The kids were super excited to have her back as well!
They've asked me daily when she's coming home again...
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Surprise!
I got a phone call Friday, June 17th, from the sweet girl I used to nanny for (who is now 21), asking me if I'd gotten a package yet. I said I hadn't even been near the front door so far that day, but would check. So I walked into the entryway, opened the front door, scanned the porch, and then informed her I didn't see anything. She said, "Are you sure?" and I could hear a double-voice, which threw me off a bit, but before I could puzzle over it too hard, she walked around the corner from the driveway to the front porch!! She moved to CA for school and wasn't supposed to be able to come home again until Christmas. I totally screamed and got teary and we hugged and laughed. She was only home for a quick weekend visit for Father's Day, and I was swamped with Em's dance recital stuff, so our time together was very limited, but BETTER THAN NOTHING!!!
The kids were super excited to have her back as well!
They've asked me daily when she's coming home again...
The kids were super excited to have her back as well!
They've asked me daily when she's coming home again...
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
FoamiNator
Connor asked for a FoamiNator for his birthday and he LOOOOVES it!!!
My opinion is that you have to FREQUENTLY dip the end into the bubble solution to keep up any sort of foam action, so it'll use up a LOT of bubbles over the course of the summer... HOWEVER, all three kids think it's quite fun, and there were nonstop giggles the night Connor got it, and every day that we've used it since then!
My opinion is that you have to FREQUENTLY dip the end into the bubble solution to keep up any sort of foam action, so it'll use up a LOT of bubbles over the course of the summer... HOWEVER, all three kids think it's quite fun, and there were nonstop giggles the night Connor got it, and every day that we've used it since then!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Crackle Polish
Emily got some crackle nailpolish for her birthday, and we've been having fun testing out different color combinations. So far, the neon pink under the black shows up the best, and drew the most attention!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Garden Update
It's now been three weeks since the kids planted their gardens!
Week 1:
Jared's beans
Jared's lettuce
Connor's raddishes
The ONLY thing growing in Em's garden was one of her butternut squash plants, which had JUST poked through (can you see it, just to the right of the center of the picture?)
Week 2:
Jared's beans are getting huge, the lettuce is really coming in, AND his pumpkins have come through
Connor's raddishes got tall enough to space out (there are 96 in the ground, and we gave 15-20 to my MIL because we really didn't have anymore room for them in his garden!), his carrots made a good appearance, and some of his pumpkins came up as well (his are coming up much more slowly than Em and J's, and are smaller in size as a result)
Em's cucumbers came up, the butternut squash came in a little better, and her pumpkins are looking great
Week 3:
Jared's beans are really taking off, and we spaced out his lettuce. They are probably still a little closer together than they should be, but he really wanted to see a lot of plants in his garden, so we'll see what comes of it
Connor's raddishes really leafed up, and his carrots needed to be spaced out (they got planted WAY too clumped together, and while they suggest on the seed packet NOT transplanting them, there was no way they were going to be able to grow all wrapped around each other the way they were)
We spaced out Em's cucumbers, butternut squash, and pumpkin plants to give them a bit more room. The pumpkins didn't like being separated, but despite the fact that the original two leaves that grew out are shriveling, they're all still producing new green leaves, so I'm not worried
Week 1:
Jared's beans
Jared's lettuce
Connor's raddishes
The ONLY thing growing in Em's garden was one of her butternut squash plants, which had JUST poked through (can you see it, just to the right of the center of the picture?)
