Gettin' Crafty with the Kiddos

This week, Maranimal and I got our broods together to do a somewhat organized, intentional activity.

Neither Maranimal or I are particularly organized.  Or intentional.  (Except maybe when it comes to Sonic.) But we persevered and had ourselves a little activity for the kids. 

Here is the original idea:

http://www.aokcorral.com/projects/how2nov2007.htm

Please go look at it.  Because the picture won't load on my blog.  And it is making me nutty.  Well, nuttier than usual.

Did you look?  I'm not messing around here, people. 

Ok, good.  Glad you listened.

Moving on.  Now we are realists, if not possibly pessimists, and knew our versions would be nothing like that.  But it's nice to reach for the stars, isn't it?

Chili happily listening to the story of the birth of Jesus.

Child (Maranimal's sister) kindly helping us with our adventure.

Jensky loved the eating portion of the craft.

Lil Miss swiped Sassy's blue candycane.  You can't tell, can you?

She was thrilled about her score and the fact that I didn't take it away from her.

Sassy's proud of her project.  Sassy's quote of the day?  Mary looks delicious, but I won't eat her.

Jenksy's Stable and Manger.  He ate it all, save the walls of the stable.  See the two marshmallows and gum drop? That's Baby Jesus.  And that was Jenksy's third or fourth Baby Jesus we had to make for him.  Because he kept eating them.

What a great day with friends!

The Bible Reading Time That Went Awry

I've been trying to read the Bible to the kids daily.  Happy and Lil Miss both seem to really enjoy the time when we read it.

However, one particular day this past week, Happy was a little extra spunky and aggressive. (Read: Unhappy about one thing or another.  Greatly displeased.)

So he took it out on me and the Bible.

I could tell that he (eventually) felt remorseful because he helped me tape the pages back together.

I love my little ones more than words can express, even on the most trying of days.

And we've had some doozies lately, folks.

Humdingers.

I find it ironic that the page that was torn was the page detailing Jesus' crucifixion.  You know, the whole Jesus died on the cross for our sins thing.  We do so desperately need him, don't we?  Especially when we are angry at our mom or frustrated at our precious son.  What a sweet reminder within a  frustrating moment with Happy.

Thankful for grace and mercy,
'licious

Fess Up Friday

Be sure to check out Kira's blog.  It sounds like she may be taking a temporary blogging hiatus, but there is still fessin' up to do.  (Kira, I am with you on the 8000 time outs and potty training insanity making little to no margin in life.  Also?  Happy went from a solid daily 3 hour nap to a solid daily fight/struggle to nap.  I'm worn out.)

The first fess up of the day is courtesy of our neighbors.  I feigned taking a picture of Lil Miss to get a pic of what was in their front yard.

 
Just a recliner with no seat cushion.
Everyday, it is entertaining to see what is in their yard.  Most recently I have spotted a vacuum cleaner, a basketball goal (like mangled and crushed-like....not usuable),  and an antique plow.  Fortunately, most stuff gets moved.  Eventually.

They are nice folks.  Just not particularly tidy. 
---

We went out to eat recently.  I packed Lil Miss's baby food, but forgot the baby spoon.  We were at a mexican restaurant (one of those build your own burrito places) and they didn't have any spoons.  And Lil Miss was h.u.n.g.r.y. 

So, naturally, I fed Lil Miss with the handle of a plastic knife.

She was ok with it.

On a similar note, Lil Miss is starting to show some sass and personality.  And agenda, as Hubs put it.  Here she is earlier today grabbing Happy's feet and trying to put them in her mouth.  I cannot confirm or deny whether any feet went into her mouth.  Except they did.  Happy just let her do it while he happily watched a show about "err-pwanes".

