Keep the Joy

Thankful

2011-12-19T13:36:00.000-08:00

Better late than never! We had a big celebration before Thanksgiving, where each girl had something special at school on the same day! So, I went to see Colonial Day with Natalie while Woody had Thanksgiving party with Nicole. Natalie had fun on her time, dressed as a Colonial lady. They had a picnic scheduled as one of the activities. Since it was cold, the picnic was inside instead of outside.

They then had activities inside where they made colonial toys, made butter, and learned more about colonial times. They then went outside in the late part of the day because it had warmed up a bit, and played games outside that the colonial children would have done.

Nicole had a lot of fun at her celebration, dressing up and learning about thankfulness of the early settlers.

She had made several crafts with her class, and now they were celebrating with some good food.

And, no celebration is complete without turkey cookies, of course!

The Race

2011-11-14T07:08:00.000-08:00

Woody was trained and ready for his first half marathon. We came out to support (the bribe of hot chocolate helped the girls want to get out on a cold Saturday morning!). There were about 140 runners signed up and ready. It was quite exciting to see him line up and run off with the other runners at the start. It went through a lot of wooded trails, so we were waiting for the next time we would meet him would be about an hour into the race.

We went to the meeting place and arrived before anyone else. We saw the first runner pass way ahead of anyone. It was about 5 minutes before the second runner. It was fun to cheer everyone on! Then, I saw him coming and was so surprised. All I could yell was, "Honey, you are in the top 10!" He was running 7th place at the time. That fueled our fire to cheer for Daddy and really made it exciting!

We drove to the next point in anticipation. We saw the first man come by. The second runner was about 2 minutes behind at this point. I kept waiting to see the 3rd man come by that I had seen at the prior stop. But, lo and behold, here came Woody! He had passed more runners!

He held 3rd until the end. Wow, definitely a lot of prayers answered for his safety and endurance. We cheered him at the finish line and enjoyed the post race celebration activities!

The Project

2011-11-14T07:02:00.000-08:00

Wow, there has been a lot of activity in our back yard lately. Woody has salvaged some good lumber and recycled it into a tree house for the girls. They have loved watching him build the tree house. And, learn to help too! The other day, it was ready to start painting it. The girls were all ready for that. It really makes you realize that they really enjoy helping and being a part of everything we do. And, they did a great job! Surprisingly, Nicole stayed on longer than Natalie. She painted until the sun went down!

Of course, Nicole was much more painted than anyone else by the end of it! It will be exciting once it is completed!

Season Fun

2011-10-31T07:29:00.000-07:00

We have had a lot of seasonal fun this year! A fun hayride and decorating pumpkin time at Cousin Nate's birthday party were some of the highlights! The girls really had fun with their cousins and friends with the seasonal theme.

So, we had to get out the pumpkin seeds of another pumpkin and toast them while decorating two sides of the pumpkin, one for each girl.

Next, a little dress up time. The girls wanted to have princess for this year, both of them! No other costume would do. So, they dressed up as princesses and we went to our church's fall festival.

Riding the train was one highlight, also the girls did a lot of bouncing on inflatables.

So big to see both of them in one ride all by themselves!

Next, some fair type activities to win candy prizes. The girls did this for quite a while. Much neater than trickortreating in my book!

And, a neat touch, a horse ride for each of them. We did this last to save the best for last!

Happy Trails!

October School Activities

2011-10-31T07:18:00.000-07:00

Wow, school has certainly been busy! With both in some sort of school, we have had a lot of activities since the start. One activity was Nicole taking home the "class pet," Buster, for a weekend. We took him to an event at the state park for a kid type fair day with some little games with prizes. Buster, Nicole, and Natalie had a lot of fun!

The next event for Nicole was farmer day. She had fun dressing up as a farmer.

And, after farmer day was the first field trip to an actual animal farm! Here she is getting ready to go on the bus to the farm on that special day.

Back off the bus!

At the farm, the main event was riding on a horse-drawn carriage around the farm to look at a lot of different animals while a guide talked. It was a lot of fun!

Mommy had fun with her special youngest one!

Then, we saw some displays of farming implements and different types of wagons, some reproductions and one was an actual one (no kids allowed to touch that one!). This one was a reproduction of one at the Smithsonian.

The whole class had fun going, although one little girl didn't want her picture made. Here's the rest of the field-trippers!

Next, it was time for Natalie's fun day at school. Grandma & Grandpa were there to help and enjoy too.

Natalie sang a song with her class for a competition, then we were free to do rides, bouncies, and eat. It was a lot of fun to go around with both girls and see them have fun!

