It is what it is.....

Meijer gardens

2010-03-13T19:54:00.000-08:00

Since we are member at the Meijer Gardens we go as often as we can. Here are just a few pics.

Jack's first haircut

2010-03-12T21:38:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness it has been a long time since I have updated this blog. Jack got his first haircut today. I have been so afraid of getting it done because I thought he would freak out and get the scissors in the eye (being accident prone and all). Bruce's cousin Nicole works at Design one in Grandville so I asked her if she would attempt it. We got there and he jumped right up in the chair and he did AMAZING!! (so did Nic). I need to get a pic of the actual finished cut. Hooray for my big boy. In the last month he is almost potty trained and has gotten his first haircut..... I miss my baby...... but I LOVE my BIG BOY!!

Just trying to win some free goods from a genius.....

2009-11-29T20:19:00.001-08:00

http://www.soulographer.com/blog/2009/11/black-friday-workbook-giveaway/

2 too fast....

2009-08-16T21:08:00.000-07:00

My baby boy will be 2 on the 18th. It is hard to believe that 2 years has gone by. You don't see the changes in your kids day by day but looking back on the last year he has grown up. Talking more & more everyday. Watching the changes is amazing. Looking forward to this next year. Keeping our finger crossed that we have no broken bones!! Here's to another great year baby boy.

Our Vacation.......A little late

2009-07-31T22:15:00.000-07:00

We took our vacation to Pennsylvania which may come as no surprise. We usually just go to Pittsburgh to visit my parents & such. This year we traveled 5 hours east to Philadelphia to visit Sesame Place. It was great!!! The kids had a blast & we enjoyed watching them experience it. On the way to Philly we stopped in Hershey to go to Chocolate world not as much fun but worth the experience. Then we traveled back to my parents to spend a few days with my parents before heading home. When we got home I uploaded all the pictures to the computer deleted them off the camera and then the computer died gone nothing left on it. I thought the pictures were lost for good. We purchased a new computer and some recovery software. I was able to retrieve some but not all of the pictures so I am sharing the few that we have. Enjoy!

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Wet & Wild

2009-06-17T19:31:00.000-07:00

We went and spent some time at the Meijer Gardens. We knew that the kids would get really wet so we brought a change of clothes. They had a blast! It was fun to watch them get wet and wild. The childrens garden never gets old. At the farm house they had baby goats for the kids to pet. One of the goats wanted to take a bite out of Jack.

Bike Parade

2009-05-16T18:56:00.001-07:00

Avery's 3 school class put on a bike parade. It was so cute! They got to decorate their bike during class. They were so proud. The older kids came out of their classes to watch the 3 schoolers show off & to cheer them on.

Brooke on the RUN.....

2009-05-16T17:03:00.000-07:00

My friend Karen's daughter completed her 2nd girls on the run and the kids and I went out to show our support! WAY TO GO BROOKE!!!

Mud Monsters

2009-05-08T14:46:00.001-07:00

My kids LOVE dirt.....Well mix dirt with water and you get my MUD MONSTERS.... Needless to say they are in for a bath tonight.

My Sweet Pea! 4 Years

2009-05-02T21:15:00.000-07:00

Avery's 4th birthday was on April 23. We wanted to celebrate even though Bruce and I had to work that day and I had my 5th exam that evening. I got home around 8 so we had a mini birthday with cake and a few gifts. We were waiting for the BIG birthday party until school was done for me.
So we had a party Saturday because some pretty important people were coming into town. Grammy & Pap Pap were coming from Pittsburgh. Uncle Kurt & his girlfriend Becca were coming from California (this was the first time she was meeting everyone). Avery blazed thru all of her gifts and then we had cake. It was also a special birthday for Bruce's grandpa he turns 80 on the 3rd of May so we had a cake for him. Happy Birthday Avery and Great Pa Pa. Here is to another Blessed year.

Easter....

2009-04-21T19:14:00.000-07:00

O.K. with school nearing it's end I have put all my time into trying to wrap my head around Chemistry.... Not working....I only hope to pass so I don't have to repeat it! I have been putting the most important things on hold. So here are our Easter Pictures the kids had so much fun. The kids and I got up and went to church. Bruce stayed home recovering from having his wisdom teeth pulled. When we got home the kids found their baskets. We went to Grandma & Pa Pa's house for an egg hunt and dinner. It was a beautiful day!

