Today was one of those blah kind of days. I woke up feeling yucky. Olivia fussed A LOT. The house is messy.
But this afternoon, I blew bubbles in the front yard with my children. We had a gigantic bubble wand that made big bubbles. I felt a bit sick, but I really enjoyed making bubbles. Then we went for a walk around the block. Olivia loves to walk around outside. She also loves to closely inspect everything on the ground. While this made the trip 3 times longer than it normally takes, the kids had fun. Benjamin even stopped in at the Helmuths because he "wanted to say hi to Camilla." I thought it was sweet!
I love those kids!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Clones aren't always bad...
It was a very fun weekend around here. We were supposed to have a garage sale, but as garage sale fate goes, it rained. Our neighbor Stephanie, in true "Stephanie Style" said, "Hey let's have an impromptu surprise party for Jasper!" Keep in mind that it is like WayTooEarly o'clock. She said the plan was to start it at 10am. We all still thought it was a great idea.
Benjamin and I went out to the store to get a gift for Jasper. Before the pictures, I guess you need to know that the boys in the neighborhood all love Star Wars. I am not sure if it started with Jasper or not, but Jo and Amara's Dad is quite the Star Wars fan too. Benjamin has never seen it, but he is still convinced that he is an expert. *shrug*
Ok, back to the story....I had remembered seeing a Star Wars mask in the clearance aisle of Wal-Mart for $3. When I got to the store, I found that it wasn't just a mask. It was an entire costume!! For 3 bucks! I thought that it might be more fun for the boys if they all had one and could play together at the party, so I bought one for Jasper, Jo, and Benjamin. They were devastated.
Or perhaps not. The boys wore them ALL DAY LONG!! They ran around the neighborhood in them, they wore them into the night at the chai party, etc. I have never had a Clone clear the lunch table before, but I guess there is a first time for everything, right?
Benjamin even wanted to wear his out to dinner, but one must draw the line somewhere.
Jo's sister, Amara, seemed a bit sad that she didn't have a costume. I told her that she had to be Princess Leia. So, I brought her in and put her hair up in those buns on the side of the head. She makes a beautiful princess!
Benjamin had a great time. This neighborhood is amazing. Whenever I think of wanting to live somewhere else (more storage, indoor laundry room, etc), I have to remind myself that finding a neighborhood as great as this one is very rare. I love this place and my neighbors!
Benjamin and I went out to the store to get a gift for Jasper. Before the pictures, I guess you need to know that the boys in the neighborhood all love Star Wars. I am not sure if it started with Jasper or not, but Jo and Amara's Dad is quite the Star Wars fan too. Benjamin has never seen it, but he is still convinced that he is an expert. *shrug*
Ok, back to the story....I had remembered seeing a Star Wars mask in the clearance aisle of Wal-Mart for $3. When I got to the store, I found that it wasn't just a mask. It was an entire costume!! For 3 bucks! I thought that it might be more fun for the boys if they all had one and could play together at the party, so I bought one for Jasper, Jo, and Benjamin. They were devastated.
Or perhaps not. The boys wore them ALL DAY LONG!! They ran around the neighborhood in them, they wore them into the night at the chai party, etc. I have never had a Clone clear the lunch table before, but I guess there is a first time for everything, right?
Benjamin even wanted to wear his out to dinner, but one must draw the line somewhere.
Jo's sister, Amara, seemed a bit sad that she didn't have a costume. I told her that she had to be Princess Leia. So, I brought her in and put her hair up in those buns on the side of the head. She makes a beautiful princess!
Benjamin had a great time. This neighborhood is amazing. Whenever I think of wanting to live somewhere else (more storage, indoor laundry room, etc), I have to remind myself that finding a neighborhood as great as this one is very rare. I love this place and my neighbors!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
My little chickadees
Benjamin's class did their Spring Program last week. His class put on a performance of The Little Red Hen. Benjamin had a few little duets with his classmate, Aidan. He did really well. Oh, and the children were all adorable!
Olivia has been branching out in the hairstyle department. We call this look "ROCK-abye Baby."
