NKOTB Concert 2009

Yes, I went to the see the New Kids in concert...again! Their last concert was so much fun, that Tara and I decided to go again. We had great seats, only 15 rows back, so we had a good view of all of the happenings. I enjoyed this concert more than the last one. It was at Fiddler's Green, which is where we saw them in concert (my first ever concert) way back in 1990. The boys- (I should say "men"....'cause "new kids" they ain't!!), put on a great show!

They still have "the right stuff", if you ask me...and the thousands of other crazy fans that were at the show!

and, one of their newer songs, Dirty Dancing

The people watching always makes for great entertainment, and this time did not disappoint! From men wearing skin tight super-hero costumes, women sporting all of their new kids gear from 20 years ago (picture the enormous buttons, with photos of the boys in their more kid-ish days, LOTS of neon, and torn clothing...totally 80's), even a woman who had her nkotb bed sheets sewn into a dress....yes! Really!

It was so nice to get out of the house, for some adult/girl time with one of my very best friends!

sunset safari wagon ride

Last weekend, we went on a wagon ride at the plains conservation area. We saw a few different animals, including: prong horns, a few different owls, prairie dogs, and Hailey's favorite- baby bunnies!

At the end, they had a big campfire style bonfire where we roasted marshmallows, and made s'mores! Hailey didn't care much for the marshmallows, but had fun roasting the marshmallows with Daddy anyway!

latest happenings

We are staying busy, and enjoying our summer! I just thought I would post some updates for those of you who follow our blog!

Hailey had swim lessons the last 2 weeks. Her instructor, Miss Sara, was so patient with her (even when she was being a pain!) We have backtracked a bit since our last lessons, and she no longer likes to go under water, or even get her face wet whatsoever. Her favorite part of swim class was the flower game. Each girl stands on the side of the pool, and then Miss Sara "waters" the flower, and they grow. Then, she "picks" the flower, and they jump in! I got a quick video of it the other day.

We have had a couple more golf games...I am really enjoying golf! I am terrible at it, but it is really fun nonetheless!

Hailey has been having so much fun playing with all of her friends, and running around outside. This is a pretty common thing in the late afternoons/early evenings these days:

Doesn't look very comfortable to me!

We went to see Ice Age 3 the weekend it came out. Hailey had to take her picture with the huge 3-D cut out. I guess I didn't check to make sure the photo turned out alright. As you can see, it is pretty blurry. Oh well!

Another random Hailey moment. I have no idea what all she is rambling about here...

a new nephew!

My sister had her baby this weekend! He was born on the 4th of July, which coincidentally, is April & Nik's anniversary! So, not only will they be celebrating their anniversary, but also a birthday on every July 4th from here on out!

Tory Douglas Warejcka

8 lbs. 2 oz. 20 & 1/2 inches

Born at 3:45 pmHe has the chubbiest cheeks I have ever seen on a newborn baby, and lots of dark hair!

We are so excited to have this new little man in our family!

Tory was born in the same hospital that Hailey was. So, on the second day, before we went and visited them, we made a quick stop into the room where she was born. (It was only 3 rooms down from where April was). Luckily, no one was in there, and we were able to explore it for a few minutes. Hailey seemed fascinated when we told her about how she was born in that room, and laid in that tiny baby bed, etc. It made me a little sad to think about when we were in that room, we were just beginning this journey of parenthood.

And, now, here we are 4 years later. The time has gone so fast!

snow cones & popsicles

Hailey loves her new snow cone machine! She especially loves sharing them with her friends! A few times a week, after playing in the afternoon, she brings her friends into the kitchen and they make snow cones (with my help, of course!) They all like choosing their own flavors, and sometimes even mixing them together! Grape with strawberry, or lemon-lime. Yummmm!

How to make your own popsicles (with a 4 year old):1. Fill each mold 1/2 way with water.

