March Tidbits

*go wake up daddy, isaiah. 

"OK."

daddy: "OUCH!"

*isaiah: daddy, knock knock.

makayah: sorry. nobody's ho-ome!

isaiah: i'm not talking to you kiah!

*Indian Joke Of The Day: Sam is sitting in class and his teacher asks, "Who likes custard.?" "I hate that guy!"

*if i were 13 again, my brothers and i would be running over to the flake's and deschine's, gathering up snow tubes and heading over to the sledding hill...all day long without a care in the world. *sigh* too bad i'm not 13 anymore, but, maybe my kids will enjoy the snow for me...i think i've outgrown it.

*mimzy's favorite thing to say, "mum, mum, mum"

*makayah's quote of the day: "mom, you're really stretching me out right now."

*makayah's quote of the day: "daddy, look! that man is running in his underwear! that is MESSED UP!" *snicker, snicker*

*Isaiah: "Dad, guess what?"

Me: "What"

Isaiah: "You are built for comfort. Not built for speed."

*Me: "Hey kids, mom is sick. Looks like we are not going to church today."

Makayah: "Yesssssssss"

*Makayah was dancing in the hallway when I asked her where she learned her moves, she replied, "uhhhh....I just thought them in my head."

*dinner with jeremiah powless at The Great Dane: "Thanks for the good times & good food...and I forgive your city for trying to keep my debit card... note 2 self...never trust nice ol ladies selling cupcakes..."

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Ella's Diner and the Leo Banquet

Ella's Diner

we drove past this diner with the carousel outside it's windows so many times. we heard it was a fun place to go to. so, we finally did. it was like an "i spy" book inside of a mini carnival. the food was great, and the ice cream even better. it was a good day. ***

LEO Banquet

attending the LEO banquet is one of our favorite traditions. this year sam was in charge. we had amazing traditional native foods like corn soup and wild rice pudding. the dancers were wonderful, mimzy was well-behaved, and slept most of the time. the rest of march consisted mostly of gawking over mimzy. she is so fun to have and to play with.

***

Spring Break Teaser....

Hey there!

This past weekend Monika and I took our family to Wisconsin Dells, WI.  

It was a little way to kick off our Spring Break. 

Here is a teaser clip. Full movie coming soon!

Enjoy. 

Spring Break Teaser....

This past weekend Monika and I took our family to Wisconsin Dells, WI.  It was a little way to kick off our Spring Break. It's still pretty cold outside and we needed to feel some kind of warmth, even if it was artificial. We got a hotel, spent all day at the waterpark on Friday, and spent the majority of Saturday at the amusement park. The rest of the time we spent eating and shopping. That's what Crowfoot's do best.

We had a great time, it was exhausting and fun. A weekend was all we could handle. 

Happy Spring Break!

***

After School Sledding

you know how i was reminiscing earlier? well, when it was time to pick up isaiah after school today, i gathered up the snow gear, threw in the sled and parked at the elementary school. all the kids were out playing and sledding at the school hill. good thing i brought the sled. i figured, i'd brave the cold and let my kids enjoy themselves. it was also a nice little break for me, seeing as i got to chat with my mom friends. baby mims was out for a bit, then she fell asleep shortly after the kids started sledding...so back in the car she went.

the very hungry caterpillar

lately, i've realized that isaiah had been having a bit of a hard time with this new transition of playing the eldest brother to two younger siblings. he's had less one on one time with me and has been more whiny, and wound up trying to get my attention. so, i decided to take my little man on a mother/son date. i checked him out of school, and we drove to downtown madison.

one of isaiah's first books was "the very hungry caterpillar." as a baby, he loved having that book read to him. it was the most requested by far...and he was devastated when his board book of the hungry caterpillar was eaten up a few years later by makayah (who could care less for fine literature). we've since replaced the eaten book so samiyah could enjoy the story as well.

anyway, isaiah and i got to chit chat on the drive over. we held hands on the sunshiney walk over to the overture where i presented my tickets to the live play of "the very hungry caterpillar." just a side note, eric carle just so happens to be my favorite author. we were obviously both super excited. the awesome thing about this "play," it was all done in black light. the lights dimmed, the black lights came on, and the stage glowed with this super cool glowing puppetry. it was amazing. we saw "little cloud," "the mixed up chameleon," and "the very hungry caterpillar."

we had a lovely time ooohing and aahhhing, and cuddling and smiling. it was a much needed date. :) i hope that we can keep this up. i don't ever want to get too busy to have one on one dates with my babies.

