Rotations. Week 2.5

Blogging has become a huge challenge, and I've been terrible with pictures.  Here are my disjointed thoughts on the past week, via ipad, via mcdonalds wifi.  Don't judge.

Life in Cheyenne is interesting.  There are so many good things and we really can’t complain about much, but having children just throws a wrench into everything.

But we do love them.

Alex and Heidi were playing with a scarf, a sort of tug of war game where Alex put the scarf in her mouth and Heidi tugged it.  Her loose tooth suddenly became VERY loose!  She was pretty excited about it until the next morning when she decided eating was painful.  Low blood sugar mixed with excitement and anxiety over the tooth coming out and hurting led to a pretty emotional day.  At one point she had me tie a string to her tooth and she actually tied it to a doorknob and shut the door!  Unfortunately the tooth didn’t come out and she cried and cried and was tied to the door and it was pretty dramatic for a few minutes there.  It's still in and I've decided I hate teeth. Coming in, going out.  Good thing they are so usefull!

Grandma let’s Tyler take her car to work a few days a week so the girls and I can escape the house, go to parks and visit the library.  It’s been a life saver.  It’s hard going out everyday, but it’s hard staying home everyday.  There has been some lawn work going on, mixed with some disobedience on the girls part with rocks and water, so they are grounded from the yard for a bit.  There is a school a few blocks away that we had been walking to and playing on the equipment, but they just tore down the playground.  

Today it all hit the fan with Quinn’s screaming, Alex’s tooth drama and a general “stuck in the house” feeling.  There were hours of screaming and crying about boredom and not enough toys and “worst day ever”.  We purposely only brought a few toys with us because we didn’t have room, and it was summer so they could just “go outside”.  I was happy that we could leave the Barbie’s and dress up and princessness behind for a few months, the girls do NOT agree.  Aparently they are through with our pioneer themed lives and I’m hearing more and more about “goodol’ Pittsburgh.”

A week ago I established a summer allowance so they could have some freedom to save and spend and buy things.  They decided to buy princess shoes, crowns and wands.  I put my foot down at barbies.  And still it’s not enough.  I think we need more child time, but there aren’t any we have found in the neighborhood, and our  park time has been limited.  They are sick of me, they are sick of the toys we brought, and they are sick of all the new rules.  It’s been 2.5 weeks and the past couple of days have really tried my patience.  In part because Quinn just SCREAMS and SCREAMS and SCREAMS.  I think she is hungry all the time, but she won’t EAT!  When she finally does get a belly full she is such a  pleasant child.  Heidi taught her this hilarious sign for ‘stinky’ that is holding her nose and blowing it.  Quinn also does this fantasic angry face pouty lip angry eyebrows.

She is walking everywhere wonderfully.  She fell into the coffee table twice and cut her teeth through her lip.  It was so sad.  She has mastered stairs, and playing in the toilet and just discovered you can unroll toilet paper.

She will cry “mamama” and has learned “more” which sounds more like “mo, mo, mo, mo”  in the same pitch and frequency as the seagulls on “Finding Nemo.”

Overall I’ve enjoyed our simple life.  No tv to distract, no internet.  It makes focusing on the kids easy.  We read a lot of library books and doing school isn’t a chore.    I’m turning into a proper house wife and even get dinner on the table just in time for Tyler to walk in the door from work and sit down for a family meal.  I’ve made pancakes for breakfast 2 days in a row, and I actually look forwards to the kids waking up in the morning because them it means there will be something to do!  I need to check out something for myself at the library next time.  The kids are learning a lot about technology through our sudden lack of it.  I’ve had a heck of a time trying to explain the “internet” to young minds and why things like Netflix and watching movies on the ipad and computer don’t work anymore.  Or why Mom pulls up in front of Taco Johns every time we get in the car (because I can get free wifi from the benches out front and can download my email and do a quick 30 second scroll through of facebook and instagram.  We’ve done of fair share of eating there as well, don’t you worry.)  

Church is still difficult.  Quinn cries the whole time, and now Heidi has become our afraid of primary child who clings and cries and throws a fit when it’s time to go to class.  I haven’t enjoyed the second or third hours of church in ages.  Tyler and I take turns with angry Quinn face and every now and then one has to sit in on Primary.  The ward seems nice though and we are generally impressed with Wyoming.

​ I think my favorite part is that I think there are less people in the entire state of Wyoming than would fit in Ft. Pitt tunnel when I’m trying to get through during rush hour.  Traffic is non existent and I can get all the way across the state capital of Wyoming in the same time it would take me to get to the grocery store in Pittsburgh.  The roads are wide, the speed limit is high and there are hardly any cars around. Love it.  

