The Palmer Family

Meet Murphy Brown....

2009-02-19T19:39:00.003-06:00

here is our new friend and family member, Murphy!

Allison and Murphy bonding.

Chillaxin!

2009-02-19T19:14:00.002-06:00

So it's been awhile since my last blog, I figured I'd better update since a lot has happened this month!

We started the beginning of the month with Allison being sick, as most of you have already been told, we took her to the ER with a high temperature on the 30th of January. They sent us home the same day, after 5 hours in the ER with medicine for an ear infection. Since it was a Friday, Chuck had to take off to Kansas City for work. Saturday morning came along and Allison was just plain sick, flu like sick. She just didn't feel good at all, you could tell. By the end of Saturday she looked a little better, but was a bit worried b/c she hadn't eaten a whole lot, however, she was still drinking fluids. Sunday Allison and I stayed home from church to keep her rested, especially since the past 2 nights had been long nights. Monday came along, Chuck was home and I headed to work. Chuck came in during the late morning to help me prepare the lunch for the day as we were a little short handed....and you could just tell something was wrong with Allison. So after I got home from work, we went straight back to Sioux Falls to the ER. We got there around 4 and they were going to let us go home after putting a little bit of fluids in her (they determined she was pretty dehydrated) Well after they started an antibiotic for her ears, the iv blew. so they had to try to get another iv in. they poke her about 6 more times to get one in!! at this time we were all a little frustrated and just ready to go home. so by the time all the fluids were going again, it was close to midnight and then they just decided to admit allison. We were thinking a night in the hospital would be ok, but it ended up turning into 3 nights!! we were happy to go home late morning on thursday. Felt good to just be home and you could tell allison was feeling a bit better. we thought we were going to end up back in the ER later that night as she started vomitting. But we kept pushing fluids and kept a fever from breaking through. She is now back to herself, took her awhile to get her energy back to 100%. we don't plan on going through that again any time soon!
So that was just the 1st and 2nd week of the month.

The next part is a fun happy part! The saturday after we got home, yes i know, i am crazy, a crazy animal lover.....we adopted a puppy from a local rescue group. he is now 12 weeks old, he is a lab/terrier mix but we think he's got a little bit of pitt in him too. His name is Murphy....Murphy Brown. I will post some pictures soon.

So now it's the end of the month, and we have been driving down to Sioux City everyday, since Tuesday. Chuck's grandpa Palmer "Gramps" isn't doing too great,they don't think he will have too much longer, unfortunately, so most of the family has been here during these past 3 days. we are praying hard that everything goes smoothly, whether that be with him making a recovery or with him making his way to heaven. He looks so peaceful right now, making him as comfortable as we are able to. we all love him so dearly, so please keep him in your prayers, and also for Nana, (grandma) as she struggles with possibly losing her life long friend, lover, and partner in crime =)

I'm going to leave it at that, as I'm now going to take my turn sitting with Gramps. We are looking forward to spring time here, which I'm sure everyone else is wishing for also! Take care!

Day in the Snow

2009-01-24T19:38:00.000-06:00

So....we had an awesome/gorgeous/fabulously warm day last week and we took advantage of it. I got home from work and asked Allison if she wanted to play in the snow and go sledding...and of course...I got a big squeal! Which I'm assuming meant YES! So we bundled her up and headed on out! Now, this may not be a big deal to most of you, but....this was Allison's first actually day out in the snow playing! It's been so frigid cold here that we've kept her in most of the winter, plus she had been fighting off a bad cold and cough...lasted about 4 weeks!

So, we were pretty excited to get outside. Here are a few photos from our day in the snow.

Throwing a snowball...you can see it in the top left corner of the photo!

Laughing after she hit me with the snowball!

Getting a ride in HER sled!

Rascal, our outdoor cat, decided to enjoy the sun while he watched us play in the snow!

Surviving!

2009-01-17T19:02:00.002-06:00

Yep, just doing it like everyone else, turning up a heat a bit, grabbing as many blankets as possible and staying inside! That's how we are managing the cold. We've had to manage staying warm a lot more than normal lately as our furnace has been on the fritz, won't stay lit, cold air just moving through the house. However, finally got it fixed today after dealing with it for over a week and a half. So I am extremely happy that it's fixed, even though we are suppose to have a warm up this next week. That'll be nice, it'll give us a break from using so much propane to heat the house.

Allison has finally gotten over her nasty cold and cough, lasted about 2 1/2 weeks!!! I was pretty sure she was going to have to visit the ER one night as she had a pretty high temperature, but managed to bring it down after staying up with her all night. So I'm glad that the sickness is gone from our home....at least for now! Seems almost everything has been through our house!

We are making some good progress with Allison and her potty training. As soon as the diapers run out it's onto the pull ups we purchased a few months back. So that will be a change for us and hopefully these go up and down easier for her! Oh yea, don't ya just love potty training talk!
Chuck has been working on ABC's and numbers with Allison. Still can't get her to do all the talking we would like her to do, but in part that's my fault for keeping that little thing called a "binky" around!!!

Not much else to update on. We survived the bitter cold and hoping that it doesn't return. Looking forward to maybe getting out into the snow with Allison the next few days....if there is anything left after our "heat wave".

Hope everyone survived the cold and is doing well!

Happy 50th Birthday!

2008-12-21T09:57:00.003-06:00

Happy birthday to an awesome Dad and incredible Grandpa! We love you so much!!!

Merry Christmas from the Palmers!

2008-12-17T20:44:00.003-06:00

This year I got a late start...well didn't start at all....on Christmas cards, so I'm doing a virtual Christmas Card this year! Thanks to technology these days! Don't ya love it?

The Palmer household has been quite busy this year, especially the last 2 to 3 months, as most of you know we purchased an acreage north of Akron, IA at the end of September. We've been busy making it our new home, lots of unpacking, but we finally got all settled in towards the end of October.

Chuck is still working for Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, MO. He works every weekend, leaves on a Friday and is normally home Sunday night. We miss him while he is gone during the weekend, but it is great to have him home for 5 days straight during the week. He has been keeping his eye out for the perfect job around the area, mainly looking in Sioux Falls and Sioux City. Pretty sure he enjoys being home with Allison during the week, he gets to spend a lot more time with her now since he is home during the week.

I'm now working at TJ's Country Store in Akron, yup, Dad and Mom's convenience store. Training to be a co-manager. This week the process sped up, as we had a few employees quit, so now I'm opening the store at 5:15 am....about 3 days a week. Quite the shock waking up at 4:15 every morning, but sure I'll get use to it. I enjoy serving the morning coffee club and being able to talk with people face to face. I'm looking into going back to school in the next year...would really like to get a degree in Photography, so we'll see how that goes.

And last but not least, Allison! She is quite the 2 year old. Just can't believe she is already 2! Allison recently has been enjoying going outside with Daddy to help do "outside work." Her newest favorite thing....Rascal....our cat. She received Rascal as an early birthday present, and he will double as a mouse/snake catcher. He is an outside cat, as Chuck is allergic to cats. She loves picking Rascal up and carrying him around outside, funny thing is, Rascal doesn't seem to mind. Allison also keeps busy chasing around Lucy, our corgi, and Kirby, our Aussie. With almost 11 acres to run around on....they take advantage of their time outside. Allison has also been enjoying being able to see Grandpa and Grandma almost everyday, as well as Aunt Katie!

That is really about all I have to write, don't want to keep everyone too long! We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a great New Years! Hope to see most of you on or around Christmas Day!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Taking our turn at being elves!

2008-12-08T22:14:00.001-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Back Into The Groove....

2008-12-02T14:30:00.002-06:00

So it's been a busy month or so. Getting all settled into the new place, finally! We have started with the Christmas decorations, Chuck put up the outdoor Christmas lights last week before taking off to Kansas City for the weekend. They are super bright....LEDs I guess. Can see the house a few miles away now! At least I won't miss my turn.

We had a great Thanksgiving, glad we were able to see everyone again. It's so great that our families can get together. Not many families can do this due to distance in between everyone. We only had 2 dinners this year, normally there were 4 dinners. So our travel was cut in half for the holiday. Plus it's easier to travel with us being so close now.

Allison is starting to talk a bit more. She's been working on I Love You and Bless You. She even babbles when we say grace before dinner, folds her hands too. We've babysat a few times for some friends, she loves helping me out with the babies. Quite the little helper.

I've started the Christmas shopping, actually started early November, to get a head start on things and spread it all out over the 2 months. We are hoping to set up the Christmas tree this week and start wrapping gifts.

I don't want to take up too much of everyone's time, just wanted to give a quick update. Our family is doing great. Can't wait to see everyone again at Christmas!

4th Picture in the 4th Folder

2008-11-02T22:15:00.006-06:00

I've been tagged by cousin Jessica. The rule is to post the 4th picture in the 4th folder. Here is my picture, it's one of Allison's Christmas photos from last year. Boy has she changed!!! Especially the hair! I tag Jon Paul, Jason & Chrissy, and MacKenzie.

Backyardigans Concert

2008-10-22T13:28:00.006-06:00

Allison enjoyed a trip to The Backyardigans Concert in Kansas City back on Sept. 28th, we had a blast dancing and watching the characters perform on stage! Allison also enjoyed humming the theme song and mimicking their actions. We weren't allowed to take photos during the show, but snuck a few in anyway!
Dancing to their theme song.

After the show we managed to get a picture of the two of us in front of the stage.

Look who turned 2!!!!

2008-10-13T19:41:00.000-06:00

Believe it or not, our Little Boo is 2!!! We had a great time celebrating with the family and catching up with everyone. Dora the Explorer was the theme this year! and Boots the monkey too!

Allison had a blast opening the presents, however, needed a break in the middle of it all. Afternoon parties don't go well with only a 45 minute nap. Note that for next year :D
Allison really liked the Barbie Trike from friends Austin, Desirae, and Khallie

Grandpa helping Allison open a few gifts.

Blowing out the birthday candles.

Allison also took her turn at photographing our guests.

We are so happy our little girl is becoming such a big girl! Can't wait for this next year to come along and experience new things with you!

D-Days Parade

2008-10-11T19:58:00.000-06:00

On this day we took a little drive to Vermillion, SD to enjoy the D-Days Parade put on by the University of South Dakota. Allison waited and waited for the parade to start and soon after it started she got to see her Grandpa and Grandma in the parade! They were in the parade b/c they got asked to drive their convertible for alumni from 1958. Anyways, so she was super excited to see Grandpa and Grandma.

It was a chilly day, but we were prepared. We got sprinkled on and eventually poured on! Don't you just love the rain...NOT! We saw lots of OLD cars and listened to about 15 marching bands. This parade was by far the longest parade I've ever been to, it took about 2 hours, start to finish!

This is by far my favorite picture of Allison from that day. It just really shows her personality, always smiling!!!

Professional Mouse Catcher---in training

2008-10-09T19:20:00.000-06:00

Meet the newest member of our family, Rascal the cat. He is currently training to become a professional mouse catcher for the Palmer Residence. Allison sure has attached to the new member, carrying him around and spoiling him. Hopefully he learns quick that he is an OUTSIDE mouse catcher and not an indoors one. And I hope I don't ever have to make him become an indoor one, MICE = YUCK!!!