Then, Natalie wanted to have a feather. I don't know if I quite understand this latest fad...makes me think of Yankee Doodle. However, it was fun and helped raise some money for the school. Nicole had her face painted while Natalie had a feather!

Then, back to a Harvest Party for Nicole. It was fun to celebrate the season with her classmates (all of them, this time!). She made a really cute paper bag pumpkin and a neat placemat.

Happy times!

First Days

2011-08-29T08:06:00.000-07:00

Ah, the summer went by so fast! And, now we are into school. Nicole did very well starting out K3. She walked right in without any hesitation from the first day. It must have helped all those times seeing big sister go and come back happily from school!

Natalie's first day, first lunchbag, and the start of her 1st grade! Wow, so grown up!!

Just a-swimmin'

2011-08-29T08:02:00.000-07:00

Wow, I'm only very late to write about swim lessons this year. We had a great time with swim lessons. This was the first year for Nicole to have swim lessons. I was a little worried she would not like it or want to go back to Mommy. But, she was fine from day 1. I am sure that it helped that she was right beside big sister's class and could see her. And, I stayed there looking at her and Natalie the whole time too.

They both had fun, although I didn't get a very good picture of Natalie as well. They both did really well and improved their skills a lot!
Oh, the summer went by fast, didn't it!

Moooo

2011-07-19T14:16:00.000-07:00

While we are talking about Chic-fil-A, the girls and I also decided to participate in Cow Appreciation day for the second year in a row. We still had our basic costumes from last year, just had to make more ears and noses. So, we did that the day before and then headed out for lunch together. We put over our costumes in the car and walked into the mall decked out as cows. Of course, there wasn't a stampede of other cows in line to get free food. It was a little hard not to feel sheepish in line as other people were looking at us like we were definitely too far from the farm (the funny farm, that is!). Even one friend I knew acted like she didn't see us at first! But, the staff was most welcoming and even took our picture together to post on FB (I haven't seen it yet, though!). And, we got free meals for everyone, which I definitely say is worth every minute of spotted attire. We'll do it again next year as our tradition!

3 Years of Joy

2011-07-19T14:06:00.001-07:00

We had such a fun time for almost a whole week doing Nicole's birthday celebration. We decided to have a small weekday party about a week before her birthday so that she could have some friends to celebrate. We went to a local jumping place to start. It was a lot of fun! Unfortunately, we didn't take pictures of everyone together, nor did most of the pictures come out. But, here is the birthday girl, glowing in the moment! Bouncing is best of course at this age!

Some of the kids, including both of ours, tried to climb the wall. It seemed that they wanted to "fall down" with the harness more than actually climb, though!

We then went to Chic-fil-A to get some kids meals and cake! That fit Nicole perfectly to bounce and then get one of her favorite food places!

Then, on her actual birthday, she had decorations up at the house and my parents were there to start the day with her! We had fun opening presents with them and then preparing for later that day to see Woody's parents too! What a great day to have both sets of grandparents!

We went to eat at a local Japanese restaurant for the show and good food.

And, then, of course, another cake! Happy Birthday, Boo!

Happy 4th!

2011-07-04T13:18:00.000-07:00

Matinee

2011-07-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

Poppa took Natalie, Nicole, and I to a matinee yesterday! It was Nicole's first experience in a true theater. Natalie had been once before to see "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" Veggie Tales with Woody & I. And, we had seen some other Veggie Tale premiers in our church's auditorium with Nicole. However, this was the first true movie theater experience for her!

We went to see African Cats, which was a really good Disney documentary type film. Natalie was really interested in the movie and stayed pretty much focused on it. Nicole was interested as long as popcorn was being eaten. Then, she moved on and off the flip seat about a thousand times! She was up, moving, down, talking. At one point, she did a really good recreation of the hyena sounds. However, most of the people around us were not impressed!

At least the animal chase and killing parts were toned down for little ones. That made a great difference in the way our kids enjoyed the movie!

I saw one smart mom up ahead of me that knew her way around the theater evidently who had a booster seat that she put her youngest on. I didn't know they provided such. I should have chased down the theater ticket man and asked where they had those. Of course, I saw them lined up on the way out! That might have made it a bit easier!

It was a good experience all in all, and the kids have a happy memory. It still blows me away, though, that 4 people can enter the theater for $6, but a few drinks and a couple of popcorns is $22.

