Silly Kids 8

I was wearing a new pair of bright yellow flip flops and Elias looked down at my feet and said
"Oh yellow....nice color" then went about his business


Annie took off all of her clothes and started wiggling all about. Kellie asked her what she was doing and she said " I am practicing my dancing" 


Annie, Elias, Brandon and Kellie went to see Brave. There was a scary part with a bear and Elias climbed into Brandon's lap and said he wanted to sit with him because he was scared. Annie saw this, climbed into Kellie's lap looked at her and said " Can I have a cracker?" Later , still in Kellie's lap Annie looked up at her, and Kellie asked if she was scared. Annie said" no. Can I have some popcorn?" A while later Annie had decided to sit back in her own chair again. Kellie heard a loud rumble and Annie looked over and stated "I Farted!"


All the babies in our house came down with pink eye and required drops for them. Elias hated these drops with a passion. After he had his we told him it was time for Annie's and he freaked out saying no, no don't get Annie, don't hurt her. It was sweet that he wanted to protect her from the evil drops. After Annie woke up, Kellie scooped up Annie and laid her down. Elias started screaming "Kellie ! NO! Leave my sister Alone! Kellie, NO NO!! Don't take my sister!!!!" Kellie proceeded to give Annie her medicine and ELias continued to scream" DADDY! Help Kellie has my sister, Kellie STOP!!" Brandon was able to calm him down but it really did touch my heart how much he cares about his sister. PS Annie isn't bothered by the drops...at all.

While playing one morning, Annie hit Daddy over the head with a stuffed Animal. Annie apologized and daddy said "What are you sorry for?" to which Annie looked into his eyes and with an angelic voice replied" Party Rockin"

Softball Fun...or not

Brandon has played on a  PD softball team for the last several years. Brandon has always enjoyed playing and having the kids and I go and after all I do have many many memories of my dad playing softball and us kids running around during the game. I however, do not enjoy going to Brandon's softball games and here is why; I am a control freak. I have to be watching my kids 24/7 I am not at a point where I feel safe letting them run off with the other kids to the playground while I sit back and sip a diet coke. Elias still has some impulsive behaviors that are getting much better with preschool but still present enough to always make me worry. All someone would have to do is offer Annie M&M's and she would happily go skipping off with a stranger. So with that being said every Wednesday I drag 100 chairs, snacks, toys to the diamonds only to have the kids run all over the place( having the time of their life I might add) only to be stressed and running around the whole time. Jordan and Kellie are always willing to go to help out but the whole thing just stresses me out to the max. We have made it a few times this year and Brandon has volunteered to DH the 1st game so he can play with the kids and so I think we will go to more. I just have to suck it up, let loose a little and let them run...I will just make sure to have vodka in my diet coke...(JK!)

 Daddy and Benjamin

 Annie, Elias and Dom playing at the fence

 BURRR, it was warm but a strong ND wind was a blowin

 Family pic...or not

 Brandon swinging Annie...Annie having fun, mom having heart attack

 They love playing with their uncle jordan and daddy

 Ahh the popcorn and chair trick. This kept them happy for the first game. We left Benjamin with Grammy this time

 Watching daddy bat

Cheese!

Father's Day

Sunday was father's day and we celebrated by heading over to my mom's house for a yummy dinner and lots of deserts! The kids ran and played, my mom was on cooking duty and I was on baby duty. I am not sure what the men in our lives did but I imagine they were sitting on the couch and watching some kind of sport. After dinner we presented my dad with world's best gift the entire collection of mystery science theater 3,000, he was pretty pumped. We also bought the guys tickets to see the twins game on June 27th but Brandon failed to tell me he had to testify at a trial and so we had to sell our tickets on stub hub:( His fathers day gift was a bust but my mom got him a cute book for him to read at story time and a gift card for all those late night valley dairy trips he makes while working.

 In appreciation of Brandon being a great father, I am listing some of the wonderful reasons why the kids like him better then me.

