I (heart) shopping!

I absolutely love shopping!!! It is sooo much fun! I received some Christmas money--thanks family, so Jeff and I dropped the kids off at the babysitter/daycare and headed to the Legends for a little shopping. PEOPLE--there are great deals out there! Go and find them and have fun--just like me! Found a couple of pairs of shoes, tons of shirts, and some pants. After a morning of shopping, we decided on some food. We love cajun food, so we went to Jazz for some yummy cajun food. We were in heaven. Not only did we have great food, but it was kid free! No messes, no chasing, nothing! It was so wonderful!

Tonight I was off to get my hair done. My girl had been on maternity leave, so I was in desperate need of color and cut and wax. We put a little red in this time with my blonde highlights! I couldn't do that much red, so I only put in a little and we will do a little more next time! So fun! I love getting my hair done! Such a good day!

Santa Claus is Comin to Town!

Santa visited our house last night after we all went to bed, so this morning we awoke to cool gifts and SNOW!!! WE actually celebrated Christmas with snow!! Anyway--Santa brought Jack just what he wanted--a Dinoco hilocopter. Jack also got some movies, CARS stuff, clothes, candy, and a camera. There was other stuff, but there was too much to list. Ainsley got a singing seahorse, a baby doll, and a music table. Great-Grandma Miller got the best gift for Jack--a Piston Cup 500 race track. The cars race around it--it is soooo cool!

After opening gifts, we had pancakes with sprinkles and are now packing for the weekend. I hope everyone has a fantastic holiday week! Much love and Merry Christmas!

The Arnold Elf Yourself 2008

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

My Snow Day

I realized just now I forgot to tell you all about my very fun snow day! Last Wednesday, I had to opportunity to stay home with my two kids and dog and my husband had to leave for work. It was a pretty quiet morning. Ainsley slept, Jack played and watched TV, and I worked around the house. We took an adventure to Target (the roads weren't bad at all--waste of a snow day in my opinion) and came home to have a yummy lunch. After lunch and before nap, I decided to cut some of Roxy's hair behind her ears because it was matted and I needed to comb it, but before I could actually comb it, I had to get rid of the matted hair. So...I began to cut her hair. One cut...a-okay. As I was cutting that first cut, I smelled somthing funny. I began thinking that Ainsley was stinky, but let me finish Roxy's hair and I would change Ainsley's diaper and off she would go to napland. Second cut...YELP!! Oh no--I CUT ROXY'S EAR!!!!!

Okay, now she wasn't gushing blood, but when I looked, I felt like it needed more attention that me forgetting about it. So, now I had to call the vet. As I called, Ainsley begain climbing on the dishwasher--a FAVORITE activity of hers. She is so helpful at removing things for me! As I was on the phone and talking--actually trying to describe what I did wrong and I was pretty sure they were going to call social services for animals on me because of what I was doing, I smelled Ainsley and realized I needed to change this diaper immediately. I picked her up and was wondering why her butt was wet, but she was climbing on the dishwasher, so I'm sure that's what it was.

As I am in her room and finishing the conversation with the vet, I undo her pants to find POO!!! EVERYWHERE!!! Outside the diaper, inside the diaper, all over the butt of her clothes. Then it dawned on me--that wetness was POO! UGH...Load two kids back in the car, run Roxy to the vet, go inside the vet, wait, get back in the car, go home and wait for a phone call for Roxy...which didn't happen until the next day!

Good news--Ainsley has not had a major poo incident since then. Roxy spent the night at the vet because she had to get stitches. When she got home, she was acting drunk, which is common after animals go under anesthesia, and all 4 paws weren't working together. As of today, she is fine and is just waiting for those pesky stitches to be removed!

Our Christmas Card...

We finally got our kids pictures taken for our annual Christmas card. Let's just say it was an ordeal. It started this morning with Jack getting his hair cut because it looked long and shaggy. Then, when it was time, it was a struggle to get the kids changed. Let me tell you, it is hard to dress a little girl in a dress and stockings when she is cranky! But, mom and dad prevailed and both kids were dressed. I even was able to get a hat on Ainsley's head!!!!

After we dressed the kids, it was off to the tree for a picture. Ainsley wouldn't sit still--she was exhausted, Jack was a little cranky because we took away his toys. As I am taking the picture, the camera dies. No battery. So...it was time to plug in the battery, feed Ainsley and yes, she fell asleep and took a nice nap while we charged the battery, and Jack went downstairs to play with the understanding that he could NOT mess up his hair and get ANYTHING on his outfit. About 45 minutes later, we tried the picture again. This time success! I took the picture, Jeff entertained the children and did a very good job. Below are the a few successful pictures with captions. Enjoy!

Jack and Ainsley looking cute


My two silly babies! Oh the fun we were having!

Ainsley and her hat!

Here's what I think of this photo, mom!Ainsley's cute shoe!

My daughter is disgusting!!!

I guess Ainsley felt very comfortable in the bathtub tonight because she just took a HUGE POO in the bathtub. I unfortunately had to clean up the mess because Jeff was feeding her and putting her to bed and I had to put Jack to bed. It was so disgusting! I felt like throwing up--EWWWWWW! I have always heard about this happening, but I never thought my kids would do this dirty task! This was completely gross! I hope to never clean up this again...

Proud Mama!

We did it! Jack sat on Santa's lap yesterday! My parent, Jeff, Ainsley and I ventured over to Zona Rosa for a little shopping and a visit to Santa. First of all, Zona Rosa has a great Santa and new play zone. The Santa looked so real. Last year, there was no way Jack would visit Santa. He was soooo scared, so we didn't even try. He thought about being scared for a second, but mom tricked him by putting Ainsley on Santa's lap first and then Jack decided he could also sit on Santa's lap. He even told Santa what he wanted--a helicopter. Luckily, Santa was listening so I do believe Jack will get his helicopter. Ainsley was also a trooper--she just sat and looked pretty. We got a great picture that I now have to find a frame for. I can't wait for next year...

