Two More Things

First, The Gummi Bear video. I read about this video on another blog and she said her 2 year old loved it. Well, it must be a two year old thing because Jessica dies every time she watches it - especially when he shakes his little Gummi butt and you see his Gummi Bear Butt Crack. I don't know - go figure, Jessica is whacky. Second, we are on a citywide search (like every Halloween) for Booberry Cereal. It is always only available for a limited time and it is Chris's most favorite cereal. He loves Booberry during Halloween time like I love Christmas Crunch during Christmas and he needs his fix. I have seen some empty shelves but no actual Booberry. So, I am asking you, Blog Readers, if you find some, please email or comment on this blog so I can go fetch him some! Please, I implore you. It just isn't officially Halloween time until Chris has a bowl of blue marshmallows in front of him. Thanks!

The Halloween Crazies

The Halloween Crazies have struck the Colwell House! Hardcore. We have had the inside decorated for awhile now - there are pumpkins, withes, goblins, bats, ravens, candy corn and zombies throughout every level of our house. Finally the time came this weekend for Chris to decorate the outside and put up the lights. Yes, we have Halloween lights. We are the Clark Griswold of Halloween decorating. Jackson has been dying to do this decorating. If it was up to him, our house would be decorated for Halloween starting right after July 4th. We all got into the act - putting up pumpkins outside, decorating our outside pug (an awesome donation from Cooper & Johnny), hanging up witches and so much more. The kids were having a blast!!! This past weekend was just awesome! The soccer game, the decorating! We also went to Illumifest which could have been cool if we had gotten there earlier and/or were willing to wait in monstrously long lines. Illumifest is a new West Des Moines Fall Festival and everything was free - inflatables, lanterns, glow sticks and carnival rides. That translates into HUGE lines everywhere. Also, since we have 2 kids to get into bed at a halfway reasonable time, we did not even get to stay until the lanterns were set on the lake and we did not get to stay for the fireworks which I am assuming were at 10pm. In a few years, this festival will be cool - lit lanterns, glowsticks, hot air balloons, all at night plus fireworks sounds like a pretty fun way to spend a nice cool fall evening - especially with a band and beverage tent and deliciously bad for you food from vendors. Since we were too late to get glow sticks or paper lanterns, we took the kids home and had our own Illumifest in our driveway with our own glowsticks which was cool but our neighbors probably thoughts we were loons. Oh well! Anyway, we are preparing for another Halloween Party that Jackson - The King of Halloween - has begged me to allow him and Jessica to have so that is taking up a lot of my time but it should be a blast. I can't wait to blog all about it! Have a great week!

Total Cuteness For A Fall Day

Gummi Bear

Gummi Bear - Watch more amazing videos here

FYI

In the team shots of the Purple Gumballs on the field, Jackson's number is #1. Also, new video on the video bar - Jackson making his goal!!

The Power of a Smile

The soccer game is over. Did the Purple Gumballs win their game? I have no idea but Jackson won and our whole family won. First, a little history. Last week, during his first game, Jackson had LOTS of tears. Crying because he did not get to kick the ball, crying because he thought it was his turn, crying because he fell down, lots of crying. It was to the point that I was wondering if he had any fun. Flash forward to this morning as we are laying in bed and having snuggle time, Jackson tells me, when I bring up the fact that he has a soccer game this morning, that he thinks that soccer is for five year olds and that it is pretty hard. I assure him that we have him in the correct age bracket and that age bracket is four year olds. He seems uneasy and unsure. I tell him to remember our family motto (yes, we have a family motto, don't you?) - Do your best, forget the rest. He says okay but then tells me that he might cry if he falls down and I tell him that's understandable but to try to just chill the rest of the time that he might cry during soccer. Needless to say, I do not have high hopes for today's big game. We arrive on the field a little before his 10am game which was beautiful (noon stinks and is TOO HOT!) and who was there to our surprise but Uncle Jeff (Chris's bro), Aunt Emily and their two kids, Hayden & Mallory. Then Gaga arrives so he has his fan club there for another game. We were short two guys for the first half so the 4 that were there were going to get a workout - oh no! Jackson gets out on the field right away and gets in the midst of it. Then it happens, he goes down and gets stepped on, hard. Tears start flowing. Daddy goes out there and dusts him off and he goes back to the middle after his injury time out. And you know what? That was the only tears from Jackson and after seeing his leg, I would have cried too. Not only were there no tears but there were SMILES! Out right, happiness, laughing, and joy spread across his face. Smiles the whole game, whether he got to kick the ball or not. Plus, he never wanted to take a break. He kept wanting to get in there!Not to brag too much, Jackson even made a goal!! That was amazing! Not that I care too much about that goal with the net at the end of the field because Jackson scored a bigger goal - he had fun. Good, outside, healthy, athletic, run hard, get sweaty FUN! That was huge goal and he did it. I was so happy for my little guy because I could see how happy he was that I almost cried out there at the soccer field - thank goodness for big Olsen sisters sunglasses! What a 360 our Soccer Saturday took, huh? You just never know what the day has in store for you.

