Well, my two year old is driving me nuts! She is in and out of her clothes at least 30 times a day! Swimsuits, dress-ups, Sunday dresses, an occasional reasonable pair of shorts and a t-shirt for all of 5 minutes....sigh! If we have to go anywhere, once I get Ginny dressed, I tell the other kids to hurry and make a break for the van before she can rip her clothes off and insist on dressing up like a princess. I have vague memories of Emily going through this stage. I guess we survived before...speaking of Emily she attended a babysitting class taught by the REd Cross today, and had a really good time. She came home with a sling on her arm--evidence that they practiced some first aid techniques. How grown up she is now!
Sam and Ginny played princess Anika and Prince Aidan all day today--after the Barbie Pegasus movie--which was actually really nice because they kept each other entertained while I caught up on a lot of cleaning. The house was a wreck after I spent all day yesterday sick in bed. feeling much better today.
Tomorrow is my sister Nancy's 33rd birthday. 33! That must mean I'm even older than that! :)
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Monday, May 22, 2006
Glorious!
Glorious spring!
sunshine, wildflowers
yellow coreopsis, fiery indian paintbrush,
cheerful daisies, purple iris.
tiny footsteps through the tall grasses
A rustling in the brush!
A tiny frog leaps to safety.
Bullfrogs sing a symphony
breathing deeply the scent of honeysuckle
chasing butterflies
Turtles in the pond
Don't fall in!
bluebirds nesting
songbirds chorus
soft breeze
happy laughter
Glorious spring!
I'm not much of a poet, but this is a description of two lovely days spent at the Shaw Nature reserve with our family on Saturday, and again today with our friends from preschool group--the Daniel family and Andrews family. So fun to hike, ride bikes, and see our beautiful world through the eyes of my children.
sunshine, wildflowers
yellow coreopsis, fiery indian paintbrush,
cheerful daisies, purple iris.
tiny footsteps through the tall grasses
A rustling in the brush!
A tiny frog leaps to safety.
Bullfrogs sing a symphony
breathing deeply the scent of honeysuckle
chasing butterflies
Turtles in the pond
Don't fall in!
bluebirds nesting
songbirds chorus
soft breeze
happy laughter
Glorious spring!
I'm not much of a poet, but this is a description of two lovely days spent at the Shaw Nature reserve with our family on Saturday, and again today with our friends from preschool group--the Daniel family and Andrews family. So fun to hike, ride bikes, and see our beautiful world through the eyes of my children.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Grant's Farm
We had a lot of fun on our trip with the Cluff family yesterday to Grant's Farm. I didn't realize that it is THE Ulysses S. Grant farm. There is a home you can tour as well, but we didn't have time to do that. My favorite part was the little tram that you ride around to see the animals--pretty cool, you're right out there with the zebras , antelope, deep, elk, donkeys, etc. The animal shows were a lot of fun too--my favorite part was the parrot riding roller skates around little mini construction cones! I also loved seeing the elephant play tetherball and blow up a balloon! We'll have to go back there--it was really fun!
In the afternoon, Max had a crash on his bike--sliced up his toe pretty good, so we ended up taking him to the Urgent Care last evening. LUckily he didn't have to be stitched--just steri-stripped to hold it together. And they prescribed antibiotics so it won't get infected.
In the afternoon, Max had a crash on his bike--sliced up his toe pretty good, so we ended up taking him to the Urgent Care last evening. LUckily he didn't have to be stitched--just steri-stripped to hold it together. And they prescribed antibiotics so it won't get infected.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Just so proud
I am so proud of Emily. I attended her 5th grade awards ceremony today--can't believe this is her last day of elementary school! How grown up she is now! Anyway, she was awarded highest honors in her class in 5 subjects--reading, language arts, science, social studies, and music. She was also given a certificate for being on the honor roll. What a dedicated student she is! Good for you, Emily!
We had kind of a roller coaster getting to school for the awards ceremony this morning. We spent a long time frantically looking for my keys, didn't find them, and finally had to get a ride to school from my angel neighbor, only to find out at school that the awards ceremony was at 10:00 , not 9:00, so my other neighbor was there to luckily give me a ride home, at which point we gave another diligent effort at finding the keys, and guess where they were....under Sam's bed! I think Ginny must have put them there. So, we did make it to the ceremony, but it was a crazy morning.
I also learned a lesson about prayer this morning. While I was so frustrated looking and looking for the keys, I kept praying for help, and I still couldn't find them. But I think our true need was to get the kids to school, and to get to the awards ceremony, and the Lord provided helpers by way of my lovely neighbors to take care of our needs. My one friend even said that she doesn't usually go in the school in the morning, but she just happened to do so today, and was there to see us when we needed a ride home. Answers to our prayers don't always come in the way that we wish they would, but the Lord still takes care of us!
