Painting our kitchen...

Well, I have had better days...

Joel and I decided to paint our bedroom and as those of you with kids know a project as small as painting a room can seem overwhelming with kids underfoot. Joel was in Colorado for a few days so I decided to stay up late one evening and get the first coat done. I left my paint tray on our counter that evening. There was about an inch of paint in the tray and I thought I would leave it there to dry...never considering that Evie would find it and want to paint too...

I was upstairs getting ready for the day when Ethan came upstairs with paint all over his pants. It took me a few minutes realize what it was because I had forgotten about the paint tray and didn't think Evie could or would open a paint can. Anyway, Evie was right behind him coming up the stairs, also covered in paint. I threw them both in the tub immediately. Luckily it was time for Ethan's morning nap so after the bath he went to bed and Evie was sent outside until I finished cleaning the kitchen. (I was horrified as you can imagine as I walked into the kitchen). It was a pretty cold morning and Evie is still getting over her cold so I felt bad making her stay outside but I was also pretty upset and didn't want her under my feet when I was cleaning. I could hear her crying that she was cold (it had been 45 minutes) so I told her she could come in but she would have to stay in her time out chair until I was done. Once in awhile she would ask me if she could get down yet and I would simply reply "I know you're not having fun but neither is mommy, you can get down when I'm finished cleaning" surprising she sat there so nicely. She must have sat there at least a half hour. I seriously scrubbed as fast and as hard as I could for an hour and a half...it was unreal!!!

Thank you Evie, She was trying to clean up the paint...yes, that's a spatula there. They got into the utensil drawer.

And decided to call someone too...

Pete Yorn at the Rococo

Joel and I had the chance to see Pete Yorn at the Rococo Theater here in Lincoln. It was our first concert at the venue and we were both stoked on how rad the theater was. It reminded of us the House of Blues in Hollywood which is where we saw Pete Yorn perform for the first time. The venue is quaint with a great vibe but there is such a huge difference between going to a show in Lincoln vs Hollywood. We didn't have trouble finding parking, we arrived early to the show thinking it was going to be crowded but we actually had time to kill so we chilled out and enjoyed a drink. A few minutes before Pete took the stage we walked up to the front of the stage - in Hollywood, we would arrive hours before the show and not dare move away from the stage or we would loose our spot. We didn't get elbowed all night either...and the best part was after the show was over we were back home within minutes (in LA it would be a half hour minimum of bumper to bumper traffic just to get to the freeway and then an hour on that to get home)
I took a few pictures from my phone. (this one was taken pretty far back)

I was surprised that so many people had full size cameras and were taking pictures and videos...that is also another huge difference between here and LA. I would have been busted for taking a picture with my phone in LA but here people had their zoom lenses out...

The guitarist. I didn't take more pictures but the crowd loved the tambourine guy...he was pretty energetic

TMCO's Open House

Went to TMCO's annual open house. TMCO is a Total Manufacturing Company specializing in concept-to-completion metal manufacturing services. They designed and built the trade show booth for Joel when he was at Answer Products and they have done a lot of work for Tomac Bikes from bike display stands to bottle openers...

We kept hearing people talk about the 'robot'. Well, here it is, the show stopper....a robot that turns the beer tap on and off, dings the bell and points to a tip jar upon completion. You'll have to check out the video at the end of this post for the full effect.

The kids playing with the paint hangers - Ethan just got this one stuck on his sweater...

...and he is fighting with it to get free...

We took a tour of the powder coating building. They can paint anything from small business card holders to automobiles in this building.

Are we back in Taiwan??? Is someone in the US really spraying paint with out a proper ventilation mask???

VIDEO: The robot serving beer

Lost in Fun with Evie's preschool

Evie's field trip to the pumpkin patch was changed to Lost in Fun due to the cold and rainy day. Evie was just as happy to go to Lost in Fun and Ethan got to come along too.

Making hand prints on a heat sensor board...

Cute little Malcolm

This was Joel's hair color growing up - I'm thinking Ethan may be close to this

Miss Jackie and her daughter who is Ethan's age

Ethan on a Jeep ride, smiling with his whole face as usual

...so serious...

