Nature Walk

We had such a good time with Family Home Evening last night. I made dinner earlier than usual which was chicken and stuffing casserole. So yummy!! Then, we got ready and went outside to walk down to the nature trail by our house. I thought it would be fun for the kids to get out and "explore" since we are in a condo now with little to nothing to explore in our own "backyard."

We began walking down the main street in Plantation Pointe and about 1/4 mile later, ended up at the beginning of the trail. By this time the kids were antsy to get going. They were so excited to begin our trek. Rob told them that if they heard any weird noises, it was probably just the witches that lived in the woods. Of course there were noises.... so our kids just looked at us like, "Yeah right!!" Then, we came across a firepit that someone tried to make and we told the kids that it was how the witches cooked the little kids they found hiding in the woods. They roasted them over the fire using this very firepit. Next, we came across some boards that were all lined up in a row... (it kinda resembled a bed) and we told the kids that we ran into the witch's bed. By this time, they were skeptical but buying our story a bit.

We also gave the kids paper bags with their names on them and told them to find their 5 favorite things from the nature hike to share with the family once we returned home. The girls found lots of pretty "flowers" (weeds) and fossils... Tae found 4 walnuts in their casings, a large walking stick, and a HUGE leaf on the ground. It looked like a fan it was so big.

We had a blast on our nature hike. By the time we got off the hiking trail and were heading home, Tae started falling asleep standing up while walking. He kept on saying, "I need a rest," everytime we passed by a bench. Lots of friends saw us walking and we waved hello and had a blast as a family. What a great way to enjoy this fall-like weather!!

Food, Fun, and Family!!

So, this weekend is going to be filled with fun, family, and food!! This week, I have been in a major red meat mood, and so when I went to Kroger for my grocery shopping this week, I discovered that Rib-eyes were on sale, they had a new packaged thinly sliced steak meat, and we had already decided on making Bulgoki burgers (a Korean marinade for steak meat). The burgers were yummy, the Bulgoki we made for last night's Korean meal was delicious, and the Ribeyes tonight I'm sure will be quite amazing. Yummy beef...

That's bulgoki...Korean barbeque!!

Enough about food. Now for the famliy... Rob has been gone working out of town quite a bit lately. It seems like when he is in town on the weekends, he is playing out in his band. He plays for a band called LuLu's closet in Cincinnati. They have a myspace page if you are interested in finding out more. http://myspace.com/luluscloset. He plays the bass guitar. This weekend is quite different however. He will be home BOTH weekend nights, which means that we get him all to ourselves! On Saturday morning, he will be the deejay for Erpenbeck Elementary's 5K Mustang Stampede. He has to be at the school at 6:30 am. He hates me for this... but he is perfect for the job. Great music, exercise, and friends= good times!!

Enough about family. Now for the fun... Since we have Rob all to ourselves this weekend, and since Mott (my mom) got five free tickets to Disney On Ice, we are going as a family on Friday night! The kids are super excited... and believe it or not, Rob and I are too. It's always fun to see your kids faces light up. (Our faces might light up too since it's free... that always makes us happy!!!) Look for an upcoming post about Disney On Ice. I'm sure it will be fun!!

Movie Date with the Kids

Okay, so tonight, I thought it would be fun to take the kids to see the movie, "Aliens in the Attic" at the cheap theater. It was fun until after the movie. We needed so badly to stop by Target to pick up a birthday gift for Addison's best friend, Marlee. It was going fine and then HE SNAPPED...

Taesun went haywire. I even offered to buy him Legos which we have been toying with the idea for some time now and since they are sooo darn expensive, I just haven't done it yet. I put the Lego box in the back of the cart and before I knew it, Taesun was throwing the box out of the cart and screaming "I hate you" while crying hysterically. What a way to end the week alone with the kids. Major tantrum which couldn't be stopped under any circumstance right in the middle of Target. We immediately left, but still had to check out. While at the check out lane, I was literally wrestling Tae and pleading with Addison to hurry up and swipe the card. I couldn't even swipe my own card! The tantrum was insane. I knew it was late, but he has done late nights before and been fine. What a difference ten minutes makes in the life of a 3 yr old.

When I was putting him to bed, (as soon as we walked in the door) he wanted to hug me and tell me he was sorry. Major mood swings!!! So glad today is over. Now onto tomorrow. As crazy as it will be, at least I'll have two extra hands to help out... Rob will finally be home!! Thank goodness for spouses!!

Yet another crazy day with these kids...