Visit to the Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-05T19:28:00.002-06:00

Allison had her first visit to the pumpkin patch north of akron. She had a great time with her Grandma Bonnie. We ended up with about 8 pumpkins, big and small.
And in the wagon with all her pumpkins.

Here she is picking her first pumpkin out of the patch.

Allison also painted a little pumpkin....all blue. Scary huh?

Back In IOWA!!!

2008-10-02T09:23:00.002-06:00

Yippee!!! Yes we are finally back in Iowa! It took us a 26 foot penske truck and a 6x12 U-Haul trailer, and maybe another trailer(we had to leave a few things behind, they wouldn't fit) to get us here! We closed on Tuesday and started moving everything in shortly after that. We had some great help on both ends to help us load and unload everything. We appreciate all the help we received, if we didnt have it, we would still be unloading the truck!

I have started the unpacking process. The kitchen is practically finished, along with Allison's room, our bedroom and the bedroom. Our main pieces of furniture are set up, the tv (although we have no Sat. Service yet), the computer is on its way of being complete and much more. I'm looking forward to putting nail holes in the walls to hang all our family photos up to really make it our HOME!!

It's been busy and tiring, but glad that we are finally up here! Allison seems to be enjoying being so close to Grandpa and Grandma and Aunt Katie! Katie has helped us out everyday since we've been here, keeping Allison entertained while we set up house. Maybe she'll become our permanent babysitter? HEHE.

I just wanted to give an update, so there it is. We are without internet at our home so I came over to mom and dad's this morning to get on the computer and check my million emails I received in 3 days and email to friends back in Missouri.

I'll post a link to some photos once the house is really our home. Lots ahead of us to do!

Our new address is:

10894 K18 North
Akron, IA, 51001

A phone number is being set up, so we'll update when we get that! Hope everyone is doing well and maybe we see a few of you on the 12th for Allison's birthday party!!!

Shake your groove thing....

2008-09-23T11:35:00.002-06:00

Allison enjoyed watching the dance recital this past Saturday morning at the Raymore park for the Raymore Festival. I'm pretty sure she's going to be a dancer!

Cutest Curls in Raymore, MO

2008-09-23T11:22:00.002-06:00

We entered Allison into the annual Raymore Festival Baby Contest again this year. This year her award was "Cutest Curls" She didn't place in the top 3, but that's okay b/c our baby girl has the cutest curls! Anyways, just thought I'd share.

This will probably be my last blog as a "Missourian" Not sure I'll have any time to blog after today. We will be packing up what's left of this place the rest of the week, plus we have a birthday party to attend on Wednesday. So busy busy busy!

For those of you wondering, our garage sale went great, couldn't have asked for better weather! Sold quite a bit, and whatever I didn't get sold is being donated to the Girl Scout Troop that my neighbors girls are involved with. They are having a garage sale the 1st weekend of October, so glad that I don't have to pack up that stuff!

We ended up aquiring a little pet during the garage sale. One of our customers found a baby bunny on the doorstep! So she gave it to me....it was so cute!!! Took me back to the days where we would raise the wild bunnies that we happened to find in our backyard....probably b/c dad ran over the others with the lawn mower...i know poor things. So we debated in keepnig it, but it looked old enough to be able to survive on it's own (mommy won't want it back b/c it's got our scent on it). So we released it back into the wild...there is a thick pasture behind our place, perfect spot. I just couldn't imagine keeping it, through out this move and all, and plus I didn't want it to die in my care!! I'd feel horrible. Anyways, here is a photo of our little friend.

The Grizzly Man Diaries....

2008-09-13T18:41:00.003-06:00

So I've recently been watching "The Grizzly Man Diaries" on Animal Planet. It's a documentary of grizzly bear like in Katmai National Park in Alaska. I'm not sure exactly what brought me to push "record" on our DVR for this show, I guess I was just...curious. This guy, Timothy Treadwell, started studying the grizzly in Alaska in 1990. Unfortunately, his life ended in October of 2003 due to a bear attacking and killing him and his girlfriend. We are only on the 6th episode of this series, so I'm excited to watch what will be shown in the next episode and those after.

From what I'v read, Timothy Treadwell was an environmental activist and traveled throughout the US to educate children about grizzly bears. He also co wrote "Among Grizzlies: Living With Wild Bears in Alaska" and also created the documentary called "Grizzly Man" which was about his work with wildlife in Alaska (it aired on the Discovery Channel).

Anyways, just thought I'd entertain you all with whats been on our tv for the past month. Hope everyone is doing well.

Oh and I have now decided where our next vacation will be....not somewhere tropical but to Alaska. However, I need to do my research as in when is the best time to visit Alaska! If anyone has any tips/notes let me know!

What's been going on....

2008-09-10T14:11:00.002-06:00

Well, it's been awhile since I really posted something, so I figured I'd give someone a little bit to read in their free time.

We've been busy packing away! That's the main event right now. My neighbor, who is now a great friend, came over Monday to help me pack up a few things. We ended up getting tons accomplished! We didn't pack too many boxes maybe 10 at the most? But we did find enough knick knacks, clothes...and well...junk...that we will put in a garage sale. I wasn't going to do one, but I just have so much stuff, it'd be nice to get a few bucks out of it all, instead of just tossing or donating it (whatever doesn't sell, will be donated to the girl scouts garage sale and then whatever is left will go to goodwill). We filled 6 bags of clothing, found a lot of...unused items, books, decor, and plenty more!

Today we are working on the garage, getting it in order, so we can start moving boxes down there, instead of just leaving them scattered around the house...and well...in my way! I filled 3 more boxes for the garage sale and 2 bags full of garbage. Now if I can just get Chuck to let go of some of his old computer stuff that has been boxed up for 3 years now!!! Oh well, he'll have plenty of space to spread it all in "HIS" machine shed! :D haha. I think he's more of a pack rat than me.

Allison has been busy helping of course, putting books in boxes and "folding" clothes. We are planning a birthday party for her down here in Raymore, for our friends and family here. So she'll get one party a month early! We are starting to get into the terrible twos....it's not HORRIBLE, but she has her tantrums here and there. I think a lot of it is frustration b/c she can't communicate to mommy and daddy what she wants. So I'm hoping that one day soon, she'll just start forming sentences and talk like she's been talking since she was born!

Chuck starts his weekend shifts this coming weekend. Which will be nice b/c he'll be able to help with boxing/sorting and all of that during the week when he is off.

Our moving day is the 29th, we are hoping all of our stuff will fit on a 26 foot truck and into the bed of the silverado and whatever else into the jeep. Chuck is a little worried, but I think we'll be able to cram it all in.

On the 28th we are doing our last "hoorays" down here. Chuck and his brother Brett will be going to the big Nascar race at the Kansas Speedway and Allison and I will be heading to "The Backyardigans Live" concert at the Midland Theatre here in KC.

Anyways, I've probably given you enough to read about for awhile. I'll try to update at least one more time before we move and then hopefully (if we have internet service) a blog will arrive shortly after we get all moved into the new house.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Happy Birthday!

2008-08-31T14:22:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday to the greatest Mother and Grandmother!!! We love you so much and hope you enjoyed your day! We miss you!

Congrats!!!

2008-08-23T21:00:00.001-06:00

Congrats to the newly weds, Doug and Allison White!!!! It was such an awesome thing to witness, two people so IN LOVE!!! And the reception was also a blast!!! Congrats!! And we wish you only the best in the years to come!

Happy Anniversary!!!

2008-08-20T13:48:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to wish a Happy Anniversary to a wonderful couple, Jon and Heidi!!! We were thinking about you on this special day! Miss you both!!!

Happy Birthday Katie!!!

2008-08-14T19:37:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to wish Katie a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY on her 22nd!!! Hope it was a good one!!!

So you might have heard.....

2008-08-11T18:08:00.002-06:00

We bought a house....yup we sure did!! Not in Missouri though, but back in Iowa!!! I know, total excitement right!?!? So we had talked and talked about it, about moving back to Iowa, but just never really followed through, until....we came across an acreage north of Akron (where Mom and Dad are living now) and thought that it would be a great place to live, raise Allison and any other kids that may come along the way.

We don't close until the 1st of October (Our 3rd wedding anniversary, i know, that's one heck of a anniversary gift!) However, not what I would like to be doing on our anniversary....would rather be going out to dinner or something of that sort.

So the packing process has begun...little by little I'm finding things that I didn't really know we had or remembered having it? I suppose that happens to everyone though? I can't believe how much stuff we have! Of course...MOST of it has a purpose....the other things...well I think I'm going to have a garage sale here in a month or so!

Chuck will continue working for Children's Mercy for the time being, until he gets his Paramedic certification. So he'll work his 2 shifts in KC and then be home Monday through Friday afternoon. Which will be nice.

I am planning on working for Dad at TJ's Country Store.....this will be my first real job since I was a Nanny almost 2 1/2 years ago! But I think it'll be nice to have some of my own time and let Allison play with her Daddy all day!

Allison will enjoy going to the Children's Center of Akron (their daycare) partime. Hopefully just Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays.....and she'll have tons of fun with Grandpa and Grandma! Since we'll only live like 5 to 10 minutes away from them. We'll also be not too far from Chuck's mom, Bonnie, who lives in Fonda. So that will make our weekend or weekday trips over to Fonda much easier...a big cut in travel time!

Well anyways, not much else to say....there are photos of the house and acreage on our Picasa Web Album...so just click the link that says "Our Photos" and you'll see them. Hope everyone is doing well and we will see most of you on the 23rd for Doug and Allie's Wedding!

A day at the farm....

2008-08-08T18:35:00.006-06:00

Today we spent our time at the Deanna Rose Farmstead in Overland Park, KS. This was our first visit there, many of our friends/coworkers have told us to take Allison there, so we finally did. Allison had a ton of fun petting all the farm animals....she especially loved feeding the little goats a bottle of milk....so much that we had to do 2 bottles...we could have done 3 or 4!!! We got to see Pippi the dairy cow and her baby, Stormy, who was born in May I believe...during a storm....lol, hence the name Stormy. We saw some stinky pigs and a few chickens and roosters. There was even a bobcat in a cage...actually 2 of them, but one was sleeping. Allison took a ride on a pedal tractor....assisted by Daddy of course. Needless to say we saw tons of farm animals! My favorite part was the hayride. We were able to see quite a few wild deer while on the trail, so that was nice to see...since it wasn't a planned "exhibit". Yes, we see them all the time..running across the highway or laying along it. There was just something so awesome about it...maybe just how close we were to them and they just stood there. There were a few mamas and their babies, still with white spots on their backs. It's hard to believe that in the middle of a big city, that in a small little grove a little clan of deer just lay/stand there, oh so peaceful. Anyway, we are all tuckered out from our big day...well except for Allison, she is just full of energy. We are watching the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, pizza delivery is on the way. Looking forward to a quiet evening at home. I'll leave you with a video of Allison feeding the goats....actually 2 videos...I couldn't pick which one was more cute!

Take a look at our photos from the day by clicking the link "Our Photos" on the left.

Another trip to Tunnel Voyage

2008-08-04T19:19:00.003-06:00

We made another trip to Tunnel Voyage today....a building just filled with tons of tunnels of course! Along with us this time was our neighbor's little girl, Miley, she is 5, so ALlison had a great time chasing her around the whole place.
Chuck and I even got into the tunnels this time and chased the girls around. The tunnels claimed a button off of my back pocket...a new pair of bermudas that I just got 2 weeks ago...bummer, I know.