Special Day

2011-06-07T11:27:00.001-07:00

April 10 was a most special day when Natalie accepted Jesus as her Savior. We have no pictures to really document that day, but just some memories in our hearts and some "souveniers" such as the bulletin from the Sunday service. Natalie has gone through a new believer class for kids and was ready for baptism. So, Sunday was the day! A very special day to celebrate.
Natalie in her robe.

Going down into the baptism waters. That's not me with Natalie, but the baptism helper for the church.

Coming back up!

Afterwards, we all went out to eat and celebrated. Also, had a little cake at home with some special cards. It was the best reason to celebrate!

Graduate

2011-05-30T12:21:00.003-07:00

Here comes the graduate! Processing along already! K5 graduation was new to all the adults in the family, but must be pretty common everywhere else. We had a good time and a lot of fun at it. Both sets of grandparents attended, which made it extra special.

Natalie was the Bible holder for the pledge to the Bible. She read the most books in her class, so I guess that qualified her!

The whole class together on stage!

Our favorite graduate!

It was a spectacular cake...

What wonderful times and memories together!

We then went out to eat. The only bad thing that happened was that Natalie pinched her finger on the table at the restaurant and had to get it cleaned and a bandaid! She is holding her special gift there, the graduate hound that all the grandparents and parents signed for her. Congratulations, sweetie!

Hair!

2011-05-30T12:21:00.002-07:00

Aah, there are times when you are a mother that you must let go. I really loved Natalie's long hair and wanted to keep it. Natalie wanted to get it shorter. When we talked, she wanted it so short that it made sense to give her hair away to a good cause. So, we decided together to do Locks of Love to send Natalie's 10 inch ponytail to them. So, I made the appointment and we prepared for the day of change.

The ponytail was lined up and taken off in one whack.

The stylist then cut it in a bob for style. Here is the back...

And, the front. Nicole had her hair cut as well, although not quite 10 inches off. I had to sit with her on my lap while the cutting happened because she was apprehensive about the cut (her first!). But, it all went well and the girls are enjoying their shorter hair!

Beastly

2011-05-30T12:21:00.001-07:00

Having the girls and me visit the jungle last week! Woody was braving the wilds at work, so we went to the wild and hot park together with Natalie's class for the end-of-class party and field trip. Nicole and me weren't able to ride the bus there, so we followed through unfamiliar territory in a wild drive through many red lights until (thank the Lord) we made it there. I wasn't really sure if we could find the wild place if we were separated from the bus!

The bus arrives (too bad it is a fuzzy picture!). Natalie was here with Maya coming down the hill.

We saw lots of geese, ducks, and other wandering animals at first. They had the coin operated feed boxes. One gave me 4 pieces of dog chow for a quarter...not very good! The other one gave a few more. I think I'll stick some puppy chow in my bag next time if I go back!

The petting zoo area was fun for the kids, although there were a lot of different exotic animals in cages: lion, tiger, bear, rhino, were some of them. They had peacocks wandering about, which the kids loved.

Then, we loaded the safari bus. Nicole was able to ride on the bus, which she loved! It was tight and we were warned against feeding the emu's with our hands.

It was a zoo of animals right there when we stopped, because we were all given bread to hand out to the animals.

This is where my stomach turned...the big cows could reach high enough to stick their tongue on the ledge of the bus to get the bread. Yuk!

They then had a ampitheater stage for us. Where the petted animals were....miniature goats, opossum, and a red tailed boa. I must say, I wasn't in line to pet any of those, but the kids had a kick.

Bye, wild place! Next time, Woody will visit you with the kids!! :)

Awana Awards

2011-05-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

Nicole finished up Puggles and Natalie did Sparks this year! They both enjoyed them very much! And, Natalie finished her first book plus review! That gave her a lot of times to go up to the stage to get her awards. And, Natalie was chosen to say the books of the New Testament on stage. She did it perfectly! Here is a picture of her saying them on the microphone.

We then watched some of their game time. I was glad I had seen some before, as the parents were strongly encouraged to participate. Natalie did great on hers, even getting the first place on the run around-pick a bowling pin up with your feet-scramble to get the first place pin.

Mommy did participate, although she only got there in time to get the 3rd place beanbag. But, I was never any less proud of grabbing something! It wasn't that easy!

Natalie singing with her Sparks team the Sparks song! Way to go, girl!

Rewinding...

2011-05-21T12:54:00.001-07:00

I think we've been aboard a choo-choo that hasn't stopped! With t-ball, school finishing up, BSF finishing up, we've been really busy with not a lot of log time to write it down on the blog. Here's the train the kids liked that Poppa took them on when he & Mimi were here. Fun to ride a train right now!