Lately she is cutting teeth like crazy. She has 10 now!!! Benjamin, on the other hand, is losing his like crazy. He has now lost 4! His fourth one came out yesterday. He came in and opened his mouth to show me that it was very wiggly and was bleeding. (I don't do teeth well...grosses me out...I am one of those "dentistaphobic" people!) Luckily for me, Laura was here. She pulled his tooth right out. I, however, was checking out the finer parts of the porcelain structure in our bathroom. (Yup! I know.)
Olivia has been picking up on a lot of signs that we have been teaching her. She doesn't seem to be too interested in talking (must get that from me), but you can tell that she gets very frustrated with not being able to communicate her wants. So, we pulled out the signing book and tried that. So far she can do milk, drink, and all done. She understands those plus eat and water. I am also working on banana and cracker. Benjamin never really cared much for signing. Different strokes....
Oh, and here are a few more pictures from this week.
And, of course, some sleeping baby pictures....
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Nice time
Yesterday evening was very nice. Kevin came home from work and asked if there was anything that I'd like him to do. We decided to have him cut back the azaleas. They were beautiful and very full this year. By full I mean, unless you've been here before, you wouldn't know there was a house behind them! So, we all spent a bit of time outside.
Olivia has really been enjoying her outside time lately. It is a lot nicer to be out with her since we have weaned her to only eating 1/4 of the wood chips out of the flowerbeds. While I can see the fiber possibilities here, wood chips look nicer around my flowers than around my baby's mouth...but, hey, that's just my opinion.
Benjamin had laid his bike on the ground and Olivia kept going over to it and sitting on the seat. Kevin decided to help her "ride" it. It was very cute. She was SO excited. If you've ever been around Olivia when she is excited, you will know that she makes this funny growling sound. That is what she was doing.
She then worked on her scooter skills...which she enjoyed very much!
Daddy took her all the way down the driveway and she would just hold her one little foot up like she's been "scootering" for years! She is too cool!
In other news from yesterday, I made a beef stew in the afternoon. Benjamin thought that he should peel the carrots. He said that I would know that he did them because they were peeled very beautifully (you can't make this stuff up!). I am sure that I wouldn't have known any other way!
It was a good day. I really enjoyed my babies.
Now, I think I am caught up on my week. Whew!
Olivia has really been enjoying her outside time lately. It is a lot nicer to be out with her since we have weaned her to only eating 1/4 of the wood chips out of the flowerbeds. While I can see the fiber possibilities here, wood chips look nicer around my flowers than around my baby's mouth...but, hey, that's just my opinion.
Benjamin had laid his bike on the ground and Olivia kept going over to it and sitting on the seat. Kevin decided to help her "ride" it. It was very cute. She was SO excited. If you've ever been around Olivia when she is excited, you will know that she makes this funny growling sound. That is what she was doing.
She then worked on her scooter skills...which she enjoyed very much!
Daddy took her all the way down the driveway and she would just hold her one little foot up like she's been "scootering" for years! She is too cool!
In other news from yesterday, I made a beef stew in the afternoon. Benjamin thought that he should peel the carrots. He said that I would know that he did them because they were peeled very beautifully (you can't make this stuff up!). I am sure that I wouldn't have known any other way!
It was a good day. I really enjoyed my babies.
Now, I think I am caught up on my week. Whew!
Easter doings
Well, this post if obviously late, but better late than never, right?
Easter was a very relaxing day for us...once we figured out what time church started. I was wondering why Kevin bolted out of bed promptly at 7:15. I told him to lay back down and relax with me...for Pete's sake, the kids were still asleep! I was under the impression that we didn't have to be to church until 10 (the time regular service starts). Kevin said that they were having our Sunday School class (that is at 9). He was right! I guess I am used to our old church. They usually cancelled Sunday School when there was a special service.
So I took my time getting the children ready. I was thinking about how nice it was to have everything set out and calm. HA! At 8:53 (yes, I remember) Kevin comments, very nicely, that we really should get to going. I tell him that we've got time. It's not even 9 yet. Then he drops the Sunday School bomb on me. 8-)
This is one of those times I am glad we had 2 cars. I sent him and the children on their way and I finished getting ready. On the way to church, the sky was BLACK. It looked like it was night time at 9:30 in the morning. The roads were also very empty. It was a really creepy sort of morning. The sky exploded right as I made it to church.