2 other awesome Wyoming things.  We were driving through town when we say a giant herd of probably 100 goats fenced in with a temporary fence next to Great Harvest bread, in town.  Apparently you can rent out this herd of goats to clear your lawn, or field, or hard to mow places!  It made me so happy.  I can’t believe I didn’t get a picture, they have moved on now.  Second thing.  I was walking through the park with the girls on a nice day and I glanced at the parking lot and saw a pickup truck with 4 or 5 highschool aged guys.  They were sitting in the back with their levi jeans and cowboy hats and no shirts.  It just struck me as so hilariously odd and yet not necessarily out of place.  Just not something you would see in Pittsburgh. Probably ever.

The big girls share a bed here at Grandma’s house and I wonder to myself every night how our ancestors did it.  We were very spoiled with our bunkbeds.  I also wonder to myself how, 4 and 6 years later we can still be fighting about bedtime, like it’s this strange new thing that needs to be fought against.  

Montana Mission Farewell

After a grand total of 3 days in Cheyenne, Grandma and I loaded the kids up into the car and drove the 7 hours to Billings to hang out with my awesome little brother and attend his LDS Mission farewell.  We discovered an awesome gas station area in Casper Wyoming with odd statues ranging from big to gigantic.  It was amazing.  The girls did pretty well in the car and we only stopped twice!  The first time the girls broke into tears when I denied them a McDonalds play place.  This devolved into tears over missing friends and wanting to go back to Pittsburgh "Right NOW!"

The second stop I gave Quinn some free diaper time which resulted in diarrhea on the drivers seat as she was "driving the car."

 I'm sure I mentioned before that Mom got remarried and moved into town, selling most of the farm.  I guess I wasn't really clear on this fact when I spoke to the kids because Alex was pretty mad when we went to visit the "farm" and none of the great farm stuff was there besides the horses.

 We waded through the grass and did some exploring and identifying so it turned out ok.

 Having David around was great for many reasons.  Quinn decided to push out 3 molars during our Montana side trip and so there was LOTS of screaming and biting and yelling and anger.  She seems to generally hate me, but she would totally obey David!  He saved me, and the TV, and the DVD player, and all the statues and Quinn 100 times over.

 David also introduced the girls to snake grass, which captured their attention for a good 30 minutes.

 We are pretty sad that David will be leaving us to preach the gospel in Frankfurt, Germany for the next 2 years.  He is going to do a great job and have an amazing time, but he will really be missed.

 It was a beautiful day to visit the farm, and we drove around Billings to see all the change and growth in the past 10 years. It's sad and exciting to see things change so much, and all the places I'd enjoyed as a kid disappearing.

 Heidi and I both got haircuts while we were in town.  Heidi's turned out great, mine was sort of an act of desperation.  I went in and threw out words like.... short, thing, undercut, A-line?, and ended up with something i'm not quite sure how to deal with.  I love how it feels though, and I've fingered out one way to do it that makes it look nice.  It may be the only way I do it until it grows back.

 Thursday was a cloudy day and so we visited the new library.  David and I even got to spend the afternoon without kids and went to our favorite Antique store and scored hime some sweet tie pins.  We got Mongolian grill and ate it on the rims and then went out to the farm for fire wood for a hotdog roast at Mom's.  Quinn just screams instead of talking.

 Nomee roasts a mean marshmallow, although David perfectly toasted one after another and let me eat them all.

 It was a fun way to spend the evening.

 Saturday was a farm and park day for those of us who weren't sick at home.

 Quinn will sometimes say "hi" when I point the camera at her and pose, but most of the time she just attacks it.

 We visited the school I attend first grade at which brought back a lot of memories.  The girls played and played and watched some boys put a guinea pig down a slide.

 Something must have been happening off to the right.  The only thing better than having 1 grandma around would be having 2!  We've missed family so much the past year and have been soaking it up the past week!  The best part is looking forward to 5 months of Grandma's, Grandpa's and all the rest!

 Swings are always popular with this one, although she seems to have convinced herself that she can't pump anymore.

 Here is an attempt at a Quinn and Kristen picture.  Starting to love my time delay.  You can sort of see the hair here, short bangs again, twisted pack into a ponytail.

 I haven't worn a jacket in a month, but Montana is a bit more chilly than Pittsburgh has been and so I had to run out and buy a jacket.  I fought habit and bought pink instead of grey.  Alex cried for 2 days because she wanted a pink jacket like me.

 Quinn thought being buried by rocks was hilarious.