Easter...we had a great time making cookies and dying eggs here at home at Easter. We were able to celebrate early, then celebrate again with the cousins at the beach on the actual Easter week.

Both girls really got into the glaze painting this year. Nicole had a good time.

Of course, Natalie is always the artist.

We made cute little bunnies as well from a craft from Mrs. Nancy. Thanks, Mrs. Nancy!

And, then, off to the beach for a few days. It was a little cool, but the girls had a great time. The bonus was playing with cousins too. Once, Nicole was so cold her lips were blue, but she kept on playing until I bundled her up in a towel and hugged her in my lap!

They played on the beach and on the playground. They even went scavenging for crabs, which Nicole loves any type of animal/bug exploration.

Decorating with the cousins!

Ah, the pool. It was supposed to be heated, and there was one deeper pool that actually was. This one was very cold without the thermal heat from the sun helping out!

One of the highlights of the trip was taking Natalie (Nicole was asleep with grandparents) up the lighthouse.

A lot of steps, but she had fun! The beach sunrise on Easter morning was spectacular. I was there with the deer on the beach (very strange friends). We all watched as the sun rose blood red, then disappeared behind the cloud again, then powerfully went over the cloud in this picture. I couldn't help but think of all the symbolism of Jesus coming once to give his blood then again will be here to reign supremely!

And, Natalie's spring program was a blessing. She really had fun singing and her speaking parts as well.

Not long until K5 graduation, that will be the next big event!

Hug Bug

2011-05-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

Nicole has turned out to be much the hugger lately! If she isn't wrapped around someone's leg, she just isn't happy! Last night, I took both girls by myself to Natalie's t-ball awards night. Daunting enough for me as I don't like crowds plus both girls! But, it all worked out and we had pizza (no cooking for me last night, yea!). Whenever I'd try to talk with anyone there, Nicole would zoom out of sight and grab someone she knew and hug them! Then, all during the program, I was either hugging her or she was hugging the people around her. My little hug bug!

Natalie did so well at t-ball this year. We are so proud of her!

Fun Day!

2011-05-04T10:58:00.001-07:00

One of the best things I hear lately is Nicole's newest saying. When we are at the end of the day, she looks at me and says, "Mommy, I had a fun day." It's a way of ending the day remembering all the fun times we had!

She also is good about saying Thank you. She will sometimes say, "Mommy, thank you for making dinner." She is the only one sometimes! Of course, some times she will say, "I don't like that" when she looks at her plate. You have to balance one with the other!

More ball!

2011-04-30T18:51:00.000-07:00

Since it has been almost a month, I thought I would at least put a few pictures on the blog! Hopefully, more to come about our month. We've been enjoying t-ball too. The question is who is Natalie's biggest fan...there are several contenders!

Could it be Poppa?

Or Nicole?

Or Mommy?

Or Daddy? We've all been rooting and cheering our special team girl on!

She's been a real go-getter, going and scrambling after the ball no matter what field position she is in. And, a great hitter too, running all the bases with ease. She has really been getting into it and enjoying herself.

Action shot of a home run....you go girl!

The Search For Water

2011-04-04T04:02:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have seemed to be a search for water--whether it be hot or cold! Here is a picture of the girls before they became too muddy at a little walk place in the park near my parents. It came out really well!

Ah, now, we get to play!

A couple of weeks prior, we had gone to a place where there was a fish hatchery nearby one day to the place we were hiking. It was a great stop as both the kids loved feeding the trout and watching them splash in the water for the food pellets. Nicole really enjoyed that part!

On the way to the hiking...oh, no, we're in trouble if they are already tired!

We passed through the nature center and rejuvenated a little to get ready for the hiking! Hi Mr. Turtle!

Nicole started out walking at first. It was cool when we started, then warmed up a lot by the end.

Natalie did a really good job hiking the whole time. Not too much complaining...

Ah, better when you are on Daddy's back. It won't be long until she won't fit into this carrier, though!

One of the waterfalls we saw on the end. Very nice. And, of course, satisfied the water finding for the kids.

Ah, here's someone who is usually behind the camera...

Then, we tried another hike much closer to home the next week. The girls were ready with their backpacks.

Starting the hike...

Nicole made it almost all the way around, but it was a much shorter hike. She did hike the steepest portions of it, though!

Ah, more water to splash in. That brown fur you see is Rosco. He came on the hike with us, and loved it (and the water!).

The girls thought that sun plus warmer temperatures meant swimming. So, they donned their swimsuits.

But, after testing the water decided it was much too cold for swimming yet. We told them let's try for May.