*Let's them eat junk and watch movies while mommy is gone

*Dances around the living room singing songs( completely tone deaf I might add)

*Plays superhero games with Annie and Elias

*Plays silly games using Benjamin as a prop...the kids LOVE when he does this.

*Takes them to the park, and the courtyard and plays all kinds of games with them

*Isn't afraid to let them make a mess( after all, they do have mom to help clean up)

*Reads them stories every night before bed

* Works very hard not only as a police officer but as a student the last two years so I can stay home and raise our babies.

Brandon is often tired but he always has time to play spider-man with the kids or go for a walk to the park. Thanks for being such a great daddy!

Silly Kids 7

*Annie and Logan were playing on the trampoline and Annie in a rather pathetic voice says "Help me I am stuck" Brandon rushes over to her rescue and Annie assertively says NO Daddy! She turns to Logan and says "Logan help me I am stuck" Logan being a gentleman helped get Annie "unstuck" guess she has learned how to play the damsel in distress card!

*Elias just finished his Zebra Cake and scarfed down half of Annie's that she didn't eat. He walked over to the couch plopped down next to me and said "This has been the WORST day EVER" I tried not to giggle and asked why to which he replied "Annie ate the last Zebra Cake" Oh to be 4 again.

*Elias randomly turned to me one day and said "Mom, where is Shelby"( a cheerleader who babysits sometimes) I said she is at home with her mom and dad to which he replied "No she is with her boyfriend babber" Brandon, Jordan and I just all looked at each other and laughed...where do kids come up with this stuff!!

*We are on our 2nd week of summer vacation and Elias turned to me and asked if he went to school today, I told him it was summer and we would go to school in 3 months to which he replied "Oh man!! 3 months!! are you kidding me!"

* Today we were outside at  Grandma Mim's and Elias was on the ground playing with his trucks. He looked up and said" Hey Guys" When we stopped talking and said "Yes Elias" he informed us:" I think it is raining a little bit" it was pretty funny

Girls Night Take II

It is a very exciting time at the Eberhardt household as Annie is FINALLY using the potty!!!! She has known when she needs to go potty for a long long time but would absolutely refuse to use the potty. I didn't force the issue and just tried to let her fear of using the potty overcome itself. Then one day a couple weeks ago Annie practically changed her own diaper and I said that's it! Since Annie is very stubborn we decided to go with the pant-less method. She was not a fan at all and after only 3 days she was using the potty without being told. She has it down pat and hasn't had an accident since day 2 when we started. It was quick and relatively painless getting her to use the potty to go pee. She still struggles with Encopresis and getting her to go poo is going to be a whole other issue, we are just happy she is peeing now. As promised when Annie learned to use the potty we treated ourselves to a mommy Annie date. Grandma took the boys and off we were for a girls date.Our first stop was Auntie Melissa for hair and nails! After we were beautified we headed to target so Annie could pick out a dolly! We ate a yummy dinner and spent the evening playing with her new dolly's. 

 I GO PEE PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

 Concentration

 Holding very still while her nail polished dried

 Getting her hair did

 Skyla came home with a mango smoothie and Annie promptly stole it from her

 So pretty 

 Annie loved her pretty girl hair

Love my girl

Old Friend

My dear old friend Cheryl came to visit last week! I met Cheryl while cheering at UND and we because fast friends. Our friendship was solidified when we both taught UCA cheer leading camps together and traveled the Midwest all summer. We have so much in common like our love for McDonalds, Olive Garden, singing at the top of our lungs in the car, and so much more:) Cheryl went into the military as a nurse after college and moved to Texas and was deployed twice over seas. Despite being so far away she has managed to get back to Grand Forks three times since then, it doesn't hurt that her family is three hours south of here. This was Cheryl's first time meeting Benjamin and he sure did love her and so did the big kids, but then again who doesn't love Cheryl! We had fun doing nothing together! Chores, errands, softball and raising babies and most importantly chit chatting was all that was on the agenda. Grandma was in town and took the babies three of the afternoons which was nice to have girl time with no babies to distract us. Cheryl also helped potty train Annie, who would have thought potty training was a vacation activity. Anyways I am so glad I got to see her and I can't wait until the next time. The greatest thing about old friends is even if you go awhile without talking you pick right back up where you left off!