Jack's dream

Sometimes I just sit and wonder what kinds of dreams my kids are having at night. Sometimes Jack shares, sometimes he doesn't. This morning, he shared. I asked him if he had any good dreams and he replied, "I was feeding the rooster". I said, "Oh really. Let's go tell daddy." So we went to tell daddy and he said," I was feeding the rooster." Hummm...I wonder where he has been feeding roosters!

Good News!

I just made it home from Ainsley's cardiologist and we have good news! Her heart is just fine! We were there for 2 hours, had an EKG and Echo, saw a resident and Dr. Hubbell and found out everything is fine! It is such wonderful news! We don't need to go back to him!!!!!!! What a relief for mom and dad!

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I also can't believe that Ainsley is 8 months old. As of this morning we have 2 bottom teeth, 2 upper teeth and a couple of others on the verge of coming through the gums! Ainsley also thinks she is hot stuff--she pulls up on everything, but only holds on with one hand! What a big girl! She has also taking a liking to the dishwasher. She likes to help mommy and daddy with the silverware. She is very good about taking the silverware in and out of the rack. What a helper!

Stupid Kansas...

I just finished watching the MU/KU game and all I have to say is "Stupid Kansas!" They know we are supposed to win, but they had to show off to make us feel bad. Stupid Kansas!

Anyway, Jeff and I are officially crazy. We decided to wake up at 4:30 in the morning yesterday to venture out to the local Wal-Mart for some good deals. First of all, I guess we woke up at 4:20am because the clock is 10 minutes fast. Here was our list at Wal-Mart, little digital camera to fit into my purse for $69--check and pick one up for my mom. Those things went like HOTCAKES! Once it was 5am, all you heard around the store was WHOOSH times 10 because people were snatching up everything! One guy who was standing by me with a cart actually hit me with his cart to get me out of the way so he could move on to his conquests! Then, it was off f to find Jeff because he was looking to find an HP laptop. Didn't ever find it, but we found out that just because it is in the circular, doesn't mean the store will have the product. So...after standing in lines around the store for a bit, we left for Sears. At Sears, we found so more gifts for family and then it was home.

We actually made it home before the kids were up, but as anyone knows, you can't go back to sleep, so I stayed up and Jeff laid down. The kids were up a little bit later and we played until we headed home last night.

This morning, the kids and I ran errands around town while Jeff and his brother went to the MU/KU game. Stupid Kansas, but what a fantastic game! So exciting! Now the kids are asleep and I am enjoying some quiet time. I do want everyone to know that I didn't even clean while the kids are sleeping. I am doing what I want! Life is good!

Ahhhhh.....

Oh, to be done with work this week! It feels so nice! That means all I have to do tomorrow is run to Macy's and look for a nicer winter coat. When we were this evening, they had coats 50% off plus another 15% with your Macy's card. Must go early tomorrow to find a coat. Good deals...I love good deals! After I run to Macy's, it is off to Target to find Ainsley a stocking holder and Jack a camera for Christmas. Then it is back home to finish laundry, pack bags, load car, pick up kids, wait for daddy to get off work and off to Rolla for a yummy Thanksgiving dinner!

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Today at Jack's school, they made pumpkin pie, cookies, and bread. Then they shared with their mommies and daddies. Jack and I shared a piece of pumpkin pie and he also had a pumpkin cookie. We had so much fun together sharing pie.

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Ainsley had a field trip today too! She visited the Shatto Dairy Farm. Sounds like she had a fun time looking at the cows and milk!

It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas!

We did it! We began putting up our Christmas decorations. We started the day with a visit to Target and Hobby Lobby to look for some new decorations. We wanted to put out some greenery out front and a new wreath. Luckily, we found everything we wanted at Hobby Lobby. Jack and Ainsley also got their new ornaments this morning. Jack insisted on a candy cane ornament. We finally found one at Hobby Lobby that was a single ornament. Ainsley got her new baby of 2008 ornament, which we found at Target. Oh so cute!

Here's a picture of the stocking I ordered for my mom to make Ainsley. Unfortunately, it will not be ready in time for Christmas, so we will have to improvise this year, but hers is so cute! I can't wait for it to be complete!

Finally, Jack helped us tonight be feeding Ainsley her baby food. He just took over for us tonight. It was really cute! As for Ainsley, she will not stop climbing!! She climbs the stairs all the time and climbing on everything she can find! She is finally crawling on her hands and knees, so she thinks she is big time special. Of course, we all think she is big time special. I can't imagine my life without my kids! I also can't wait for this holiday season! It's going to be amazing!

The Ultimate Gift

This past summer, I was checking my work email in anticipation for school when I ran across lesson plans that incorporate movies into school. These lessons are amazing because they are already complete--teacher notes, handouts, movie times. One of the lessons I ran across was from the movie, The Ultimate Gift. I hadn't heard of this movie, but it intrigued me. I read the lesson plans, all 30 pages, and found it to be amazing. Then I began to ask myself, why hadn't I heard of this movie. I mean, c'mon now, I read People magazine religously.

Anyway, I printed off this movie less plan and decided I really needed to watch the movie. Around the first week of school, one of my students got ahold of this packet and told me her family watched this movie. She kept telling me how wonderful this movie was and how I really needed to watch it. It finally became a weekly question. So, I found out there was a book too, so I check it out at the library. I couldn't put it down. What a wonderful message. You have all these gifts to to give people, how will you use them. The book is about a young man discovering these gifts.

So, I told my student I read the book. Again, she kept telling me I needed to watch the movie. So last night, Jeff and I watched the movie. Okay, the movie was quite different, but equally as wonderful. I loved it! I recommend anyone to watch the movie and challenge people to use their gifts for a great good! Don't watch this movie if you aren't in the mood for a serious message. Watch it because you need to be inspired in your life. Watch it because you are curious about what you can give to the world. Watch it it because you need to be reminded what a wonderful life you have.

My Big Girl!

I can't believe it...my baby girl climbed the stairs last night. She started at the bottom of 4 stairs and I walked away and found her at the top! She is amazing! Of course, tonight, she was tired and kept falling down and hitting her head! Poor baby! Amazing girl. I will try to get pictures soon of her climbing!