Tball!

2011-04-04T04:01:00.001-07:00

A little late posting, but the minivan is again going to ball games! This time, though, we are trying t-ball for Natalie. She is really gifted in hitting the ball. Now, she is learning how to play games with other children. At first, we thought she would be the only girl on her team, but there is one other as well. And, she is easy to spot with a pink helmet and pink gloves. None of the other boys ever mistake her equipment for their own!

Coach teaching Natalie how to swing on the tee.

That pink glove gives it away!

Doing drills with the coach!

Nicole is again being the cheerleader on the side. Usually if there is a good snack and a few toys, she is pretty happy. And, she has a friend as well who also is watching her big brother that she can talk with as well.

All we can say is Go Natalie! Go Dodgers!!

Routine Routine

2011-03-16T13:25:00.000-07:00

I just had to post some routine things so I never forget this time period in life.

At night is our most routine part of the day. We give a bath to both Natalie & Nicole together (they love playing in the water together). Then, get ready for bed. After that, we read a devotional all together. Then, I usually read with Nicole and Woody goes over Bible verses with Natalie. Then, nighttime with Nicole is not complete without her prayer in bed followed by (of all things) 4 verses of the Wheels on The Bus song. These are wheels go round (verse 1), babies cry waah-waah (verse 2), Mommies say shh-shh (verse 3), and Woody's original verse 4 -Daddies go spank. Of course, we don't spank a lot here, and I guess that makes it more funny. You can see her excitement grow as we sing verses 1 and 2 to get to the last verse. She is nearly bouncing in bed to do the last verse. Then, Woody and Nicole "look" for angels in room to settle her down while I go and spend a few minutes with Natalie before we pray for her.

Two praises were that Natalie is not picking her fingernails right now. Also, Nicole went to "big potty" once or twice. So, one night this week we celebrated by going to Dollar Tree and picking out a toy for each. That probably was the highlight of the week for both of them! Maybe we can get into these routines and stay!

Dress up and Roll!

2011-03-06T11:36:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a day...even though it was raining, we still went out to have fun! The first order of business: ice cream! I love PJ day because you get free ice cream if you come in your PJs. Woody was more than willing to drive us, but not willing to get free ice cream by wearing PJs. But, the girls had a lot of fun even if it was in the rain!

Later that day, time to dress the 80s for retro skate night. I did convince Woody to dress up for this since it wasn't too out of the ordinary. He was a good sport! The girls told me I looked pretty (I had about a week's worth of makeup on with teased hair). They loved my beads and bracelets (how fashionable!)/

Off to try on skates. We brought the one toddler pair we had and put it on Nicole. For Natalie, she was using the ABC skates from the skating rink, which was a great start for her first try. She did try regular skates later, but definitely prefered these.

Nicole and Daddy! Always needed a little support as she kept falling. But, she never cried and kept getting back up.

There were people of all levels there from our church, but was mostly amateurs. I saw a lot of people young and old trying to get their "skate legs." And, it was only a miracle from God that more people did not bump and fall. I was glad I could still skate and did not feel too sore the next day.

Natalie skated hard! She went around and around again and again. I tried to take a few movies but it was too dark with no flash. She really loved it!

She would pair up with friends if they were available, or was happy just to go around by herself. Here she is with her friend, Kyle. He was trying big skates.

Nicole kept trying to get more and more independent as she would skate with her arms stretched wide out.

It was a lot of fun and we have great memories!!

The Great Outdoors

2011-03-05T11:32:00.001-08:00

Kites each $1 from Dollar Tree....definitely money well spent on a very windy afternoon...

The Kite Commandos!

2 parents extremely brave to take 2 children on one john boat.

We went to see the reports of bald eagles out on the lake. Sadly, did not see these but saw some geese and turtles (quite a few, actually!).

They were content to fish for a while. We made so much ruckus though, there was no way any fish within miles was going to bite our lures!

So, the order of the day was to play in the water!

Can I go back to Kindergarten?

2011-03-05T11:10:00.000-08:00

Wow, Natalie's K5 is so much fun. It seems like they celebrate most days. On the 100th day of school, they celebrated with a party. The assignment was to come wearing 100 of something. I made Natalie a shirt with 100 pompoms on it in the shape of a heart. It took quite a while to tack 100 on there. By the end of the day, she only had 98 on there after playing!