Week 2:
Jared's beans are getting huge, the lettuce is really coming in, AND his pumpkins have come through
Connor's raddishes got tall enough to space out (there are 96 in the ground, and we gave 15-20 to my MIL because we really didn't have anymore room for them in his garden!), his carrots made a good appearance, and some of his pumpkins came up as well (his are coming up much more slowly than Em and J's, and are smaller in size as a result)
Em's cucumbers came up, the butternut squash came in a little better, and her pumpkins are looking great
Week 3:
Jared's beans are really taking off, and we spaced out his lettuce. They are probably still a little closer together than they should be, but he really wanted to see a lot of plants in his garden, so we'll see what comes of it
Connor's raddishes really leafed up, and his carrots needed to be spaced out (they got planted WAY too clumped together, and while they suggest on the seed packet NOT transplanting them, there was no way they were going to be able to grow all wrapped around each other the way they were)
We spaced out Em's cucumbers, butternut squash, and pumpkin plants to give them a bit more room. The pumpkins didn't like being separated, but despite the fact that the original two leaves that grew out are shriveling, they're all still producing new green leaves, so I'm not worried
Friday, June 24, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
GAG!!!
I was packing up the car to head home from a day trip to a local lake a while back. When I came back inside the cabin, I found Connor dipping something into his yogurt. What was he dipping into his yogurt, you might be wondering?
A hotdog.
Yes, you heard me, a hotdog.
And it gets worse.
The hotdog in question? It'd been cooked around 2pm, went unclaimed on a paper plate on the table for around 7 hours, and THEN got dipped into his yogurt.
I still feel a little queasy thinking about it.
I was under the impression it was a fresh hot dog from the fridge at the time I witnessed the dipping, so while it was still GROSS, it wasn't a serious health concern. It wasn't until days later I was told it was the hotdog from earlier in the day... If I'd known THAT, it would have hit the trash FAST.
He must have a pretty strong digestive system because nothing came of it!
A hotdog.
Yes, you heard me, a hotdog.
And it gets worse.
The hotdog in question? It'd been cooked around 2pm, went unclaimed on a paper plate on the table for around 7 hours, and THEN got dipped into his yogurt.
I still feel a little queasy thinking about it.
I was under the impression it was a fresh hot dog from the fridge at the time I witnessed the dipping, so while it was still GROSS, it wasn't a serious health concern. It wasn't until days later I was told it was the hotdog from earlier in the day... If I'd known THAT, it would have hit the trash FAST.
He must have a pretty strong digestive system because nothing came of it!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Happy Birthday Connor!
Dear Connor,
How is it possible that my baby is already five years old? You were the baby they told me probably wouldn't make it through the pregnancy, and here you are today, living proof that miracles happen!
You don't do anything partway, my sweet little mister. You laugh big, you love big, you tantrum big, you dream big, etc. When you set your mind to something, you see it through. This past fall, you decided you wanted to start taking swim lessons and within 6 months, were starting to swim on your own! I still get a kick out of seeing you swim across the pool at the YMCA, unassisted!
You are a charmer to the fullest extent. Everywhere we go, people comment about how adorable you are, how cute you are, how funny you are, etc. You have the most AMAZING smile, you are so eager to please and be helpful, you love to be as active as possible, and you simply just LOVE your family.
You are the quickest to share something that's yours, the quickest to offer up an "I love you", the quickest to offer to help... That's not to say you aren't also EXTREMELY stubborn and quick to anger, but you truly have a GIANT heart.
In a single day, you can drive me crazy with your stubborn ways, make me LAUGH with your goofy spirit, melt my heart with your sweetness, scare me to death with your dare-devilness (you're a major adrenalin junky!), etc. There is truly never a dull moment with you in my life!
You are soooo curious about the world around you, and ask many many many questions throughout the day about anything and everything, and MORE. Once you get an answer, you push for more detail, or question why the answer is what it is. You NEED to know all the why/what/where/when/if/and/but's there are in life, and while I admit the never-ending questions can be completely exhausting somedays, I truly appreciate your curiousity, and your desire to really LEARN. I hope you never lose the ability to question life around you and learn all you can.
Your favorite things in life right now are (in no particular order), your "soffy" blankets and stuffed animals, just about anything monkey/ape themed, wrestling with your daddy, winding your hands up into my hair, swimming, riding bikes, checking on your garden, helping people around you, and spending time with friends.