The service was interesting. It wasn't the message that you would expect to hear preached on Easter Sunday. The pastor (one of the two) actually spoke about the crucifixion instead of the resurrection. I guess it all goes together anyway, huh? I also found it odd that they really didn't do anything special for Easter. But, this is a new church and we are just learning how they do things.
When we got home I hid some plastic eggs for Benjamin and Olivia.
Olivia's were very stealthily hidden...right on the coffee table and on the seats of the gliders.
Benjamin had a great time finding his eggs. However, once Olivia realized that there were goldfish crackers in her eggs, she was DONE. She stood by Kevin and said, "BA BA BA!" until he opened hers. It was cute!
We then took the obligatory Easter photo...complete with the children in their Easter attire.
Or something like that!!
We had dinner (or whatever you call a meal at 2pm. Dinupper?) with the Forringers, Meltons, and several college students. After "dinupper" we played games. I will humbly (read AMAZINGLY, AWESOMELY, HAPPILY, IN-YOUR-FACE-ABLY) announce that Stephanie and I beat the Engineer and the Physicist in a probability game that involved dice. But, I don't want to brag. ;-)
It was a really great day!! When we went to bed, we all felt like this...
P.S. I am seriously considering putting up the Christmas pictures!!
Easter was a very relaxing day for us...once we figured out what time church started. I was wondering why Kevin bolted out of bed promptly at 7:15. I told him to lay back down and relax with me...for Pete's sake, the kids were still asleep! I was under the impression that we didn't have to be to church until 10 (the time regular service starts). Kevin said that they were having our Sunday School class (that is at 9). He was right! I guess I am used to our old church. They usually cancelled Sunday School when there was a special service.
So I took my time getting the children ready. I was thinking about how nice it was to have everything set out and calm. HA! At 8:53 (yes, I remember) Kevin comments, very nicely, that we really should get to going. I tell him that we've got time. It's not even 9 yet. Then he drops the Sunday School bomb on me. 8-)
This is one of those times I am glad we had 2 cars. I sent him and the children on their way and I finished getting ready. On the way to church, the sky was BLACK. It looked like it was night time at 9:30 in the morning. The roads were also very empty. It was a really creepy sort of morning. The sky exploded right as I made it to church.
The service was interesting. It wasn't the message that you would expect to hear preached on Easter Sunday. The pastor (one of the two) actually spoke about the crucifixion instead of the resurrection. I guess it all goes together anyway, huh? I also found it odd that they really didn't do anything special for Easter. But, this is a new church and we are just learning how they do things.
When we got home I hid some plastic eggs for Benjamin and Olivia.
Olivia's were very stealthily hidden...right on the coffee table and on the seats of the gliders.
Benjamin had a great time finding his eggs. However, once Olivia realized that there were goldfish crackers in her eggs, she was DONE. She stood by Kevin and said, "BA BA BA!" until he opened hers. It was cute!
We then took the obligatory Easter photo...complete with the children in their Easter attire.
Or something like that!!We had dinner (or whatever you call a meal at 2pm. Dinupper?) with the Forringers, Meltons, and several college students. After "dinupper" we played games. I will humbly (read AMAZINGLY, AWESOMELY, HAPPILY, IN-YOUR-FACE-ABLY) announce that Stephanie and I beat the Engineer and the Physicist in a probability game that involved dice. But, I don't want to brag. ;-)
It was a really great day!! When we went to bed, we all felt like this...
P.S. I am seriously considering putting up the Christmas pictures!!
Pronunciations of a 5 Year Old...
...can be very funny!
Yesterday Benjamin got punished for disobeying me. He was rather upset that he wouldn't be able to play with his friends for the rest of the day. Benjamin pulled out his paper and pencil and headed to the table. This is the conversation that followed.
"What are you writing?" I asked.
Benjamin replies, "I am writing a note to Jasper."
Excited that my son took the initiative to do some writing, I said, "Oh, that's great! What are you writing about?"
"I am telling him that I am drownded!! He was drownded last week too."
Mother says that "drownding" the children is really quite frowned upon. I told her, "If he would only obey, I wouldn't have to 'drownd' him."
