Elise's 1st Baseball Game

Saturday, May 9th--Our morning was kind-a crazy. Brady's t-ball game was first and then in the middle of it, Elise and I headed over to her game area. Elise is on a team that does machine pitch so she doesn't really get to practice hitting. I was actually worried she would strike out every time but she proved otherwise! At first, Elise looked a little nervous playing her first game. She did a great job listening to her coaches and doing what they asked of her. She played outfield the whole time. When a ball came close to her she'd run to get it. She got to bat 3 times. The first time she clipped the second pitch and then the third she hit it hard and got to 1st base. I was cheering loud! It was awesome and I could see how proud she was of her accomplishment. With the other kids hitting, she managed to run all the way to home base. After this positive experience, Elise seemed to gain a lot more confidence and did really well the rest of the game, considering this is her first time playing baseball. Her second time at bat she struck out, mostly because she seemed to be standing a little too far from the base. And the third time at bat she, again, clipped the second ball and then slammed the third ball all the way to third base. It was so cool! Nate got to see that one and he had the face of a very proud dad.

We really thought baseball wouldn't be something Elise would be all that good at but she proved us wrong. Great job Elise! We think the team won but I'm not sure they kept track of scores.

A Pre-school Tribute to Moms

Friday, May 8th--Brady's WONDERFUL pre-school did a small little program for Mother's Day. Each teacher taught their students 2 songs and then the children sung them to all of us moms. It was SOOOOO adorable! They sang them twice and with the cheesiest smiles on their faces. And, as you can see, even sitting down, Brady towers over his friends but they all sounded great singing the special songs for us moms. Brady's teacher, Mrs. Petersen, presented all the moms with cards our children made with their handprints stamped and a very touching poem (I cried!). Then we each got a raddish plant the children have been growing for a little while. It was a great start to a great weekend! Thanks Brady! I hope you still sing those songs to me when I ask. Oh, and I'll make sure to say "Pwease!"

Way To Go, Elise!

Monday, May 4th--As Nate worked on the yard, Brady and Elise were riding around on their bikes tonight. I sat on the porch watching them and enjoying the nice evening. For a while now, we've been trying to encourage Elise to take her training wheels off and learn how to ride her bike with just two wheels. She hasn't been very willing until tonight. Of course, it took a little bribing (Nate offered to take her to the Chevron to get 3 treats) but she let Nate take the training wheels off. She didn't want me to help hold her seat while she peddled so I gave her some encouraging words to help her figure it out on her own. It didn't take long and she was finally riding on two wheels--at first with a fearful look on her face and then eventually, a huge smile. I was on the sidewalk jumping up and down (imagine that, I really was!) and cheering her on as loud as I could. It was an amazing sight to see! Based on all the other neighbor kids, Elise is a little late in learning how to ride on two wheels but, just like in every other major milestone in her life, it had to be in her own time and we've learned it's best to respect that about her rather than push her too much. We're SOOOO proud of her! She rode for a long time and then when it was time to come in, she asked if she could practice again tomorrow. I happily said, "YES!"

Brady was so amused by Elise riding on two wheels, he asked if we would take the training wheels off his bike too. There's plenty of 4-year-olds in our neighborhood that ride on two wheels so I took them off and let him try. He was willing to let Nate or I hold onto his seat as he peddled. Tonight just wasn't his night to get it down. He had trouble balancing and got frustrated so we called it a night. I know he's not giving up but it'll probably take a little more time for him to get the hang of it.

It was a great night! I'm so proud of both my kids. They are such a blessing and joy to us!

Below is video of Elise riding. For some reason, it turned out really bright. Not sure why but enjoy watching her first little "trek" riding on two wheels!

Brady's 1st T-Ball Game

Saturday, April 25th--Brady had his very first T-ball game today. He's on the Bullfrog Team and it's a team of 3-4 year-olds. As usual, he's taller than all his team-mates but gets along well with them all. His coach, Coach Anderson, is quite dedicated and seems to enjoy coaching these little balls of energy--I'm amazed by his patience! Nate went to the store and got Brady and Elise some mits, a T-ball stand, a bat and some balls to practice at home. Elise is playing on a different team, the Bees, and she has yet to have her first game.