 David gave an amazing talk to our congregation at church on Sunday.  I was one proud sister.

 Alex found one of my old dolls in storage and it's been a constant companion since.  David and I agree it's pretty creepy, and I had to laugh that "Violet" made it into the pictures.

 It was worth the journey to hang out with this guy for a week.  We are a LOT alike and it's fun to hang out with someone so similar to how you think and act.

 I'm pretty sure we are just going to take Grandma everywhere we go all summer, it's been wonderful having her around.  Quinn really started to walk this past week and will chase me down the hall as I try and hide the iPad from her.  It's so fun to see her developing.  She will sign "please" when she wants something and tonight Alex taught her the sign for "thank you", she is really opinionated.  She mostly eats blueberries.

 We drove back to Cheyenne on Monday and the girls were ecstatic to see Daddy again.  Tuesday night Dad took us to Lions park in Cheyenne for a bike ride.  Earlier that day we had gotten the kids outside shoes so they would stop wearing their church shoes.  I had packed sandals and boots, but they have outgrown the tennis shoes I brought along (grumble grumble grumble.)  Heidi's perfectly matched her dress that day.

 The worst of teething may be over, as Quinn is screaming a bit less and sleeping more at night.

 I'm falling more and more in love with Cheyenne.  This device may have clinched my undying love for the city.  While it seems most towns  are getting rid of the dangerous playground equipment, Cheyenne laughs in all their faces and then builds a Merry-go-round that is 2 levels and offers of option of climbing up while spinning around.  I'm in love.  I must say this town has a lot going for it.

Today Quinn dressed herself up in a crown and cape and walked around the house yelling at everyone.  We walked down the road to a school they are taking apart and played on the playground.  Alex chased Heidi around the backyard with scissors and was grounded.  She then sorted, folded and put the laundry away for $1.  I may outsource from now on.
    Tyler is working at a clinic on the edge of town and seeing patients already.  He goes in, questions and comes up with a diagnosis and then reports to the doctor.  They then go back together and the doctor does it on his own and teaches Tyler a thing or two and might let me do, or help with a procedure.  It sounds cool on my end- except the story about a lady who had a moth removed from her ear.  There are a lot of moths and ants here and now I'm afraid to go to sleep.
     7 days down, and plenty left to go, but so far I'm really liking rotations.  Tyler eats dinner with us, plays with the kids and talks to me at night.  I'm happy.

Goodbye Pittsburgh, Hello road

Life has changed a LOT in the past few weeks!  We said goodbye to Pittsburgh, PA school friends, and zoo friends alike during our last week, while simultaneously trying to pack up for 5 months and clean the house.

The girls had a blast running around and bossing around some of Tyler's great PA school friends at the Zoo on friday.  Saturday we packed and sorted and packed and went to soccer, ran errands and went to a baptism.

Sunday was church and friends for dinner and different friends for dessert!  Unfortunatly for Alex, during the dessert get together it seems her and a few friends found a vine of poison Ivy!  

One of the neighbor’s littles girl kept getting it really badly on her face and a day or two after we left, she posted a picture of the little sweetheart with her eyes swollen shut!  Alex had been complaining about bug bites for days and I noticed that they seemed to be multiplying even though we had been spending almost all day in the car everyday since we left. 

Poisen Ivy.  She isn’t very happy about it, or the fact that it’s still spreading all over her body- but we’ve got some creme that should help and hopefully stop it!  10 months in Pennsylvania and we find Poisen Ivy the last week there!

Quinn is starting to walk a bit more.  Still not very willingly or on her own, but it's exciting.

In the end, soccer ended up being a good thing.  By the last few days she was running around and kicking the ball and having a good time of it.  She seems to have allergies which would kick in after about an hour, and when she found a worm or cool bug them all bets were off for getting her back into the game.

Here is Heidi's 'before' hair shot.  She was due for a trim anyway, but Alex taking scissors to her hair sort of put a nail in that coffin.

I'm a bit nervous about containing Quinn over the next 5 months.  This was the constant state of my kitchen floor the last month.  I'm just glad she left the glass things alone.

Tyler and Heidi picked up a gnome for us to take with us on our trip.  The girls love it, and it's been a blast to have along!  I've been posting Nomee's adventures on Instagram and it's been fun for me and the kids.  Monday Morning we got off at noon, after Tyler played tetris with the car and I buttoned up inside.  It was sad to leave the green and trees and bridges, knowing it would all be dead again when we returned and we would have to survive the winter before we got to enjoy the lovely part again.

Our first stop was Kirtland Ohio to see some historic sites for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  We got the quick tour and it was fun seeing all those places.  