The Purple Gumballs

They have another game today! If you are reading this blog, think good thoughts for them! They play the dreaded Green Starbursts - ughhhh!!!!

Another Funny Jessica Quote

About an hour after I blogged about her yesterday, Jessica comes up with another gem. She got out of her bed after naptime again! Scared the poo out of me! This time I asked her what she was doing, she goes "I'm just peeking and sneaking." Turns out she must have been peeking at me and Jackson before she made it all the way down the stairs! Just peeking and sneaking.

Jessica and Her Funny Quotes

Jessica is hilarious. The things that come out of her mouth crack us up on a daily basis. On Wednesday, after preschool, I picked her and Jackson up. As usual, I start trying to find out about their day. I always ask, "What did you have for snacks?" Jessica pipes right up and says, "I had Dora cookies and applesauce." I say, "Was it good?" Jessica replies "Yes, my tummy is happy, happy, happy." Then she goes, "I love you, Tummy." Jackson and I about died laughing. Some days I don't think she could be any cuter. But there are the days when she refuses to eat, throws her fruit on the floor and grabs various toys from her brother's hands without asking. And then she will look at you with her big blue eyes and says, "I love you, Mommy" and we all just melt.

Check Out The Video Bar

Hilarious new videos have been uploaded!!

It is located on the right hand side of the blog.

The Dreaded Dentist!!!

I did not get to blog yesterday as both kids decided that napping was not in the cards. That never makes for a good afternoon but I made it and so did they. Needless to say, it was an early night. But I digress, yesterday above all things was our SIX MONTH DENTIST CHECKUPS for both kids. Always necessary but never fun. Luckily, my mom has always consented to go with me and help out or I don't know what I would do. We pile in her car and are honest with both kids about where we are going. They are surprising agreeable, even Jess! Maybe this won't be as bad as last time. Really, to be honest, ever since Jackson has been about 2 years old, there have been no tears. Now, Jess is two so maybe this will be a turning point for her as well. Oh, by the way, we go to the BEST Pediatric Dentist in the world! His name is Dr. Wade and his website is http://mykidsdentist.com/ and if you have small kids, you need to call him. I just found out yesterday that if your kids get a cavity (god forbid!) that they do not even have to give shots of Novocaine. They use a laser and it is painless - there is NO DRILLING!!! Anyway, back to my story. Jackson is called first and I pull him away from the video games in the lobby to go have a seat in his awesome purple dental chair. They have The Incredibles playing in the ceiling and Jackson puts on the headphones and he is good to go. Fifteen minutes and a fluoride treatment later and he is done. Next up, Jessica. She is out in the lobby with my mom and I hear her screaming in the hall as she brings her in. Obviously Jessica remembers this place from six months ago and is none too happy. She is still too little to go in the chair so she lays back on mine and Dr. Wade's knees, screaming the entire time like she was being stuck with red hot pokers. Which she was not, I guarantee you. Finally she is done and we find out she still has two more molars to come in, poor thing. As soon as this little Screaming Mimi gets down, she immediately has smiles, playing with toys and saying hi to the other kids in the exam room. Talk about Jekyll and Hyde. Jackson and Jessica go to collect their two toys each and we all go have a celebratory lunch at Chili's, where they each have some horribly sweet sugary drink (Jackson red and Jessica blue) that would have Dr. Wade shaking his head! But we got to keep him in business, you know!