Yesterday Benjamin got punished for disobeying me. He was rather upset that he wouldn't be able to play with his friends for the rest of the day. Benjamin pulled out his paper and pencil and headed to the table. This is the conversation that followed.
"What are you writing?" I asked.
Benjamin replies, "I am writing a note to Jasper."
Excited that my son took the initiative to do some writing, I said, "Oh, that's great! What are you writing about?"
"I am telling him that I am drownded!! He was drownded last week too."
Mother says that "drownding" the children is really quite frowned upon. I told her, "If he would only obey, I wouldn't have to 'drownd' him."
Marrying a "Computer Geek" has its perks!
...like my pretty new blog.
I found one I liked, but couldn't make it work. He read through all of that code mumbo jumbo, tweaked it a bit, and VOILA!
Thank you, Kevin!!
(I guess this could qualify as a MHR post)
I found one I liked, but couldn't make it work. He read through all of that code mumbo jumbo, tweaked it a bit, and VOILA!
Thank you, Kevin!!
(I guess this could qualify as a MHR post)
Friday, April 10, 2009
Outside fun with friends!
Today was a fantastic day! I am not much of an outdoorsy kind of girl, but I spent almost the whole day outside.
This morning I went to McWhorter park with Ruth Anne, Laura, and Chelsea. I hadn't ever been there before, but I really liked it. Lois Jackson is my favorite, but they don't have bathrooms.
Anyway, Benjamin, Isaac, and Ethan had fun riding their bikes and sliding Hot Wheels down the slide. Isaac was all Evil Knievel and flying down the hill. At one point Isaac slid down the metal pole from the top of one of the play things and declared, "I did it, but I almost died." We laughed a lot at this!! Luckily, all children managed to leave without breaking any body parts...or dying. I consider that a successful day out! Olivia and Benji (Ruth Anne's) did a lot of swinging and hangin' with the Mommies.
Olivia loves swinging!
Benji does too!
After the park we had lunch at Mazzio's. Livi was a wee bit tired.
She ended up laying on her tummy in the stroller with her rear end poking up. She slept through getting in the car, out of the car at the restaurant, into the stroller, and a good amount of time at the restaurant This is VERY unlike her! Trying, unsuccessfully, to eat wood chips all morning is tiring work!!
When we got home, I let Benjamin play with the the neighborhood kids and Olivia went down for her nap. I felt all excited so I decided to tackle the (small) flowerbed that I have been neglecting for about 2 years now. I weeded it, raked the leaves out and bagged them, dug up the Oleander and transplanted it elsewhere, turned the soil, planted a red bud tree in the center, flattened the soil back, and then planted Heather. I told the lady at Lowe's that I needed a plant that "wasn't going to go down without a fight." To say that I am bad with plants is being kind!
Here is Oleander in it's new location
The red bud tree has been living in a pot since my sister-in-law gave it to me 2.5 years ago. I have not watered it, or even looked at it, since. I have thought that it was dead several times now, but it miraculously comes back every year. However, now that I have touched it, it will most certainly die!!
And this is the finished flowerbed.
Stephanie showed up right before I put the heather in. Then Laura came...then Sherene. They all dropped right down and helped me put the plants in. It was greatly appreciated!! (thanks guys!!) Then Ted, Chad, and Steve came over too. It was a regular ole' reunion at my house. I love that sort of thing!! I always wanted to live in a neighborhood where your neighbors were also your friends instead of strangers you try to avoid.
I love when the neighbors feel free to come over whenever they want. That sort of thing has never bothered me. Sherene has shown up on her own twice in the past few weeks. Once to play in the rain, and then today. A few weeks after Laura moved in she walked over one afternoon and we spent about 2 hours just chitchatting. I felt very blessed that she felt comfortable enough to do that. Stephanie and I frequent each other's homes several times a week. Linda opens her home monthly for chai parties. Perhaps I'll invite her here for tea! Jan and Lew keep up with neighborhood safety issues. And all of the children play every afternoon at every house in the neighborhood!! The children here are kind, honest, intelligent, and fun!! This is huge to me!! So, if you're reading this and you live here, thanks for being a part of making this possible.