The next big day was her teacher's birthday, which they celebrated with a nice, sweet party. Then, the next day was Dr. Seuss' birthday. We had a week's warning that we would need to have a costume for it. I broke out in a cold sweat when I read the note! Natalie & I immediately went through the Seuss books we had to try and find a character. After I suggested a few easier to do costumes, she wasn't interested. I went online to see about costumes and they were expensive! So, I called out for help on Facebook and my dear sweet friend reminded me that Natalie had a mermaid costume that could be a fish costume. Which was great because that was what Natalie wanted to be! Add some fabric and padding that we had already had in the house, some posterboard and hotglue, plus a LOT of prayers = a top for the blue fish costume.

Here she is on the actual Seuss day at the classroom!

And the whole class! Threr were a lot of Cat in the Hats and Thing 1 & 2, and one Grinch! They seemed to have a great time dressing up and celebrating. It would be great to be back enjoying this. My only memories from K5 are stacking paper blocks and "rest time." It wasn't until 2nd grade that we had an imaginative enough teacher to have a lot of fun. Something to learn by!

The heart of her...

2011-02-28T13:08:00.000-08:00

Two activities in school really showed me the heart of my elder child....

So selfless! And, this one is phonetically spelled (but a great job!)

If I were President, I would tell people about Jesus. Give people money.

She's been talking about helping homeless people and others who are less fortunate. That's what it is all about!

RETREAT

2011-02-28T13:00:00.000-08:00

What a sweet picture! I wasn't there to take this picture or any of the following ones...I ran away! Well, actually, I rode in a car far away to a wonderful retreat. Woody was the only parent for a whole weekend. I had a great time and Woody was ready for me to return. Of course, he also "retreated" to his parents house for part of the time to take the girls to see their cousins.

They played on the swing set, rode bikes and other vehicles outside a lot to get out that energy...

and also played dress up and hide and seek indoors!

As well as anything else that tickled their fancy... :)

Mmm, the valentine cake looks good... they didn't save me a piece, though! :)

One thing that they had to return home for was t-ball evaluation for Natalie. She has a lot of natural talent, so we're signing her up for t-ball this spring. Practices start soon, so we'll be spending a lot of time on the field while she plays.

One neat story that Natalie said yesterday was regarding her cousins. She was talking about how much fun she has with them. They have moved closer to us but are still in another state. She said, "We'll just take turns moving until we are right next to each other." How wonderful that would be!

Some things to remember

2011-02-26T15:54:00.000-08:00

With Nicole:
- "49!" she will exclaim when you ask for either the time or temperature. Don't know where this came from!
- "no me." what she says when she means not me
- hearing her pray for all family members whenever you ask her what she wants to pray for. So sweet!
- She loves chewing gum. She will bother for a long time until you finally cave in and give her some!
- Pink is her favorite color. For anything...
- It is great to see her try and imitate Natalie on almost everything
- Potty training still isn't there, but she is trying to do it all on her own right now which gives me a lot of hope. Of course, we wet 2 pullups and a diaper today in between successes...
- Her speech is much clearer and easier to understand.
- Compared to Natalie, she is easier to shop with as she just hangs out while I shop. Does not ask for any toys or anything else at this time. (hopefully, will not change!)
- She is getting so big and learning so much!

With Natalie:
- She is really taking off reading and math and everything. Definitely everything is clicking for her right now and trying to maximize the learning times right now!
- She is so sweet with her sister, wanting to share and trying to help her.
- She does most things by herself right now, which really helps.
- She even likes to help clean up after meals (of course, that gives her a chance to play in the water too...).
- She is learning so much and getting so big!

All gone!

2011-02-06T15:22:00.001-08:00

Bikes Everywhere!

2011-02-06T15:19:00.001-08:00

The girls are getting great at riding their bikes and other equipment! Here, Natalie is on her green machine. We were at Mimi & Poppa's last weekend for a very brief visit, and their street is great for riding.
Here she is on the bike.

Nicole is doing great on Natalie's old bike. She really has picked it up quickly! We were just on a tricycle it seems...

Fun times when the weather cooperates!

It's Out!

2011-02-01T13:06:00.001-08:00

Her tooth, wiggled for weeks, is now FINALLY out. The right front tooth has been passed on to the tooth fairy. The other front tooth should not be far behind...

Partied all Week!

2011-02-01T12:50:00.000-08:00

Natalie definitely had a power packed celebration on her birthday week! We are still trying to recover after all that we did! I am just now putting it in the blog...

The first celebration was taking the girls to a party for Natalie's friend at school, Bodey. He loves Star Wars (he had a Star Wars cake), so we were so glad to be getting out after the snow that we dressed up as Princess Leia on Empire Strikes Back (Hoth costume). We had to watch Star Wars and Empire just to get Natalie familiar with who Princess Leia was. Of course, I could have quoted the movies by heart...