Straight to you from Missouri Valley!

2008-07-26T08:53:00.002-06:00

Good Morning and happy weekend...well for most of you. I am writing this blog for all of you to read from the Super 8 Motel in Missouri Valley, IA! Why are we in Missouri Valley at the Super 8, you ask? Well b/c my little Jeep Liberty (only a 2002) decided that it wanted to blow it's water pump and strand us at the Mondamin exit on I-29 for 2 hours! It took us about an hour to find a towing service to come and get us and bring us back to Mo. Valley.

We were headed back up to Akron, to do a few things and visit the family. We were originally going to leave from home this morning to head up north, but Chuck said he didn't mind if we left last night, just as long as I drove part of the trip. Well....I made it to Mondamin....we only had somewhere around 75 miles to go.

So anyways, the jeep is now being worked on at the dealership just a block away from the motel. They say it should be done around 11:30 this morning. So hopefully we'll be on our way north here in just a few short hours.

I'm just glad that it wasn't anything else, but man....they sure do charge a heck of a lot to fix vehicles these days!

Hope everyone else's beginning of the weekend started out better than ours. I'm determined to make this a GREAT trip now.

I better go now, Chuck went over to get us some Burger King for breakfast! YUM, biscuits and gravy, probably the only good about the jeep breaking down.

Have a great weekend everyone! Hopefully we'll have some better news by next week!

Happy Birthday Uncle Jonny!!!

2008-07-16T22:00:00.001-06:00

Happy 26th Birthday to a great brother and uncle! We Love You!!!

Gone Fishin.....

2008-07-10T21:01:00.004-06:00

Pick a fish, any fish.

We spent part of our Monday at a local lake feeding the fish. Tons of them as you can see. Allison enjoyed her first visit to the lake to do this, we went through 4 ziploc bags of fish food to achieve all of the fun we had! Not only did Allison get to feed all of the fish, but she was able to feed many many ducks and geese! We had a great time watching Allison feed all the animals. I'm sure this will be another thing to add to our list of fun things to do that are cheap and close by!

Back Home

2008-07-03T11:52:00.002-06:00

So our family finally made it back to Kansas City after a long 2 weeks in Iowa. We had a great time with our family while we were at our White Family week at Camp Okoboji. The weather was just gorgeous, not as hot and sticky as it was last year and the years before.

Allison enjoyed meeting her cousin MacKenzie again. They warmed up to each other a day after they arrived and had fun playing with bubbles, going up and down the steps, playing dora and diego and many many more activities.

I don't have much more to write about, as many of you already know what happened at our week at camp.

We are now trying to hold down our fort as the neighbor kids shoot off their fireworks at all hours of the day. I'll be glad when it's all over but am looking forward to the city's 4th of July firework display. We've "doped" our dogs up with Benadryl to help keep them calm as they are very scared of the sound of fireworks.

We are looking forward to heading back up to Iowa to help Mom and Dad with the sweet corn, bagging, freezing, etc. And eating of course! Hopefully we'll be able to get up there the middle of July, then we'll be back to the Newell area in August for Dough and Allie's BIG DAY!

Hope everyone made it home alright. It was great seeing everyone! Already looking forward to next year!

I'm attempting to upload all the photos from the week at Okoboji, so check back later today or tomorrow on our Picasa Web Album....the link is to the left...somewhere!

Take Care!

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T09:58:00.004-06:00

Happy Father's Day to all you Dad's out there! Hope that you all enjoy your day and that your wife doesn't put you to work, like I have done to my husband! Yes, Chuck is outside pressure washing the deck!! But, he is enjoying it, as the pressure washer was his Father's Day gift! So it's not like I'm making him do it! But I am going to make him mow the lawn today before it rains! Hey, this is his only day off since Thursday (too busy for mowing then) and he won't get another chance to mow until Friday morning, before we head out on our 12 day vacation to Iowa!!!

So the deck is Chuck's new project of course, here are some befores and afters!
Starting out:

Getting a little further:

Not completely done, but a nice section all clean!

The FURminator!!!

2008-06-14T09:49:00.000-06:00

No, that is not a little kitten all curled up in a ball....that is our dog's hair!!! Yes, Lucy sheds quite a bit and we have never been able to calm the shedding down, even with all the shampoos and such that are out in the pet stores these days. So we traveled to Petco the other day, our objective was to get training collars, (aka bark collars) and stumbled across the FURminator comb for pets. I've noticed these combs before but have been skeptical about them, along with the price. However, we have heard some awesome reviews and a friend of mine has this comb and recommends it. So anyways, they had a special, you buy the comb and get the "special spray" for free. SO we bought the cheapest comb.

The picture above is Lucy's 3rd brushing!!! We filled a plastic sack full of hair the other night!!!
So, I'm hoping this will take care of all the hair I keep finding worn into my carpet, bedspreads, pillows(lucy sleeps on our pillows while we are gone) and everything else that attracts dog hair! We've also noticed that her hair isn't as coarse as it was before....it is OH SO SOFT!!!

Can't believe this product worked so well!

15 Days and COUNTING!!!!

2008-06-07T19:22:00.002-06:00

Are you ready?!?! No REALLY!!! Are you ready for......CAMP OKOBOJI 2008 with the WHITE FAMILY!!!! Well you better be!!!

I suppose you all can tell that I am super excited about our awesome week at Camp with Grandma and the family!!! I'm pretty sure there will be some awesome memories made this year, as every year there are some really memorable moments...like singing the National Anthem for the Championship round of the Bean Bag Toss game!! What was your favorite memory!?!?!

We are hoping that everyone will get to Camp for at least a day or so to enjoy the quietness (well sometimes) of being at Camp Okoboji with family (however I did hear that Mini-Boji will be going on while we are there, just honk your horn....and maybe...just maybe they will get out of your way and walk on the grass) HAHA!

Pool Days have begun!

2008-05-27T18:42:00.002-06:00

Our swimming days began on Sunday as it was close to 90 degrees all day, Allison and I ventured over to Grandma and Grandpa Palmer's house to take a dip in the pool. It was quite a shock getting into the pool, but quickly (but not quick enough) became use to the chilly water......plus it felt good as the sun beat down upon us!

Allison enjoyed throwing diving sticks and rings into the pool for her Aunt Sydney to retrieve and also enjoyed splashing in her little wading pool off to the side of the big pool.

It seemed as though no one thought to put sunblock on until it was too late....we all ended up quite red...except for Allison....as she was all lathered up with the 60 spf about every 45 minutes!!! SHe did however get a little red on her scalp as she hates wearing her ball cap!

Looking forward to many more days in the sun and water! It has begun....yes it has....so grab your beach towels and have a great time!!!

World's Of Fun!!!

2008-05-24T18:35:00.000-06:00

Today, Allison and I headed to north Kansas City to World's of Fun with Chuck's step mom and sister. His sister, Sydney, is involved with a dance studio and they were performing this afternoon at "tivoli"

Allison met Snoopy and Lucy, from Charlie Brown. Our plans were to go to Camp Snoopy...Snoopyland, so Allison could ride a few rides, but by the time we arrived at that destination she was asleep in her stroller. Grandma stayed with Allison while I took Sydney on some big kid rides, then I ventured off to "The Patriot" which is a super awesome ride....went on it twice it was so fun, however, wasn't feeling the greatest after the 2nd time....as we had eaten a huge mid afternoon meal!! But luckily, I didn't have to visit the bathrooms for that!!!

We had a super exciting day, wish that Chuck could have been there with us (he was working) but was fun to just have a girls day!!!

Allison with her Aunt Sydney and Snoopy and Lucy

Update:.....It's been awhile!!! hehe

2008-05-20T14:16:00.003-06:00

So....yea, it's been awhile....as I've seen it's been awhile since a few other bloggers have blogged!!!

Spring has finally arrived as the weather is now a lot warmer!!! We are suppose to reach the 90s this weekend, however, next week will be quite a rainy week I hear.

I have just a few updates:
The first one is about the baby cardinals.....unfortunately they didn't make it. We had some very strong winds the day before Mother's Day. The winds tossed the hanging basket around and it ended up crashing to the ground....woke up to 3 broken eggs and no mommy bird in sight. I guess there will always be next year. Since the incident I have only seen the male cardinal around just a few times....maybe I'll try to put out some more bird feed to get them to come back???

Allison is now a whopping 19 months old. She sure is growing, I think we are getting into the terrible twos a tad bit early! We are working on socializing with other kids and just starting the potty training business. It's hard to imagine that she'll be 2 this fall!!! Her favorite food continues to be spaghetti and meat sauce...I love it too, just not the mess afterwards!

Chuck told me I needed to blog about our flowers again this year! He planted about 12 pots of flowers for me a few weeks back for Mother's Day! They look gorgeous as you pull into our driveway! We finally got our solar lamps into the ground as well....they light up the flower bed just right!!!

Hmm...what else?!?! With the warm weather here, we pulled out Allisons new swimming pool and set it up last night. She sure enjoys it....she wanted to get into it last night even though the water was rather cold. We spent our afternoon outside, playing in the pool, the water was a lot warmer after sitting in the morning sun.

We are super excited to go to camp again this year! We are hoping that everyone can make it.....I know it will be a blast, especially with the tournament!!! I shall remember my video camera this year, just in case....someone does something crazy!!!

Okay, well there is our family update. Not sure how often I'll be blogging over the summer, with being outside with Allison and possibly taking up a few college courses. hopefully I'll drop a few updates here and there! Until then.....

Outdoor Fun!!!

2008-04-29T17:22:00.005-06:00

With the weather becoming warmer and warmer as the days come and go (with the exception of last weeks cold weather) we figured we'd better get some outdoor toys for Allison to climb on....so here she is enjoying her new climber and slide.

Bird Watching....

2008-04-29T17:09:00.007-06:00

Yea I know...can be sometimes pretty boring....but it's the exact opposite as you walk through our back door.....a hanging plant....which holds a nest...but not just any nest...
a cardinal's nest!! Pretty darned exciting if you ask me....that this momma...or soon to be momma cardinal chose my hanging flower pot as the nest where she will lay...(which she did) her eggs and hatch them!! Then we get to hear the chirp chirp of baby cardinals at all hours of the day! (pretty exciting, just as long as it's not at 5am!)

Spring is indeed here...even if it doesn't feel like it! Look for updates on Momma Red and her 3 offspring to come....trying to get photos of Papa red but he doesn't like me very much!

Home from Panama

2008-04-17T13:17:00.003-06:00

We are home...yes we arrived home Monday evening from our AWESOME trip to Panama! We wish we could have stayed longer, we enjoyed the weather and seeing Jon and Heidi so much! But, of course...work calls, as Chuck had to return back to work.

We enjoyed seeing all the sights of Panama City, it wasn't what we were truely expecting....Chuck has been telling everyone that there is a lot of America, but that probably b/c there was an American presence in Panama for many years.