Evie's friends Faith and Nicole. Faith is Starla Ware's daughter; a family friend we grew up with who is now teaching at Evie's school.

Evie's teacher Miss Shannon is the adult jumping in the back - she is a good teacher; super mellow and sweet

Little Red Mustang

We stopped by Mandy's to drop something off and got there a few minutes before she did so I let the kids out of the car to play with their neighbors' toys while we waited. Ethan jumped on this electric Tinkerbell quad and was so stoked. Within seconds he figured out the power and steering. Like father - like son.

When Mandy and Claudia showed up Claudia jumped out of their car and right into this mustang and started driving it like a pro. She gave Evie a great ride! I was quite impressed. It was cute to see the girls having fun and laughing...a little flash forward to when they are 16...

Claudia was jumping the car off the parking blocks and making a sharp turn onto the sidewalk...she really drove it like a real car. I was telling Joel it reminded me of how he drives...

Two little Chickies having a good time.

Why Recycle????

One of the last things we do when closing the house down is take our trash to the dump. We think about how much trash we generate but it's easy to underestimate when it just goes in a trashcan and out to the curb and disappears. Well, in Colorado we actually take our trash to the dump and as you watch your trash bags on the ground pile up it's easy to see just how much trash our family alone just put into a hole in the ground that will eventually be covered up by dirt.

Its hard not to feel guilty about over consumption when you make a trip to the dump...

Bike ride in Colorado - ski trail loop

Well these are a bit out of order (since we've been home from CO. now a month) but I downloaded some pictures from my phone the other day and had fun remembering the amazingly great mountain bike riding we were fortunate to do this summer in Colorado. This was in September a few days before we drove back to NE. This is a ride from the house into the national forest. We called it the ski trail loop because there are cross country ski signs along the route.

The ride offers a little bit of everything. I like the less rough single track like this...

And Joel says the rockier the better...

This is on the last 20 minutes of my ride. I'm on the Colorado trail riding toward the chalk cliffs. I loved watching this one tree change among the green pine trees. I sure enjoy riding in CO.

Finishing our drive home...day #2

With our late start leaving Colorado we didn't make the trip home in one day like we had hoped but it actually worked out for the better. We stayed the night in North Platte and the kids had fun swimming at the hotel before bed.
The next morning we were able to see my folks who just happened to be in Grand Island for an AFLAC convention and banquet for my mom's work. The kids loved seeing grandma and grandpa.

Ethan loved riding his bike around the campsite

Evie and grandma playing with flowers and huge leaves

Grandma made Evie and Ethan a snack. The kids love playing in the camper. Of course grandma and grandpa always have good snacks. It wasn't long before we found the oreos too.

Evie is giving me the 'don't take my picture mom, I'm riding' look...

Ethan however is saying 'cheese' for me with his whole face.

My dad and Joel watching Ethan scoot his bike though the leaves...and of course their bitchen camper - I just love it. That thing has seen some sites. Winter is coming and it might finally get to rest for a while.

Ethan is using his carrot to shoot cars we pass on the road...

I guess its like a Reeses...there is no wrong way to eat it...

VIDEO: Ethan shooting with his carrot. By the time I grabbed my camera he was done. It was pretty cute...

Drive home from Colorado

Well, sadly we are saying goodbye to sunshine ranch until next summer. We all had a wonderful trip and a great summer. Unfortunately it just went by too quickly.

Packed up and headed for home

One last look. I miss it already.

We stopped in Fort Morgan to let the kids run around...all of the kids...

Poor Ethan. He missed his morning nap and it's way past his afternoon nap. Half way through the tunnel he said 'night night' and put his head down.

We had a lot of bread left over from the week which was good because the geese were hungry. You'll have to check out the video at the end of this post.

Joel was dropping bread on Evie's toes and the geese were making her laugh as they were nibbling her toes to get the bread.

What an unusual hairdo...

VIDEO: Ethan needs a nap...

VIDEO: Feeding the geese