2. Fill the rest of each mold with syrup of choice (we chose strawberry).

3. Overfill mold with syrup, causing it to spill out all over the counter.

4. Wipe up counters.

5. Accidentally spill more syrup out of the bottle on to stove.

6. Wipe syrup from stove.

7. Insert the stick part into the molds- causing them to overflow again from earlier overfill.

8. Wipe down mold from extra syrup run-off.

9. Put the mold on a flat surface in your freezer.

10. Check on the popsicles every 2-3 minutes to see if they are frozen, and ready to eat yet.

11. Listen to Mommy say that they aren't ready yet.

12. Still aren't ready.

13. Nope, not yet.

14. Check them again. Maybe they are frozen this time!

15. Finally, forget about them, giving them a chance to freeze!

16. A few hours later, enjoy a home-made popsicle (after dinner)!

Little Hailey Homemaker

One day last week, I went in to make Hailey's bed; as I do everyday. Normally, the covers are still down by the foot of the bed. Sometimes they might even be falling off of the bed...(she sleeps like her Daddy with the covers all crazy!) Well, this day, it appeared as though she made her bed all by herself. This is what I found. She pulled up the duvet (the sheet was still wadded up towards the foot of the bed underneath), and put her animals up near her pillow. When I asked her if she had made her bed, she was so proud of herself when she told me "yes!" The second pic is after I made her bed, obviously! It is crazy to me to think about how grown up she is getting. Such a little girl now! Not that I expect her to be making her bed every day now...I won't be holding my breath for that just yet!

Moments I Won't Ever Forget...

This is Tony again making my one contribution of the year...

Just wanted to share with everyone...and document for my own personal memories some things Hailey has done or said to me in the last few months. These are things that I don't want to ever forget about this part of her life.

Lunch Preparations...

Hailey has always had a thing for "helping" me pack my lunch in the morning. Her goal is to ensure I have "something" prepared so that I am not hungry during lunch. She has tossed some pretty random things in my bag but one morning I decided to just let her pack the entire lunch and see what I ended up with.

I ended up with three (THREE) sour cherry balls in a zip lock freezer bag all nice and zipped up and stuck in my briefcase. She was VERY proud of what she put together for me that I couldnt tell her what I was really thinking. I showed everyone at work that day who thought it was pretty cute.

The Weather Channel...

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I watch The Weather Channel non stop (when I have control of the TV which is rare). When I do watch, Hailey seems to watch with me a little bit and frequently asks me what the greens and reds mean on the radar display. I of course, like to answer those questions!

It was a proud moment for me when, last night, while driving to see April in the hospital Hailey looked outside at the rain coming down and said..."boy, I sure am glad we watched The Weather Channel" so we knew it was going to rain"

I appear to be wearing off on her....

The Money Tree...

We received a Fisher Price toy magazine/ad in the mail the other day and I asked Hailey if she wanted anything specific from it. She of course said she wanted everything in the magazine. I said I can't afford to buy EVERYTHING in the magazing. She told me "sure you can, you have a job don't you" (hands on her hips). She has a point, but I dont think I am quite at the point where I can buy EVERYTHING!

Candy Land Cheater...

Hailey is officially a Candy Land cheater! She has figured out how to carefully arrange the deck of cards so that some of the "best" cards are pulled by her. She loves the one that puts her ALL THE WAY toward the end of course and consistently plants that one as the second card (Lisa or I go first of course). So, the first card she draws is the one that basically puts her at the end on the first shot. Pretty convenient....

The Little Girl...

This one actually chokes me up a little bit. This is the first summer where Hailey has spent A LOT of time out in the neighborhood with friends she has met. The other day, I went out to get her to call her inside as it was getting a little late. I saw her at our neighbor's house in the driveway sitting cross legged next to her friend Maddie (who was sitting the same way) and they were just having a conversation and carrying on like they were dealing with "life" in general.

I just let them be...

That was one of those moment's for me where I really looked at Hailey and realized that she was getting "older" and transitioning into a new phase of her life. Makes you think about how fast time really does fly by.

Those are just a few things I wanted to share with everyone...