Long Time, No Post

Well, it is really easy to let time get away from you. It seems that life gets so much busier in the summer, but I can't tell you that we've done a whole lot. We did however go down to Santa Claus, Indiana and went to Holiday World/Splashin' Safari. It's about a 3 hour drive through the middle of nowhere, but it was so much fun! We have never taken the kids to any type of amusement park, so this was an extra special treat for all of us. We went down and spent the night at a hotel (which is a whole other story) and so we were able to go to the park that evening and then spend almost the whole day there the following day before driving home. Unfortunately there wasn't a whole lot for Nicholas to do, but he was a good sport about it. Emma on the other hand wanted to (and did) ride everything that spun around in a circle. She was tall enough to go with an adult, so Bill and I would take turns going with her. Bill doesn't do so well with those rides. Poor Bill, but he loves his daughter, so he did it anyway. She had so much fun and would laugh and laugh. One funny incident was when her and I went on the Scrambler. I put my arm around her to make sure she was ok and she promptly says "Mom, don't put your arm around me, I'm fine, I can do it myself". Ok, well then I put my hand on her leg and she says "MOM! I CAN DO IT MYSELF, I'M OK". Those are not words I am ready to hear, especially since she is only 4 1/2. She is so independant. Bill says she is a lot like me. :-) Anyway, we had a great time and I can't wait until she is tall enough to ride the roller coasters...we are so going to be on those all the time. We did get to ride a kids roller coaster and she wanted to ride in the very back (a girl after my own heart), and before the ride even started she had her hands up in the air whooping and hollering. It was too funny. A lot of good memories were made those couple of days. I've added some pictures for your viewing pleasure. Our love to you all.

Our Little Pirates

I just had to add these pictures. One of the presents that Nicholas got was a book w/ pirate dress up stuff. It's pretty funny.

To Infinity and Beyond!!!

Another successful birthday party. I sure am glad that we have 6 months between the kids birthday parties because it sure does take a lot out of Bill and I. I do have to brag a little bit and say that I made the cake. Cheri has taught me a lot, so I'm trying to practice as much as I can. Nicholas had a great time being the center of attention, especially when 30 people stood around him and sang "Happy Birthday". He blew out his candle all on his own, even with 16 children standing close by that would have been more than happy to do it for him. He loved all of his gifts. Bill's mom gave him the first Shrek movie, and it was all over after that. He just kept saying "Shrek, Shrek". I should have known better and given him that present to open last. Here it is not even 24 hours after his party and he's already watched it twice! (though not all the way through). He received some pretty cool Toy Story things from us, and his "Aunt" Jenny and "Uncle" Hank. Lots of puzzles and books, a fun slip n' slide that we will try out after he gets up from his nap. Also some books and Thomas The Train stuff. Richard and Cheri and the kids got him this cool race track for little toddlers that he absolutely loves....even Emma wants to play with it a lot. One other thing that his Grandma Latimer gave him was this t-shirt that says "I'm two....you've been warned!" I think that is great! Too funny. Anyway, we had a great time and enjoyed seeing all of our friends and family. It's too bad that we can't get together more often, but I'll take what I can get.

Keeping Up With Tradition

It has been a long standing Mickelsen family tradition to have a movie night, and with this movie night also comes POPCORN. Well, it has now become a Latimer family tradition. Most of the time it is just Bill and I since the kids are usually in bed. But, we decided to have an early movie evening and let the kids see what it's all about. They absolutely LOVE popcorn! It's the Mickelsen gene I just know it! We watched Toy Story (for about the millionth time). It was obviously Nicho's turn to choose. We all had a great time!

Nicholas' birthday is almost here, so I've been trying to get that thrown together. Bill told me not to put it off till the last minute, but somehow time got away from me. Nicholas wants a Toy Story birthday party, so I've been trying to find Buzz Lightyear/Woody things. It has been incredibly hard to find because it's not so popular anymore. I think I can make it work. My neighbor was nice enough to give me what she had leftover, and I traveled clear to the other side of town to get a couple of other things. Ughh! The things we do for our children! :-)

I hope all of you are doing well and enjoying your summer! Our love to you all!

Getting to know us

As I continue to figure out the fine art of blogging, I thought I would share with you what we've been up to lately.

