Sunday, May 31, 2009

park day!

Today we went to a "new" park. New for the kids, but not for me.
I spent lots of time at TeWinkle Park as a kid.



We were so happy to spend time with Reece,
although all 3 kids are at such different "stages"
in their playground play,
it was hard to have some
Mommy chat time.
So, we tried to catch up while feeding the ducks.
But this was the only picture of 2 out of 3 kids
that I could really get!
Molly, of course, was confident in her duck
catching skills...but didn't catch any today.

and Molly and Reece share the same bread eating
technique.
For those interested in a fantastic park finding
resource, click HERE.
It is a great site, that allows you to search by city.
It has pictures of all the equipment as well as
a list of pros and cons to each park.
It's one of my summer goals to go to
as many "new" parks as we can!

finally...

So, some of you may know that Jack has a special contract at school.
He is working on some "issues"...which, would take up this whole post to explain, so if you really want to know, email me!
Anyway, he really wanted this R2D2 fish tank. This $80 R2D2 fish tank.
He was very disappointed when I told him there was NO WAY I'd spend $80 on a fish tank.
But, later, we noticed that the price had been cut in half.
Still, a $40 fish tank was a bit much...
But then, we decided if he earned all happy faces on his weekly contract, I would get it for him.
Note to self, don't make these promises unless you KNOW you can actually get the prized item...which, in our case, was sold out. Everywhere. Except for online, where it was....$80.
But, I found one. And they were holding it for me. Jack knew we'd go get it on Friday...except, he had a sad face on his contract.

"You know what's keeping me from getting happy faces?"
"Ummm..your attitude, maybe?"
"NO. Substitutes."

But, to my son's amazement, we went to PetCo and bought the tank.
I told him as I was paying for it (and now it was down to $15 by the way), "Look at it now, because it is going into the closet until you have a week of happy faces".

And with the most pathetic face and arms folded, his response was,
"I guess you NEVER want me to be happy. Not in my whole life".

Fast forward to this past Friday, when R2 finally got to come out.
Jack wrote me a note: R2D2 is my best friend in the whole galaxy.
And, we aren't using it as a fish tank at all. Just a droid friend.

See? They even watch tv together.
(They are watching The Clone Wars, and I DID NOT pose this at all)

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Monday, May 25, 2009

memorial day

We spent a wonderful afternoon with friends today.
The weather was just right for introducing Molly
to the craziest water play idea ever.
The slip and slide.


Of course, throwing your body on the ground
and sliding 6 feet only sounds fun
if you are under the age of 12.
Jack is pretty intimidating with the super soaker,
especially with his tongue out.
That's serious concentration. Memorial Day leads into a new holiday at our house.
Didn't you know...May 26th is Jack's special holiday?
I have NO idea what that means.

I will let you know tomorrow.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

sleepover

Jack had another sleepover at Nana and Papa's last night.
When he woke up, my dad asked him if he had a good sleep.
"Yes, I did, because I just dreamt about
being in my own bed at home".
I am sure tonight, he will sleep well.
Remember, how much Jack loves his stuffed animals?
Well, tonight, Ken came downstairs laughing....
because Jack had fallen asleep like this:

Yes, those are stuffed animals in his shirt.

And check out the serious bedhead!

Sweet dreams!

Saturday, May 23, 2009

just because he makes me smile!

Happy 10 months, Talan!
You are still my hero!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

how to draw

I bought Jack a "How to Draw Spongebob" book
from the book fair at
Ken's Open House tonight...
He's already been practicing...
Not too bad for a first attempt!

**as I tucked him into bed tonight, he asked me,

"can I just be called Jack The Artist now?"

How could I possibly argue?

Thursday, May 14, 2009

how he rolls...

Jack was living the life of luxury today.
Because he sold enough fundraiser items,
he got to go on a limousine and out to lunch.
And because the son of our PTA president
is in my Kindergarten class,
I got to go, too!
nice ride, eh?
The light up floor and ceiling that
changed color was the most exciting.
This is this life.
Laughing with friends in a limo!
(Did I mention that I was a senior before
I had been in a limo?!)
The final destination was the
Old Spaghetti Factory,
where food is more fun to eat
with your fingers.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Sunday, May 10, 2009

on being a mom...

Some of my favorite things about motherhood...
(in no particular order)

meeting my babies for the first time


doing special and creative art projects

seeing my husband with our kids


watching them discover their new found bravery

celebrating first birthdays...and every birthday after


never knowing what they will do next


watching their confidence grow


handmade dresses from Nana


reliving memories of my own childhood
handmade treasures

reading
working in the kitchen


seeing my kids together
hotel bubble baths

watching them face their fears

passing on my childhood traditions

watching them embrace a passion for things


seeing them experience true wonder

quiet times

an excuse for ice cream

bathtime at home

the first days of school


being strong when they get hurt
There are many more reasons why I love being a mom..
too many to list here.
Happy Mother's Day!

one more thing...getting a fantastic shot of both kids!