A Weekend of Cleaning

We finally have a weekend at home, where we aren't running around the city, just staying home and enjoying home. So, of course, I decided to CLEAN! Ever since I went back to work, I just haven't been able to keep up with some of the everday house stuff. NOT ANY MORE! I spent the afternoon cleaning up the kitchen and the side room where I keep all of my cookbooks. Today I will clean up the kids' room, the pantry, and the laundry room. I think I will ask Jeff to clean the basement bedroom, so my parents can actually stay down there this week. Jeff is leaving for DC for a couple of days for a conference, so they will be up to help.

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Here are my favorite Halloween pictures from 2008. Enjoy because I know we had lots of fun!

Election Day!

Here it is election day and I'm so nervous about the outcome. First, my husband is a saint. He waited 2 hours this morning to vote! Fortunately, I only waited 10 minutes, however, other lines were just horribly long! I will say that I feel confidant in my vote this year, probably for the first time I felt confidant about my vote and I chose the right candidate. This election finally excited me about the whole election process. Keep your fingers crossed...Let's hope the right man wins and changes our country!

168 months and counting...

My very cute husband, reminded me today, that we have been together 14 years today. Today, 14 years ago, was our first date. I still can't believe we have been together that long. He sent me the most beautiful flowers to school today. They are beautiful. Of course, I have a picture on my phone, and I will bring them home tomorrow and post a picture. I loved it because I have been at school for the past two nights for conferences, a presentation today, and I feel absolutely terrible! Cough, cold, sore throat, phlem...oh the joys of being sick. Oh well. I love my husband! He is so wonderful!

A Successful Halloween Party!

Jack and the rest of us had a wonderful time at his Halloween Party! He hopped like a wonderful kangaroo, playing games, eating cookies, and seeing his friends. His friend Cohen was dressed like a skeleton and Alex was dressed like a dinosaur. Ainsley wore her very cute lamb costume, but fell asleep in my arms. She was very cute. Now we can't wait for Halloween next Friday. Of course, I didn't get pictures the other night because my hands were full and Jeff and I were just having fun with Jack and Ainsley. Maybe next year...

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As for Ainsley, last night she decided not to sleep, but it could be for a couple of reasons. First, she isn't getting just one tooth, she has two teeth! This poor girl is teething all at once, which is good, which is bad. Secondly, she had her shots on Thursday. My 6 month old baby girl is 15 lbs 4 oz (33rd percentile), 75th percentile for height, and 25th percentile for head circumference. She is doing all that she is supposed to do as a 6 month old and more! The other night, she was sitting on her knees, trying to see the books on the higher shelf of the bookshelf. She also tries to climb stairs! Oh my is she busy!

Jack's Halloween Party! Ainsley is teething!

Tomorrow, I complete my first role as Jack's mommy at preschool. He is having his Halloween party tomorrow evening and I signed up to make a cake! I'm so excited! This is the first official mommy thing I get to do for him with a group of his friends! Jack helped me make the cake this afternoon. It is a confetti white cake with white icing. Of course, not to worry, we also are putting sprinkles on top! It will be so yummy!

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I am pleased to annouce that my 6 1/2 month old daughter has her 1st tooth. It's not quite in, but you can definately feel it! Major milestone in our house. When I just looked a minute ago--she was trying to climb up the stairs! Crazy girl!

Jack says, "I want a car for Christmas"!

Okay, so I'm old. Now, I know there are many jokes to be said to that statement. Yes, Carolyn, you are old. You are almost 31 (I still have 1 week until my official 31st birthday). You have two kids and stay home on the weekends for fun (which I wouldn't give up for the world. I love my kids!) instead of going out partying or dancing. But, I'm really old. We just bought a...minivan. Yes, world, that is right, we bought a minivan. Call me a soccer mom, crazy driver, whatever, but I have a minivan. Since having Ainsley, the car just wasn't big enough. Roxy had to sit inbetween carseats, and that just wasn't a pretty sight. We didn't have enough room in the trunk for everything. The passenger seat was always pushed forward, like you were riding in the engine. For Christmas this year, we realized we were going to have to rent a van just to get home with the gifts.

With all of that being said, we purchased a 2008 Honday Odyssey. The color is Ocean Mist Blue, gray leather interior, dvd system, and many other features. The scary thing about this whole purchase is we are sooooo excited! I was almost giddy today! I still can't believe I am driving a minivan. We have had so many conversations about what to do. Most were around what SUV we would buy. With today's gas prices and size of SUV, we had a realization we need a minivan. We are soooo old...

A Kangaroo and Lamb...

My mom is wonderful. She spent the last month and a half making Jack and Ainsley their halloween costumes. This year, I was thinking Jack would be a pirate or something like that and Ainsley would just be herself. I was WRONG! Jack informed me in August he wanted to be a joey, like on TV. I was like, "What?". Finally I figured out that Jack wanted to be a kangaroo for halloween. I was floored. Where on earth were we going to find a kangaroo costume. I was pretty sure that I hadn't seen a costume like this and was pretty sure we wouldn't be able to make one either. So, I called Grandma Russell and she looked and found a costume to make. We just got them this weekend while at the Mizzou game. He loves it! We tried it on Monday and he hopped around the house. I also decided Ainsley would be a lamb. She wants to go trick or treating, via a stroller, but she will dress up. Watch for more pictures. I will post them soon! Jack has a halloween party at school next week and I think Ainsley will dress up too! So much fun! I love being a mommy and taking kids trick or treating! So much fun!

Why don't 3 year old's listen?

So, why don't 3 year old's listen very well? Jack has had a really hard time listening and following directions today! If I suggested or told him anything, he did the opposite! Crazy! However, it was nice, everyone took a long nap today! It was wonderful!

Our visit to the Pumpkin Patch

Last Saturday, we visited the Weston Red Barn farm's pumpkin patch. We had so much fun. Jack loved the pony ride and the pumpkins. Of course we all ended up buying a pumpkin for everyone! Unfortunately, the lines were too long for food, but it looked wonderful. Apple slushes, apple doughnuts, apple churros, etc. It smelled so yummy! Come Halloween, everyone will have a pumpkin to carve. I'll be sure to send those pictures too! Enjoy the photos!
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Jackisms

Another Jackism...Sonic is now "The Milkshake Store"! Ha!!!

