3 Going on 13

SuperDad and I are always talking about how our little Monkey is 3 going on 13, but now we have proof. If you look really closely at the picture of Monkey below you can see a huge zit on her nose. Can you believe it? She even has the "oh, mom!" look down pat. I cherish these precious moments with her because at the rate she's going she'll be 18 by Thursday and wanting to get married by next Sunday. They grow up so quickly, don't they?

Other highlights of this week...

The SuperKids were playing in Monkey's dress up clothes and Bear wanted to wear one of Monkey's Easter hats almost all day.

Oh, ice cream how we love thee! Like Mother, like daughter you've got to lick out the bowl.

Bear on the other hand is not always the ice cream fan. This was his reaction to his ice cream. Needless to say, SuperDad ended up eating Bear's share. Where did this kid come from?

This Week's Forecast: 73 Degrees and SNOW!!!

Greetings and Salutatations Space Cadets! The month of November started with us thinking it was a few months earlier. Monday and Tuesday the temperature was a pleasant 73 F degrees. By Thursday though Mother Nature reminded us that Winter is indeed coming. With daytime highs barely breaking freezing and snow flurries, the Iowagners are preparing for a few cold months.



On Tuesday SuperMom and I exercised our right to vote in this very important election. Since this is not a political blog, we will not reveal who we voted for (Sorry Uncle C!). On Friday night we took the SuperKids to a Family Movie Night at the local community college. In their gymnasium they had face painting, clowns, juggling and much more entertainment. The main event was a showing of the movie 'WALL-E'. It is a great kids movie with less than subtle political and environmentalist undertones. It is Monkey's new favorite movie.



Unfortunately, the remainder of the week was uneventful, but pleasant. Gotta love the SuperKids and SuperMom!





SuperMom n' Kids Having Fun

This is Halloween, this is Halloween....

Lots of Halloween fun this week here in Iowa. Thursday Monkey had a Halloween Party at Preschool. The first few pictures are of Monkey before she went to School. Being homemade I wasn't sure if the costume would hold up to the test of being worn at school. Bear was a bit jealous that sister got to wear her costume so I put his on him as well. If you can't tell Monkey is Cheer Bear and Bear is Grumpy Bear from Care Bears. Whenever people asked Monkey what she was she would say, "I'm Cheer Bear from Care-a-lot." It was really cute. Monkey picked the idea for the costumes this year. It worked out well and really cheap. :)



Cheer Bear from the front.



Cheer Bear from the back. It's all in the details, my friends.



Again the jealousy set in. Bear with his five minutes of fame.



SuperDad's turn to take the kids Trick-or-Treating this year.

Here in Iowa they do it the night before Halloween; what is called Beggar's Night. I had planned the costumes to be warm because it is typically really cold here around Halloween, but it was in the low 70's this year and everyone came home sweaty.
We quickly got everyone changed into some cooler clothes and the kids ran around the house trying to wear off their sugar high. The kids didn't quite come home with the candy haul that SuperMom was hoping for, but it will have to do. One of the highlights of the evening was the kids taking turns trying to walk in SuperDad's big shoes.



Monkey Big Foot



Bear Big Foot (you can tell he thinks he's such a big boy)

We also had a Trunk-or-Treat with our Church on Halloween night that was tons of fun. Again, SuperDad took the kids around and again, not so great with the candy haul. He was too busy chatting with everyone to focus on the real issue; The Candy!!!! Oh, well. We all really did have fun. I didn't end up handing out all the candy we bought so I guess everything works out in the end. :)

SuperMom signing off...

Still Racing For the Cure - Part Five

The Iowagners would like to cordially invite you to partake of this splendid blog post. We hope you find it as uplifting and inspiring as we have. First off, I must give a big verbal hug and even bigger thank you to SuperMom, and all those who responded to her posting this week. It gave me the warm fuzzies.

This week found SuperDad as busy as ever as he started again with framing young minds. His mission: to empower select youth to keep this country (well, at least Iowa) mobile. To enable them to fight the injustice of a vehicle in disrepair. Only time will tell if he has been successful.


The real excitement came on Saturday. Your favorite SuperFamily combined forces with approximately 24,350 other equally awesome people. We took to the streets of downtown Des Moines to take on the pernicious evil known as breast cancer. This was our fifth year in a row to participate in 'Race for the Cure'. We do it to honor SuperMom's amazing and feisty Grandma J, who fought a battle with breast cancer and won! This year, with SuperKids in tow, we completed the entire 5K walk. Even with the massive crowds we still were able to enjoy the experience. We actually came extremely close to breaking the record set by New York City of 25,000 participants. There is always next year...

Waiting for the Race to Begin

The Starting Line

SuperMom n' SuperKids cross the Des Moines River

People as far as the Eye can See

Rare Shot of SuperDad n' S-Kids

All Smiles at the Iowa State Capital (a.k.a. the finish line)

The Statue of Liberty...in Iowa! (note Bear's excitement)

Monkey-Always Fashionable in Ford 'Warriors in Pink' Headscarf and Sunglasses

Until next time space cadets...farewell and good night!