Sledding in March

as i was getting the girls ready to pick isaiah up, i thought about all the times i went sledding as a kid. so, at the last second, i grabbed the sled and headed over to the school. we drove up and saw dozens of parents who had the same idea. all the kids had let out and were sledding, having snowball fights, making giant snowmen, and snow angels. isaiah ran out smiling when he saw the sled, "we're sledding?! yes!!" and off they went. samiyah was out for a bit and then she fell asleep, so i put her back in her carseat and headed back out to play with the kids. isaiah and makayah went sledding with their friend, charlie and his little brother henry, while i talked with jen (charlie's mom). she is great and fun to talk to. as much as i've come to hate hanging out in the cold snow, i'm so glad i made the sacrifice for my kids to have some fun in it. but seriously, what is it about being a kid and numb to the cold? i remember staying out in the snow sledding for HOURS. no way could i do that now. i'd rather be warm and cozy sipping cocoa inside my house. snow may be just another one of those things one outgrows...or maybe just me. none the less, the kids had so much fun, and we had hot cocoa with whipped cream and marshmallows when we came home. perfect ending.

blizzard in march

this morning i woke up to the best snow in the world...if i were 13 years old again. my brothers and i used to dream about his kind of snow, pray for it, and be so flippin' ecstatic once the snow storm actually hit. we'd hop out of bed, throw on our snow clothes, and race down the hill to the flake's and deschine's homes to gather our neighborhood friends (who, were already throwing their snow clothes on). then, when our throng of neighborhood kids were gathered, along with sledding gear...we set off to the sledding hill. we'd make jump offs, and snow caves, and just about anything. we would stay out all day long. i don't even remember taking a lunch break. up and down, up and down. it was the most fun ever, and my most fondest childhood memories. i don't remember being cold, i don't remember being hungry, all i remember is laughing and having the time of my life. on days like this, when the snow would be covering every tree limb and snow still falling making the forest in our backyard a very different, very magical place, we'd pretend we were in narnia. really, we would. we'd try to track various animals and follow their footprints in hopes of catching a glimpse of deer, porcupine, jack rabbits, skunks, or fox. at the end of burning off thousands of calories, we'd finally head home (either to ours or the flakes) where we'd warm up our tiny bodies next to the wood stove and drink hot chocolate. those were the days, when all we had to do was play, when somehow we were immune to the coldness of it all.

so, today when i looked out of my living room window and saw the 2 foot blanket of snow, i was pretty disappointed to say the least. it's friggin' march for crying out loud! yesterday was mild and warm and the ice was melting, i didn't need to wear my boots, and the roads were clear. i was even more disappointed being that it was my turn to take isaiah to school this morning (sam had a late night of studying). i pulled on my snow pants, threw on my coat and slipped on my gloves and hat. the nice thing about stepping outside was the crisp clean air. it wasn't frigidly cold, and it actually felt good. and as i dug the car out of the mound of snow it had been buried under, i reminisced about the good ol' days. suddenly, the snow wasn't so bad and i actually enjoyed clearing off the car, even taking my time. i made a little ball of clean, white snow for isaiah and i to munch on on our way to school. i kissed isaiah goodbye, (he said with a smile, "you know, school would be way more fun if parents could come everyday!) and he ran his little self to the front doors. i drove back slowly, loving the tall snow-covered trees. i know aaron would've loved it, and maybe he's just saying hello. :) here is daddy and his little girls. we just decided to stay inside our warm, cozy home, eat our cereal and watch movies.

Teething Mimzy

Teething Mimzy

poor mimzy was having the most terrible night. there are two little nubs trying to push their way through, and she cried and screamed all evening. i couldn't put her down or her little heart just broke. so i warmed up some pizza, served it up on paper plates and sat the kids in front of the television so i could take care of my mimzy.

daddy came home and he was a welcome relief. he sat her down on his lap, cuddled her, and read her stories in funny voices, he really cheered her up. after her stories, daddy gave her a shower, and that coupled with some teething tablets, all was well again. thank goodness. it's always so sad when babies start teething. i feel so helpless. 