 Benjamin loving on Cheryl, this was right before he attacked those dangily earrings

 Hanging out with my Cheryl

 Benjamin sure loved his Cheryl

 look how sweet they look

 Skyping with our 3rd muskateer, Aunnie Megan in NM! It was fun to have the 3 (or 6) of us together again!

 CHEESE

 Also on the vacation agenda, installing a new booster seat

 How many people does it take to put together a car seat.....

 Elias likes it!

 Look now mom can fit back here

 Cheryl and Annie hanging out at dinner, they were being goofy together

burrr that wind was chilly at softball. Good thing Benjamin had Cheryl to keep him warm

Miss you friend, come back soon!

Girls Night Take 1

Brandon had last Friday off so I decided he and Elias should have a "Big Guy's Night". When Brandon and Jordan were younger they would have big guy's night with their dad, they would pick out dinner, a movie and snacks and party all night( well as much as an 8 year old does). Elias loved this idea! Brandon took him to Madagascar 3 and Elias got to eat popcorn and drank an entire bottle of water( I'm mean and don't let him have soda). Gavin and my dad joined in on the fun and everyone unanimously declared that it was a GREAT movie. I guess we will be buying that one in the future. While the boys were hanging out the girls ( and Benjamin) headed to Cherry Berry for some frozen yogurt. It was the first time Annie and I had gone and it was delicious! She was in pure bliss, poor Benjamin kept trying to steal my food but didn't get a taste. After yogurt we headed to Target for a little shopping and Annie picked out a Ariel doll. We wrapped up Target just in time to meet up with the boys and talk about our adventures. I don't have any pictures from the guy's night but I have some from our date with Annie. I labeled this part 1 because Annie was recently potty trained and she got a girls afternoon as a reward. That post will come later. 

 eeeeeeek so excited to eat this! 

 BRAIN FREEZE ahhhhh

 Man vs. Food intensity on this face

 Girls date!

Grammy did Annie's hair before we headed out, I suck at hair but my mom( and Brandon) are great at it.

Things I love part II

Since Benjamin has really gotten the hang of eating solids I have been busy making his baby food. When Annie was a baby my mom bought me a baby cook. Its a appliance that steams and purees your baby food in one dish. I used it to make all of Annie's food and I am at it again with Benjamin's. The baby cook comes with guide and all you do is look up the fruit or veggie you want to make, add the corresponding amount of water to the steamer and walk away. After a few minuets your food is ready to puree and all you do is add breast milk or formula and puree to your hearts content. After the food is done you just let it cool then use it or freeze it. You could easily make your own baby food with out the use of one of these handy devices but it does make life so much better!  I can't wait for Cassidy to come over so we can make our mega batches like we did with Annie and Logan. On a side note I didn't make Elias' food and he is the pickiest eater to ever live. I made all of Annie's and she will eat everything and anything in sight.  

 Carrots getting steamed, I turned it on while I made the kids lunch and I was able to feed Benjamin his carrots right after I put the kids down for a nap...I mean could it be any easier?

I forgot to take a picture of the pureed carrots so I took one of the bananas I made a little later. So easy!