New Hats

Gaga bought the kids Halloween hats.

We are Halloween CRAZY here already!!

The Toll Soccer Takes on a Four Year Old

Scrolling through my weekend pictures today, I thought this was funny. Here is a picture of Jackson BEFORE his 32 minute soccer game.

And here is a picture of Jackson after it was all over.

Our Weekend Update

Man oh man, it was a crazy weekend in the Casa De Colwell. Let's start with Friday - had Gaga (my mom) and her friend, Jerry, over for a BBQ as even though summer is supposedly over, I think today is the first day of fall, it was like 80 degrees. We got some burgers, beans, chips and dip and some vino. Of course, no BBQ is complete without the infamous bubble blower. Seriously this is a great item and no house with small kids should be without one. I think I spent $10 on it at Wal-Mart 3 years ago and we have had hours of entertainment with ours! The kids had a blast and so did the big kids. Chunky loves a good BBQ and the challenge of catching anything - raw, cooked, dirty, metal, greasy that Daddy, the chef, might drop. He also had some big fun playing house with the kids. This picture about sums up how much fun we had on Friday night.Flash forward to Saturday morning - Jackson's first soccer game! The Purple Gumballs debut performance. It was also Chris's debut as Coach. It the only time he has to do it all year but he was nervous! I was in charge of snacks that first game and when you are dealing with preschoolers, snacks are of great importance. Here I am getting Jackson suited up for the big game. Gaga, Grandma & Grandpa Colwell all showed up for Jackson so he even had some fans! Daddy was a wonderful coach and though Jackson had some tears out on the field when he could not get a good kick at the ball, I am pretty sure he had fun as well. We don't really keep score but I am pretty sure the Gumballs suffered a loss but you could not tell that after the game was over and everyone was eating their purple gumball cookies. They were hot, sweaty, and completely gassed but they all had smiles on their faces! Check out Chris, Coach of the Year! After the game, I had to go to work with Mom and when we were done, we decided to stop at The Chocolate Storybook to get some delicious chocolates! Not only did we find tasty treats, I also found the greatest thing since Trick or Treating if you ask Jackson & Jessica - I bought a Halloween Tree. Just like a Christmas tree only black and you put Halloween ornaments on it. Yes, they make such a thing. The kids were more excited about the tree then they were when we got the Wii. We immediately had to go to Michaels to get more ornaments, per Jackson's request . On Sunday morning, they both ran downstairs, not for cartoons, just ran downstairs to gaze at the tree. We also specifically got non-breakable ornaments so it is (to quote Jackson) a "Kids' Tree" which means they can take ornaments off, touch it, rearrange ornaments - whatever. This is the same as our Christmas tree - no breakables!! Here is a picture of them and the finished product. My mom also bought everyone delicious chocolate truffles - at $28 per pound! Yes, even for the kids. Do they know the difference between $28 per pound truffles and a M&M? I doubt it but they both loved them as you can plainly see here. After all the family, the BBQ, the soccer game, the tree, the playing of Star Wars, the ornaments, the reading of Halloween books, you would think we were be done, right? Well, we weren't.
There was still time to squeeze in a little Wii for the boy (he only gets to play on weekends) so Chris and Jackson hit Monster Jam and Lego Star Wars before bedtime on Saturday night. Then after the kids went to bed, Mommy and Daddy began the Great Colwell Competition on the Wii- Mommy stinks at tennis but I can hold my own at bowling! Although my friend Cooper has reported a game with EIGHT strikes! I am not there yet but a couple more late nights with Chris, who knows! Anyway, the pretty much sums up our crazy weekend! I can't wait for next weekend!!!