Then, after celebrating with others we were ready to start the celebration for the 6 year old! Wow, it was fun decorating and trying to make her day special. Woody was working, so we started just with one present to begin the day.

Nicole was happy here, she had a token present herself, which she thought should continue I guess!

Natalie opened her cards and her first present. It was a Zhu Zhu pet hamster for both.

Then, later we were able to open presents with Woody at lunchtime.

Unfortunately, Nicole didn't remember that she had already opened her present, so most of the time there was just continuous screaming in the background while Natalie was opening hers.

Then, Grandma & Grandpa came over and the major present was a new bike! Natalie was very much outgrown for her 12 inch bike that she had. It was perfect!

Later on in the week, we had the major blessing of the princess party at the local bounce place. It was a God blessing as we had won it in a contest. Thank you, Lord! The princess was all dressed up, ready to play!

Even the monkey came out to help celebrate, but Nicole started crying so he went away. Natalie enjoyed hugging the monkey, though!

Off to bounce! Everyone had a great time with this!

The princess cake is all ready to eat!

Here are the cousins together. We were blessed to have Prince Nate and Princess Isabelle visiting from a far away land! Thanks, Aunt Emily!

The whole table together with their crowns!

Blowing out all those candles!

We then took the party the next day over to her school where we took horns, a big cookie, grapes, and cheese puffs. The horns were a hit, but were extremely loud! We had to have everyone put them up in their bags for a break! Nicole came and was a guest school mate. We love you, Natalie, and hope you had a great birthday!

Snow and more snow

2011-01-11T16:44:00.000-08:00

Here in the deep south where snow usually lasts less than 24 hours; here we are with snow for days! No scrapers for the road, so we're snowbound here. Praise the Lord for power and heat! And, also for having some food in the cupboards (although I will be in serious need of a shopping trip after this finally melts!). We've gone outside for 30 minute stretches in the mornings and afternoons. Nicole enjoys outside for a while, then wants to go in. Natalie could probably stay out much longer. Since Woody is working, we all are either outside or inside! Natalie loved eating the snow when it first fell. It wasn't too good for snowman making this time, but the girls loved to make snow angels. There was a layer of ice that makes it kind of fun to walk around in, but Nicole isn't quite as agile and gets frustrated when she falls. So, mostly they sled or I pull the sled around the yard. Definitely a workout for Mommy!

Rosco loves the snow too!

The snow angels!

2 Great Trips

2011-01-11T16:43:00.000-08:00

Wow, right after Christmas we went to see some real gingerbread houses. Much made my little graham cracker creations look really preschool! Maybe next year I'll put a little more effort into it!

Then, off to see the Cousins! The girls were so excited and we had a great short trip. We went around their neighborhood in big wheels and bikes the first night and played inside. Then, playing on their playarea outside before dinner and cooked smores outside afterwards. The weather turned cooler the next day, but mid thirties and 20 mph winds could not stop enthusiasm to play! So, we went to a neighboring playground first. All 4 kids had a great time!

Oh, what adults have to do for their kids!

All 4 cousins together!

We then went on a history hike area that was really neat to think about the history. The beginning of the hike: (my camera malfunctioned in the middle so we don't have any shots).

The end of the hike. The kids either rode a stroller or walked, and were ready for the monument at the end where their energy restored and they played around together. A great time of memories!

Christmas Memories

2010-12-31T11:44:00.001-08:00

Wow, Christmas has flown by and we're almost to 2011! I can't believe it because there was so much anticipation and planning, then it was gone! The girls loved the time and have many great memories! Here they are in their dresses on the Sunday before Christmas.

We made gingerbread houses with graham crackers this year. Because I waited too long to find a kit...because I needed 2 instead of 1 also! Let's just say I learned a lot about icing and stability. But, it was a great way to use up leftover Halloween candy plus Christmas M&Ms. The girls really enjoyed it.

Nicole's house had a LOT of snow on it (the white sprinkle side is almost gone)...

Natalie's roof had so many candies, it went flat! But that was fun too.

Then, we made the jello/graham cracker/whipped cream dessert that my sister liked when growing up (and I did too!). The girls took turns putting on the layers.

Then, Mimi and Poppa came for visit. The main gift from them: animal pillows! A ladybug for Natalie and dog for Nicole.

They liked the Sing-a-ma-jigs too from my sister.