-SuperDad

Just Because / For The Man

Just because my SuperChildren are being extra wonderful at this moment and I was having fun reading every ones blogs. Just because I'm grateful for Mr., Mrs., and Baby Potato Heads that keep my children busy for hours on end. Just because I can. More especially, just because SuperDad needs a shout out.

I get comments all the time from people that tell me how hilarious and fun our blog is. Frankly, it wouldn't be as good without SuperDad and his posts as well as his Creative Genius. I'm not quite sure if it is because men are not so apt to be involved in the world of blogging, if he doesn't feel like he gets quite as many comments from people as I do, or some other third thing, but he's feeling a bit unappreciated lately. So I'm asking, no Begging, you to please leave a comment of praise for this wonderfully comedic man that works extra hard for his family and at saving the universe from untold perils. Thanks for all your love and support SuperFans!

-SuperMom signing off...

That's how we roll.

Monkey's latest phrase, "That's how I roll!" Well, this is her "Rolling" as a Vampire Butterfly. Eek!

The last week started out with a field trip with Monkey's Preschool. Bear and I tagged along to a pumpkin patch. It was a really great time. They had a simple maze made with hay bails and a Corn "Pool" (it's a big barn filled with a few inches of corn all over the floor). Monkey really enjoyed making Corn Angels in the Corn Pool. We were still finding kernels in our clothing at the end of the day. There were also lots of fun animals to see and pet and we all left with a tiny little pumpkin of our very own. Of course, I forgot the camera so pictures are pending thanks to one of my fellow SuperMom's who let me use her camera.

In order to get some time in with SuperDad this week we rolled on up to the Minneapolis area with him on a business trip. Thursday we went to visit our SuperFriends in the area and, as always, the kids and I had a terrific time. We played in their yard and went to the library and other general silliness. Around early afternoon time SuperDad was all done working for the day and so we went to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Our SuperFriends hooked us up with some free passes. If you are ever in the Minneapolis area I highly suggest going there. The place is huge, over a thousand acres, so we were barely able to scratch the surface before it was dinner time. You can drive through a good portion of the arboretum and stop at anything you think is interesting. We stopped at the Maze Garden. I've always wanted to have a yard big enough for a maze garden and had never actually been in one before. So, it was like a dream come true to walk through it. The kids loved it! There was even a kids maze with playground tunnels all through it and other fun things to see.

Playing in the leaves with their SuperFriends.

In the maze...(Dun, dun, dun)...Another dead end? You can see Monkey's excitement written all over her face.

On top of the world!! The tower at the end of the maze.

Bear cheesing it up for the camera.

SuperDad had been lucky enough to get us a really nice room with a big jacuzzi tub and everything. The kids were so excited to take a bath in the big tub. After we put them in I figured the kids would think it was funny if I turned on the jacuzzi jets. Well, bad idea. The second I turned them on they were spraying the kids instead of bubbling the water because there wasn't enough water in the tub for them to function properly. I quickly turned them off and after the kids got over the initial shock they thought that it was really funny. FYI, Sleep Number Beds are horrible! Our room had one and it was the worst nights sleep we've ever had. It's basically a glorified air mattress that you can pump or deflate. An air mattress is an air mattress and no matter how you present it, it will always be uncomfortable. End of rant...

The next day SuperDad had more work to do, but we had to be out of the hotel so we checked out, played and had a picnic at a park nearby. It was a bit drizzly, but the kids didn't seem to mind. SuperDad was done early so we didn't have to wait too long for him and we were able to make it home before bedtime. :) We'd planned to work more on our yard on Saturday, but we were all too wiped out. Yeah for lazy Saturdays!!!!

SuperMom signing off.

Extreme self portrait!!!

You Oughta Be in Pictures!

Greetings and Salutations! As the old adage states, "a picture is worth a thousand words." Therefore, I will let the photos do the talking this week. Of course, commentary will be provided as needed. Enjoy, and feel free to submit your comments, complaints, questions or general rants and raves. Without further ado, let's start the show...

Bear Outgrows the Crib. Assists With Disassembly

A Born Handyman. Notice the Michael Jordan Tongue Action While He Works

Monkey Found Her Smiles Again.

Bear Approves of His New-ish (Monkey's Hand-Me-Down) Big Boy Bed

Cool Victorian Home - Excellent Bed & Breakfast Potential

Even Better B & B Potential in Fairfield, Iowa (I Think?!)

You've Got to Watch Out For Those Amish!!!

Open House at the Fire Dept. Hopefully the Only Time Monkey Will be in the Back Of an Ambulance

Stare Into My Hypnotic Blue Eyes!

Monkey Behind the Wheel of the Big Fire Engine (She Thinks She is Old Enough to Drive!)

Learning About Fire Safety, or as Monkey calls it, "Stop, Drop, and Rock and Roll!"

Now You See Them...

Now You Don't.

Fall Fun Hits Iowagner HQ

SuperDad signing off...