Picksburgh....

2009-04-07T22:09:00.000-07:00

We made a short surprise trip to see my family in Pittsburgh (Picksburgh as Avery calls it). Brian arranged for Maria to come and stay for a few days so that the girls could play together. We took the kids to the Carnegie science center. It was a blast! My favorite part is still the miniature train set up. You can not get a good feel of how cool it is from the pictures. The sun rises and sets and people are moving it is so cool!

Momma's boy...

2009-03-20T16:03:00.000-07:00

Here is my little man. He screams when I leave to go back to work at lunch. To make him happy we try to get him to the window to wave goodbye to mommy. He crawled up and fell asleep...... makes me sad....

Dinosaur day

2009-03-02T19:07:00.001-08:00

We went to the VanAndel Musuem for the dinosaur exhibit. Jackson just went crazy he was going around roaring at everyone. Avery did some crafts that were there. It was fun! Then the big fun riding the carousel.

Let's Go STEELERS! Let's GO!!!

2009-02-01T18:08:00.000-08:00

Around our house we are Steeler fan's!! I grew up there and my family still lives there. My heart will always have a special place for the city I came from. Steel runs through my vein's. Of course I am passing the passion on to my kids. Poor Jackson has been sick he passed out on the floor. Avery was so excited that she could scream with mommy and daddy. We had her so pumped up she was wound like an eight day clock. She fell asleep at half time.. Let's GO STEELERS lets make it sixburgh!!!

Electric Avery

2009-01-20T20:11:00.000-08:00

The other night we put a blanket between the chair and the ottoman to build a "fort" for Avery & Jackson.It has been so dry in our house that the static electricity is really bad. You can see in the pictures that Avery had a charge!

Christmas morning

2008-12-26T13:56:00.001-08:00

It was such a fun Christmas morning! The big hit of the morning was Jackson gift. He got Kota the dinosaur! He just ran around pointing at it and screaming with excitement. He won't sit on it yet but Avery didn't waste anytime hopping up on top of it. We spent the day just hanging out playing with the new toys. We went over to Grandma & Pa Pa's house to spend some time with them and Uncle Kurt while he is home form California.

Our Tree

2008-12-06T12:19:00.000-08:00

We went out to KC farms to get our tree. Thanks to Bruce digging in the snow to get the perfect one. Avery and Jack had a good time in the sled. Now if we could just find the time to decorate it!!

Snow Angel

2008-11-19T18:40:00.000-08:00

As it began to snow Sunday Avery looked out the window and with much excitement said "Mom look I never did see snow on the ground". I explained that she had seen it before but it had been a while. She hurried up and got her snow boots on this was before the "big" snow fall. Well when it snowed on Monday there was finally enough for her to go out and make a snow angel. She wanted to send a picture of herself making a snow angel to great grandma who is in Florida for the winter to show her all the fun she was missing. So here is our snow angel Avery.

Halloween

2008-10-31T18:53:00.000-07:00

Halloween has always been lots of fun in my family. Every year my mother would make our costumes because she was never able to afford one when she was growing up. She is carrying on the tradition of making her grandkids costumes. Avery wanted to be Dorothy well as soon as my niece heard that Grammy was making Avery a Dorothy costume that meant Grammy was making her one too because what one gets so does the other. So Grammy made the girls Dorothy costumes and keeping with the Wizard of OZ theme Jackson the cowardly lion. What a perfect day. Thanks Grammy for carrying on the tradition!

Yard clean up?

2008-10-18T23:11:00.000-07:00

Bruce was practicing on Tuesday for the benefit concert the kids and I decided we would make a pile of leaves to jump in. While Avery had a blast Jack wanted nothing to do with it he kept walking to the back gate to see his dog.

And were off.....

2008-10-03T18:07:00.000-07:00

Jackson's cast came off!!! We were so happy to see that his leg healed and that he should have no lasting effects from the break. I was thrilled to be able to bathe him!! He enjoyed taking a bath! He screamed when I took him out but he was turning into a prune. He was squeaky clean after 4 weeks of wiping him down with a wet washcloth just didn't do the job like a real bath. He is not walking to good yet but he was just getting really good at walking with the cast on. So after 4 weeks now we are back to square one. The cast didn't slow him down he was climbing and now that the cast is off he is still climbing right up on the kitchen table. I see more bumps and bruises in our future he's all BOY......TO BE CONTINUED I am sure!