Nascar pictures

The Fanbulance!
I love Dale!
Hey Look! It's Tony and Jeff
Go Dale Go
Hey Carl Edwards

I (heart) NASCAR!!!

For my 30th birthday, my husband purchased NASCAR tickets. I will say this was the BEST birthday gift ever! I just spent two hot days at the track and had the time of my life. The rumble of the cars, the Sprint Car finish--Carl should have won!, the flags, the people. This is just a list of some of the reasons I had a blast. I am sunburned, exhausted, and giddy about the entire weekend. YES, we are renewing our tickets! Everyone needs to experince this kind of event. We sat by people from Iowa and Missouri. The stands had everyone from Rednecks to the filthy rich, but the amazing thing was everyone was there to watch a good race. Thanks Jeff for the tickets--you made my 30th year of life fabulous! I can't wait for next year!

BTW--keep checking back, I will post a couple of pictures as soon as we clean off the camera. I'm sure we took around 200 pictures today!

JUNIOR!!!!

Ainsley just got a hold of the computer--silly girl and posted a number of messages for this blog. Silly girl...she loves the computer! Anyway--I'm so excited! Jeff and I are going to NASCAR this weekend at the Kansas Speedway! I've had these tickets for almost a year (we finally bought season tickets so we could watch the race) and I missed the spring races because of Ainsley. "Other Grandma and Papa from the Lake", as Jack would say, are coming in town tomorrow to baby sit for us to have a fabulous race weekend. All I have to say is, "Go Junior!"

Enchilada's and Exercise

A word to the wise...don't eat enchilada's and then decide to go on a bike ride for exercise. I tried this last night and I felt awful all night long.

The Ramblings of Jack

So, Jack and I were on our way to Panera Bread for dinner (Daddy's sick with a cold and wanted soup!). As we were walking out the door, I said, "Hey Jack, Let's go to [Panera] Bread Company to pick up dinner!". He said, "It's not Bread Company, it's the Soup Store!". Okay, so Bread Company is now the Soup Store. At one point in time on the ride I was called a silly goose because I still called it Bread Company instead of the Soup Store! Oh my funny boy...

Bellobration!

Well, we attended our first circus as a family. The last circus I went to was the Shrine circus in St. Louis as a high schooler because I always wanted to go. Yesterday, I had a blast with my family because we went to the Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey Circus! It was a Bellobration! Jack was mesmerized the entire time. He told me his favorite part was the elephants. I would agree, but I think my favorite part of show was the dogs or the tigers! Ainsley slept through a part of it, but when she was awake, she seemed to enjoy the show. I can tell you, I don't think anyone appreciates the circus unless you see it through the eyes of your child. I was excited for Jack the entire time and to just sit back and watch his excitement level was amazing. He clapped, he danced, he cheered, he didn't want the circus to end. We ended up buying him a toy elephant. That's what he wanted as his memories of the circus. Oh yea--he was playing with his play cell phone last night and he was calling the Papa's and Grandma's and telling them about the circus. It was fun to listen to what he was saying! And last I checked, he was sleeping with the elephant! What a wonderful memory we made!

My visit to the Horny Toad

We visited the Lake this weekend for a little R & R. Jeff purchased a new wakeboard and he wanted to try it out. I had to watch him from home (Ainsley was sleeping), but it appears he enjoyed it! Pictures to come...

While at the lake, we went to a boat show on the water at the Horny Toad. I always wondered where this place was located. Now I have been and I might like to go back. It was a very nice place. We then toured a boat that was over $500,000!!!! It was gorgeous!!! Two bedrooms, full kitchen, GPS map as you drive, outdoor gas grill. Of course, there were other boats, but nothing compared. I wish I had a better story about the Horny Toad, but I don't. So sorry.

I still don't have pictures of Ainsley. She was cranky tonight when I would have taken pictures. I promise to take her 5 month pictures soon! Keep watching...

First...

Well, Ainsley suffered through her first fever. It was a long couple of days, but I think she is over the hump. Unfortunately, she was also sick on her 5th month birthday. So, I don't have her picture yet, but I will get it this weekend. She is very good at sitting up and reaching for toys. I believe she is thinking about crawling, but not yet. She's getting into position from time to time, but that's it. She is rolling EVERYWHERE! Last night she rolled all over the living room to get to where ever she wanted. It is very fun to watch!

Rollin with my Homies...

Okay, I'm not really sure if I spelled Homies correctly--think a song, but I am watching Ainsley roll all over the family room floor to whatever she wants. She first rolled over to the chair by me on the floor, then she rolled by her jumperoo, now she has rolled to a side table and trying to get one of Jack's games, Candyland. Nothing's safe...

Zohan Arnold

I came home tonight with some new nailpolish from the hairdresser. She had them on sale for 3 dollars, so I bought some. Jack decided he wanted to put some on his toe nails, so we did. I think we should nickname him Zohan, nail technician! I will post pictures as soon as he allows me to take a picture!

Did Anyone Else Notice...

That the Olympic Stadium's, The Bird's Nest, kinda looked like a toilet seat from the top? I just keep seeing these shots from the air and think it looks like a toilet seat. Hmmmmmm........

Busy Day in the Land of Arnold!

Ainsley ate cereal for the first time this evening! It wasn't going well at first, but after a couple of tries, she seemed to eat some. Let's hope for some more good results tomorrow!

Jackism's or just the funny things he said today!

"Stings like a beaver"--think CARS! We tried to correct him and say Bees, but he insists that it is Beaver! I think we have watching the movie Cars everyday for two weeks! He is now playing with his toys and acting like the movie!

"This is my baby Ainswee" -- Everytime we went to the store he told EVERYONE and he is having a little trouble with the l sound, but he seemed to annouce to everyone her arrival!