It took a while for Brady to get use to hitting the ball but he does pretty well now, he's a lefty (Nate said it was not easy finding a left-handed mit!). Brady's coach places all the kids around the bases and when someone hits they all run for the ball and pounce on each other to get it. Once one of them get it they can't remember to throw it to 1st base so they stand there with a huge smile on their face. It's so funny! After a few more games, I'm sure they'll finally get the hang of it. In the meantime, it's quite entertaining! Todays game started at 10:30 am. I brought some light blankets because it seemed chilly outside. Once we got to the field it was FREEZING! We put Brady's jacket on underneath his team shirt. Elise, Nate and I bundled up as best we could as we watched.

We think Brady's team won but we weren't exactly sure anyone was keeping score. It was fun! We look forward to more games. Usually, there will be 2 games a week, one for Brady and one for Elise. That also means 2 practices a week. Elise practices on Tuesday nights and Brady on Thursday nights. I haven't minded it at all, it gives me a chance to read or do crossword puzzles and just enjoy being outside---except when I don't remember to bring a warm enough coat or heavy blanket and I end up freezing my toosh off!

Cake Wrecks!

Wednesday, April 29th--My friend, Ashley, recommeded this blog site. It is HILARIOUS! I check it about once a week and laugh my butt off! Enjoy!

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

Welcome to the Family Baby Eliza!

Monday, April 20th--Tonight we went over to Bret & Marissa's house to see their newest child, Eliza Karen (she's the one waving "hi!" at the left). Eliza was born on March 31st, premature. She was in the NICU for a little over a week. She came home the day before we left for Disneyworld so the kids hadn't seen her yet. Nate and I were able to see her in the NICU. She's doing great and the family is adjusting to their newest little one. Another great blessing is that Marissa's gestational diabetes was gone right after she delivered. Hooray! This makes the 10th grandchild for the Armstrong family--5 boys, 5 girls. Eliza is a cutie and we're glad she's here and doing so well! I sure enjoy holding newborns, they're so cuddly! I noticed Nate was enjoying it too. Maybe someday soon we'll be able to announce the upcoming arrival of a baby.

Going Home

Saturday, April 18th--We packed up and then went down to the food court to eat breakfast. On our way we got some photos of some of the over-sized things throughout the resort. It was pretty cool! With our tummies full we went back up to our room to gather our luggage and head to the bus that would take us to the airport. It took a long time for us to catch a bus but once we did we made good time and was able to get to our gate with time to spare. By now, it was lunch time so we hit up the airport food court. Elise and Brady were delighted to see a McDonalds! As with the flight to Orlando, our plane was completely full so Nate sat with Brady and I sat with Elise, with a stranger sitting in the window seat. We landed in St. Louis, MO, but was able to stay on the plane while others got off and the plane was filled again with new passengers. The flight out of St. Louis was SCARY! The turbulence was horrific and I about lost it. I'm glad the kids were able to see it as kind of a ride and smile and laugh a little when we hit big bumps. I always kept my eye on the flight attendants. If they looked fearful then I knew to be so too. Still, being so high in the air, it's a pretty traumatizing feeling. Once the major turbulence was over, even the littlest bumps freaked me out. It was the longest 2 1/2 hours! When we landed in Salt Lake I about kissed the ground. I was happy to find that it was sunny but cool too!
For the most part, we had a great trip. The humid heat, tantrums and kids whining and fighting are still fresh in our minds but that will soon be forgotten and we'll just remember the wonderful times (the extra weight gain will be gone too! he he). I'm glad we went and with 500+ photos we'll have plenty of memories to look back on.