Our trip included: visiting Heidi and her 4th grade classroom, which Allison had a ton of fun listening to the students read, we also toured the Panama Canal, Ancon Hill, a beach that was about 1 1/2 hrs from Jon and Heidi's home (can't remember the name of it), and we also explored the local market and picked up some souvenirs. I must say that we really had an awesome time and can't wait to go back!!! (maybe we'll try to go every year? if they'll have us that is)

We headed to the airport on Monday morning (early) and prepared for a long day in the air and airports. We were happy to be home after a very very long day of traveling! We have uploaded photos from the trip on our Picasa Web Album...just click the link that says photos and you can check them out!

The downside about coming home....is coming home to the little messes that were left behind, a bit of laundry here and there, dust, dog hair, etc! So yesterday was my "catch up" day, as I did about 5 loads of laundry, cleared out the dishwasher...and reloaded it, and sucked up all the dog hair/dust with my handy dandy vacuum cleaner!!

After all that work was done, Allison and I headed outside to play in such awesome weather.
Today is suppose to be a bit rainy....and Chuck just informed me that it is starting to sprinkle.

I suppose I should continue my day picking up odds and ends around the house. Hope everyone is enjoying the warmer weather...for now!

Greetings from Panama!

2008-04-10T08:46:00.004-06:00

Hey everyone, we have got some down time this morning, Jon is at a meeting for work and Heidi is at work/school also. So I figured I'd give everyone an update on our trip, even though it's our first full day here.

Yesterday was a pretty easy day of travel, even though we had 3 different flights, starting out at 6:40am with our first flight....I had to be up at 2:45 to get up, showered, get the other two up and then pack up the jeep and head to the airport (which is a 45 minute drive from our house). We ended up leaving 25 minutes later than planned but made it to the airport and got on our first flight. Allison slept through most of the plane ride on our way to Memphis. We then went from Memphis to Houston, which was a different story. Allison was just so busy, we colored, watched a Backyardigans DVD, then she finally crashed about 10 minutes before landing. We had a nice 2 hour lay over in Houston, which gave us time to eat a late lunch and wear Allison out a little bit, as we let her walk through the airport instead of riding in the stroller. I recently made a purchase of a little teddy bear that attaches to Allison (like wearing a backpack) and then there is a rope (the tail of the animal) which I had a hold of. I would highly recommend this item to anyone with a toddler!!!!

We finally made it to Panama (after sitting on the tarmac for 20 minutes waiting for our gate to free up) and were greeted by Jon and Heidi at the entrance to the airport around 8pm.
We grabbed a late dinner and headed to the grocery store to purchase some diapers, juice, milk and baby powder for Allison. (the baby powder will hopefully keep moisture off of Allison and me as I've already used some this morning)

It is GORGEOUS here from what I have seen. The weather is a bit on the humid side (something we aren't use to as of right now, since it's been a bit chilly in KC lately), but we are enjoying it all so far! We will visit Heidi's classroom later today and maybe go to a shopping center (so if you want a t-shirt, now is the time to let me know, haha!) I think we will see the Panama Canal tomorrow. I'll try to update while we are here!!

Panama....HERE WE COME

2008-04-06T16:32:00.004-06:00

So....3 days left til our big trip down south to Panama City to visit Jon and Heidi (and Sophie too)!!! We are pretty excited about going, we've been wanting to take a lil vacation, so Panama is going to be our destination this year.

I've been fretting (like I did last year before our vacation to Jamaica) for the past few weeks, making lists to make sure I have everything packed for everyone, mainly Allison. The nice thing for this trip, is that there are stores that carry the things we use, like diapers! So thankfully we don't have to take up so much space in one of the suitcases just for diapers! Chuck told me I was crazy b/c I started packing the suitcases on Friday. I do this so I can review what I'm taking/not taking, plus I'm just that excited about going, I think that packing my suitcase will bring our leaving day faster!

I'm not sure exactly what we'll be doing down there....Jon and Heidi have come up with a few things that we'll do....I'm pretty sure we'll be doing some sight seeing and we are headed to a beach (2 hrs away from jon and heidi's house) on Saturday....so we'll get to set foot in the ocean!!

This will be Allison's 2nd trip by air....and we are a little nervous about how she'll handle it, she was pretty easy last year, but she was just a lil thing then. Now she is just all over, so hopefully (crossing our fingers)she'll behave. It'll be a 12 hour day of flying/lay overs/etc for us, wooftah!

We leave Wednesday and arrive back here in Kansas City the following Monday. Hopefully our air travel goes smoothly!!! Be on the look out for photos of our trip next week!

First Zoo Trip of the Season

2008-04-05T16:51:00.003-06:00

Today we made our first trip to the zoo for the year of 2008! It was a gorgeous day here, lower 70s, even though there was a breeze, it just felt awesome to get out and do something! Allison's Aunt Sydney also came with us, which she was a big help holding Allison's hand when she wasn't in the stroller and just showing her all the different animals, while I manned the camera!
We also became Friends of The Zoo today, we made a donation and now we have a membership to the zoo, so I imagine we'll be going quite a few times this spring/summer/fall. Check out our pictures from the zoo by clicking the link for Allison's photo to the left. Here is a photo of Allison on the carousel at the zoo!

My First Easter Egg Hunt!!

2008-03-23T12:33:00.003-06:00

My very first Easter Egg Hunt!!! The Easter Bunny hid all my eggs and candy in Great Grandma's basement on Easter Sunday!!! I had a blast looking under pillows, cushions, tables and on chairs for all my eggs! I ended up with quite the basket full, only to find out Grandma & Grandpa pretended to be the Easter bunny, and hid more eggs (with money in them for college) upstairs and in Great Grandma's bedroom! I had a great time seeing my great aunts and great uncle on Easter. (I was sad I didn't get to see uncle mike) I also got to meet Dylan for the very first time and boy....was he a flirt!!!

MY SECOND EASTER EGG HUNT

I got to have a second Easter egg hunt while visiting my Grandma Bonnie in Fonda. I shared my eggs with my "cousin" Trevor, I even put some of my eggs in his basket! We had to bundle up though, as it started to get colder later on in the day! But at least I didn't have to wear a snowsuit and snow boots, right!?!?!? I had a fun time finding all the eggs in the yard while my great aunts and great uncles watched, as well as daddy's cousins and grandma bonnie.

I hope you all found your Easter eggs this year! Mommy said that I had to share the candy with her...I suppose that's okay, just as long as I get all the M&Ms.

Happy Easter and Happy Spring!

2008-03-14T14:36:00.001-06:00

Spring is Here.....

2008-03-12T14:29:00.002-06:00

well...almost! We enjoyed an afternoon in the backyard, as temps once again reached the upper 60s and lower 70s this past week. Allison had a blast chasing Lucy and Kirby around in the backyard, while Daddy manned the 'pooper scooper' and I was the lucky one with the camera!

We really can't believe that our little 7lb 10 oz baby girl will be 17 months old tomorrow!!! She is quite the lil sprout, continuing to grow and learn new things everyday!

Bath Time Fun

2008-03-11T14:24:00.000-06:00

Room to run....

2008-03-10T14:07:00.000-06:00

Back on February 15th, Allison enjoyed having plenty of room to run and play in our living room, as we moved out our furniture, to make room for a sectional. So she had a full day and a half to play.
She had this one spot she'd always go to sit at!

Bad Hair Day????

2008-03-07T20:04:00.000-06:00

Tunnel Voyage!!

2008-03-07T19:56:00.004-06:00

Today we spent our afternoon at Tunnel Voyage (formally known as Tunnel Town in Lee's Summit, MO) We had a great time there today, it was a great outting for the 3 of us and Allison loved being able to run around the whole place. She was pretty hesitant going down slides and didn't like going down by herself, so of course...Mommy went down with her on the big slide. Chuck and I also got our exercise climbing through all the tunnel (adults are actually allowed in the tunnels!) I have to say, my knees are hurting pretty good tonight from all the crawling I had to do!

Anyways, Allison also saw one of her favorite animals today at a local farm and garden store (Orschelns). She was able to view about 20 baby ducks!!! She also saw about 100 baby chickens too! She loved just pointing at them all and peering over the edge of their "container". We can't wait until it gets warm enough for us to go to the zoo!!!

Here's another photo of Allison at Tunnel Voyage playing on the bongo drums.

Out & About

2008-03-03T12:00:00.002-06:00

Sunday was a funfilled day as the weather was great (until late afternoon) it reached 72 degrees here! We headed out to "The Legends at Village West" shopping center near the Kansas City Speedway to enjoy the weather. Our first stop was Dave & Buster's, a favorite of ours. The food is great (especially their warm powdered sugar donut holes for dessert!) and the atmosphere is just so fun. This is b/c it's a huge arcade!! After about 2 hours at Dave & Busters, we headed out to shop, by this time, it had gotten...rather chilly and was starting to mist. We stopped in at a few shops, mainly for Allison, as we were checking out spring and summer clothes for her and we also made a stop at Chuck's Aunt LuAnn's candy shop...."Palmer Candies and Ice Cream." We were surprised to see his 2 cousins, Heather and Michelle, at the store, as they are both in college and live pretty busy college lives! So we were glad that we got to see them, especially since they've only seen Allison maybe once or twice.

Well that was really our Sunday. I wish the 72 degree weather would come back! It's cold out today, the rain that puddled in our yard yesterday, froze over night. So at least it's not a muddy mess....for now anyway.

Here is a photo of Allison while we were at Dave & Buster's, wearing her new sunglasses.

Future Communications Queen

2008-02-29T19:26:00.003-06:00

Allison sure loves talking on the phone...or should I say phones? Just a picture to show you she is quite the "communications queen" or as Chuck would say, possibly a future employee at Children's Mercy Hospital in the Communications Center (where they take calls from another hospitals needing transports). Here she has a none working phone, a working phone and my Skype headset!
She was quite the talker that night with Grandma Jenn. Trying to get her to say Grandma but all she would try saying was Papa.

Grandpa & Me

2008-02-26T13:25:00.002-06:00

(I just realized the photo was blurry, but oh well)

This past weekend, Allison and I headed up to Iowa for a short weekend trip to see Grandpa and Grandma Heisterkamp. Chuck was scheduled to work all weekend, so he couldn't come with us. We decided to head up north when we found out that Grandpa & Grandma weren't going to be able to visit us down here in Raymore before Easter (the next time we go back to Iowa) so we went to see them instead.

Anyway, so most of you know, Dad and Mom now own a gas station in Akron, call TJ's I believe, so we spent a lot of time there, as Grandpa was working quite a bit!

Allison enjoyed sitting on Grandpa Tony's lap during morning coffee on Saturday with the late crowd(10ish). She really had a fun time racing around and down every isle and hiding from us. She also was a greeter to the customers coming into the store, and waved goodbye to them as they left. We now know where Allison will be spending her summers and what type of summer job she will have....right Mom and Dad??? haha.

So, here is that blurry photo (sorry) of Allison and Grandpa talking during the "coffee hour"

So Peaceful....

2008-02-20T17:15:00.002-06:00

Allison finally conked out at 5pm! She has had quite a day of running around. We went to the early service for church today and we ended up having to leave b/c she was so cranky! She had a lil snack and some milk and out she went. She was laying another direction, but finally got comfy in this spot.

Our Family.

2008-02-18T22:32:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to share our family photo with everyone. We took this photo back in December, so I guess it is our Christmas photo?? Hope everyone is doing well.

Here is the video I promised....

