE indoor water park connected to it, in fact you can't go to the water park unless you are a registered guest of the hotel. So that is what we did, on Monday right after the boys got home from school we packed up our bags and headed to the hotel. This place was really great. 3 big water slides, 2 of which the boys were to small for, but the favorite was a yellow one that you ride tubes down, they went again and again and again. Well, Austin and Taylor did, Caden was a little scared. The water park also has a lazy river that was fun to ride around in the tubes, a big pirate boat with 2 little slides, dumping buckets, a little sand (not real sand) island with palm trees, and a huge bucket that dumps from way up high every 10 minutes or so. Oh, and how can I forget the "bubbles" (hot tubs for those of you who don't speak Felt!) the boys love the bubbles!! We played from 4:30-7:30 the first night and then the next day we played from 11am-3pm. It was great and as we were leaving Caden got really sad and wouldn't talk to us in the car, when he finally did he said "I am too sad to leave." So fun, so great, we had such a nice time with our little family. The really neat thing is that we used it as an incentive for Austin and Taylor to be good at school. At school they have a red, yellow and green light system that they work on. Green obviously is a good day, yellow not so great, red...BAD!! We have been struggling with a lot of yellows and reds, so we decided to use this mini vacation to see if it would help them try and be better. It worked!! They both got green lights every day minus one yellow light from one of them for 2 weeks straight, pretty great!! Now for the sad news....I don't have one picture from this little adventure. We forgot our camera, and seeing as though the hotel is only about an hours trip, after the boys went to bed Dave went home to get it so we could get some pictures the next day. Guess what? He forgot to get it because he was getting a few other things and hurrying to get back. Oh well, I guess this memory will have to be in our head! We had a fabulous time though.

Fun With PlayDoh, The Museum, and The Moon

Well, I don't think I have a lot to say but we have had a nice few past days. A little over a week ago the boys discovered our stash of PlayDoh. Now I consider myself a pretty nice mom, but I really don't like PlayDoh. It gets everywhere!! The tiny little pieces get mushed into places you could never imagine. However, oh so nice Dad was home so we pulled it out and had some fun. After making countless dinosuars Dave made some glasses so he could "look like Austin and Taylor," well they wanted glasses like daddy. Here is a picture of Taylor with his "glasses" on. Austin being a cat, and Caden, well I'm not sure what he was being but he thought it was pretty neat, so I do too!!

Last Friday the kids didn't have school so my good friend Heather came down form Cinncinatti with her kids and we went to the Children's Museum. I would have better pictures but my camera was acting funny! The boys favorite part about the museum is the water and boats, they could stay there all day if I would let them!

There is always such a long line to ride the Carosel, but this time we got to ride it and the boys thought that was really fun.

And finally, last night there was a total lunar eclipse. Dave took some pictures to send to his parents because by the time they would get to see it, it would be gone. I think it is kinda neat to see. You can click on the picture to make it bigger!!

I was tagged...again!

A few things you may not know about Dave and I:

His Full Name: David Rigby Felt
Who asked who on 1st date: He asked me out.
Who said I love you first: He told me that he thought he was falling in love with me and I said the same thing in the same conversation. So I guess it was a tie!
Who kissed who first: Dave kissed me first....on our first date, what do you think of that?
How long did you date: Before we were engaged or married? 2 months to the day, before we were engaged, and 5 months and 11 days before we were married
Who Proposed: Dave proposed, he had such great plans for how and when, but the cabin we were going to go to we couldn't because of an avalanche. Then I ruined his other plans by telling him I wanted to go to my friends wedding reception before we went to dinner, had I only known! Dave being so kind let me go, and he came too, but he lost the reservations he had made at a hot spot in Park City. So we went to dinner somewhere else in Park City. He started towards taking me home to Provo. We drove up to Rock Canyon Park and went for a little walk. Under a lamp post he knelt down in the slushy rain and asked me to marry him.
Who Eats More: I plead the 5th!
Who's Taller: Dave by an inch.
Who's Smarter: Totally Dave, no question!
Who Cooks Dinner: I cook. Dave probably could if he wanted to but I really enjoy it.
Who does Laundry: I do the laundry. I think I burned a bridge there when right after we were married I told him he folded our "underwear" wrong. He has never done it since. That taught me!! Laundry isn't a chore I dread though so it is OK.
Who does dishes: I usually do the dishes, but sometimes I slack because that isn't one of my favorite chores and Dave picks up my slack.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed: Facing the bed or when you are in the bed? Facing: Me, in the bed: Dave.
Who mows the lawn: The tiny lawn we have, Dave does it, and techincally I don't think it is mowing, he uses a weed eater.
Who wears the pants: I have pants on right now! Just kidding, we know what we are each in charge of!
Who drives when together: Dave, always!
Who Pays the Bills: I do.
Who has more Siblings: Dave, he has 3 and I have 1.
What have I left out: That depends on what else you want to know. We have been married for almost 10 years, there is a ton you probably don't know.