Crane's orchard

2008-09-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

We went and picked apples today. Avery had a great time picking big juicy apples. She had to pick one for everyone in the family. Jack got to hang out in the back pack because of the broken leg. Avery also rode on the cow train. Jack had fun waving to his sissy. Now its time to make apple pies.

AMBER ELK RANCH

2008-09-25T19:28:00.000-07:00

We went up to Ludington a few weeks back with our friends Nicole & Ben. We had a great time hanging out with them for a few days along with Nicole's parents who opened their home for us to stay at. Nicole & Ben took us to Amber elk ranch It was so cool! Avery & Jack loved it. What a learning experience I never knew that there was so much to learn about elk. They loose their antlers every year. They have velvet on their antlers that rubs off. They bugle. The antlers can sell for as much as $10,000. I don't think it would have been something that we would have picked to do so thanks for the learning experience for us all Nicole & Ben!

Lets try this again in another month...

2008-09-19T15:16:00.000-07:00

O.K. it has been 2 weeks since Jackson broke his leg. We went for his one year check up today. I knew that it was not going to happen from the night we had. Jackson did not sleep a wink tossing and turning all night crying finally at 3 am I took his temp it was 103 Yikes! I was about to call the Dr. when he had what they call a fever seizure it lasted less than a minute but still it was scary! I gave him Ibuprofen and he fell asleep for a few hours. Called the Dr. and she said since he had an apt. today just to wait. We went in and I had told the nurse the host of problems he was having on top of his broken leg, he had a fever and is teething. So they said that he would not be getting his shots but they would do and check to see if the fever was coming from something else. Well on top of all his other problems he has a double ear infection. My poor little baby is just a miserable little man. We started him on antibiotic and reschd. his apt. for a month from now so in 2 weeks we go to see if the cast can come off his leg and then 2 weeks later we see the Dr. again hopefully he will get his shots then and we wont have to go back to the office for a while.

Avery's first day of 3 school

2008-09-12T01:05:00.001-07:00

With all the excitement surrounding Jackson I missed telling everyone about Avery's first day of 3 school. On the first day the parents were allowed to go just so everyone could be comfortable seeing what would go on during a normal day. She loves everything about it friends, snacks, singing, dancing etc. She is at Rose Park on Tuesday & Friday from 9-11am with her best buddy Jacob. It is so great to see them grow and learn. It is sad as a mother to know that she is getting so big and independent my baby, my little girl not needing me for everything it is bittersweet.

Jack's one year checkup.......

2008-09-05T15:14:00.000-07:00

Or so we thought! We were in the waiting room at the Dr's. office for a 9:15 apt. and Jack was walking around while we were waiting and he tripped. No big deal I picked him up because he was crying. They called his name to take us back and he was still crying. The nurse started asking me questions and I couldn't hear her over his screaming. She asked if he normally cried like this NO WAY he was inconsolable so I started crying. He is such a sweet happy boy so it worried me that he was crying so much. Finally the nurse said maybe we should take a look at his leg so I took his pants off and I knew that something was wrong with his left leg when I touched it. The nurse sent us to the hospital to get some X-rays. In the mean time I had to call Bruce, My mother in-law , my friend Julie (who had taken Avery to 3 school but wasn't planning on picking her up), My aunt and then our friend's that we were planning on meeting at B&N at 11:30. AHHHHHH. Going into panic mode I couldn't remember any numbers. We went to the hospital and had 4 different X-ray's taken. We waited for about 45 min and the Dr's. office called and said he was fine and if he wasn't putting all his weight on it by Monday to call back because fractures in toddlers don't always show up right away. We went home and tried to make Jack comfortable and Bruce was headed back to work. The phone rang just as Bruce was about to leave it was the Dr's. office apparently they did not read all of the X-rays that were ordered the first time. When they looked at the X-ray of his leg they saw that his leg had what is called a buccal fracture. Basically it bent snapped but went right back into place it wasn't a clean break through and through. With a broken leg comes a cast. The Dr's. office called shoreline orthopedic and got us in at 3:00 so it was hard to contain Jackson for 3 hours waiting for our apt. then when we got there at 3 it wasn't until 4:15 before they even got us in the room and 4:30 before the cast was put on. Check out the pics below Jackson sleeping after his apt. It was a long day for us all for us all! The challenge Will be in the weeks ahead keeping it dry and having a frustrated child to go from walking back to crawling. the cast is on for 4 weeks then they will take it off and see if he needs to have it on for an additional 2 weeks or not. The good thing with young bones is they heal fast. I guess we will just take it one day at a time.