We had kind of a roller coaster getting to school for the awards ceremony this morning. We spent a long time frantically looking for my keys, didn't find them, and finally had to get a ride to school from my angel neighbor, only to find out at school that the awards ceremony was at 10:00 , not 9:00, so my other neighbor was there to luckily give me a ride home, at which point we gave another diligent effort at finding the keys, and guess where they were....under Sam's bed! I think Ginny must have put them there. So, we did make it to the ceremony, but it was a crazy morning.
I also learned a lesson about prayer this morning. While I was so frustrated looking and looking for the keys, I kept praying for help, and I still couldn't find them. But I think our true need was to get the kids to school, and to get to the awards ceremony, and the Lord provided helpers by way of my lovely neighbors to take care of our needs. My one friend even said that she doesn't usually go in the school in the morning, but she just happened to do so today, and was there to see us when we needed a ride home. Answers to our prayers don't always come in the way that we wish they would, but the Lord still takes care of us!
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Sam on a 2 wheeler!
Well, thank heaven for big brothers! Max came running in the house yesterday saying "Mom, Dad, come quick! Sam is riding a 2 wheeler!" So Trevor and I ran out to see, and sure enough, Max had taught him to ride a bike without training wheels. Sam is super proud of himself. Now we need to get him a new bike! I'll have to start watching yard sales. Reminds me of teaching Emily to ride a bike....much harder process...many more tears from her AND me! Max learned fairly quickly (no fear) and it appears that Sam just hopped on and did it with hardly any help at all! Good for you Sam!
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Max's Baptism/Emily's Birthday
Well, today is Emily's 11th birthday. At just about this time (10:00 a.m.) 11 years ago, I was pushing her out into the world after a very exhausting labor all through the night. She was so tiny! 19 inches and 6 pounds! Now you should see her! She is 5 ' 3" and definitely looking more like a teenager all the time! My dad and Ann are coming back tonight and we will have a family party for her. This weekend we are going to pick up her friend Alexis and have a shopping date at the mall. She must be growing up because she chose this instead of a party! I'll take the two girls to lunch, too.
We had a lovely weekend. Tutu and Papasan came on Thursday evening, and got here just in time to attend the kids' music concert at school. The 5th grade played recorders, and the 2nd grade sang a lot of cute songs. Max played the drum on a couple of songs and did a good job. They took us out to dinner, which was a special treat. Ginny didn't know what to think of these people at first, but it didn't take her very long to warm up to them and join in the barrage of "show and tell" All the kids wanted to show them their special treasures and talents...all at once! Ginny, in particular wanted to dance, and Max of course wanted to play his favorite songs on the trumpet. On Friday, we met Trevor for a picnic lunch, and then we went to the Butterfly House with Tutu and Papasan. Wow! The butterflies were magnificent! So many stunning tropical plants and butterflies! The colors were amazing. They said that at any given time, there were 1500 butterflies in flight! They would just come and land on you. We weren't supposed to touch them, so you pretty much just had to wait until the butterfly decided to fly somewhere else! It was fun to see the rows and rows of chrysalis's in various stages, too. Truly amazing. I picked up my Dad and Ann from the airport that evening.
Then Saturday was the highlight of the weekend. Max looked so handsome in his new suit. He was really excited about his baptism. Sam wanted to be baptized, too, and had a hard time understanding why he had to wait until he turns 8! He put on his white shirt and karate pants, and announced that he would be baptized, too! Tutu played the piano, Grandma Ann gave the opening prayer, and the grandpas were the witnesses at the baptism. Max asked me to give the talk on baptism. I got a little teary, but I felt so happy to see Max starting on his path as a member of the church. He is such a good boy, and I love him so much. Trevor baptized and confirmed him. His confirmation blessing was really beautiful. Trevor got a little choked up with emotion, which always touches me, because he's not usually very emotional. I don't really remember all the words of the blessing, but he talked a lot about just how special the gift of the Holy Ghost is, and blessed Max that he would be able to learn how to listen to the spirit, and that it would help him in all phases of his life, as he was deciding to serve a mission, to marry in the temple, choose a career, etc. The Holy Ghost would help him stay on the right path. All in all, it was a beautiful day.
On Sunday, we just relaxed and had a nice dinner together. It was fun to go to church with our grandparents. Papasan offered a really touching testimony. I'm glad the kids had this opportunity to hear the testimony of their great grandfather. I think it is invaluable for the kids to have the reinforcement of knowing their grandparents share their faith. Their lives can be built on a foundation of faith from their families. Max was warmly welcomed into the ward by Bishop Lower.