I tag: Meghan, Pamela, Rosie (Liz), Emmy, Janalyn

Happy Valentines Day

For those of you who don't like mushy things you probably don't want to read this post. Hey! It's Valentine's Day who better to write about then my valentine. Dave and I went on our first date 10 years ago yesterday. One of my best friends got married 10 years ago today. (Happy Anniversary Allie and B) Dave was kind and went to the reception with me, however he totally forgot it was Valentines Day, and I wasn't going to say anything, it was only our 2nd date. The next day he called me very sorry that he had forgotten. No worries, I still got to be with him. 5 months later, almost to the day we were married.

Sometimes Dave gets to read our blog and sometimes he doesn't. However I just wanted to tell him how much I love him. How great of a guy I think he is. How wonderful of a provider he has been and continues to be. How outstanding of a dad he is to our little boys. How I notice all his hard work and effort ALL the time. I know that I married up! I feel very blessed and a little lucky to have landed such a great guy to be with for all of eternity. I LOVE YOU DAVE!!

Now, I had put in this next picture to show you how sweet he can be. This was done on his way to school one chilly morning. Sometimes it is just the little things.

Since it is Valentine's day I have decided to show you all what Dave decided to get me. Most of you can probably guess considering a couple posts ago I told you of my "tragic loss." Thank you all for your condolences by-the-way! Hee-Hee.

Yes, that is a Pirates of the Caribbean valentine card. I am as we speak getting ready to make some delicious heart shaped sugar cookies, topped with pink forsting. (Dave's favorites)

Thank you Dave for being so thoughtful, you're the bestist!!

Bag Tag...Your It!

OK, So I was bag tagged by my friend Kari. What is bag tag you ask? Well you take a picture of your bag, empty it out and take another picture...no cleaning it out first!! Then you post it on your bolg. Then you tag 5 people. Easy right? So here is mine. I didn't tag everything in my bag but I will list everything just for you!!




OK, so we have got a store list and receipt, small first aid kit, packet of sunscreen from the DR's office, Caden's sunglasses, my mittens, wallet, Barbie watch out of a Honey Smacks box, lemon drops, shortbread cookies, little bath and body lotion, purell, lots of lip stuff, 2 tampies, pen, tide to go stick, check book, calculator, more lotion, (which I have now thrown away because it was gone) 2 diapers, wipes, paint to take back to my friend, Caden's hat and mittens from when we ventured out in the freezing cold yesterday, and one of Dave's scrub tops that I am trying to find a matching color for to replace it. I know, I know...it's a big bag!!

I tag...Andrea, Cecily, Dana, Shanti, and Allie! Anyone else can too if you want.

Poor, Poor KitchenAid

*****EXCLAIMER******This post is not about a human being!!!

It is with a heavy heart I submit this post. Saturday evening we had a loss in our home. Yes, my KitchenAid mixer burned out. A KitchenAid burned out you say? Is that possible? Well yes it is apparently, and guess what? It is the second time it has happened to said KitchenAid. The first time we got it fixed...supposedly. This time we decided it is not worth another $100 to get it fixed, just to have it burn out 6 months later. I have had this KitchenAid since we were first married, almost 10 years now. Quite a long time right? Well the thing is, if you know anything about KitchenAid mixers they DON'T die, atleast they aren't supposed to. My mother in law has had hers for three times as long as I have and she has run hers into the ground, grinding wheat, making bread, cookies, mashed potatoes, anything you can think of, some times all in the same day! Is hers dead? Has hers burned out...ever? NOPE!! Dave's Grandma has had one three times as long as my mother in laws that she too has used profusely, is hers dead? Has hers burned out...ever? NOPE!! I think she finally bought a new one, but not because her old one wouldn't work anymore!! Do you ever notice when you don't have something that you have had for so long you really, really miss it. Well, I really, really miss my KitchenAid, and who knows when I will get to replace it.


We had to stick it outside, it was stinking up the house so bad with it's burning oil.


This has got to be atleast a 3rd degree burn, right?


Poor, Poor KitchenAid all alone outside in the rain. You will be greatly missed my beautiful white mixing friend!

Books, Books Everywhere and Not A Thing To Read

So I finally got these next pictures downloaded so I could share a little story. The other day I was in the kitchen getting dinner ready. The boys had been having a less than great afternoon as far as getting along with eachother goes. So I declared a "quiet time" so I could try and get dinner pulled together. The boys were all in the front room, and as far as I could tell they were playing nice and being good for so late in the afternoon, which traditionally is meltdown, breakdown, whining time in our house, and the boys aren't usually so good either! Anyway, after a few minutes of "too quiet" I went in to check on them. Now, in our house we have a one book at a time rule. You get a book, you read the book, you put the book back. I guess they forgot. This was the first thing I saw.

This was the second...

How can you get mad at that? Well, I didn't and after some persuasion, and "I don't know how's" they helped me put them all back! (The couch cushions too)

I really do love my boys!!

OOPS!!!

Hi there! There has been a little bit of confusion regarding my last post. I copied and pasted the bit about having "Lucy" from my friends page. I am NOT expecting a girl (or boy for that matter) anytime in the next 9 months, or longer! Sorry to disappoint! You will be the first to know though if and when a girl is ever in the picture!!