Bill - oh sweet Bill. He is such a hard worker and a wonderful provider for the kids and I. He is a Physicians Assistant. He worked in Cardiology for one year just after graduation, and is now in the emergency room, he's been there for 6 years. He is working long 12 hour days. It is very hard on him, I just wonder how much longer he can stick it out without losing his mind. It's difficult to not have him home for so long, and then add in the holidays/weekends that he has to work, it's not much fun for any of us. But the bill's must be paid! He has also become quite the handyman around the house. First, we bought the swing set, so he had to get the ground ready for that. Using landscaping timbers, some of the neighbors tools, and about 10 square yards of dirt, he leveled out the ground and built a 24' x 28' square. It turned out really well and I am so very proud of him. He did all this in under 2 weeks on his couple of days off, and then in the mornings before he would go into work. I think it about killed him, but it looks great. Meanwhile, during all of this, we were getting ready for his mother's 75th birthday party, so I asked him to paint some of the walls in the breakfast nook that the kids had left their marks on. They looked great for about a week. :-) Then his second big job (he calls me "the taskmaster") was to get the garage under control. We've been in this house for only 5 years, but it amazes me how much junk you can aquire. So we made a trip to Lowe's and bought some garage organizational stuff and he spent about a day and a half on that. It looks much much better, but there is still some work to be done. I don't think I will ask him to do anything else for awhile. So, that's Bill. He is a wonderful husband and father, and I love him with all my heart.

Marci- There's really not much to say about me. I'm doing the same old thing. I work at Hamilton Foot and Ankle Care http://www.hamiltonfootandanklecare.com/ on Bill's days off, which is usually twice a week. It's a great job, and I've known the doctor for about 7 years. We worked together at a larger podiatry group for a few years and then he left and opened his own practice and asked me if I would like to work for him. The rest is history. It is also an added bonus because it's about a 1/2 mile from the house and takes me 1 minute to get there.....2 if there is traffic. I've been in podiatry for over 11 years now. Feet are all I know. :-) So, when I'm not working, I'm taking care of the kids and the house. The only part of the swing set part is that I took many wheelbarrow loads of mulch from the driveway to the back and spread it out. That would be 11 square yards! Have you ever seen that much mulch??? It's a lot. I didn't think I would ever finish. That's about it for me.

Emma- She is getting so big! She is 4 1/2 years old. We keep telling her that she needs to stop growing. In a taunting voice she says....."guess what? I'm going to get bigger!!!" She is a stinker, and very loud. She has two volumes, loud and louder. She is full of energy. She is a wonderful big sister and loves her brother. She is a great helper around the house when she's in the mood or is being bribed! She just finished her first year of pre-school. It was a great thing. We absolutely love the school and teachers. She really grew up a lot during the year. She is "learning" spanish (I only say that b/c they only teach them a few words, but don't expect them to actually remember.) She makes up a word that means absolutely nothing and says, "that's spanish for open". She will start pre-school again in the fall 3 days a week, and then on to kindergarten. I'm REALLY not looking forward to that.

Nicholas- Or as we call him "Nicho", pronounced like nee-ko. He will be 2 on June 30th. All I can say is HE IS SUCH A BOY!!! He has to be in constant motion. He only sits still when it's time to eat, and then it's only for about 5 minutes. He always has bruises, bumps or cuts. He loves going into our pantry and looking around. I think that would qualify as his favorite room in the house. He loves his sister because she teaches him everything that he should not be doing. He is going through speech therapy because the boy refuses to talk much in anyway that we can understand him. Erin comes to the house every Tuesday. We can see progress, but she also agrees that he is just being stubborn....much like his father in this way. :-) He'll talk sooner or later. He will start his first year of pre-school in the fall at the same school as Emma. He will go 2 days a week. What will we do with our free time???? I'm hoping that being around other children his age will help him with his speech. Only time will tell. He is still a cutie-patootie and we love him.

Ok, that's a wrap. Cheri is bringing the kids over for a sleepover tonight. Tomorrow is her and Rich's 15th anniversary, so they are going on a date. The kids and I will have a great time. I've got some fun things planned.

Ta-ta for now. I'll try and get some pics on here. Love to you all!

Ok, Ok I give in!!!!!!

Alright.....since everyone else is doing it I guess I will too!!!! I do know that mom will be a happy camper. (I love you mom and miss you incredibly!!!) I think this is wonderful and I truely enjoy reading about everyone else's family, I thought that maybe you would like to hear about us.....you know, the ones that live far far away! I know very little about this blogging stuff, so don't expect too much! :-)
We have been enjoying the warm weather, although we are praying for rain. We have been keeping busy playing with the neighbor's, going to the zoo, playing on our new swing set, and eating lots of popsicles! Man it's HOT! Normally this time of year it is very very humid.....but NOT this year. We are just plain hot! Keeping the grass green seems futile, but we are trying. Tomorrow we will brave the heat and go to the zoo again. We just got a year pass, so we are trying to make the most of it. They also have an exciting "Oceans" exhibit that just opened a couple of weeks ago and Emma really enjoys "petting" the sharks. Pictures to follow......if I can figure out how. :-(
We miss all of you out there in Idaho (Paradise as dad calls it)....but if you ever want to venture back east, we will welcome you with open arms and show you a great time!
We love and miss you all........now comes the hard part....how do you add pictures?????????? :-)
(Thanks to Crystal and Kyle, this picture has been made possible. Love ya!)