There have been people who think it is very frightening that we live "on the south side" and can't see what it is that keeps us here. Neighbors like these are what keep us here!! We trust God for our safety, and he has provided, and then we enjoy the rest.
And, heck, who wouldn't want to live in a place where your afternoon ends like this...
A man rode by on a horse.
I channelled my inner Stephanie and yelled to him, "May the children see your horse?" He rode right over into the yard, told me he didn't speak English, and motioned for Benjamin to come to him. He put Benjamin up on his horse and walked him around the front of the yard. Then he put Jasper up on there with Benjamin. They were two VERY happy boys. At this point, Stephanie and her family came over again. The man also gave rides to Lucy, Brandon (new kid in neighborhood), Amara, and Beth Rose.
The neighborhood together again!
The children tried to feed the horse some raw carrots, but clearly the horse feels the same way I do about raw carrots...YUCK!! So, the children all begged for carrots. Yes, you read that right!!
Benjamin really enjoyed his...as you can tell by his orange mouth!
And Olivia was not about to be left out!!!
Olivia enjoyed her outside time immensely!! Here's an outside picture just for fun!
Oh, and my plums are growing again this year. Last year, being the kind animal lover that I am (HA!!), I sacrificed all of my plums to the birds. I'm a giver! Here is what they look like now.
While in the backyard, I noticed two things: my dog runs three paths in the yard and the clover that we hand dug out of the yard a couple of years ago is all back. Clover is the one plant that I cannot kill!! Argh!
Well, that was my long, rambling post for today. It was such a great day. I enjoyed all of the wonderful weather....however, my skin is quite pink. So, tomorrow I may be singing a different tune!!! Either way, I love my outside day!!
This morning I went to McWhorter park with Ruth Anne, Laura, and Chelsea. I hadn't ever been there before, but I really liked it. Lois Jackson is my favorite, but they don't have bathrooms.
Anyway, Benjamin, Isaac, and Ethan had fun riding their bikes and sliding Hot Wheels down the slide. Isaac was all Evil Knievel and flying down the hill. At one point Isaac slid down the metal pole from the top of one of the play things and declared, "I did it, but I almost died." We laughed a lot at this!! Luckily, all children managed to leave without breaking any body parts...or dying. I consider that a successful day out! Olivia and Benji (Ruth Anne's) did a lot of swinging and hangin' with the Mommies.
Olivia loves swinging!
Benji does too!
After the park we had lunch at Mazzio's. Livi was a wee bit tired.She ended up laying on her tummy in the stroller with her rear end poking up. She slept through getting in the car, out of the car at the restaurant, into the stroller, and a good amount of time at the restaurant This is VERY unlike her! Trying, unsuccessfully, to eat wood chips all morning is tiring work!!
When we got home, I let Benjamin play with the the neighborhood kids and Olivia went down for her nap. I felt all excited so I decided to tackle the (small) flowerbed that I have been neglecting for about 2 years now. I weeded it, raked the leaves out and bagged them, dug up the Oleander and transplanted it elsewhere, turned the soil, planted a red bud tree in the center, flattened the soil back, and then planted Heather. I told the lady at Lowe's that I needed a plant that "wasn't going to go down without a fight." To say that I am bad with plants is being kind!
Here is Oleander in it's new locationThe red bud tree has been living in a pot since my sister-in-law gave it to me 2.5 years ago. I have not watered it, or even looked at it, since. I have thought that it was dead several times now, but it miraculously comes back every year. However, now that I have touched it, it will most certainly die!!
And this is the finished flowerbed.Stephanie showed up right before I put the heather in. Then Laura came...then Sherene. They all dropped right down and helped me put the plants in. It was greatly appreciated!! (thanks guys!!) Then Ted, Chad, and Steve came over too. It was a regular ole' reunion at my house. I love that sort of thing!! I always wanted to live in a neighborhood where your neighbors were also your friends instead of strangers you try to avoid.