Zoo

A couple of weeks ago I was talking to my mom about some fun things we could do with the kids this summer and she turns to me and says " Let's go to Wahpeton"..um what?!?! I have lived in Grand Forks for almost 15 years and I would NEVER pick Wahpeton as a place to go on a family outing. She said she heard about a really nice zoo there that we should visit. I was still very skeptical so I put in a call to one of my cheerleaders who is from there and what do you know they have a nice zoo with real animals ( unlike the Fargo zoo which is terrible and not worth the money) . She also told me that they have a park with picnic benches and a huge playground. Upon further digging my dad found that there was a small fishing spot on the river and that sealed the deal( Gavin is VERY into fishing right now). We packed up the kids last Saturday and headed almost 2 hours to check out what Wahpeton had to offer. The car ride there went smooth, Benjamin slept then played with Brandon and Annie and Elias just watched a movie. As soon as we got there we slathered the kids up with sunscreen (since we had picked the hottest day of the summer thus far to go) and headed inside. Right away we were greeted with tigers, otters and monkeys. There were peacocks roaming around the zoo grounds and you could get so close to them! We were all amazed about how close you could get to the animals . The zoo had a small petting area and Elias wasn't a huge fan of feeding the animals but really like petting them. Benjamin hung out in his stroller for a bit but then decided he wanted a higher view so Grammy carted him around. He eventually fell asleep on her and took a nice little nap. Annie had a melt down but once we realized it was because she was hot and thirsty we pumped her full of ice cold water and she was back to her energetic self. We spent about 2 hours at the zoo including the incredibly affordable gift shop. After we finished up the clan headed to the carousel. Both kids has a blast and did not want to get off. It was only $2 per person and the ride seemed to last forever which was great. After the quick ride we headed to the picnic and park area. We had a nice lunch and everyone ate well then the kids and Brandon bolted to the park for some last minuet fun. After some serious fun in the sun we packed up and headed home. All three kids passed out before we got on I-29 and slept almost the entire way home. It was such a fun day and something we will probably do again in the future!

 All ready to go! We had to move the DVD players to the back of the car so we had cords strewed about

 Benjamin is napping nicely on the way down

 Excited about the Tigers

 Annie was not so impressed 

 Elias checking out the Tigers

 Grandparents with the baby

 All the kids checking out the Animals

 Trying to snap a grand kid picture, clearly failing

 The park was the perfect size, not to big, not to small.The kids just ran from animal to animal they really loved it

 Daddy showing Annie a monkey

 Grammy and Benjamin on the go

 Daddy and the kids looking onto the animals 

 Going down into a nice shaded and breezy area to check out some snow lepords

 Along the way got to get up close and personal with a peacock

 This isn't zoomed...you could serious get that close. Its a little deceiving there was a wall and my camera was pointed up but still..

 Our attempt at a family picture, benjamin was hiding in the back of the stroller

 This was the big empty cage that we looked and looked in but couldn't find an animal

 Who the heck knows what Annie was doing here

 I did not know this was going on. I would have had a heart attach!

 So cute

 Cousins playing

 Annie starting to get hot and cranky so daddy scooped her up and carried her on his shoulders

 PaPa and Gavin

 I love the pictures that capture the essence of crazy annie

 Zebra!

 Annie talking to the kangaroos

 Taking a little break on a bench

 Skyla, the duck whisper

 My 3 babies. I can't believe how old and responsible Elias is getting:)

 Petting zoo

 Siblings hanging out at the petting zoo

 it was nice and breezy in the shade so that is where you could find the ladies most of the time.

 Hello Bear, there was glass there but look at how close this is!

 Like right there

 Elias loving riding with cousin Skyla

 Annie was in pure delight

 Gavin smiling for the camera

 Happy campers all eating yummy food

 Benjamin trying to crawl off the blanket

 knawing on a bananna

 This was a "give me more " expression 

 The women folk had to sit on the grass since there was no room for us at the table, darn a peaceful lunch with Benjamin

 Benjamin discovering grass

 Elias was very excited that he got a zebra cake

 We thought it would be funny to give Benjamin a cookie, he loved it a little too much so we took it away( he didn't get any , just sucked it for a second or two)

 Tired kids passed out! Made for a quiet car ride

 So tired

 I love sleeping babies

What better way to end a great day then to spill animal crackers all over the floor and step in them? I love my wild Annie kat!