My Big Girl

Okay, so maybe she isn't so big, but we did take her to her 4 months doctor's appointment. Dr. Kubart can't believe she sits up so well and rolls over and picks things up. She was even reaching for her chart today and Dr. Kubart had to take it away! She was very much into everything at the appointment. As for her stats: Length 25 1/4 inches (75th percentile), weight 12 lbs. 14 oz (25th percentile) and head circumference was 16 (50th percentile). Dr. Kubart will allow her to start cereal this weekend! I do believe Dr. Kubart was impressed with this young lady! We will see her again at the end of October. It seems Dr. Kubart is a busy doctor, but we love her!

Ding...

That's the sound of the bell this morning as we met our students. It went well. So far I have nice students. Let's hope it continues.
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After school today I went to workout, my new routine after school, at the Liberty Community Center. Thankfully, Jeff let me borrowed his IPOD, which helped me work out today. I'm really enjoying a little time for me everyday before I pick up the kids! It's a nice facility with a couple of pools, activities of Jack and Ainsley, and close to home!
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Good news! Jack made it through the day without having an accident at school! I promised a milkshake if he made it all day! He was dry! What a blessing it was to see him in the same clothes as he had on this morning! Tonight we went to Target and purchased CARS cars, so hopefully he can earn one of them tomorrow!

School's in Session

Well, it's official. The kids come back to school tomorrow. I'm having really mixed emotions concerning work this year. I usually enjoy this time of year. I keep thinking of the Staples commercial that they show of the parent taking the shopping cart through the store with the song in the background playing "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year". I have always love this time of year. But, I have had so much fun at home with Ainsley and Jack. I have had a really hard time getting into my routine and imaginative and creative juices flowing. As I told people today, I just feel out of it. Hopefully it will get better soon. The tears have flowed, I've been angry, but I've also been excited. I just love being a mommy to my wonderful kids and love staying home and being a great wife to my husband. I'll give it a try this year and see how it goes. For all of you working moms out there, if you have any thoughts on how to make this transition easier, please make a comment to me or email me. I'm just searching for answers...

The End

Today is my last day of maternity/summer vacation. Ainsley and I spent the day together getting her 4 month pictures taken, heading to Wal-Mart, signing up for gym membership, and then picking up Jack from Creative World. I am so not looking forward to tomorrow. I really could be a stay home mommy with these two amazing kids. I have been crying on and off all week. I sound like a weenie, but I just have enjoyed staying home with both of my babies. Anyway, I am posting pictures from this weekend at the Lake. Jack jumped off the dock and Ainsley was taking cute pictures. We had so much fun! Wish me luck--I know I will need it when leaving for work tomorrow morning!

Ainsley at 4 months!!!

Here she is at 4 months old! These are two of my favorite pictures of my Ainsley. Jack is at grandma and grandpa Arnlold's and we are picking him up tonight!!! We really miss him! Have a great weekend!







She is actually looking at daddy in this picture!

Remember Obama Mania? Well, here are my parents on The Daily Show

This link is from my brother-in-law Brian. He helped me find this of my parents at the Obama rally in Rolla. Now my parents are really famous--they made The Daily Show with Jon Stewart! Check around minute 4:10. My mom is in green to the right of the screen and my dad is in a blue polo shirt.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/index.jhtml?episodeId=178307

My parents, the TV Stars!!

Some pictures...

Here are pictures from my brother's wedding weekend. There are so many more I could show you... This picture is of the reception hall--Old Brick.
Jeff made the m and m's into a heart. Each m and m had their name printed on it!

Inside Rob's car...

Looks like Erin Lee is behind all of this decorating!

David, Carrie, and Erin Lee--Rob's best man and family. Jack and Erin played very well together!
Rob and Jack at the rehersal dinner.

At the hotel...
Rob and Laura at the rehearsal--they were practicing getting married!

Bumming...

After being home for the past 4 months (maternity leave and summer vacation) it is time for me to go back to work. I am so not looking forward to work. I offically do not have to be to work until the 14th, however, I need to repair my classroom from being gone for 8 weeks. I have already gone back for a couple of meetings, but I am going back tomorrow to work in my classroom. Please know that I have cried a couple of times, tried to think of anyway to stay home, but ultimately, it is time to work. So, back to work I go...boo hoo =(

Ainsley at 4 months and Jack the Fish

I am proud to say that at 4 months, Ainsley is pretty much sitting on her own. She falls from time to time, but pretty much stays upright! I am trying to get a picture to post here so watch! She loves sitting up and watching Jack from the moment she gets up until she falls asleep. I do believe Jack is her favorite person!

Now, about Jack. Yesterday, we took Jack to the pool while Grandma and Papa watched Ainsley. Jack has been pretty timid when we go swimming. He doesn't like for us to let go, until yesterday. With his floaties, he was swimming around the pool. He was having so much fun and so were Jeff and myself. It was fun watching him swim around and telling us to "let go" and swimming to the other parent. He just asked to go to the pool, so we will go right after dinner. I'm sure he will be a little fish again! Ainsley also loves swimming too! She is my girlie fish!

I Love Shopping!

I love shopping. If anyone knows me very well, they know I can walk around a store for fun for hours. Especially the mall. Between the shoes, purses, jewelry, and clothes, the mall is the perfect place. My favorite stores at the moment happen to be Macy's, Ann Taylor Loft, DSW Shoe, Banana Republic, Gap, and J. Crew. However, I have found some great deals at Kohl's and Jc Penney's lately. Living in the northland, I am limited in some of my shopping, but I can also say I love to shop online. I love to compare deals and browse different websites!

This weekend is the tax free weekend in Missouri. My mom and I went shopping yesterday morning at Zona Rosa. I hit Old Navy for kids clothes (I am proud to say Jack has out grown all of his jeans and has graduated to a size 2T for pants!!) and found some cute outfits of Ainsley, eventhough her closet is full, but she is slowly outgrowing everything too! Then it was on to Ann Taylor Loft for me some new work clothes and finally hitting the Marshall's SuperStore. That is a fantastic store. So much stuff, so little time. Of course, we had to leave early because Ainsley had to eat and Jeff was calling about lunch.