CHEEEESEEEE!!!!

2008-08-26T21:03:00.000-07:00

Jackson has been making lots of sounds and noises. We finally realized that he is saying cheese (probably because I take SO many pictures of him). It is the funniest thing. I am going to try to take some video and upload it later in the week.

Jackson's 1 year picture's

2008-08-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

We got out to take Jack's one year pictures at Grandma and Pa Pa's house. Avery wanted to be part of the pictures and we got some cute one's of the kids together. What a difference a year makes!

Jackson's (& Jeff's) Birthday party

2008-08-17T06:25:00.000-07:00

We went to Tunnel park to celebrate Jack's first birthday & Jeff's 29th. They were both born on August 18th 28 years apart. So uncle Jeff is happy to be able to celebrate his birthday with Jackson. It was a beautiful day. Jack enjoyed his birthday cake and it was easy just to hose him down afterwards because he sure did make a mess. Jeff had his own beach ball cake but he held himself back from making a mess like Jack (way to practice the self control Jeff). Avery was such a big helper opening Jack's gifts. It's amazing that my baby is a year old. Happy first Birthday Jack.

No Go!

2008-08-14T19:36:00.000-07:00

We got a message on the machine today that the position at Kenowa Hills was filled. So obviously God has some other plan for Bruce. Thank you for your prayers.

Prayers needed....

2008-08-12T06:12:00.000-07:00

Bruce had a second interview with Kenowa Hills high school on Monday. This position is one that seems to be have made for him. We are waiting for the answer if he gets the job. I have spent the last day saying little prayers all day long. So if anyone wants please say a little prayer for Bruce.Thanks and we will keep you updated.

Instead of Jack .......

2008-08-10T16:50:00.001-07:00

We were going to take Jackson's one year pictures but when we got to the park he was sleeping so we decided to get some pictures of Avery. She was such a good girl we had fun while Jack slept in the car with dad. We will get Jack's pictures later this week.

Blueberries

2008-08-09T02:11:00.001-07:00

We picked almost 40 lbs. of blueberries in the past 2 weeks. YUM!! My friend Nikki from work her in-laws own a patch of blueberries and they have let us come out to their home and pick. The blueberries are almost the size of quarters what a bargain for a buck a pound!! We went to the farmers market and saw how much the cost and I couldn't believe what a deal we got. I have lived in Michigan for 16 years now and this was the first time I ever picked blueberries. It was well worth it. Avery had a great time helping everyone pick. We might go one more time?

Wallaby soccer

2008-08-06T21:34:00.000-07:00

Avery just began a soccer class with her buddy Jacob.They are in the Wallaby beginner class. Bruce took Avery to her first class on Monday. Avery did such a good job a bit of change from her ballet class that she just finished. This class is 8 weeks long I can't wait to be able to go watch them next week. What fun!!

Burley ride

2008-08-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

We tried a bike ride out but Jack HATED it!!!! This is the kids before we got going needless to say I did not take a picture of them afterwards. Avery was trying to be a nice big sister for once consoling her brother as he screamed bloody murder. We made it to Bruce's parents and back one quick bike ride. Oh well we will try it again.

SLIP SLIDING FUN

2008-08-06T21:10:00.001-07:00

Avery and Jack had fun playing in Grandma & PaPa's back yard. Jack did not like the slip and slide. Just a few pictures of the fun.

Jack's first.....