2008-02-12T21:46:00.004-06:00

Allison dancing at the Sioux City Musketeers hockey game. Don't you think the song just matches with her?!?!? haha.

Not that innocent!!!

Visit with Great Grandma

2008-02-06T10:03:00.000-06:00

Allison got to visit her Great Grandma last weekend while we were in Iowa. She was a tad bit shy though, and didn't want to sit on Grandma's lap very long, but long enough for me to snap this picture. By the way Grandma if you are reading this, you are looking really good!!!! Hope all is well with everyone!

Allison's very First Muskies Game!!

2008-02-02T10:55:00.000-06:00

Friday we were able to attend a Sioux City Musketeers game while we were visiting Mom and Dad. Dad had class in Ft. Dodge this weekend, so it was just Chuck, Mom, Allison and I that went to the game.
At first, Allison wasn't sure where she was exactly, but once the music started playing, she was up dancing. She also had a fun time watching the mascots out on the ice in between periods.

The Muskies played the Waterloo Blackhawks and beat them 4 goals to 1!!!! It was an awesome game and we had a blast. We took this photo with Chuck's cell phone, as we once again forgot our camera!!!! (it's so big, just really don't want to haul it around, I need one I can slip in my pocket, like a cell phone, lol)

We also got video of her dancing on Chuck's cell phone, I just need to get it from him, so check back in a day or two and hopefully I'll have it uploaded on here.
We are packing up our things this morning, as we head to Fonda to Chuck's mother's house for the rest of the weekend, then we head back to KC on Monday. Just a quick trip home, but much needed as we've missed our families since Christmas time and of course, they've missed us, especially Allison!!!

Hope everyone is doing well and staying warm!

What's for dinner???

2008-01-29T21:33:00.000-06:00

SPAGHETTI!!!!!!

Can you see the spaghetti sauce in her ears?!?!?

Then came bath time!!

hope you enjoyed this as much as we did tonight!!!

Little Climber!!!!

2008-01-23T11:45:00.000-06:00

Step One:

Grab a hold of the arm of the sofa

Step Two:
Pull up and lean over....head over heels or is it heels over head?

Step Three:
Get back into a good stable position and smile at mommy while she snaps the picture

Step Four:
Run back and forth on the couch screaming and giggling the whole time!

So this is what our lil Allison has been up to lately, luckily no hard falls as of now, couple close calls but it's all a bunch of fun for her!!!

Praying hard

2008-01-07T19:34:00.000-06:00

Our continued prayers for Grandma as she continues to have problems with all that fluid!!! We love you Grandma! Get well soon!!!

Warm weather headed our way??

2008-01-04T09:26:00.001-06:00

Not sure if this will be the same scenario for everyone else, but the weather man has forecasted for SUnday.....a high of 61!!!! Whoot Whoot!!! Will be a wonderful weekend here!!

Happy 2008!!!

2008-01-04T09:09:00.001-06:00

So I'm a few days late, but we've been busy busy bees lately. We are finally getting back into our groove here at home. Christmas was wonderful this year....we spent Christmas Day here at home and had Chuck's mother and brother over for dinner and gifts. Then on the 26th we headed up towards mom and dad's for a week long stay. Our little vacation started off with a lot of driving, as Chuck and I drove up to Minneapolis to the airport to pick up Jon and Heidi. They had arrived around 10:30pm, so it was a late night....I believe we got home around 3am? Then on the 28th, we had our family Christmas after Dad arrived home from work. Had a wonderful time opening gifts and being with our family. Allison really enjoyed the gifts, especially her new Radio Flyer wagon....with huge wheels!!! She also had a great time getting reaquainted with her Uncle Jon and Aunt Heidi. Saturday morning led us to SIoux City for a quick stop at Chuck's (step) grandparents home, while on our way to the Heisterkamp Christmas in Onawa. Seems they are doing well and keeping healthy. Again, we had a splendid time in Onawa, doing the gift exchange, eating soup and playing BINGO!!! It was a late night again, and it was hard to wake up on Sunday for 9am service. After church, a few of us piled into Mom's cadillac and drove to Storm Lake to see Grandma White in the hospital. She looked great considering the last time I had seen her was after her surgery, into the 1st week of December. Still praying for her to make a full recovery and get back on her feet and to her usual daily happenings!

New Years Eve, we headed to the Sioux City Musketeers Hockey game. Unfortunately, they lost, but had a great time, as this is the 1st year Chuck and I have been together and gone out on New Years since 2004. We arrived home earlier than expected, but stayed up til after 11pm, watched the ball drop in Times Square and called it a night.

Here is the best part, on New Years Day, we all went sledding....the whole family!!! Except Allison, she fell asleep in the truck on the way to the sledding hill/road, so she stayed in the truck the whole time. Unfortunately, sledding was cut short, as Mom and Jon headed down the hill, mom somehow twisted her ankle under the sled and down they went. She was in quite a bit of pain and after a visit to the ER in Vermillion, the outcome was a broken ankle!!! Can you believe that Mom broke something?!?!? First Dad with his arm, now Mom with her ankle?!?!? Luckily, no cast for her, they just put her in a boot on Wednesday. So hopefully she gets the hang of the thing before they head to Peru later this month for their mission trip.

Wednesday our little family headed back home to Raymore. It's great to be home. Suitcases are unpacked....well mine is anyway, and all the presents are put away. I started taking the Christmas ornaments off the tree yesterday, so now we just have a pine cone covered tree in our living room.

Oh and I must add this, I went into Walmart back on the 29th, on our way back to mom and dad's from Onawa....and can you believe they already have Valentine's Day stuff put out!!!! Crazy!!!!

Well, I added tons of pictures to our online album, the link is to the right, so check 'em out!!! Hope everyone had a great Christmas and safe New Years!!! Looking forward to this June....only 6 short months away until we all head to Okoboji!!!

Horse Drawn Carriage Ride

2007-12-22T18:20:00.000-06:00

On the 19th, we headed to the Plaza in Kansas City for a fun night in town. Our first stop was to the horse drawn carriages. There were 11 of us total.....6 adults, 2 8/9 yr olds, a 2 yr old and 2 one year olds. It was really a wonderful time and so glad we got to spend some time with our friends and Chuck's dad and his family. We were lucky weather wise as it reached almost 40 degrees that day....so there was just a little chill in the air around 6pm, when our carriage ride took place. Here is a photo of Allison and her friend Dawson sitting in the carriage.

You can find more photos from our carriage ride on the link that says PHOTOS just to the right.
After the carriage ride, we headed to a restaurant called "fritz's" It is a pretty neat place. You place your order through a phone and then a train brings your order to you. The kiddos had such a blast watching the trains go back and forth on the tracks above. Sorry we didn't have the camera in the restaurant, so no pictures for you all. But I'm sure we will go back soon, as it was very resonably priced and very kid friendly!

Logan, the Sky Angel Cowboy!

2007-12-17T20:55:00.001-06:00

So, Mom told me about this one, and not sure if you have all seen/listened to this. Love you all!

Busy Bees

2007-12-13T18:28:00.001-06:00

Well today it was just us girls again, as Chuck is working a 10am shift today, which means he gets off at 10pm. He works the same thing tomorrow and then he's off for a day. Which is good, b/c we have his work Christmas Party on Saturday and that is always fun to go to.
We actually got worried we weren't going to be able to go b/c we couldn't find a sitter for Allison. We don't have any sitters b/c we've never had to have one! But it turned out that Chuck's dad and step mom are able to sit for us. So a big WHEW there.

So today was my cleaning day and laundry day. I can't believe how many dirty clothes 2 adults (one who wears a work uniform 3 or 4 days a week) and a 1 year old! I am currently on my 5th load of laundry today. Crazy. I also got the major cleaning done, except mopping (i hate mopping) and managed to bake about 65 Christmas Sugar Cookies. Don't ask me why I baked them, maybe just to have them around, but then I remembered we have to take something to our party this weekend, so guess what we are taking?!?!?! COOKIES! So hopefully I won't eat too many tomorrow! ( i set a few aside for us)

I've also been itching to start sewing. I bought Cousin Kristi's old sewing machine, which isn't old at all....a year maybe? So I've been looking and looking for things to do. I realized that I've been wanting heavy curtain panels in our living room...currently we only have blinds on the windows. With all this cold weather we can feel a draft coming through the windows and I know that the landlords aren't planning on replacing the windows just for us, so I'm now looking for patterns for curtains and some nice heavy fabric...that's isn't extremely expensive.

Sounds like we are going to get about 3 to 4 inches of snow this weekend....they say 100% chance we'll get it Saturday. Now just to find some snow boots for Allison! We haven't been out to play yet (we had snow, it's now melted) So I'm kind of looking foward to the snow this weekend.

Anyway, not much else happening here in Missouri. We didn't lost power like a lot of Missouri residents did, so very happy that we didn't have to go through that. A lot of them still don't have power!!! My heart goes out to them and their families. Hope everyone is surviving the cold!

Let it Snow Let it Snow Let it Snow

2007-12-08T17:32:00.000-06:00

So...it's snowing!!!! For some, snow is something that makes the road conditions really bad, makes you have to scrape your windows in the morning (if you park outside) and of course, it means that it is really cold. Those may all be true, but to me, snow is just the beginning of a great holiday!!! I was actually hoping for some snow right after Thanksgiving but that didn't happen for us. I guess with a child of my own now, I'm excited to get her out into the snow in her snow pants and boots.
However, the snow has caused us (allison and i) to be "snowed in" at Mom and Dad's house in Akron for an extra day. We had been over to Grandma's to help her out after she got home from the hospital and the plan was to leave on Saturday, well we ended up heading over to Mom and Dad's a day earlier, just so we'd have that part of the trip done. Plus they were caring for our 2 dogs while we were at Grandma's and I don't think mom wants to keep them until Christmas for us.

I would have taken a picture of all the snow coming down, but I'm sure most of you are seeing the same thing, plus it's too dark right now to take the picture.
So we did the Elf Yourself thingy that Jessica shared. Here is our link: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1246627275

Hope everyone is staying warm!

"Wii" Like To Have Fun

2007-12-08T17:24:00.000-06:00

So, a few months ago, we decided to upgrade and bought a Nintendo Wii and I must say, it is tons of fun. We have our game nights and the competition gets a going between brothers (Chuck and Brett) I didn't know the guys liked tennis so much! They really get into it!

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-23T21:48:00.000-06:00

So I know I'm a day late with this but it was late when we finally arrived back to Mom and Dad's last night and I was just too tired to blog. We had a wonderful day at Steve and Carole's. We enjoyed seeing everyone that was there again and of course.....we enjoyed our food....a bit too much!

We have tons to be thankful for this year, especially:

-A happy healthy daughter who is now 13 months old!
-Our loving families, near and far
-A roof over our head and a working furnace.
-Food on our table.
-A job that provides for us and all our needs and sometimes wants.
-Warm clothes and shoes.
-Great friends
-And cable tv so we can watch football on the weekend!!

We hope everyone had a great Turkey Day. We pray that everyone who traveled was kept safe going to and from their families' homes. Can't wait to see everyone again.
Much Love

Shopping Shopping Shopping...Girls Day Out!!!