On said "err-pwane" show, there is a segment about rockets (?? because they are clearly airplanes ??).  Anywho, maybe it is the potty training stuff, but I felt compelled to google how exactly it is that astranauts pee in space.  It seemed like it would be a messy endeavor without that handy gravity thing working for you.  Doesn't sound easy.  It definitely gave me the willies.  Something about suction cups.  I stopped reading.  I just wanted to make sure they didn't have to use catheters.  I couldn't handle much more info than the basics. 

Hubs said now google will forever have me recorded as having searched for such things.  And that's ok with me.  Because I cleary needed to know.

Happy Friday!

We Belong in the Zoo

Happy, my mom, and I went to the zoo a few weeks ago. 

Happy and "Gree" (Grammy)

Lil Miss stayed with my in-laws.  

Don't feel too bad for her.  I am confident that she got more than her fair share of love and attention.  

And spoiling.

I even managed to score some free passes from our county library system, so I was a bit tickled with myself that we got in free of charge.  Without the passes, it would have cost us about $45 for general admission.

Holla!

Happy kept trying to sit in the Gorilla statue's lap.  He just couldn't get quite comfortable.

Running during our lunch "break"

Petting Zoo Area

They had a little train to ride.  A clear highlight of his day. He is not wanting to leave the train in this pic.

 

The carousel.  My mom always loves the carousel rides whenever we see them. I am glad she got to take Happy on one.

 

 

 

Playground area.

"Boo Bus" at playground.  Good times.

Funny side story: I have mentioned Happy's love for "boo buses" in previous blog posts.  As we were driving to meet my mom to head to the zoo, we see this massive caravan of like 10 "boo buses" on the expressway.  Happy was screaming in delight.  I admit that I first thought, "I kinda hope they aren't going to the zoo."  But then I realized the likelihood of them going to the zoo as being miniscule considering we were headed towards the downtown part of our city and that there were countless places that they could legitimately be going.

For whatever reason, I noticed one of the bus's numbers. I thought it would be an easy bus number for kids to remember.  Once we arrived at the zoo and were getting out of our car, there were many school buses in the parking lot (which I assumed there would be). Happy kept announcing their presence with great delight and squeals. I mentioned to my mom how we had seen so many buses on the expressway before we picked her up and joked that I kind of worried they were going to the zoo.  I told her of the bus number that I noticed.  Right at that moment, mom looked up and the very school bus I mentioned drove by. 

Isn't that kinda nuts?!  We were about 35 minutes away from the zoo when I saw those buses.  There were probably 25-50 other places they very well could have been going.  And right as I told my mom that story, that very bus drove by.  Craziness.

And yes, there were lots of wound up school kids running around like animals.  Appropriate being that we were at the zoo.

Anyways, it was a great day! 

Happy zonked out as soon as we were in the car.

Cruciferous Love

I am hungry.

I have brussels sprouts roasting in the oven. (Good news!  They had brussels sprouts at Costco!  I ask you, can it get much better than bulk brussels sprouts roasting in your oven? I think not.)

I bought 2 bags, which is 4 pounds.  I wanted more, but I had to exhibit some measure of self control.

(Why are they brussels sprouts? In the plural?)

I can hardly wait for their tasty goodness to finish roasting, so I am blogging to distract myself.

So hold onto your hats for some utter randomness.

- - - - - - -

My gauge for how I am handling life's stresses is storage containers.  If I feel compelled to buy them and buy many of them, I know that I'm feeling overwhelmed.

Lately, I have had to fight the urge lately to buy containers. 

But, I had victory!

There is nary a new storage container in this house.

At least this week.

Don't ask about last.

- - - - - - -

Look at these cuties, aren't they precious? 

We are waiting for our requisite free kiddie cookie.

I bit the bullet a few weeks ago and got this beast, the racing car shopping cart.  I needed to get more items than usual, so I was hoping it would hold more.  Can you believe it actually held less?  I didn't realize it until they were loaded in, but it was lacking the bascart thingy.  You know, the thing under the cart.  That is where I put most things.  It was too late to go back and get a regular cart because Happy was LOVING the car aspect.