2008-07-20T06:45:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics of Jack's first spaghetti dinner he had a ball. Avery had a good time as usual she is a pro at eating spaghetti so she was showing her brother how to suck it up. We had to jump into the tub after we ate because a washcloth was not gonna do the job tonight.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRUCE

2008-07-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

It is Bruce's 33rd Birthday today HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRUCIE. Avery wanted to make Bruce cupcakes for his birthday so that is what we did. Bruce had gone out with friends so Avery and I got to work. I found a recipe for 4 cupcakes and enough icing for the 4 (we don't need all the extra sweets around). She was so excited when Bruce pulled in the driveway she was yelling out the door that we had a surprise for him. He saw the cupcakes and I asked him to guess what they were. His guess was a one eyed frog. Well they were supposed to be guitars. Avery had fun and daddy loved them that is all that matters.
Avery painted a small box for her daddy to put his guitar pics in. While painting the box she managed to paint herself so she promptly jumped in the tub once we were done. YUMMY FUN!!! You be the judge guitar or one eyed frog?

WELCOME TO THE WORLD........

2008-07-08T20:22:00.000-07:00

SARAH BETH & PEYTON KAY WERE BORN THIS MORNING TO MY FRIEND JENNIFER. SHE WENT 38 WEEKS WAY TO GO JEN! I WENT TO MEET THE GIRLS TODAY THEY ARE PERFECT.

The legend of Purple Fletcher

2008-07-07T19:02:00.000-07:00

Who is Purple Fletcher? Long ago my mother wanted to buy my father a Christmas gift. She went to the store to buy this album for him. She wasn't quite sure of the of the name of the album or the group for that matter. So she knew the first name in the title was a color........ Purple and she knew the second name was a male name....... Fletcher. Well no luck. No album for a band called Purple Fletcher. Well can you guess what band my mother was looking for? it was Pink Floyd.
So years have passed and I finally hear of this story. How could so many years have passed and I had never heard this story until a few weeks before we were traveling to Pittsburgh. An idea started brewing. Bruce and I devised a plan. We wanted to tease my mom so I made some T shirts for us, the kids and my brothers.
I put on my shirt and my mom said oh I like your shirt but no response about the logo. The kids and Bruce put their shirts on no response. O.K. finally my brother Jeff comes down and I give him his shirt. My mom says what does your shirt say. After 3 hours of Avery, Jackson, Bruce and I wearing our shirts she noticed Jeff's shirt!!! Well she loved it. She was very amused by the fact that we went to such great length's to poke fun at her. She was a great sport.
I had a few logo's left over so my mom took one and found a shirt and ironed it on and wore it to work. She told everyone at work the story and everyone laughed. One guy even wanted a T-shirt. It was all worth it I love to make my mom smile. LONG LIVE PURPLE FLETCHER!!!

The Pittsburgh Zoo

2008-07-02T16:59:00.000-07:00

The city I love & the Duquesne Incline

2008-07-02T06:11:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to the Incline. The Duquesne Incline takes you to Mt. Washington where there is a platform that overlooks the city. Avery & Jack loved riding up & down the Incline. Avery did not like being so high above the city she wanted to go back down as soon as we got up there. There were so many people (photographers) up on the platform it was hard to get any pictures of the kids and the city so I just took some pics of the city. The city I love the golden triangle Pittsburgh Pa.

T-REX vs. T-REX

2008-07-01T15:11:00.000-07:00

We went to the Carnegie Museum today. We managed to get in totally free thanks to a girl my dad works with!! Thanks Kim!! The big exhibit right now is T-Rex vs. T-Rex. The girls were excited to see dinosaurs. We were bummed Pap Pap & Uncle Jeff couldn't come cause they had to work, but we managed to have fun anyway! The girls got to dig up dinosaur bones. It was so cute.

Havin fun in da Burgh!!

2008-06-30T14:05:00.000-07:00

We got into town at 2 a.m. on Saturday Morning. The last hour was painful I could hardly keep my eyes open. The kids were asleep and Bruce was trying to sleep (Ha Ha). With Jacks carseat still being facing backwards it makes for a upright seat position not condusive to sleeping so he was leaning forward on the dash. So of course everyone woke up for a few hours once we got in A REALLY LATE NIGHT!!!

Saturday was a low key day. We made a lunch trip to Chick-fil-a since we dont have any near us in Michigan. Then it was on to IKEA all the while Avery was asking when we were going to pick up her cousin Maria. After a few hours at IKEA we headed to the Mall so Bruce could get his Pirates Jersey. By the time we made it back to my parents house Maria was there. We had a nice dinner thanks to my mom and we all settled in for the night.