So, today began at 6:30am when my children decided to wake up extra early. I had taken two NON-DROWSY allergy pills last night which knock me out completely. I was so groggy this morning that I told my kids to leave me alone and go back to bed. I should have known better than to do that, because surely they aren't going back to bed. But, I was truly out of it. I wake up at 7:20 which is my normal time to wake up and find three kids standing in my room saying, "Good morning mommie!!" I was so confused. As I began to wake up and realize what was going on, I noticed that they were wearing white t-shirts that they had decided to decorate with markers. All the shirts were about how much they loved me and how I was a #1 mom. I was not happy that they decorated their t-shirts which can never be worn again, however, how could I be too upset. Then they said, "Wait mom, there's more..." On that cue- they turned around and showed me the back of their shirts. On each shirt there was one letter written really large and then "RO" written on the top. When they lined up together, their shirts spelled 'Mom'. Cute, huh? Then they brought in the "Mickey Mouse breakfast" which consisted of pepporoni with a little piece of swiss cheese on top, two halves of toasted bagel, and plain white bread(non-toasted) with butter on top. All was arrainged in a mickey mouse face. These kids....they really do love me!!

Bunco!!

Rob has been traveling a lot lately and although I miss him when he is gone, it just makes it that much sweeter when I get to see him next. After you are married for awhile, you forget how waiting to see each other can make such great happy feelings when you guys are together again. Rob has been great about letting me have Stacey time lately. On Saturday, I went to Bunco with my girlfriends and it was a blast!! I honestly don't know what I would do without "me time." Does that make me ultra-selfish? Anyway- Saturday afternoon, Addison had her third soccer game. The first two games, her team had won and kinda easily too. This last game though, was a booger!! Totally competitive game and all for a U-8 league! I was honestly on the edge of my seat watching them get up by one goal and then watching the other team score. They ended up tieing at 3-3. So- 2 wins, 1 tie... I'd say they are pretyy good!! Addison's favorite part was seeing her teacher from school at the game. Her daughter was on the opposing team and she was so kind to come up to Addison and let her know that she was cheering for her. Addison's face lit up!! She can't wait to tell everyone in her class that her teacher came to her soccer game!

Getting Ready for School

So, if it isn't a huge surprise already, I,(Stacey) am the one who posts on this blog. So when I say, "I", it is about me.

I am going back to school in January to NKU for Elementary Education. Although I already have lots of credit hours, let's just say that school wasn't a priority when I was younger...and I need to repeat some courses to get my GPA up before I can be accepted into my program. This little setback is going to cost me another 2 years of college, which really stinks, but to be honest- I'm not quite ready to work...so school taking 4-5 years isn't a bad thing necessarily. I am truly excited to begin my journey of finishing school and getting my degree. I think it is ultra important for me to do this so I will have a clear conscious when I explain how important education is to my children. I have some regrets in life... timing of certain events, and not getting my degree are the two main ones. This will help me to get rid of that feeling.

On a funny note- when I got the call from NKU saying that I was officially accepted, I quickly told the kids and Rob. Jenna then preceded to tell us that she couldn't believe it. (all dramatic-like of course...) She said, " Mom's going to be a teenager again!" What a hoot! That kid cracks me up.

Youngstown and the Canfield Fair...

So, we went to Youngstown for Labor Day weekend and got to visit with Rob's family. It was a lot of fun. I'll admit that it was tempting to stay home and have some "me" time and get the condo in order, but I'm glad I went. We had a blast! Some of the highlights include, going to the 2nd largest fair in the nation- The Canfield Fair. The kids rode lots of rides, we saw old machinery, lots of animals, and ate yummy fair food. Then, we ate a really good Korean dinner at home and Rob and I went to see a movie that night. We didn't know whether we could stay up that late or not, (mainly my problem) but it worked out nicely. (It was a 10:20 showing!!)

The next day, we ate Wedgewood Pizza for lunch and it was INCREDIBLE! Everyone in Y-town is Italian it seems, so their pizza is to die for! (and cheap) After lunch, Rob's dad, Rob, the girls, and I went out to a Par three golf course. This was my first actual golf experience. I wasn't half bad!! Everything I hit went straight. (granted, it didn't go TOOOOO far, but overall pretty good for the first time!) Then, Rob's extended family including Poppie and Grammie Weber and Aunt Judy with Brandon, Uncle Rick and Aunt Eleanor, came for a picnic. It was lots of fun. We really enjoyed playing four-square... a game Rob and I used to play in elementary school!! Later that night, Rob and I snuck out again for a second date and another movie!! We saw District 9 which was different, but altogether pretty good. The trip home was decent and we ate at a Five Brothers restaraunt for lunch. It was pretty good. Enjoy some pictures from past years trips to the fair!

Addison's Best Friend

First Day of School 2009

This was the kids' first day of school. The girls were a little nervous since they were attending a new school, but they adjusted quite easily. By the end of the first day, they were talking about how much fun they had and they couldn't wait to go back. This makes it nice for moms to hear. Also- Taesun is back at New Haven Elementary since Erpenbeck doesn't have room for their preschool at the school. He was there last year as well, so it makes it easy for his transistion this year. He will have a new teacher which I am VERY excited about. He certainly loves school and playing with his friend, Alexis. They play house and he is the daddy and she is the mommy. Who knows- maybe one day Lexi might be my daughter-in-law. I would like that:)