You came into this world ready to make your mark, and you are well on your way. Reach for the stars and stay true to yourself. Happy 5th birthday Connor. I love you more and more everyday. xoxo
Love, Mommy
How is it possible that my baby is already five years old? You were the baby they told me probably wouldn't make it through the pregnancy, and here you are today, living proof that miracles happen!
You don't do anything partway, my sweet little mister. You laugh big, you love big, you tantrum big, you dream big, etc. When you set your mind to something, you see it through. This past fall, you decided you wanted to start taking swim lessons and within 6 months, were starting to swim on your own! I still get a kick out of seeing you swim across the pool at the YMCA, unassisted!
You are a charmer to the fullest extent. Everywhere we go, people comment about how adorable you are, how cute you are, how funny you are, etc. You have the most AMAZING smile, you are so eager to please and be helpful, you love to be as active as possible, and you simply just LOVE your family.
You are the quickest to share something that's yours, the quickest to offer up an "I love you", the quickest to offer to help... That's not to say you aren't also EXTREMELY stubborn and quick to anger, but you truly have a GIANT heart.
In a single day, you can drive me crazy with your stubborn ways, make me LAUGH with your goofy spirit, melt my heart with your sweetness, scare me to death with your dare-devilness (you're a major adrenalin junky!), etc. There is truly never a dull moment with you in my life!
You are soooo curious about the world around you, and ask many many many questions throughout the day about anything and everything, and MORE. Once you get an answer, you push for more detail, or question why the answer is what it is. You NEED to know all the why/what/where/when/if/and/but's there are in life, and while I admit the never-ending questions can be completely exhausting somedays, I truly appreciate your curiousity, and your desire to really LEARN. I hope you never lose the ability to question life around you and learn all you can.
Your favorite things in life right now are (in no particular order), your "soffy" blankets and stuffed animals, just about anything monkey/ape themed, wrestling with your daddy, winding your hands up into my hair, swimming, riding bikes, checking on your garden, helping people around you, and spending time with friends.
You came into this world ready to make your mark, and you are well on your way. Reach for the stars and stay true to yourself. Happy 5th birthday Connor. I love you more and more everyday. xoxo
Love, Mommy
Friday, June 17, 2011
Dirt Cakes
Connor and I showed up at Jared's school to have lunch with him on his birthday last week. We were invited to join him for the noon recess after lunch, which thrilled Connor to PIECES. We followed Jared around the playground, listening to his description of this and that (which "shop" he works at, or used to work at, etc).
At one point, a group of girls from his class came running up, telling Jared they'd made him some cakes for his birthday and told him he HAD to close his eyes so he could be surprised. He closed his eyes and they all grabbed onto his arms and led him across the playground where they surprised him with these gorgeous dirt cakes:
How adorable is that??
At one point, a group of girls from his class came running up, telling Jared they'd made him some cakes for his birthday and told him he HAD to close his eyes so he could be surprised. He closed his eyes and they all grabbed onto his arms and led him across the playground where they surprised him with these gorgeous dirt cakes:
How adorable is that??
Thursday, June 16, 2011
How to Bowl
After releasing the ball at a diagonal angle to the pins, ensuring that it zig zags back and forth between the "bumpers", strike a funny pose, and hold it
Or, stand there normally if you prefer
Repeat for 10 frames, then photograph the final score
Or, stand there normally if you prefer
Repeat for 10 frames, then photograph the final score
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Rare moment captured!
You're more likely to hear them screaming at each other, or see them taking swings at each other.
I stood back and enjoyed the adorable view for the entire 1min 17sec it lasted (I didn't actually time it... ha!) before Jared shook his hand loose and yelled, "Race ya!" over his shoulder as he sprinted off towards home, and Connor burst into sobbing tears that it wasn't fair because Jared can run faster.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
GIRL FIGHT!