Sunday we went to the National Aviary. It was great because we got in free since we are members of Frederic Meijer Gardens. The girls & Jack enjoyed it! Nothing to remarkable there just some cool birds. We paid $6 so the girls could feed the Lories but they chickened out and uncle Jeff ended up holding both the cups of nectar.

After the Aviary we went to Gus & Yaiyas which is a staple in Pittsburgh iceballs they have been in the same spot for years and years. The slogan on the side of the cart is "Since your dad was a lad" so reliving my childhood the kids had to try it! Rainbow for both the girls. They didnt make to much of a mess which didnt matter because later on they washed the dresses they were wearing at the childrens museum.
At 1 oclock Bruce and my dad took off for a pirates game. Jeff, My mom, Avery, Maria, Jackson and myself met up my Aunt Diane, cousin Jessie and her son Caden and went to the childrens museum. For some reason I had the bright idea of starting out in the water works! Well the kids had a blast trying to build pipes that would carry water & filling up boots with water(not part of the toys) they got SOAKED!!! head to toe!!! They had rain coats on but they still managed to get wet! They were filling up the arms of the rain coats lifting their arms and presto wet little bodies!! Oh well they dried pretty quick. There were lots of fun things to do there even for Jack. Another day of fun!!

Beach fun!!

2008-06-11T20:08:00.000-07:00

We have been going to the beach a lot lately. We decided to take the camera with us tonight. We got some cute pics of the kids. We usually try to get to ludington a few times a year but with gas prices Holland state park will be a regular destination! Avery loves the sand and swings so she is satisfied with the short ride plus the big red house is there. Cant wait to enjoy the water.

There will be blood

2008-06-10T20:47:00.000-07:00

I pulled in the driveway after work and Bruce met me at the door. I don't usually get greeted as I am getting out of the car. A few minutes before I arrived home Avery had pushed her brother face down into the floor and by the time Bruce made it over to him there was blood everywhere. He managed to have the blood and Jackson all cleaned up when I got home but Jacks little nose was puffy. Avery was no where to be found!! She was hiding in fear of what was to come for her. TIMEOUT!!! She continues to beat on her brother over and over again. I feel bad for both of them. Avery is still trying to find her place with Jack in the world. I know she loves her brother I see brief signs of it in a hug, kiss or embrace but then she turns around and wallops him with a spoon right in the head. Sharing anything is like asking her to give up her life. She has now started going into her room and shutting her door so "Jack can't get her toys". I feel bad for Jack because you see his face light up when he sees his sissy and then she makes him bloody or slams a door in his face. I know soon that Jack will pass his sister up in weight (there is only 9 lbs difference) and size (10 inches in height) and he is gonna let her have it. So I look forward to the day that they will get along. :)

My Beach Bum....

2008-06-10T20:42:00.000-07:00

Here's Jackie..... Just a cute pic of Jack @ the beach from a few weeks ago.

Have I failed?

2008-06-09T21:13:00.000-07:00

Avery had her first dental appointment today. We see little kids all the time Dr. Frieswyk is really good with kids. So no sweat right. Wrong!!! She did great he counted her teeth 9 on top (because one of her front teeth being knocked out almost 2 years ago now) and 10 on the bottom. She got them cleaned and polished everything going great yet. Tried X-rays no luck she said I was choking her so no sweat. Well she has a cavity. My child has a cavity. If you know me you know that I am crazy about my teeth and have passed that craziness onto my daughter and she has a cavity!!! Well Dr. Frieswyk and I decided that we would try to get the filling done so Avery wouldn't have to come back! This is where the stress starts. I do this every day why was this so hard!!! We gave her N2O and she was laughing and having fun. To my embarrassment she kept announcing to my boss that she farted. Oh so we finally started drilling doing O.K. The cavity was pretty big so we got all the decay out and now its time to do the filling well this is where I really start to sweat! She is putting her hands up and crying and moving and I am holding her down and trying to keep her mouth open while Dr. Frieswyk is trying to put the filling in. Ahhhhhhhh. Finally we are done with Avery sobbing. Did I traumatize my daughter? Well she was her naughty self by the time we got home. Ohhh the joys of being a parent.