After lunch, Jeff and I went to Kohl's and found Jack some new shoes, which again, I found out his foot has grown more than expected and have to return and Jeff found a couple of shirts!

However, the best moment was when Jeff said, we should go to Independence Center on Sunday. It was so much fun! We went to Macy's and bought the kids clothes and Jeff clothes. I can say I didn't buy anything because I had been on a shopping spree a couple of weeks ago! Then it was off to Old Navy to return shoes and obtain a larger pair (wow, his feet grew 2 sizes!) and I was looking for shoes. I was sad I didn't buy anything for myself, but I enjoyed shopping for everyone else too! I just love shopping!

After coming home, it was time to remove the old clothing and put in the new. I did forget to say, my parents had been shopping for Jack and Ainsley last weekend and JC Penney's ($1.97-$2.97 clothing sale!) and I was categorizing all their clothes in containers for the basement. Oh the fun and joy of clothes!

How can anyone not love shopping is beyond me! BTW--Ainsley loves shopping too! I put her in the sling and it is off for the mall. She loves touching the clothes and picking out her new outfits! I love shopping!

USTREAM.TV Video of My parents

Here is a link to watch the Obama rally today in Rolla. My parents are to the right of Obama-Dad in blue polo shirt and mom in green t-shirt with black necklace. Mom is the one you can really see in most of the videos, but it appears in this one, it is hard to see both of them--mainly because of the angle, but you can see them if they are panned out! If the video doesn't link, go to ustream.tv and search obama in missouri and you can see the video.

Link: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/597529

My Parents, TV Stars

Well, I was just watching Cnn and there they were! My parents were on TV! Not to worry, I recorded it! I love DVR! If I can, I will try to post it, but don't hold your breath!

UPDATE: my sister-in-law, Laura, called and informed me they are on cnn.com right now. Yes, mom is in green and dad is in blue! WOW!! They are celebrities!

Obama Mania Hits Rolla!

I guess you could say I never felt my parents were really into elections. We would talk about stuff like that around the kitchen table, but for the most part, we never took part in rallies, signs, or anything related to campaigning. The most they ever wanted me to do was distribute fliers around the neighborhood for my neighbor who was running for a school board seat. I know sounds weird too, but they are also really good friends with the Phelps County Coroner, but again, we never helped him campaign--mainly because he didn't have anyone running against him.

Well--this week, Obama mania has hit Rolla. As you all know, he is campaigning around Missouri in areas that are not traditionally Democrat. I thought it was cool that my he was coming to Rolla--that just doesn't happen in Rolla. I asked my parents if they were going and they thought they might try--mostly because of the historicalness to this situation. So, my mom stood in line in the heat yesterday only to get 30 feet from the door and to find out they were out of tickets. Let me tell you, she was upset! The campaign thought there would be enough tickets. However, around 2,000 people showed up for tickets and they were only handing out 1,200. In steps their neighbor--she was hosting a get together with someone from the Obama campaign at her house and insisted my parents attend. So they did, which amazed me! While at the party, she told them she waited in line and didn't get tickets, so...they had some there from the campaign and gave her and my dad tickets to today's rally.

So, my parents just called to tell me there were at the rally. But the really cool part is they are on the center stage, in the center, behind the podium, right by where Obama will be standing and speaking. They were surrounded by secret service people and all that jazz! I now have to watch them on TV to see if I see them. Mom said she was wearing green pants and a black top or vice versa. So...if any sees them in the video, please let me know and I will post the link here!

God's Big Back Yard

This week has been Vacation Bible School at Liberty United Methodist Church. They called and asked me to help and of course I couldn't say no, so Jack and I headed off to bible school. Now, he just barely qualified (age 3 and potty trained) but we tried it this week anyway. He is a part of a group called Alligators and most have just turned 3--btw there are 10 little ones in his class. Wow! He has done well considering he really hasn't been in a structured day care setting.

As for my part, I taught his class on Tuesday and Thursday. I will say this, there is a good reason the good lord sent me to teach high school. Ten 3 year olds are a handful!!! And then to have Jack in my class was even harder! But, we made it and tomorrow is Jack's last day. The crafts he made were coloring a bag, clothespin butterfly, tie snake (very cool), and a planter with marigold's (also very cool). We have learned very cool songs and made lots of friends.

We also just received a phone call from Creative World--Jack's finally going to attend their school! Ainsley will still attend Bambi's, but Jack will be going to preschool. I know he will miss her terribly, but we are very excited about him attending school! This is a huge step in our lives and are very excited!!!!! Keep your fingers crossed that things go well!!

Home Sweet Home

We made it home from a whirlwind weekend at my brother's wedding! We had an absolute blast! We played with friends and family, stayed up way to late at night and Jack has a new girlfriend, Erin. Erin is David and Carrie Lee's little girl and David was the best man in the wedding. Jack loved Erin. This morning, he went to Bible School for the first time and asked if Erin was attending. I said, no, but there would be other girls and boys there for him to play with!

Congratulations Rob and Laura and have a blast on your honeymoon! I will try and post some pictures of the festivities later this week. I am teaching Bible School tomorrow and Thursday along with the refridgerator repairman coming to fix the freezer, take Jeff's car to get a car inspection and wash and dry the mountain of laundry in my laundry room. Oh yea--I also must go to the grocery store sometime too! Oh it will be a crazy week!

A Camel, a kid, and Iowa

Tonight, Jeff, Ainsley, and I will leave for Iowa for my brother's wedding to Laura Conlee. This wedding has been in the plans for a year and we are super excited! Jeff and I are both in the wedding party and the kids will be hanging out, but with Papa and Grandma Arnold (Thanks a bunch for watching them!)

My parents left this morning from our house with Jack. Their car was packed full as will ours. I never knew how hard it was to pack for a family of four for a couple of days in Iowa. From the clothes to the snacks to the car seat arrangements it has been crazy! Roxy unfortunately had to go to the kennel for the weekend. When I left her, all I heard was a howl! Poor Baby!