What Kind A Mother Am I?

What a great day! TGIF! I decided since Jackson has had a "long" week (if you are a regular reader, you will know, we have had some drama) so I wanted to do something special for him to end his week. I decided to take Chunky with Jessica and I to pick him up from Preschool. This is going to be a feat, I know. Aunt Lisa helps out by agreeing to go in and get Jackson as she gets Xander so I can be outside with the girl and the pug. Jackson comes out and is thrilled!! Big smiles, lots of tail wagging (Chunky, not Jackson) and happiness all around. Chunky gets to meet at least 20-25 kids and he is wonderful with them all. He was excited too but you could see he was really trying not to jump on any skittish three or four year olds. We were there for about a half hour until the school emptied out. What a blast. Then since Chunky was out and about, the kids wanted to take him to the pet store. OK, I am Super Mom, I handle getting two kids in and out of car seats while holding a 4 month old pug, right? I manage although at one point my shirt blew up in Petsmart parking lot and I had to just ignore it. No free hands. To show my gratitude to this sweet little dog, I buy him a Halloween costume. He is a pirate. Doesn't he look happy? Now, just so you do not think I am completely horrible, I did buy him a Greenie and the kids each bought him a toy. He will be happy. As soon as I get this hat and wig off him. Mommy loves you, Chunky!!

I Need A Smile

Here are my two ecstatic kids with suckers - a rare happening in the Colwell house as Mommy is paranoid of all choking hazards. I am trying to chill a bit. Anyway, this is a good way to start your morning and set out to find your lollipop today!!

What a Day

I don't know how else to say it. Just what a day. What a rollercoaster! This morning, Chunky, our not-house broken little pug decided to pee all over one of our bed pillows that was on the floor in it's decorative sham. The sham, which is dry clean only. Bad dog. Bad bad dog. That is okay, I can deal. I have a great day in store for me and the kids. Check it out - this was their surprise this morning! Yes, that is right - we went to Krispy Kreme! It was a total surprise and they had a blast. Mommy did too - aren't they diet food? Here is another picture that you might like. I do!

After that, surprise number 2 - trip to the play area at the mall and Aunt Lisa & Cousin Xander met us there.

They were surprise #3! So far, all is well. They all three were having a blast! Until..some kid pushed Jessica off a bench and bloodied her lip Crying, tears, snot, and much drama ensued. That is okay, Aunt Lisa was there to help. She was clam - me, not so much. We went to get everyone together to go home and ice Jessie's lip as it was getting swollen and Jackson decides not to leave. Throw a fit like nothing I have ever seen - horrifying! He did not care about sissy's lip, all he cared about was playing and he was not stopping. Trust me, this episode was so bad and behaviour was so naughty, I can't go into more detail. He would not listen to me, Aunt Lisa or even Xander! Finally, we got him and Jess in the car and we got home and as punishment, Jackson got all his Star Wars figures taken away. This is a HUGE deal. I was so upset by this whole thing I was practically in tears making lunch as I questioned everything I ever thought I taught my sweet little boy. Had he really not understood anything? I felt like a total failure. Finally naptime, sweet naptime. I throw myself into creating a Fantasy Football League online for my husband so I would not think about it anymore.

After a couple hours, I heard something odd. Like a tiny ghost saying "I love you", "I love you", "I love you, Mommy". Very faint and coming from somewhere odd. I looked up the stair and in the reflection of my other stars, I see a little face - JESSICA! Not to some parents this might not seem odd, kids get out of bed, why are you freaking out? Because Jackson has only gotten out of bed one time in almost three years and Jessica has not gotten out of bed since her first week in her big girl bed, over a year ago. It made my heart skip a beat to see 2 eyes in that mirror. She was just sitting on the steps and when I asked what she was doing, she replied "I 'm just sneaking. I am just sneaking, Mom." Here is a picture of her sneaking. It was so cute that you just can't be mad.

And now Chunky is eating rotten fruit every time he goes outside so that will certainly be coming out the other end soon.