It was quite difficult to steer.  I ran into several things.

Just a few end caps.  No biggie.

By the end of the trip, Lil Miss was positively buried under all the groceries.

- - - - - - - 

(For the readers without kids, Potty Training Alert!)

We've had some great pooping in the potty success with Happy lately.  Bribery works, my friends.

Anywho, Happy has been getting up in the morning and going to the potty, then coming to knock on our door.  Hubs is already up at that point, doing work (He's in IT, so he has to check network viability each morning.  Do I sound like I know what I am talking about?  Not a clue.).  He listens out for Happy, but some mornings Happy is extra quiet and Hubs doesn't realize that Happy is up.

The other morning, Hubs heard Happy up.  Hubs hurried to go check on him (to make sure no potty shenanigans were happening).

Right as Hubs opened the door, he sees Happy coming to our door with a filled potty seat in hand.  Right at that moment, Happy's kryptonite, a boo bus (school bus) drove by.  Happy was looking out the window at it in utter excitement as the contents of the potty spilled out on the floor.  Poor Hubs.

- - - - - - -  

I'll leave you on a less gross note, more sweet kiddie cuteness.

A boy and mud.  A wonderful thing.

My sweet owl.

Blessed beyond measure,
'licious.

Deep Thoughts on My Mind

Why does Thomas the Train live on the ISLAND of Sodor?  Shouldn't he be more mainland where he can import/export items where boats can't get?  For an island, I think boats and canals would make more sense.  Yes?

Do you know the likelihood of a kid having an emergency during the 10 minute window you are making stove top popcorn?  

I'm eating burnt popcorn right now.  For the third day in a row.

It is confusing explaining to a toddler who loves the alphabet the difference between the letter P and the physical pee in the potty.  The first few days when potty training Happy, he kept sounding out, "p..., p..., P?" while looking in the toilet.  I think he was looking for a letter P. 

The term Tee Tee wouldn't work out so well either. 

Do you know the likelihood of a potty training child needing to poo during naptime?  And him being timid in taking care of business?  And it preventing him for sleeping? And causing countless trips to the potty? 

No?  Neither do I.

And, just because I think they are so stinkin' cute, some pics for your viewing pleasure.

 

Rain!  For like the 3rd time all summer!

Chilling out in the swing, enjoying the cooler temps!

Lil Miss sitting up in the tub last night (her first time without the baby tub).  Happy took it upon himself to douse her with water and letters.  She seems unfazed.

 

Hot Pink Baby Pools - Not Just For Babies. Or Girls.

You know those standard issue baby pools you see at the baby store, right?

Well, the kids and I were driving down the interstate today on our way to go to a local park (and, of course, Sonic).  On the side of the interstate, I noticed one of those prison buses.  The ones where the prisoners pick up trash and what not on the side of the road.  The all male group was walking down the side of the interstate with the bus following behind them.  I see something hot pink intermingled with all of the orange get-up they had on.  As I drove closer, I realized that one of the prison mates had a HOT PINK baby pool tethered to him. And he was dragging it behind him.  Kind of like a mule. But not. Since he is a human and all!

And in the pool?  The tire debris they were picking up.

This wasn't just some pool they found somewhere.  No, this appeared to be a brand-spanking-new pool. Almost like one of the guards bought it for that very reason. For kicks and grins and what not.  I do hope it was just another thing that they found on the road and not an extra measure of punishment given to them. Regardless, it was an interesting site to behold.

Kinda like this, but SO much brighter!

Source

Let's move onto less humiliating, more normal things. Shall we?

Once we were at our local park (Sonic in hand), we started out by feeding the ducks.  This park in particular is one of my more favorites.  

It is a full package for mom and child(ren).  It has ample trails for mom to walk easily with a stroller, it has ducks, it has a playground and it has areas for kids to run around.  Also, a bathroom.  Always a plus. 