Day 7--Our Last Day--Magic Kingdom

Friday, April 17th--This was our final day. We were sad but also happy to get back home and have some good sleep and rest. The kids seemed to throw some kind of tantrum or fight just about everyday so we knew they needed to get back into a routine as well. We made our way into Magic Kingdom. We started out the morning with a Winnie the Pooh character breakfast. It was very yummy. The buffet had so many choices and we enjoyed them all. It was probably the first meal the kids ate where we actually felt we got our moneys worth. Usually, most of the meals they were picky and wouldn't eat much, with this delicious breakfast they chowed down! After we filled our tummies we decided to pick some of our favorite rides and go on them. We made it to every section of the park and Nate even got me to go on Pirates of the Caribbean (I hate dips!). I found some fun things at the pirate shop. We did Haunted Mansion again too. We made our way over to Toon Town and it was still crowded but we took the time to go through anyway. I was glad we did! We went on the Jungle Cruise again and got to sit in front. We were close enough that we had hoped Brady would be asked to drive the boat, like Elise had. For some reason, the "tour guide" didn't pick a child to drive this time around. Brady didn't seem to mind too much. As part of our vacation package, it came with a dining plan. We had been frugal all week and realized we didn't need to so today we were getting snacks galore with our credits. Nate was able to have a few of his favorite Disney treats, pineapple Dole whips. With the heat we got plenty of ice cream and frozen lemonade. (which would explain the extra pounds I gained even though we walked miles and miles everyday!).

As the day got hotter and hotter, we found a little spot in Fantasyland that was shooting out water from the ground. The kids went over and got soaked but enjoyed themselves. Nate and I sat in the shade and watched them while we cooled off.
Nate, Brady and Elise also discovered an interest that had them searching all over the park. They realized they like the penny press machines and decided to buy one every time they found a machine. Elise used the last of her money to buy a special book that holds them. By the time we left they had got 17 of them. They probably could have filled the book if we had started at the beginning but they had fun today.
We stayed in the park quite late. It was pretty cool to see Cinderellas Castle light up and change colors.

Nate heard the park was open till 3:00 am so he went back with us to the hotel and helped me finish up packing then he went back alone. He got back at almost 3:00 am. The next morning he told us he was able to go on any ride he wanted with little to no wait. Pretty crazy but he had fun and that's what matters.

As we walked away from the park I got a little sad. Our vacation was over. As Nate and I talked, we realized Disneyland is just as fun and much closer so I don't see us coming back to Disneyworld anytime soon.

Day 6--Wild Animal Kingdom

Thursday, April 16th--We got into the park and the first thing I thought was "CONFUSING!" Even the map didn't help all that much, not to mention the crowds were thicker than any we had experienced. Needless to say, this wasn't a park I enjoyed all that much. Once again, Nate was quite anxious to get Fast Pass tickets for the ride Everest, which is similar to Matterhorn in Disneyland. He ran to get them while I took pics of the Tree of Life, in the center of the park.....I think. We met up with him again and went over to DinoLand. The first ride we did was pretty cool, I must admit, it was a bumpy, intense ride that took us back in time to the dinosaur age. It was scary at times too as dinosaurs jumped out at us (if you've been on the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland, this one is very much like it). From there we went to an area that was more like a carnival with games and rides. By now, it was quite hot outside. We did a few rides and then Nate took the kids into a jungle gym-type place. From there we headed over to Everest. Nate said the ride actually kind of made him sick, which is unusual, but the kids liked it. After that we got Fast Passes for a safari ride and then got on a train that went around the park. One of the stops was at a little petting farm. Elise enjoyed petting the goats, Nate and I enjoyed the misting fan nearby. After the train we got on the safari ride. Basically, we got in a large jeep and went on a long, winding trail with native African animals all throughout. It was pretty amazing! Next was an African parade and then over to a section where we were able to meet up with Disney characters and get autographs. Surprisingly, this area was not busy at all and we were able to see most of the characters. We did a few more things and then ate dinner and headed back to the hotel. Nate took the kids swimming while I spent some quiet time in our room. We all kind of got sad the next day would be our last day.