Well, maybe FIGHT is too strong a word, but they DID each have boxing gloves on... *grin*
Em and her BFF Katie having a good time:
Looks worse than it really was! They were barely bonking each other. They had a GREAT time though, and were in fits of giggles!
Emily Grace, the goofball!
Em and her BFF Katie having a good time:
Looks worse than it really was! They were barely bonking each other. They had a GREAT time though, and were in fits of giggles!
Emily Grace, the goofball!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Veggie Gardens
We've been talking for YEARS about doing a veggie garden, but for one reason or another, it always ends up getting put off until "next year." Year after year...
This year, we were determined to actually get a garden in, but every weekend kept being RAINY, and we have had t-ball both Saturdays and Sundays, and it was really getting hard to find the opportunity. On June 4th, we woke up to gorgeous SUN, and the weather was predicted to be HOT (Hot, at least, compared to what we've HAD recently), and Jared's t-ball game wasn't until 3:45pm. Our opportunity had finally come along; a bit late in the season, but better than NEVER!
We decided it would probably be easier and less time-consuming to build each kid a 4ft X 4ft garden box, versus digging up a large area of the yard to do a more traditional garden. Dan headed out early in the morning to buy wood, and he and the boys got to work building the boxes:
Then we started getting "fancy" (digging up the grass in that area so the boxes could be more level, and so we could surround them with beauty bark so they'd look nicer).
Emily found tons of worms as Dan was pulling up the grass
While Dan and Emily and Connor were on a run to get some good dirt to fill the boxes with, Jared and I took the measuring tape and a level and made sure the boxes were evenly spaced and sitting level so they'd look nice (If we're going to do this gardening thing, we're going to do it RIGHT!) (I'm pretty sure this picture was taken BEFORE we'd finished leveling Em's box on the far right)
Just as we were getting done, Dan showed up with a truck full of dirt and got to work filling the boxes
The next morning, Gram came over and helped plant the seeds
When all was said and done (many HOURS of work and a lot more money than we'd originally planned!), each kid had their own garden box, their choice of veggies planted (beans, lettuce, and a pumpkin for Jared; raddishes, carrots, and a pumpkin for Connor; cucumber, butternut squash, and a pumpkin for Emily), laminated signs marking the seed spots, and laminated garden signs for each kid. We still haven't gotten around to the beauty bark portion of things, but the IMPORTANT parts got done.
In only three days, we started seeing some seed sprouts! The kids were sooooo excited! We're hoping to remember to take weekly pictures to document the growth!
This year, we were determined to actually get a garden in, but every weekend kept being RAINY, and we have had t-ball both Saturdays and Sundays, and it was really getting hard to find the opportunity. On June 4th, we woke up to gorgeous SUN, and the weather was predicted to be HOT (Hot, at least, compared to what we've HAD recently), and Jared's t-ball game wasn't until 3:45pm. Our opportunity had finally come along; a bit late in the season, but better than NEVER!
We decided it would probably be easier and less time-consuming to build each kid a 4ft X 4ft garden box, versus digging up a large area of the yard to do a more traditional garden. Dan headed out early in the morning to buy wood, and he and the boys got to work building the boxes:
Then we started getting "fancy" (digging up the grass in that area so the boxes could be more level, and so we could surround them with beauty bark so they'd look nicer).
Emily found tons of worms as Dan was pulling up the grass
While Dan and Emily and Connor were on a run to get some good dirt to fill the boxes with, Jared and I took the measuring tape and a level and made sure the boxes were evenly spaced and sitting level so they'd look nice (If we're going to do this gardening thing, we're going to do it RIGHT!) (I'm pretty sure this picture was taken BEFORE we'd finished leveling Em's box on the far right)
Just as we were getting done, Dan showed up with a truck full of dirt and got to work filling the boxes
The next morning, Gram came over and helped plant the seeds
When all was said and done (many HOURS of work and a lot more money than we'd originally planned!), each kid had their own garden box, their choice of veggies planted (beans, lettuce, and a pumpkin for Jared; raddishes, carrots, and a pumpkin for Connor; cucumber, butternut squash, and a pumpkin for Emily), laminated signs marking the seed spots, and laminated garden signs for each kid. We still haven't gotten around to the beauty bark portion of things, but the IMPORTANT parts got done.