2007-11-18T21:56:00.001-06:00

So....the Chuck and Brett were both working on Saturday, so the girls (Bonnie, Steph, Allison and I) had a day out at Crown Center in Kansas City and also showed Bonnie Union Station. Crown Center is a smaller shopping mall, it has a big Hallmark of course, beings Hallmark calls KC it's home. After shopping we headed out to the outdoor part of Crown Center and watched the water fountain show synchronized with Christmas music. Allison had a blast watching the water and even danced to the music and put on a show for the other people around. The weather was great, we were actually warm when got to Union Station, was maybe about 75, but then cooled down considerably when the sun disappeared.

Tonight we did our Thanksgiving dinner. We hosted it this year, but it wasn't too bad, b/c there were only 5 of us and the little munchkin. We did have enough to feed about 10 or 15 maybe!!! A 28lb turkey and also a ham. We had a great weekend as always with Bonnie. She heads home tomorrow and then on Wednesday we head up to Iowa towards Akron for a few days. Hope to see you all then!

O Christmas Tree

2007-11-18T21:47:00.000-06:00

This past week, we went out a bought a new Christmas tree and ornaments for the holiday this year. (Our old tree broke at the stand) We were going to wait to set it up this weekend when Chuck's mom was here but decided that we wanted to have it all set up before she got here. So on Wednesday night we went ahead and set everything up. Yes I know it's....EARLY!!! I would normally say we will set it over the weekend after Thanksgiving Day, but because we will be in Iowa over Thanksgiving and the weekend, I figured we'd do it early, while I was in the mood. Plus I managed to get some major house cleaning done....kind of like spring cleaning?

Here is a photo of our little Allison...who is now 13 months old....hanging (or maybe playing with) a Christmas ornament. She must have been tired after hanging up all the ornaments b/c she is sitting on Kirby while hanging up the ornament. Too cute!

And here I am hanging up ornaments...

Being a Backyardigan!

2007-11-10T18:37:00.000-06:00

Today was a extremely beautiful day, so while Chuck was sleeping (he's been working night shifts lately) Allison and I escaped to the backyard with the two dogs. She was a little unsure of the rustling of the leaves at first, but it didn't take her too long to warm up to the sound and was swishing around in them and having fun. Plus, Allison looked adorable in her camouflage outfit from Grandma & Grandpa!!!

Baby's Best Friend....part 2

2007-11-10T18:32:00.001-06:00

While visiting at Mom and Dad's house, Allison did some bonding with their dog, Ponch. He managed to come inside for awhile and plopped on the floor to sleep on the warm soft carpet! Here are 2 photos of Allison "sleeping" on Ponch and giving him kisses.

Stair Master???

2007-11-10T18:28:00.000-06:00

Allison became quite the stair climber while we made a quick visit to Akron to see Mom and Katie (Dad was in Ft. Dodge). She managed to walk about the house and found the stairs. Next thing we knew, she was half way up the stairs! We didn't even know she could climb stairs, as we don't have any stairs for her to climb up (our living area is on the upper floor of our split level duplex). But now we have been working on going down stairs to try to avoid any falls.

Happy Halloween!!!!

2007-10-31T20:32:00.003-06:00

Can you believe this little pink leopard.....

raked in this much candy!??!?!?

Pumpkin Carving Contest

2007-10-30T21:50:00.000-06:00

So Chuck decided that we should have a little contest this year carving pumpkins. It wasn't until after we had started that he "Thunk" it up. We weren't going to get pumpkins this year, but figured....why not? I don't think I've carved a pumpkin since......I was in junior high? Anyways, so we both did 2 pumpkins.

Here's a photo of all four pumpkins:

(If you want to see a bigger photo, just click on the actual photo and it will take you to a different screen with the larger version of the photo.)

Let us know which pumpkin you like the most! It's all clean fun and the way I see it....I've already won since Chuck is over the sink right now picking out all the pumpkin seeds to roast out of that gooey mess of pumpkin guts!!!

Either just say # 1 or #3 or describe the pumpkin that you are voting for.

Trunk or Treat

2007-10-30T21:44:00.000-06:00

Tonight we went Trunk Or Treating at the Raymore-Peculiar High School. It's an annual event where the high schoolers decorate the trunks of their vehicles and let the little kids come through and see the decoration and of course to fill their bags with tons of candy. We had a great night and enjoyed watching Allison "run" around. This is really the first time we've ever "let" her run wild in public....she's really getting the hang of walking! Click on our photos link to the right to check out more photos from our fun-filled evening! And stay tuned for more photos after tomorrow nights outing of Trick Or Treating!

Hello? How are you?

2007-10-30T20:55:00.000-06:00

Hello???

Mommy, it's for you

Say CHEEEESSSEEEEEE!!!!

2007-10-30T20:41:00.001-06:00

This is what I do what mommy tells me to say cheese!! But I guess Kirby didn't get the memo!

(if you click on the photo you can see a bigger photo)

Just playing with my bowls

2007-10-30T20:35:00.001-06:00

Allison enjoys getting into the kitchen cupboards and pulling out the plastic mixing bowls....aka....the candy bowls! She flips them upside down and beats on them like drums!

Boo at the Zoo

2007-10-29T08:25:00.000-06:00

We went Trick or Treating at the zoo on Saturday. We attended it with Steph (chuck's brothers girlfriend :D), Ward, Robin and Sydney Palmer. We had a great time looking at all the animal, however some of them weren't out b/c it was just too cold for them.....and the main animals we didn't get to see were the Elephants. We did get to see the lions, leapords, tigers and kangeroos and a bunch more. The zoo was packed with parents with their kids all dressed in their Halloween costumes, and even some adults got into all the fun and dressed up. The best family costumes were The Incredibles. Both parents and 3 kids were dressed in the super hero outfits. The most popular was Spiderman, and the least popular (as in we only saw 1 costume) was a baby penguin(absolutely cute), Stewie and The Hulk. And we didn't see anyone with Allison's costume....she was dressed as a Pink Leapord.

And of course, I forgot to bring the camera, but the in laws took some photos, so hopefully I can get a few copies from them.

It was a great day for the zoo, sunny and not too cold. We still want to get up to Omaha's Zoo this year, but just not sure that will happen. Until next year I suppose!

I'm at NOT smarter than a 5th Grader!

2007-10-29T08:17:00.001-06:00

So last night we had game night with Chuck's brother Brett and his girlfriend Steph. We had a blast playing 3 games. First we played Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? which is actually kind of challenging. If you've watched the show you would know that the questions are somewhat hard. And it is pretty hard to remember stuff from 1st through 5th grade.
Anyways, we played teams, couple vs. couple. This time Chuck and I got to the million dollar question.....and we blew it!!! And I can't even remember what the question was. HA.

So then we took a break for supper and had some yummy pot roast! We also watched a little bit of the movie, Along Came Polly.

Then we dug out UNO Attack which is really my all time favorite game. We played a couple rounds of that and then plugged in our tv game....Wheel of Fortune. And if anyone knows me, knows that I should be on this show!! (which they were actually in KC looking for contestants) We also played a few rounds since you can only have 3 players and we had 4. So we took turns.

Of course I forgot the camera to capture our fun night!

"Baby's Best Friend"

2007-10-19T22:02:00.000-06:00

Just had to post this photo of Allison and our 11 month old Australian Shepherd. Like two peas in a pod. This photo really captures the kind of bond they have together.

What to put here?

2007-10-18T22:46:00.000-06:00

Well it's just been kind of one of those weeks....where there is a bunch of stuff to do and you have the time to do it, but just don't want to do it. Anyone else have this problem??? Well anyways, it's been an uneventful week, except for Tuesday, mainly rainy all week....I believe in one day we received somewhere around 5 or 6 inches!!! yikes. At least our grass is partially green again. And it looks like we'll get more rain maybe Saturday or Sunday.

I'm "recovering" from a root canal this week....that was my "BIG" event on Tuesday. Oh I hate going to see the dentist, I suppose that's probably b/c everytime I go they give me bad news. Well there was good news on tuesday, I only needed 1 root canal. But bad news was I need to have my wisdom tooth pulled....ASAP! I only got half of the root canal done...I guess they do it in 2 sittings? The 1st root canal I had done....different endodontist...they did it all in one swing.
SO my tooth is a big tender right now, but all is well, especially since they've given me some pain killers.

AnyWho.....tomorrow is Friday. We are planning on going to Raymore's Fall Harvest Night. I guess they do hay rides, roast marshmellows, have hot cocoa and cider, etc. etc. Obviously, we have never gone, so I'm a bit curious to see the turn out. Hoping that the weather will be decent for the whole night. Will for sure need a jacket and get Allison all bundled up.

There may be a chance that we head to Omaha on Saturday (if Allison and I are lucky). We've been wanting to go to the Omaha zoo all summer...well summer has passed and I'd like to go before it gets too cold. Chuck has the whole weekend off again, so I might have to do some convincing. And find someone to watch the two dogs!!! That'll be the hardest part.

I've been cleaning the house now for 3 days straight....everyday it looks nice after I'm done cleaning up and then an hour later....looks like a twister came through our house. And the dog hair is never ending! I don't suppose anyone wants a corgi and an aussie?? Just kidding...well kind of!!!
THe other thing that is never ending....laundry!!!! I suppose it will only get worse from here on out....as Allison grows up and more baby palmers come along (which will be awhile from now).

Well I guess, it is WAY past my bedtime!!! Hope everyone enjoys their Friday and weekend!!

Allison's Birth ......Day!

2007-10-13T11:20:00.001-06:00

So today Allison turned 1!!! At 8:08am.....of course...we were all still in bed at this time, it's Saturday and Daddy has the day off, so our plans were to either go to the Pumpkin Patch or to the Kansas City Zoo.....but our plans have been foiled....as it has been raining cats and dogs all morning. They said that it shouldn't last into the afternoon, but even if it does stop raining, it will be way too muddy to try to find a pumpkin or two today. Maybe we'll just head to the Kansas City Plaza and have a nice dinner, just the 3 of us....and if weather permits....take a horse drawn carriage ride around the city. I've always wanted to do this, and I think Allison would really enjoy it, looking at all the lights (best time is Christmas, when all the Christmas trees and lights are up).

So we aren't really sure what we our going to do today. Just kind of depends on the rain.

We celebrated with Chuck's Dad's family this past Tuesday night at Chuck E Cheese and had a blast. Allison friend, Dawson, was there with his mommy and brother and sister. So we had a good time and had some yummy pizza.

This year has gone by extremely fast and can't believe that our baby girl is one! She has grown so much....she's come along way from 7lbs 10oz.....weighing in probably around 20lbs. I'm pretty sure she's going to be a tall scrawny girl.

She's now just a lil squirt....trying to walk as fast as she can, especially when mommy or daddy chases her down. She really enjoys looking at herself in mirrors and reading her textures books (ones with hair, fur, scales, leather, etc)

She still loves The Backyardigans and is now in love with The Upside Down Show (if you are a parent or maybe even a grandparent, you have to catch this show) The show really gets Allison into a daze as the 2 guys play imaginary things.

Every time the song "Sexy Back" by Justin Timberlake playes, she does a little dance and giggles so hard.

Her favorite spot to lay is on her puppy Kirby's tummy and on the doggy bed.

She's pretty much mastered the cell phone, knowing how to turn the phone back on after I've tured it off. She says hi and hello and even holds the phone up to her ear. She really enjoys it when grandmas and grandpa call to say hi and she won't let mommy have the phone back, only to accidently hang up on them.