As the kids and I were approaching the ducks, we hear a bunch of excited high school girls coming our way.  They stopped short of where we were and started practicing their cheers in the middle of one of the trail paths (?!??!).  

Anyways, like I was mentioning, this is one of my more preferred parks.  The one downfall to it is that there is a lovely waterfall feature that runs into the pond where kids are often feeding the ducks.  There is no fence or barrier preventing your child from falling into the scum pond. Or slipping down the waterfall.  So, as we were approaching the water feature, I notice a lone (ugly) duck nearby behind a fence.  Perfect, I thought!  No pesky canadian geese around, no close water to fall into, and a fence.

The lone ugly duck.

  

Within 4.23 seconds, there were 40+ ducks there. (Yes, I counted.  It was a pretty intense amount of ducks.)

I know that there is a super secret, super quiet signal that alerts the ducks to a possibly feeding frenzy.  I have yet to decipher what that signal is, especially since we were not at the standard water feature feeding place.  

But, the speed at which they showed up?!  REMARKABLE.

Award winning, really.

He was so excited by the insane amount of ducks!

The ugly duck fought the others for the choice food.

Things the ducks consumed today?  Besides the standard issue bread, there were cheerios scooped up from the floorboard on the side of the car where they boy sits and likes to toss cheerios like confetti, an uneaten peanut butter sandwich, some dried up cheese as well as veggie eggrolls leftover from my intense eggroll craving period that occurred during my last pregnancy.

Little girl happy that she has been promoted to
sitting in stroller without being snapped in the carseat. 

Getting prepared for our walk, post ducks.  The cup of Sonic ice water
did the trick in enticing the boy back into the stroller.  He covets the Sonic
cup.  I have no idea where he gets that from.

We had a nice little walk and finished it out with the cheerleaders continuing in their cheers (in the middle of a path! for over an hour! seriously!), a mom pushing a baby in a stroller with a pool floaty (there is no pool! just the duck scum pond!), and a gentleman carrying 2 golf clubs on his walk (there is no putting green! is it for defense?  or for attacking?).

Anyways, it was a fun morning for me and the kids.  I do love just hanging out with them and taking care of them.  They are such a treat.  And I love seeing the joy on their faces when they are having a good time or are learning something new.

Happy Wednesday, my friends.

Life Lately

Alternate Title: A Post About the Kids for the Aunt and Uncle - The Only Family Members That Actually Know This Blog Exists.  Hi T and D!

We've been busy these last few weeks doing fun stuff with/for the kids.

A couple of weeks ago, I took the kids to a local airport to see the planes.  The 2 year old is obsessed.  We met up with my mom and dad as they live near the airport.  There was a playground and a viewing deck.  My 2 year old was in hog heaven.  He kept looking around, screaming and pointing, "err-pwane!"

No, not in jail.  Just at the viewing deck.

Swinging with Grammy while watching out for planes.

There is a blueberry picking farm near our house.  I went with some other moms not expecting to get much blueberry picking done with our sweet boy (the 2 year old) and our precious girl (the 5 month old).  I actually was able to pick half of a gallon fairly quickly and we were pleasantly surprised to find goats at this place to feed.  Our sweet boy LOVED it!

Goat delight.

I later found the farm's website online and contacted them regarding coming back and feeding the goats (without picking the blueberries).  They were so kind and told us to just come over whenever and feed them.  I have taken them up on their generous offer (or is it vice versa?  after all, we are providing the food and doing the work).  Whatever the case, it is a fun little activity to do with the kids.

Loved feeding them!

Looking for more food to feed them.

The piggies are not ready for snack time to be over.

I realize there are no pictures of our sweet girl at these events.  She was strapped to me during all of these events in a baby sling/carrier.  Doesn't make for that great of a pic.  But I will post some other ones.

She adores her big brother!

She loves to laugh!

The cat is obsessed with her.