The rest of the family will arrive tomorrow sometime. When I mean the family, I mean the family! I have an amazing family and they travel everywhere! I love it!

I hope to have good pictures next week of the wedding. Wish us luck on the drive. I have a feeling we will need it.

If you were wondering about the camel, a kids and Iowa--as my parents were pulling out of town, Jack informed them that I would be traveling to Iowa on a camel. I think it was, "Mommy will ride a camel to Iowa." Hummm...I wonder how long that would take and if I could actually find a camel!

Oh the Funny Things Jack says...

Here are a couple of funny things Jack has said in the past 2 days--mostly at random times:

"She's so cute. I love it"--referring to the Candyland Gingerbread man

"Ahoy Treasure"--Think Little Einsteins

"This leaf is my ticket"--Think Polar Express

"Happy Birthday for Daddy"

I know there are more, but those were the ones I remember!

Happy Birthday Annie!

Happy Birthday Aunt Annie! We hope you have a fun trip in Roachport!

Happy 31st Birthday Honey!

Today's blog is in honor of Jeff! He is officially 31 years young today! The kids and I surprised daddy at work with balloons and a huge cake for the office! The plan had been that Ainsley and I come down for lunch, but with the help of Bambi, our babysitter, I picked Jack up from Bambi's and we picked out balloons and a cake that would hopefully be big enough for the office at the local Hy-Vee. I called daddy to tell him we were downtown and he said he would meet us at the elevator bank. Now, you must understand something, Jeff has been in this current office building for a year, but I still to this day, can't remember what floor to go to. In Dallas he was on floor 46 out of 50, his first job here he was on floor 23 out of 30 and was half of the floor in Dallas. Now he is on floor 5! There was one day before Ainsley was born that Jack and I couldn't figure out what floor to stop on--I tried 6, which is a cafeteria and 4, which you can't get off on unless you have a special card. Oh well.

Anyway, back to today, I had him meet me at the elevator bank because now he moved offices, so now I have to remember the floor and the office. There is no hope for me! Jack carried the balloons and Ainsley (and myself) carried the cake. As we exited the elevator, there was daddy and Jack said, "Happy Birthday Daddy" or some variation of that. Jeff was pleasantly surprised and a bit embarrassed (if you know Jeff, he doesn't like a big fuss). We made him carry his cake a balloons through the office! Jack was cute and performing for everyone in the office and Ainsley passed around to different people. Jeff's secretary, Jennifer, said she had had a migraine until she held Ainsley and that made her world better!

Then if was off to a fast and fantastic lunch at Jason's Deli because Jeff had to hurry to get to a conference call. Tonight for dinner it is Jeff's choice: Grilled steak, corn, grilled pineapple, etc. Happy birthday honey! We hope you have a good day!

My Firecrackers!

Here is my Little Mr. Firecracker! I love this picture and wanted to share it with everyone! Jack just came home from the doctor--routine visit. He is a little guy--10th percentile for weight, 10th percentile for height! Dr. Beard said he was proportional so that was good! He did amazing at the doctor's office! I was so proud of him. Since we left, he has been taking flashlights and acting like Dr. Beard. He is checking my tummy, my throat, my eyes and ears! He even is saying the same thing she was saying--such a funny guy! He even was helping check Ainsley when I was changing her diaper. I'm thinking he needs his own doctor's kit!

Here is my Little Miss 4th of July! I love this photo of her--I could just blog on her everyday because of all of the amazing things she is doing. Yesterday, I put her on the floor on her tummy and turned around to get a mirror for her to look at to find her on her back. She is talking all the time and loves her toys! However, I do ask myself, how can one baby spit up so much milk! I swear we go through 3 to 5 bibs a day! Oh well. I am so dreading going back to work! I think I still have a month, but still...

Happy 3rd Birthday Jack!

At this point in time, Jack was born 3 years ago! We just came home from our birthday party at the Bambi'sand now Jack is asleep! It was a great party! All of Jack's play group friends came over and we had pizza, cake, and played in water toys outside! I haven't been that busy with a birthday party before. We had around 15 kids over to play and Jack was a wild man. You can definately tell it is HIS birthday! He does get a big surprise tonight--he gets a real bike! He rode one at the bike store, so Jeff and I are surprising him with one tonight. I think it says Rocket and is blue and red. It has training wheels, but I have a sneaky suspicion those will be off before we know it!

What an amazing three years it has been. I can't believe how much my life has changed since Jack entered our lives. Jeff and I laugh so much at him. He amazes me! He is a man of many faces, asks tons of questions, is so funny, plays all the time (never slows down) and is just a fun kid. I Love you Jack! Thanks for making these 3 years the best!


I will post pictures soon. We received our camera last week around 3pm and have taken some amazing photos. Now I have to figure out how to upload them on the computer.

Christmas in July

We bought our first digital camera about 5 years ago while living in Texas. It is a Cannon PowerShot G2, which we love and still love. It takes fantastic pictures! However, it is soooooo slow with its shutter speed and the battery keeps running down. We have replaced the battery, but we keep missing the shots we really wanted to take!

During our weekend at the Lake, we got to play with Kelly's camera, which is the Nikon D40 and we fell in love with it! We could take so many more pictures with her camera than with ours! Jeff could take like three or four when I could take one with ours! So...we decided to become serious shoppers for a new camera. We scoured Best Buy one evening to just play with the cameras and Jeff talked to a Lawyer/Photographer and many other people at work and all around about cameras. We decided on the Cannon Digital Rebel XSi. We loved our other Cannon camera and decided this would be our best bet!

So, the real reason I am writing this blog today is because UPS is delivering the camera today. I received a phone call yesterday to inform me that I will need to be available from 8am to 7pm today because they will need a signature for the parcel. Normally it wouldn't be a big deal, but we are leaving for the Lake tomorrow and would really like to take the camera with us. Therefore, I am here all day at home until it arrives with two kids who were crying at the same time a little bit ago until I put the littlest one to bed (she was really cranky) and the older one downstairs to play with Thomas the Train and watch Tigger and Pooh! There is calm again in the house of Arnold, but I still have to wait around all day! With my luck today, the camera will arrive at 6:50 tonight! Oh the joy! Oh the fun!