We've just started using her sippy cups and seems to enjoy it, especially the Apple juice. Right now I would have to say her favorite food is anything beef! She really likes hamburger and of course...spaghetti.

Wow....a lot has happened in one year! Can't wait to see what is in store for us this next year!

So....to our baby girl....HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY......we love you so much!

Happy 1st Birthday Dawson!

2007-10-06T20:04:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was Allison's friend(possibly future boyfriend?), Dawson's, first birthday. His mother, Stacy, was suppose to be due 2 weeks after my due date...which was the 5th. Instead we pretty much swapped due dates. Anyways, so today we had Dawson's 1st Birthday Party. Here are just a few photos to recap the day....I didn't get too many b/c my camera wasn't charged!!! GRRRR!!! So I wasn't able to get a good one of Dawson and Allison together, but maybe his mom got a few good shots. If so, I'll try to get a copy from her and upload it. However, I did manage to get the birthday boy eating his yummy cake!! Enjoy!

Nice long weekend in Iowa, now back to Missouri....

2007-10-02T07:41:00.000-06:00

So we have had a very enjoyable time back home in Iowa. We arrived in Sioux City, IA on Wednesday evening at Chuck's grandparents home just outside of town. We were greeted by the ambulance as Chuck's Gramps took a fall off the bed and was unable to get back up. Fortunately we didn't have to take him to the hospital!!! So he's doing fine right now. Nana was kind of a wreck after Gramps took his fall, but she was so glad that she had us there. On Thursday Nana took us down to the NEW Palmer Candy House on Wesley Pkwy and 5th (i think it's 5th). It was their GRAND OPENING for the new Candy House. We had a good time, talking with some of the people we know who work there and also meeting Chuck's...2nd cousins?? Marty and Doug. Marty runs the Palmer Candy Company now. He is the 5th generation to run it. 129 years I think it was that the Palmer Candy Company has now been in business!!! AMAZING!!!

They also came out with 3 more Bings as a promotion. Originally the bing came in cherry, vanilla, pineapple and maple flavors. But of course the Cherry Bing took the prize. I've never really enjoyed Cherry Bings, but once I tried the Vanilla Bing.....I need to have more!! I just wish that you could buy them!!! So maybe they'll bring them back out around Christmas or something.

So Thursday afternoon you could have found us on our way to Fonda, IA to see Chuck's mother. We arrived around dinner time. Ordered out some food and then headed to bed. Friday was a fun day as in the afternoon we all headed over to Fort Dodge to the Community Orchards, in hope that we could get into the pumpkin patch. We weren't able to do that, but we enjoyed eating a slice of apple pie and drinking some apple cider. Allison got her first pumpkin...or 3 I guess...they are the little mini pumpkins. We also fed the goats and played a bit on the playground. We then headed to the mall to waste some time as Chuck's Grandma Betty was getting her hair done for Saturday...for cousin Jaci's wedding.

Saturday was the wedding in Fonda. We had a blast at the reception. Allison enjoyed listening and dancing to the music on the dance floor. She accompanied me on the dance floor as the "cha cha slide" song played. Boy was that a long song.

So Sunday brought us over to mom and dad's for Allison's Birthday Party! The dining table was all decked out in "The Backyardigans" decorations. We had some sloppy joes and chips for a late lunch, then opened a BUNCH of presents and had cake. Allison really got spoiled with presents. And we thank everyone for ALL of the gifts. Keep your eyes peeled in the future, when Allison will be wearing some of her new outfits....once she gets big enough.

We had a great time visiting with everyone that came and we were so happy that Chuck's grandmothers were able to make it up for the party, as it can be hard for them to get around at times.

Monday was our 2nd Wedding Anniversary. We spent the day relaxing here at mom and dad's. Even got an afternoon nap in. We then headed to Sioux City to Olive Garden for dinner. Allison, Mom, Grandma White and Katie also came with us. We enjoyed their company even though they insisted that we go by ourselves.

Anyway, it's quite a long blog. We are heading back home today, wish we didn't have to drive 5 1/2 hours to get there. But at least it's only that!!! We hope everyone is doing well. We posted the pictures from the orchard and the party on our picasa web album so take a look.

Allison.....

2007-09-24T14:18:00.000-06:00

took her first few steps today!!!! I was at the realtors office with her and we were just chatting with our agent and she was walking around the chairs, holding onto them....then she let go, stood there for awhile and then took 3 steps on her own!!!! I'm sooooo proud of her!!! Needless to say, I did not have a camera handy to catch her in action and I didn't think of my phone having a video camera until after the fact, but the video camera is by my side this very moment, waiting to capture her walking on her own again!!!!

Maybe by the time we see almost everyone on Sunday she'll be going to town and really starting to wear out the bottoms of her shoes!!!!

Happy Monday everyone....and keep your eye out for some video of this lil gal walking!!!

Hey can I catch a ride???

2007-09-18T21:44:00.001-06:00

Just had to post this photo of Allison!!! Picture was taken last week on a gorgeous day. Chuck was outside working on the landscaping around the house, so Allison and I also went outside to get some much needed fresh air.

We are always kidding around about Allison and her Jeep Liberty (the same kind of Jeep I drive, except mine isn't pink and purple). The Jeep makes 3 noises: a horn, a car starting up and a button for music. Well sometimes she'll just sit there and hold down the button to start up her Jeep, so it sounds like the jeep is having a hard time starting.....so with that story behind it, the photo goes to show that Allison was once again having problems with her jeep and needed a lift!

I sent this photo to Chuck after he left for Tampa....he replied through email saying that when he gets back he'll take it to the shop for her to get fixed. Then he also went on to mention that she looks like someone standing on the corner of 71 hwy and 58 hwy.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this photo as much as we did!!!

Oh Happy Day....

2007-09-17T18:33:00.000-06:00

Well today was pretty eventful. Well for me.....I think I just found our future HOME!!!! I am so happy, I just hope Chuck likes it as much as I do. I was able to drop Allison off at her Grandpa and Grandma Palmer's house, Grandma Robin babysat. Ward came along with me and I am SOOOO GLAD that he did. He has an eye for catching things. Like...how the windows in one house were starting to rot out and....something mysterious under some paint....we both thought it looked like...MOLD!!!! So that house of course was a total NO!!!
But yes, I think I found our house and I am so super excited to show Chuck when he gets back from Tampa. There are actually 2 homes that I really liked....But one that I really really really (you get the point) LIKED....LOVED!!!!
Plus it has 4 bedrooms, which is an awesome bonus! It's still in Raymore (where we are at now) and is actually in an older subdivision, it's a home about 20 yrs old (which might be a downfall) but the house has been completely remodeled...and I must say they did an EXCELLENT job at it and it's still affordable!!

Anyways, so I must say, I am quite happy, I just hope Chuck likes it as much as I do!!! So who knows...we might be in a house by Halloween!!!!! Craziness!!!
Any offers on movers??? LOL just kidding!

That's it for tonight, besides the fact that our AC is broken....I just hope that it gets cooler like they say it's suppose to. Today was hot!!! I felt sorry for the dogs today, it was 82 in the house when I got home. Good thing I had fans running THey've already dried up their water bowl!

Well I'm off to watch some thing on tv...not sure what...but we'll find something!

Happy Friday....

2007-09-14T17:29:00.000-06:00

Well it's the end of the week, finally. However, I'm not really looking forward to the weekend. This is b/c Chuck leaves for Tampa Bay tomorrow for work to go to a medical conference. He'll be gone for 5 DAYS!!! I was planning on heading to Iowa, but I think we are just going to hang out here at home, unless I decide different in the next 24 hours!!! But I am planning to stay home and to possibly go to the zoo on Sunday with Allison and maybe Chuck's lil sister and step mom.
We are also entering Allison into a Cutest Baby contest for the city of Raymore. They have their summer festival this next week and prejudging is on Sunday evening. So I'm planning on taking her to that.

Today we spent our afternoon house hunting...yup that's right....we are looking at houses again. We found a house that just really caught our eye on the internet and called the realtor we've been working with and asked to view it. We looked at 3 other houses also. Chuck really liked one of the houses and I "sort of" liked it, just didn't give me that WOW factor. So on Monday I am planning on going out with the realtor to look at a few more houses to weed the list out! So hopefully....just hoping we can maybe have a "Home" before Christmas!!!

Anyways, it's been cool here lately. Enjoying it....really!!! I love Autumn and Winter. Don't get me wrong...I love summer, but just get tired of the heat, especially with a child, you really have to limit your time outside in the heat.
Chuck is out grilling dinner, which I believe is almost done and Allison is waking up from her late nap. So I best be going and get a few more things made up for dinner and get Allison up. Hope everyone is doing well and enjoy your weekend. Also, click on the link for our photos...have some new pictures up, and a few from the baseball game this past tuesday that we went to. ENJOY!!!

I've got a few minutes....

2007-09-09T18:32:00.000-06:00

to talk really about nothing. Allison is currently being entertained by her new fancy.....The Upside Down Show!!! Not exactly sure what she enjoys about it so much, maybe it's all the sound effects the 2 guys make. Chuck says it's "Stupid and Weird" but I giggle every now and then when we have it on the tv. Plus it may just expand her imagination, since it's all "Pretend."
Anyways, not too much going on in the Palmer Household. Chuck is busy working, as usual. Allison and I have been doing shopping recently, have a few baby showers coming up and a wedding to attend, so we've been searching and buying for that. Also kind of prepping the house for a possible 5 day vacation. Chuck leaves for Tamp Bay, FL on Saturday for business....a BIG conference for work. SO that leaves ALlison and I home with the 2 dogs. Thought about driving up to Iowa for a quick visit, but would probably do work at the store, helping dad with the store, but not really sure I want to "WORK" plus I wouldn't have anyway to watch Allison while I was working....a bit different from doing inventory, when they had the store closed for that. Still deciding if I'll make the drive or not. Just gets lonely here at home...but maybe we'll plan some outings since it's going to be cool....maybe a trip to the zoo??? Or possibly a pumpkin patch. We'll have to wait and see.

Our big plans this week are to attend a Royals vs. Twins baseball game!!!! I believe we attending the Royals vs. Twins game earlier this year....Allison's 1st ball game then. It's EMS, Firefighter, Military night so Chuck gets in free. So just had to purchase one ticket. We are going with Chuck's brother, Brett and his girlfriend Steph. They went with us also to the game earlier this season! FUNNY. How we've only been to 1 game this year and this will be the 2nd and more than likely last game of the season for us to attend. Chuck also cheers for the Twins, I sort of do both! I live in the KC Metro so I need to support something here....just won't be the Chiefs....GO VIKINGS!!!! We are also trying to find some tickets for the Chiefs/Vikings game on the 23rd.....not looking bright as everyone is trying to RIP OFF everyone else....and at the ticket box...they only have single tickets left...no tickets with seats together! BUMMER!!!

What else?!?! nothing really, just getting this rearranged in the house. Moved things around in Allison's room this past week....thought I could fit a queen sized bed in there....but it was just too cramped! Oh well.

Well I suppose that is it for the moment. I put up some new photos in our Picasa Web Album, so take a peek!!! Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend!!!!

My makeup....