Van Hise Carnival

there's quite a bit that comes along with being a mother to a kindergartner. it really is a whole new world of responsibilities, activities, and lots of little faces, whom i'm trying to remember...along with all their mommies! ;) last night we attended the van hise elementary carnival fundraiser. and although my house was a zoo all day long, i was on top of the cupcakes for the cake walk! score, for mama. we arrived a little late from shoe shopping in a neighboring town. isaiah wasn't too hard to shop for, but makayah insisted she try on every single glittery shoe in the store. she was seriously surrounded by a mound of pink, sequined, studded slippers, sandals, tennis shoes, and cowgirl boots. i giggled as she reminded me of the sisters in cinderella trying to squeeze her big feet in toddler size 1 pink cowgirl boots. she finally ended up with a pair of pink velcro light up shoes, and isaiah chose a pair of nb super grover sneakers. super cute. ;) after shoe shopping, we all rushed over to the elementary school, found a good parking spot, and sat down in the cafeteria with some slices of pizza. isaiah and makayah were so excited, they just couldn't sit still. so, sam and i ate our pizzas as fast as we could, and headed down to the gym. makayah was awesome on the rock climbing wall! next up was a dart game, and she popped one balloon. we also did the toilet bowl toss, the fish pond, and bowling. sam had gone with isaiah and i think isaiah had split with his friends. that kid is such a stud. from the moment we got there, teachers, kids and parents were saying hello to isaiah. he is little, mr. popular. i had a challenging time trying to remember and keep up with all the introductions. i've been so behind since having baby mims (not to mention, extremely forgetful). but, it was nice to see some of my mom friends there...even if it was too loud and chaotic to say more than hello. after about an hour and a half, we cashed in our prize tickets, and headed home. the day may have started out crazy and bumpy, but i'm glad it ended on a good note. and maybe next time, i will remember my camera.

Mak goes to Law School

there is no leg pulling involved when it comes to makayah tagging along with daddy on his way to law school. she loves to see her law school friends and thoroughly enjoys all the attention she gets whilst there. thankfully, sam's professors are very understanding and flexible when it comes to sam and our kids. one of our friends, who is a third year was having a bad day. here is a little tidbit she wrote to me: "Your kids are the best, and here's why: I was having the WORST day today. I was walking into the law school and I suddenly hear these little feet running behind me. I turn around and it's your adorable daughter. She says "hi" and then proceeds to give me the biggest hug her little arms could manage. She THEN takes me back to the table your husband was sitting at and gives me a piece of chocolate. MADE.MY.DAY." sam and makayah also went out to chipotle for lunch and had some frozen yogurt at red mango. she treasures her daddy/daughter dates. here's my little diva... i love this girl of mine. she is something else! and thank you sam, for helping me out today. you are one amazing daddy and husband. thank you.

Dr. Seuss' Birthday

today makayah spent the day with daddy. yes, sam braved law school with his little girl in tow. wow. i was seriously amazed, impressed, relieved, and in awe...and very thankful. i needed a little break from my firecracker. so, when it was time to pick up isaiah, it melted my heart to see him in his dr. seuss hat. i love that he is still little enough and not embarrassed to wear his cute creations. i LOVE IT. i love my little boy. we ran to each other and hugged. i was hoping to make up for my disastrous mishap yesterday by spending some alone time with my son...well, almost alone...samiyah tagged along. ;) we took a quick trip to costco to pick up a cherry pie for tonight's celebration. we rushed home, i made some green eggs (colored with spinach puree), and a veggie sausage instead of ham for our dr. seuss birthday party dinner. it was yummy and we ate our dinner and pie while watching cat in the hat episodes on pbs. it was great. we did however, have to pick up makayah and daddy from the law school. once we were all home, we had more pie with daddy and makayah. it was a better day. i think costco cherry pie makes everything better.

F=Fail

that's the grade i received today. this morning, i read my emails, good thing too, since there was an important one from ms. r. reminding me that today was the student's author festival for parents at 2:15. i made a mental note. it was monday, so there wasn't a huge amount of things going on. i did my step class at the y. the girls and i played and had lunch. i put baby mims down for her afternoon nap and makayah and i tidied up the house. mims was still sleeping when it was time to pick isaiah up after school. so, i left the baby monitor with my neighbor and went to pick him up. i rushed over to the steps where he was waiting...with a very sad face. i asked him what was wrong. he was the only kid whose parents didn't show up for their author festival. darn it! darn, darn, darn. thank goodness for that mental note, NOT. i completely forgot and completely blew it. i felt horrible. today was not a good mom day. i have a very sad son, in tears because i wasn't there for him to read his stories to. today, mama gets an F.