Ainsley kinda rolled over!

Here's a sequence of pictures I took of Ainsley rolling off her play mat! Last Friday, she just didn't want to stay on the playmat. I tried to get her to roll on the floor and she got about half-way!


Here she goes!


And she is off! We did this for awhile!

Rolla Pictures

Jack is throwing the cat (fish) food.

Here's how potty trained we are--Jack loves peeing outside. He REALLY wanted to pee in the water at Meramac Springs, but we all said no, so he had to settle for the plants!
Feeding more fish!
Every boy needs his stick! He loves playing with sticks--I just don't get it!
Jack, Papa, and Grandma feeding the last of the fish before we go home!

My Friend Amy

Here is an article from the St. Louis paper about one of my best friend's (Amy Lasky-Pollock) brother, Jeremy Lasky, who works for Pixar. It's kinda fun to know someone who works in the movie business. BTW--he is an amazing artist and the Laskey's are an amazing family! Congrats!!

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Article

We are potty trained!!!!

After many toys and bribes, I'm am pleased to annouce that Jack is potty trained for the daytime. He still has accidents when he is sleeping, but does pretty well at night too! We had to buy many toys to accomplish this feat, but he is potty trained. He loves to pee in the grass, off the dock, in the creek, etc. I guess he is a regular guy! Now, if I could only get Ainsley potty trained, I'd be done with diapers!

Back Home

Well, we ended up staying in Rolla one more day because Daddy was super busy at work. Now we are home in KC and the kids were thrilled to be back. Now, that's not to say we didn't have a blast in Rolla. Jack and Papa ended up catching a racoon on Wednesday morning and had to release it into the wild. Then Papa let Jack throw rocks in creek, which is so much fun!! I'm sure no one realizes how much fun throwing rocks into water can be! On the way home, Jack and Papa cut "Sweet Pea" (Ainsley's nickname) flowers and Jack gave some to mommy, Grandma, and Ainsley--he even had enough for himself. After they got home, Papa went to play raquetball and Jack had to go too! He loves to hit the ball on the Vessell's courts. Finally, it was off to sleep only to get up and go to the pool. We didn't actually go to the pool on Tuesday because Jack was too sleepy. So, we went on Wednesday. He hated it until he realized he could touch, then it was so much fun we couldn't leave. There were large tears when we left!

Ainsley loved being rocked by Grandma and Papa! She also loves sitting in her BebePod seat and playing with her toys on here! She also liked the pool, however, she mostly slept during the pool visit on grandma's lap. But the best part of this girl is she loves shopping! We visited Red Door Gifts in Rolla and she loved it! Mom and I have taken her lots of places and she is just so good. It's nice that she likes shopping!

Once we got home, Jack immediately went to watch his new Thomas dvd and needed to play outside. Ainsley got into her bouncer and played for quite a while! You could tell she missed her toys.

Mom and dad--thanks for a great week! We appreciate all of your help and had so much fun at your house! We can't wait to visit again!

Rolla and Meramec Springs visit

I'm blogging today from Rolla, MO! Jeff had to take a trip up to Minnesota for a work presentation so it was a road trip for the rest of us to Papa and Grandma Russell's house. We arrived Sunday evening--grandma helped us on the way down. We of course had to stop in Columbia, MO, a town I LOVE, to shop a moment. Last night we decided to take a picnic to Meramec Springs and to feed the fish. Needless to say, Jack had a blast! He threw cat food to the fish (apparently, trout love cat food). He was afraid of the waterfalls and had to hold onto Grandma's legs). He wanted to cry when we left. I promised we would come back another time. I know Ainsley had a great time too! She was kicking me in her because she was excited!

Jack ended up getting a haircut in Rolla. He went to Daddy's barber shop this morning. In Kansas City, we visit Shear Madness at Zona Rosa. He loves to ride in the airplane and watch movies and eat suckers, but he usually cries. However, today, he sat in the barber's chair and didn't cry a bit. Now, he thought about it, but never cried!! His hair cut looks great! Thanks Dennis and Mike!

Ainsley has been a hoot this week! She squeals, she is reaching for her toys on her carseat, and wants to turn over! She arches her back when she wants to see something behind her! She is moving and shaking and I'm loving every second of it!

I need to go wake Jack up, which is totally against my whole blog idea (never wake a sleeping baby), but we want to go to the pool before it gets too late toniight!!! Daddy comes home tonight and then we will be back in KC tomorrow night. We miss you Daddy!

Family Fun on the Farm

Here are some pictures from our trip to the Shatto Family Farm this morning. After a quiet week at home--except from a good visit from Aunt Joan, Aunt Nola, Kristen, and Katie, we decided we could all go to the Shatto Dairy Farm for awhile. It is located just north of KC in a little town called Osborn.

This place was packed--there was a tour bus there! It opened at 11 and we arrived around 11:45am. We had to wait to do everything. Since it was so full, we decided to only see the baby cows and milk a cow. Luckily the wait for this was like 20-30 minutes. Jack and Ainsley both loved looking at the baby calves. Most were between a couple of days old to a couple of weeks old. However, we were fortunate to see a calf born TODAY! It still had the umbilical cord attached! There was a lady just standing in the pen holding the calf up--so it wouldn't fall! That was pretty cool!

After seeing the baby calves, we walked to the milking area. We thought for sure Jack would at least touch the cow, but we were WRONG! Jeff ended up milking the cows and petting the cows while Ainsley and I took pictures. We milked a cow named Bambi and petted a cow names Patches. We then walked to the milking stalls and out of the barn!

After seeing the cows, Jack wanted to go bounce in the big bouncer. This did not go well because he wanted to do what the big kids did, and he ended up getting bounced around too much! After some huge tears, we decided to go home. I think the line for lunch was around 45 minutes long and the hayride was about the same. To sample a few products, the wait was around 20 minutes. It was fun, but incredibly busy! I would recommend this adventure to anyone, but maybe go during the week when they are actually using the farm instead of showing it off!