I love when the neighbors feel free to come over whenever they want. That sort of thing has never bothered me. Sherene has shown up on her own twice in the past few weeks. Once to play in the rain, and then today. A few weeks after Laura moved in she walked over one afternoon and we spent about 2 hours just chitchatting. I felt very blessed that she felt comfortable enough to do that. Stephanie and I frequent each other's homes several times a week. Linda opens her home monthly for chai parties. Perhaps I'll invite her here for tea! Jan and Lew keep up with neighborhood safety issues. And all of the children play every afternoon at every house in the neighborhood!! The children here are kind, honest, intelligent, and fun!! This is huge to me!! So, if you're reading this and you live here, thanks for being a part of making this possible.
There have been people who think it is very frightening that we live "on the south side" and can't see what it is that keeps us here. Neighbors like these are what keep us here!! We trust God for our safety, and he has provided, and then we enjoy the rest.
And, heck, who wouldn't want to live in a place where your afternoon ends like this...
A man rode by on a horse.
I channelled my inner Stephanie and yelled to him, "May the children see your horse?" He rode right over into the yard, told me he didn't speak English, and motioned for Benjamin to come to him. He put Benjamin up on his horse and walked him around the front of the yard. Then he put Jasper up on there with Benjamin. They were two VERY happy boys. At this point, Stephanie and her family came over again. The man also gave rides to Lucy, Brandon (new kid in neighborhood), Amara, and Beth Rose.
The neighborhood together again!
The children tried to feed the horse some raw carrots, but clearly the horse feels the same way I do about raw carrots...YUCK!! So, the children all begged for carrots. Yes, you read that right!!
Benjamin really enjoyed his...as you can tell by his orange mouth!
And Olivia was not about to be left out!!!Olivia enjoyed her outside time immensely!! Here's an outside picture just for fun!
Oh, and my plums are growing again this year. Last year, being the kind animal lover that I am (HA!!), I sacrificed all of my plums to the birds. I'm a giver! Here is what they look like now.
While in the backyard, I noticed two things: my dog runs three paths in the yard and the clover that we hand dug out of the yard a couple of years ago is all back. Clover is the one plant that I cannot kill!! Argh!
Well, that was my long, rambling post for today. It was such a great day. I enjoyed all of the wonderful weather....however, my skin is quite pink. So, tomorrow I may be singing a different tune!!! Either way, I love my outside day!!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Sister Time...and babies too!
I forgot I had this sitting in the "Draft" folder. I'm glad I found it!
Back in April (yup, April!), I went down to New Orleans for a Sister Weekend. Kelly was coming in from Georgia and I hadn't seen her in almost 3 years!! So, we all decided to meet up and just have some sister time. Later in the weekend, Jenny's babies joined us. It was a very special time!
Kelly and Jenny
Me and Jenny in front of St. Louis Cathedral
Me and Jenny
Me and Jenny....again!
Jenny kissing the voodoo dude.
Kelly and Brandyn playing a Contact Guitar Hero. Notice Brandyn about to strike! Oh, and I'm totally digging Kelly's glasses!
The June Bug!
Sweet June.
That boy loves his Momma!
And, as you can tell, she's pretty smitten too!
Happy June.
Kelly, Jenny, Allie (in Kelly's lap), and Kaylie.
Brotherly love.
Allie loving on the babydoll.
Allie loving on the real baby! She is fiercly protective of June Bug. It is adorable! Well, except when she tries to correct Jenny for correcting June. ha!
Back in April (yup, April!), I went down to New Orleans for a Sister Weekend. Kelly was coming in from Georgia and I hadn't seen her in almost 3 years!! So, we all decided to meet up and just have some sister time. Later in the weekend, Jenny's babies joined us. It was a very special time!
Kelly and Jenny
Me and Jenny in front of St. Louis Cathedral
Me and Jenny
Me and Jenny....again!
Jenny kissing the voodoo dude.
Kelly and Brandyn playing a Contact Guitar Hero. Notice Brandyn about to strike! Oh, and I'm totally digging Kelly's glasses!
The June Bug!
Sweet June.
That boy loves his Momma!
And, as you can tell, she's pretty smitten too!
Happy June.
Kelly, Jenny, Allie (in Kelly's lap), and Kaylie.
Brotherly love.
Allie loving on the babydoll.
Allie loving on the real baby! She is fiercly protective of June Bug. It is adorable! Well, except when she tries to correct Jenny for correcting June. ha!
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