So, today has been my rollercoaster - full of ups and downs like that quote from the movie Parenthood (which is in my Top Ten), Grandma says: "You know, when I was nineteen, Grandpa took me on a roller coaster. I always wanted to go again. You know, it was just so interesting to me that a ride could make me so frightened, so scared, so sick, so excited, and so thrilled all together! Some didn't like it. They went on the merry-go-round. That just goes around. Nothing. I like the roller coaster. You get more out of it."

Charlie Bit Me

I like Charlie. He just doesn't care. And he laughs at his own material.

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

One More Thing...

I am getting ready to send an email out announcing this blog - yikes! This is a lot of pressure and I hope I don't disappoint. Seriously, I vow to blog at least every other day about all things Colwell! If you like it, become a follower of The Colwell Chronicles. If you don't, that's okay too. Just don't tell me. OK, here we go - The Chronic's unveiling to the masses. Well, at least the people on my email list. OK, now look at this picture and see how sweet I am so be nice! And I will too!!!

Ninety Minutes of Paradise?

Hey I am two for two in the blog world! Amazing! Now if I just had something to say....I will start here. I actually had one and a half hours completely to myself this morning - no Chunky, no Jackson, no Jessica. I went to the mall, I walked, I window shopped, I took the escalator (this was a huge deal!) and I tried on clothes without two small children sobbing and pounding their tiny fists on the floor length mirrors. It was heaven! I hope this does not make me a bad mom but I totally had a great time. The past four and a half years, I have spent 99.9% percent of my days with one or both kids or once in a great while, working for my Mom or filming a legal deposition. But just ninety minutes of total freedom - I don't know if that has happened and it was weird but delightful. Perhaps this might become a Wednesday morning ritual, we'll see. I am not going to count my chickens yet. Now, as delightful as my ninety minutes were, there was nothing like the feeling I felt when that preschool door opened and this beautiful little girl shouted with glee, "I missed you, Mama!" and came running into my arms.

Not to be out done, a half hour later, Jackson came bounding out of his classroom, shouting, "Mama!" with a huge smile on his face. Yeah, I enjoyed my ninety minutes but these last two minutes, picking up Jackson and Jessica from preschool made my escalator ride seem pretty mundane.

Hello Blog, It's Me, Kerry

Welcome to The Colwell Chronicles! I have often thought about starting a blog but was always wondering who would read it? Who cares? If a blog is written but no one reads it, does it still exist? Is this just some weird public diary? I have decided that I don't care and I will give it a shot as long as I continue to not care about my lack of audience and it does not take too much time away from my kids, Jackson and Jessica who deserve the world!

So, do you really want to know what we did today? Hmmm, not a lot. Played soccer outside with the kids and Chunky, our three month old pug puppy, watch the first half of The Little Mermaid, which caused Jessica to change her mind about her Halloween costume. Then Jackson stepped in and said "Jessica, Mom said when I bought my Jango Fett costume at Super Target that this was it and I can not change my mind so you can not change your mind." To which Jess replied "Okay." Jackson is Yoda to Jessica's Luke Skywalker. He is her hero, sage, best friend and partner in fun, crime and various adventures. There is nothing better than to listen to their conversations.

Tonight is also the finale of Big Brother which marks the official end of summer for Chris and I as it is our summertime guilty pleasure. Actually, this year was pretty lame and I will be glad to see it end. When you have the greatest reality show ever going on, the presidential race of 2008, it is hard to care about stuff like that.

Bringing me to one huge personal fact - I am a hardcore Obama supporter and lifelong Democrat. I am sure I will have posts along the way concerning Obama and various volunteering I have been doing, my rants about the other side, etc. Will this be every post? Heck no, I am a proud Mom above anything else so lots of these posts will be about my family but once in awhile, I will not be able to NOT say anything. So if that makes you uncomfortable, don't read this. It's okay, I won't mind.

I will try to keep on this frequently with all sorts of happenings, recipes, pictures, cool links, and whatever else I can squeeze into my very limited free time!