We had a lovely weekend. Tutu and Papasan came on Thursday evening, and got here just in time to attend the kids' music concert at school. The 5th grade played recorders, and the 2nd grade sang a lot of cute songs. Max played the drum on a couple of songs and did a good job. They took us out to dinner, which was a special treat. Ginny didn't know what to think of these people at first, but it didn't take her very long to warm up to them and join in the barrage of "show and tell" All the kids wanted to show them their special treasures and talents...all at once! Ginny, in particular wanted to dance, and Max of course wanted to play his favorite songs on the trumpet. On Friday, we met Trevor for a picnic lunch, and then we went to the Butterfly House with Tutu and Papasan. Wow! The butterflies were magnificent! So many stunning tropical plants and butterflies! The colors were amazing. They said that at any given time, there were 1500 butterflies in flight! They would just come and land on you. We weren't supposed to touch them, so you pretty much just had to wait until the butterfly decided to fly somewhere else! It was fun to see the rows and rows of chrysalis's in various stages, too. Truly amazing. I picked up my Dad and Ann from the airport that evening.
Then Saturday was the highlight of the weekend. Max looked so handsome in his new suit. He was really excited about his baptism. Sam wanted to be baptized, too, and had a hard time understanding why he had to wait until he turns 8! He put on his white shirt and karate pants, and announced that he would be baptized, too! Tutu played the piano, Grandma Ann gave the opening prayer, and the grandpas were the witnesses at the baptism. Max asked me to give the talk on baptism. I got a little teary, but I felt so happy to see Max starting on his path as a member of the church. He is such a good boy, and I love him so much. Trevor baptized and confirmed him. His confirmation blessing was really beautiful. Trevor got a little choked up with emotion, which always touches me, because he's not usually very emotional. I don't really remember all the words of the blessing, but he talked a lot about just how special the gift of the Holy Ghost is, and blessed Max that he would be able to learn how to listen to the spirit, and that it would help him in all phases of his life, as he was deciding to serve a mission, to marry in the temple, choose a career, etc. The Holy Ghost would help him stay on the right path. All in all, it was a beautiful day.
On Sunday, we just relaxed and had a nice dinner together. It was fun to go to church with our grandparents. Papasan offered a really touching testimony. I'm glad the kids had this opportunity to hear the testimony of their great grandfather. I think it is invaluable for the kids to have the reinforcement of knowing their grandparents share their faith. Their lives can be built on a foundation of faith from their families. Max was warmly welcomed into the ward by Bishop Lower.
Monday, May 01, 2006
Max's haircut
Well, after Family Home Evening tonight, we cut poor Max's hair. The poor kid was so devastated that he cried himself to sleep! I feel terrible! But he does look better!
Poor kid! I was very careful not to cut it too much, but he was still devastated.
while we were cutting hair, (Sam got his hair cut, too.) Trevor reminded us about Emily when she was about 3 years old and we had a babysitter from the university. A nice girl with a short spiky haircut. Anyway, when we returned from our date, the babysitter reported that Emily had spent nearly the whole evening "consoling" her. "Don't worry...your hair will grow back soon!"
Later...woke up this morning to a note from Max saying that I had cut his hair too short, so he was going to run away unless I promised to buy him a real sword. Talked him out of it...(no sword, of course) :)
Poor kid! I was very careful not to cut it too much, but he was still devastated.
while we were cutting hair, (Sam got his hair cut, too.) Trevor reminded us about Emily when she was about 3 years old and we had a babysitter from the university. A nice girl with a short spiky haircut. Anyway, when we returned from our date, the babysitter reported that Emily had spent nearly the whole evening "consoling" her. "Don't worry...your hair will grow back soon!"
Later...woke up this morning to a note from Max saying that I had cut his hair too short, so he was going to run away unless I promised to buy him a real sword. Talked him out of it...(no sword, of course) :)
Weekend fun II
We went with Trevor this weekend to Keokuk Iowa, for a reenactment. Max loves to listen to his Dad in the band concerts, and of course he likes to look in the sutlers tents to add things to his civil war collection. Emily is a good sport about everything. We discovered she had grown out of her civil war dress this year, so we were lucky enough to find her several cute new dresses for very cheap with a sutler that sells used items, and is also going out of business. For example, we bought one dress for only $5!!!! Emily and Max felt too big to dance at the ball, unfortunately. But Sam and Ginny still danced with me. Sam and I did the "Patty Cake Polka" and Ginny and I followed along with several other traditional dances. I wish Trevor would danc e with me!!! On Sunday after the concert, we went to Nauvoo and watched the new Joseph Smith movie. I was teary through the whole thing. Ginny didn't have much patience for it, unfortunately, so we had to keep taking turns taking her out, but I really loved what I saw. Joseph Smith was truly a prophet of God! Then on the way back to Pacific, we stopped by Hannibal Missouri and took a short walk by Mark Twain's house. We'll have to go back there sometime when things are open to take the tours. Still, what we saw was interesting.
Now that we are home, I'm desperately trying to get ready for company to come on Thursday evening! We are so excited for our grandparents to come and visit!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