In only three days, we started seeing some seed sprouts! The kids were sooooo excited! We're hoping to remember to take weekly pictures to document the growth!
Friday, June 10, 2011
1st bus ride!
Connor got to have his first school bus ride last week at the Kindergarten Orientation for his soon-to-be elementary school. He was sooooooooooo excited!!
When the bus pulled up the loading area where we were all waiting, Connor was doubly excited to discover he'd be riding the same bus Emily and Jared ride every morning. He started climbing on the steps and said something to the driver along the lines of, "And you thought I wouldn't get to ride on your bus until next year!!" It was really cute/funny.
After kids/parents were loaded on for the test ride, and the bus was starting to move, I asked Connor, "What do you think buddy??" to which he replied, "WEEEEEE!!!"
With two older siblings on the bus already, he's not hesitant AT ALL to get to ride the bus as he heads off on his first day of school in the fall. His mama, however, is pretty sure she's going to bawl her eyes out at the site of the bus taking off with ALL THREE KIDS.
(PS Not sure why those two pictures are showing up as different sizes. I resized them the same! LOL!!)
When the bus pulled up the loading area where we were all waiting, Connor was doubly excited to discover he'd be riding the same bus Emily and Jared ride every morning. He started climbing on the steps and said something to the driver along the lines of, "And you thought I wouldn't get to ride on your bus until next year!!" It was really cute/funny.
After kids/parents were loaded on for the test ride, and the bus was starting to move, I asked Connor, "What do you think buddy??" to which he replied, "WEEEEEE!!!"
With two older siblings on the bus already, he's not hesitant AT ALL to get to ride the bus as he heads off on his first day of school in the fall. His mama, however, is pretty sure she's going to bawl her eyes out at the site of the bus taking off with ALL THREE KIDS.
(PS Not sure why those two pictures are showing up as different sizes. I resized them the same! LOL!!)
Thursday, June 9, 2011
T-ball Weekend Part 2
Connor had HIS T-ball game on Sunday. The preschool/kindergarten level has practices and games on the same day, and it's definately very casual.
The coach had each kid practicing throwing and catching with a parent:
almost caught it!
Caught it with his shoulder... (thank goodness they were only dense foam balls!! LOL)
taking his turn at bat during the "game"
Running from 2nd to 3rd base
We've decided Connor is part Golden Retriever puppy or something... LOL! He'd hit the ball off the T, and then run across the field after it, instead of running to first base (no matter how much we coached him to RUN TO 1ST BASE, he'd still end up running after the ball). Once on base, as his teammates would hit the ball off the T, he'd jump off base and go running after the ball. When playing the field, he'd leave his position to go running after the ball. The best was when he was playing 1st base and went running after a ball that was in the outfield behind 3rd base. hahahaha! There was lots of laughter all around as Connor was running here and there and everywhere after the ball. GOOF!!!
The coach had each kid practicing throwing and catching with a parent:
almost caught it!
Caught it with his shoulder... (thank goodness they were only dense foam balls!! LOL)
taking his turn at bat during the "game"
Running from 2nd to 3rd base
We've decided Connor is part Golden Retriever puppy or something... LOL! He'd hit the ball off the T, and then run across the field after it, instead of running to first base (no matter how much we coached him to RUN TO 1ST BASE, he'd still end up running after the ball). Once on base, as his teammates would hit the ball off the T, he'd jump off base and go running after the ball. When playing the field, he'd leave his position to go running after the ball. The best was when he was playing 1st base and went running after a ball that was in the outfield behind 3rd base. hahahaha! There was lots of laughter all around as Connor was running here and there and everywhere after the ball. GOOF!!!
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