 Heidi insisted on a picture with the barrels.

We got the quick tour of the Kirtland Temple with another LDS family and a Samoan tour guide who seems perturbed that we asked for the short version (due to the kids.)

 I tried to sew all the girls bonnets when they were babies and never got a version I liked.  So when we visited the gift shop and I saw these, I had to get one for Quinn.  The big girls liked them as well and so we started our Pioneer summer with some awesome props.

 She even keeps it on!
We drove on to Toledo and spent the night with Aunt Brianna which the girls were ecstatic about.  We ate mac and cheese and watched the Little Mermaid and then crashed that night.  I was sad the we had gotten off so late and didn’t get to spend more time with her and the kids were mad that she was gone when they woke up.

Tuesday we drove to Lake Michigan and it was wonderful!  The girls ran and splashed and dug and had the most carefree wonderful time ever.

Quinn was obsessed with the water and kept walking Daddy back into it!  She loved it!

 We had a sandy picnic on the beach and enjoyed the sun and sand.

Nomee got a bath.

I'm pretty sure these two would have stayed forever.  

The water was pretty cold.  She didn't care, and it took almost and hour before she tried to eat the sand.

Jumping off sand dunes and running over the hills was a hit

These pictures are awesome.  I know I look like a terrible parent, but....  

There was a 3 or 4 foot ledge about 2 feet down, but when posed just right, it made it look like my children were falling into the water.  We need to work on their looks of desperation for the camera.

We spent a good hour walking to the lighthouse and back.  It took so long because ever 5 steps the girls had to jump off the walk into the sand and then climb back up.

I saw this sign the last few minutes, and was pretty happy it was green after my children had no doubt ingested it.

The beach was probably the best part of the week.  It was carefree, perfect weather and the children got the stretch their legs and be free.

The girls love playing with the Gnome, and I love how still he stands for pictures.

The kids had sand in every nook and cranny and of course despite our best efforts, got it all over the inside of the car.

We are fans of the great lakes.

 Wednesday we made it to Nauvoo around noon and got the enjoy the afternoon there.

 It was a warm day and we could have spent another 3 doing everything there was to offer.  It fit in perfectly with our pioneer theme and everything was free!  The girls loved wearing their bonnets and being pioneers in a real pioneer town.

 Quinn still refuses to walk and hates missing her nap.  Poor knees.

 We enjoyed a few tours, but Heidi just wanted to pick dandelions.

  We made it before tourist season and got to enjoy the place nearly to ourselves.

If your are ever in Illinois, make Nauvoo a must stop on your way!

We walked away with a tiny horseshoe, prairie diamonds, homemade bread and a couple of jump ropes.

 I wish we would have had the change to visit the Temple, but our time was too short.

We ended the day at Carthage and the girls wandered the grounds while Tyler took the tour and Quinn slept in the car.  There was a wonderful spirit there.

 Here is my 'before' haircut picture.  I've decided I hate hair, and I made ever effort to keep it out of my face and off my neck on the road trip.  The girls moaned and cried every time I put it up, but I just couldn't handle it.  Mississippi in the background.

We were a sight to behold on the road! Tyler is a master of packing.

 We got stopped on a bridge over the Mississippi while this barge crossed.  While we were sitting there a guy came up and knocked on our window, freaking us out.  It was a LDS bishop who had noticed our BYU sticker on the car and came to chat us up while we waited.  Fun experience.

 Thursday the goal was Kearny Nebraska and the amazing watermark hotel there.  There isn't a lot to see or do in Nebraska, and Tyler and I decided we would stop at Walnut for lunch.  Walnut sounds a lot like Walmart, and we were both disappointed for different reasons when Walnut really had nothing to offer in the means of shopping or food.
  Kearny's Holiday Inn did not disappoint though!  We made it in decent time and spent the rest of the night swimming in kiddy land and going downy he slides.  Buying the girls floaties was the best purchase i've ever made!  There was a restaurant attached to the hotel and it claimed that kids ate for free, with 3 kids this had become a draw for us.  Turns out it was like a 5 start place and the food was amazing!  I was in foodie heaven with my beautiful short ribs while Tyler juggled the kids.  For breakfast we made off by Tyler and I sharing a single pancake, and fed our entire family a $30 meal for $7.  The pancake was the size of our car's steering wheel and the best i've ever eaten.

 Friday we made it to Cheyenne!  We dropped by Brady Nebraska for a photo op, and had lunch at the worst gas station ever.  The girls were happy to see Grandma Sanderson and have enjoyed all the extra attention and spoiling!