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)

Wordless Wednesday

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.

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!

just because he makes me smile!

Happy 10 months, Talan!

You are still my hero!

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?

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.

sweetness

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!