2007-09-04T15:58:00.001-06:00

So, a few of you may have received an email from cousin Jessica or I about the E.L.F makeup line about how they were selling each piece for only $1.00!!!! Of course, I took advantage of the offer. I'm not that big on makeup and I really don't wear a whole lot except for when we go out....which is very seldom....but I thought I'd give it a chance and try to figure out the makeup thing. I purchased 27 items....and then also got $10 off my order...so all in all with shipping, my bill was $21.00!! Now please tell me where I can buy 27 pieces of makeup for $21.00??? My concealer alone that I normally buy runs around $8.00!!!
Anyways, I just want to state this is the most makeup that I've ever had in my possession....EVER!!! I'm going to have to go buy a "Caboodle" to carry it all!!!
I also have to mention, that the makeup....it's normal sized....none of the Sample Sized stuff, which I figured it would turn out to be!!!
Anyways, so yea...I'm bored today and when I opened the front door, there sat my package so I figured I'd blog about it!!!
Allison is down for a nap and so are the dogs. I've got a lot accomplished today actually. Did a quick pick up of the house...except the bedroom...and vaccumed, althought it doesn't look like I did any of that this morning!!! Allison and I also went to Target and to WalMart this morning. Tried to search for a pair of cute pants to wear to my interview....Oh yea...my interview...Finally with GE Money! Turns out they have a Work from Home Program that is the same as the job I applied for previously....So I'm going to try to get that, this way I don't have to pay for daycare and it's part time. So we'll see how that works...interview is on Thursday!!

Yesterday the 3 of us went out and about. Stopped at Party America to pick up Allison's party decorations and such for her 1st Birthday!! Yea I know you are thinking...that's over a month and a half away. But actually we are having her Birthday party on Sept. 30 at Mom and Dad's house....so family....watch for your invitation!!!
I also picked up some more things for finishing the invites and stamps of course. Made mailing labels, etc. etc. Now I'm going to try to make a poster that sticks with the theme for Allison's Party.

So I better get to that poster before Allison wakes up and wants to crawl all over the poster!!!

Slickery lil stinker...

2007-08-28T20:55:00.000-06:00

Allison experienced JELLO for the first time this past weekend at Grandpa and Grandma's house in Akron. It was a completely new texture to her, she seemed to enjoy it when she was able to get it in her mouth. Just wanted to share the picture with you all....such concentration!!!!

St. Andrews Cross!!!!

2007-08-28T20:47:00.001-06:00

So we arrived back from Iowa Monday evening, Chuck went out to the backyard to let the dogs for a run (potty) and came across a new friend....
needless to say...this lil lady freaked us out!!! We "disposed" of her before we could do any real research as we were afraid of her being a threat to the dogs. She had spun a beautiful web and was in the middle of forming her "Cross"
Oh by the way....the name of the spider is a St. Andrew's Cross Spider. They make pretty neat zig zag webs after they complete their huge web that catches flies, mosquitos and the other annoying lil bugs.
After all said and done I wish we would have relocated her instead of sending her to spider heaven....But I'm pretty sure we'll see her offspring...in the Spring since we haven't disposed of her web yet and it looks like there is a big sac!!!! Yikes!!!

Nothing New....

2007-08-22T12:03:00.000-06:00

So not a whole lot of excitement in the Palmer Household since the last blog. Allison and I, along with the 2 dogs, headed up to Iowa on the 15th. I helped dad at the store for a few days to prepare for the sale he had on Saturday. On Saturday morning, Allison and I headed over to Fonda to Bonnie's house. I had a wedding to attend in the Fort Dodge area that night and asked Bonnie to come with me since Chuck wasn't able to come. We then headed back to Akron early afternoon on Sunday. And planned on heading back on Tuesday to KC but ended up coming back a day early. Stopped and picked up some candy orders for Chuck's Aunt LuAnn for her candy house here in KC.
We are scheduled to drive back to Iowa tomorrow morning. Chuck has 5 days off in a row, so we are going to help dad at the store again and I believe we are going to do inventory. Lots of driving, but I love going back to Iowa!!! Plus Chuck hasn't been to Iowa...since...Easter, I believe???
So we'll be up there until the 27th of this month, with a few stops penciled in....one to Nana & Gramps in Sioux City. They always enjoy seeing us and especially seeing how much Allison has grown since the last time they saw her! It's hard to believe she is 10 months old now!!! CRAZY!!!
She had her "9 month" check up today. We weren't able to get her in around 9 months b/c our doc was on vacation and there was quite a waiting list to get in to see him.

So here is Allisons growth:

At 6 months Allison was:
26 1/2 inches tall
weighed 16lbs 9 oz.

At 10 months and 10 days old:
28 1/2 inches tall
and weighing 18lbs ll oz.

Doctor said she looks great.....her weight is in the lower percentage but we are assuming that's b/c she is a heck of a lot more active these days. So our next check up won't be for another 2 months.

She's starting to take steps as you hold her hands. She really gets a kick out of doing this. She can completely pull herself up to a standing position. We also got the okay to begin doing more solids with her for dinner and especially doing meats!!!! No more jarred food for this baby girl!!! Well except, when it'll be more convenient for mommy and daddy!!! We've still got a whole shelf full of jarred food!!!

Okay well anyways, not much else going on. Excited to head back up to Iowa tomorrow morning. Hope every is doing well....it's wednesday...so Happy Hump Day...half way through the week!

Happy Birthday Katie!!!

2007-08-14T13:45:00.001-06:00

Just wishing Katie a Happy 21st Birthday today!!! I'm assuming she went out last night at 12:01am and partied it up!!!! Hope you had a blast lil sis!!!! We Love you so much!!!

Lazy Sunday.....

2007-08-12T19:43:00.000-06:00

It's almost 9pm and nothing exactly has been accomplished today.....Chuck worked a night shift last night...7pm to 7am....so we slept in late this morning while Chuck caught up on his sleep. Allison and I ended up getting up and out of bed around 10am....she originally woke up around 6:15am and then we fell back asleep after Chuck got home.
So there wasn't much to do, and I decided I would like to go to the mall, so Allison and I got ready and headed to the mall while Chuck continued his daytime sleeping. Found a few items on sale/clearance....stuff I normally wouldn't have bought. So I found a pair of jean capris and a pair of white capris and a cute little tank top. I also found 2 cute lil polo onsies for Allison on sale.....$2/each....originally $15.99....so I must say...I did pretty darn good!!! And that was all at Sears...we only made one other stop and that was to Old Navy....needed to buy some regular t-shirts for Allison. Found 3 shirts for her...and of course...on sale...2.99 a piece. Also did some browsing for a forward facing carseat.....won't be too long before she needs to be in one...tomorrow she will be 10 months old....really hard to believe it's been 10 months!!!
As for the weekend...nothing dreadfully exciting. Allison made a trip to Children's Mercy South. She had an eye infection of some sorts and b/c Chuck works for CMH all our visits are FREE!!! So we just went to the Urgent Care and got a prescription for an antibiotic. It's already cleared up, but we have to finish up the antibiotic...to make sure it's completely gone. Not exactly sure what caused it, but I suspect maybe will all the dogs in our house last weekend and with her crawling now...she's getting into a lot more dog hair/dirt and that kinda thing.
So that has really been the excitement for the weekend. I have a job interview tomorrow with Walgreens....they finally called me (we are getting a new walgreens...they'll be open on the 31st) So I applied for a job in the photo department. Really hoping we can work something out for this....as far as daycare. I would love this job b/c Walgreens is just down the main drag from our house....within walking distance!!! So we'll see how that goes, and I'll keep ya updated if interested....I'm sure I'll blog about it at some point anyway!

Oh and not sure if I mentioned in a previous blog or not, but Allison most recent babbles are DADA DADA...constantly in the morning!!!!
Okay, well it's late and lil miss palmer is still awake, so I'd better get her down. Chuck is working another night shift tonight...so it's just us girls and the 2 dogs!!!
Hope everyone had a great weekend!

HeAt WaVe!

2007-08-10T20:52:00.000-06:00

With it being so hot lately I decided to pull my Automated Weather System out and hook it up. Below is the the current weather at our house. I have it uploading to Weather Underground every 5 min. I also have attached a neat link to the National Weather Service on how to figure your heat index. Our heat index today was 116 degrees! Stay Cool!

National Weather Service - Heat Index Chart

Happy Birthday Lucy!!!

2007-08-10T11:38:00.000-06:00

Today is Lucy's 2nd Birthday!!! Just thought I'd blog about it, since I really don't have anything else to blog about!!!!

Have a good weekend everyone!!!

It's HOT HOT HOT!!!!

2007-08-06T18:09:00.000-06:00

The temperature sure is rising here in Kansas City. Suppose to be in the upper 90's all week long and with heat index...it may possibly feel like 110 out there! Our AC has pretty much been running nonstop today, I turn the temp up during the night, so it's not running constantly, but when it's 80 degrees by 9am rolls around, it has a hard time catching up to keep the house cool. We've shut a bunch of vents in rooms we don't use....our spare bedroom and bath, along with the garage vent. Yeah I know...we have a vent in our garage!!! It's nice though, keeps me cool when I'm out there working...sorting through our endless pile of junk! And of course, keeps the vehicles warm in the winter....which is nice too.
They have been doing some road work on our street lately. They started last week by milling the street...(tearing up the top layer or two). Today they destroyed the end of our driveway and we can't get in or out....our neighbors just decided to drive on OUR lawn to get to their driveway. (we are in a duplex, so our driveways are side by side). They could easily drive on their own, but they just had to drive on ours! GRRRR!!
Anyway, we had a nice weekend....not really weather wise, but Dad, Mom and Katie came down for a visit....along with their 3 dogs.....we had 5 dogs in the house!!! Yes all of them were in the house...it was just so hot, and we really don't have too much shade...so Buddy and Ponch got to come in for quite a few hours on saturday. Mom and I went to a few garage sales on Saturday mid morning. Found a used stroller for $5 at one....this will be the stroller at mom and dad's, so we don't have to haul our stroller up everytime we visit. Also found a highchair a few weeks back cheap to, for use in Akron!
Grilled dinner on Saturday evening....Pork Burgers from the Newell Locker. And hot dogs too. Sunday morning we all got up and went to church, then had pizza for lunch before Mom, Dad and Katie headed back home.
It was a short weekend, but was great to see them again, as it is always great to see family!!!! Next time we'll be home will be the last weekend of September, so it'll be awhile before we get to see them again.....well until they get to see all of us I guess. Allison and I will be heading up to Iowa in 2 weeks for a wedding and have planned to stop in at mom and dad's for a night or two.
Hard to believe it's already August!!!!! Summer is just flying on by, honestly...I'm ready for itto end, I can't wait for fall to get here, it'll be so much bearable for Allison and I to get out during the day. Right now we have been limited to our time outdoors b/c of the heat and humidity....plus we have been on ozone alert recently, and suppose to be on alert the rest of the week. It doesn't cool down until about 8ish...and well that doesn't work out well b/c that's when we get Allison ready for bed.
Well anyway, it is about that time to get her ready for bed, plus the season finale to Hell's Kitchen is on!!! Plus a new show starts tonight....Fat March??? Think it's like the Biggest Loser??? So thought I'd watch a few minutes of it....hope everyone stays cool this week!! It'll be a HOT one!!!

Allison all ready for bed