At last, Christmas eve. We had been reading the true Christmas story for a few days in the Bible, but we did read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" as well for tradition (thanks Grandma & Grandpa!).

The cookies (double chocolate chip) were laid out next to a diet coke for Santa. Right next to our Fisher Price manger scene!

The morning came! The girls did not get up as early as last year (they slept in until 7:30) and went to eat yummy pancakes first! Natalie had stayed up until about 10:15 waiting in anticipation. We started the bedtime routine at 7:15 that evening knowing she would wait up as long as possible. We then opened stockings and then went for the "Santa" bag presents. There was so much excitement, and then Grandma & Grandpa came up for dinner and present time. A great time on Christmas!

Of course, we had a Happy Birthday Jesus party with cake & ice cream too to celebrate!

And, it was a white Christmas to boot! The snow began falling when Grandma & Grandpa were there, but we didn't get out until the next morning for a lot of playing with the snow. We did pelt their car with a few snowballs as they were leaving!

That morning, the snow was too dry to stick much, so they went sledding mainly. That wore them (and Mommy) out that morning!

Beautiful!

After nap, we went outside and tried again as the snow was melting and it was good for snowman making. Natalie made many cute snowmen, and Nicole did make one too! We made one family snowman. They are just now melting!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-13T16:10:00.001-08:00

2 Great Programs

2010-12-13T16:02:00.000-08:00

Wow, Natalie was in two great programs. Here first was her school program, where they staged a nativity with the K5 class while the rest of the classes were singers. Each K5 had a speaking part too, and they did great!

Of course, my thoughts of the best one were the cutest angel!

She did great in her speaking part..."Fear not... that's what we told the shepherds."

And, the rest of the time she just looked like an angel! Thanks to Grandpa for these great photos from the camera.

Then, we had the church program. This was the best photo my little camera could do with as far back as we were! She did great and they all did wonderful!

It definitely puts you in the right mood for Christmas!

Deck the tree kiss relatives and go for a ride

2010-12-12T11:37:00.001-08:00

Catching up...catching up...

After we left Thanksgiving, we immediately went into Christmas tree decorating mode. It was special this year as both girls loved decorating the tree and putting on the ornaments. We put on the carols and just had a blast watching the girls at work. Of course, I was there opening the boxes for my special ornaments ( I insist they store better in their own box, so I am the one who is graced with opening and then restoring ). And, both of us were putting on the hangers too.

We then had a great visit with Aunt Angelia and Uncle Doug as they came into Mimi's town to visit. Woody wasn't able to attend, but we had our 3rd Thanksgiving type dinner. No wonder the pants are a little tight right now...

Aunt Judy was also there, and Uncle Larry! We had a good but short visit.

Ahh... now time to talk about what we did to see Santa. Natalie really liked getting up and going to see Santa. We were one of the first, which made for a much better day. One benefit of always being up before 7:30! She wished for an animal pillow, lady bug or a pony.

Nicole didn't like sitting next to Santa, but she asked for a doggie animal pillow. Just look at that face (get me out of here look!).

And, then on to the ride. We were on the first ride of the day, one of the first ones on the track!

It does look kind of funny from this perspective. The guy had a stocking cap then a Santa hat on top. It was a bit chilly I must say, but worth it!

Then, the kids loved to go around the playground for a while. We saw people start showing up in droves then! But, we were already through with the crowded parts! And, then, the reward of hot chocolate and a peppermint stick. A great day!

And the rest of November

2010-12-12T11:36:00.001-08:00

Whew, where has this month gone! We had an early Thanksgiving with Mimi and Poppa which was a blessing. Only my 3rd turkey prepared in my life probably! But, no salmonella PTL for anyone and we all had a good time.

Natalie's Thanksgiving program was definitely a highlight. I didn't get to see the skit and them singing, but I was there with Nicole in time for the meal and to see Natalie as the pilgrim.

I just want to know where this came from...Natalie hates brocolli whenever it is fixed, but it was the first thing on her Thanksgiving recipe... hmmm

My pilgrim loved the chocolatey turkey cupcakes!

Nicole wanted to dress up too with the moccasins.

The whole class with Chief Snowbird leading!

Natalie was able to don her Indian gear for a picture with Maya. We were able to celebrate with Woody's family on the actual Thanksgiving, and it was a blessed time as well. A lot to be thankful for!

Getting Thankful

2010-11-13T14:20:00.000-08:00

After a tough morning with the girls alone shopping (Natalie was wanting some type of toy or other item bought for her), it was good to try and refocus. To do that, we started on Thanksgiving celebrations. In the new Clubhouse Jr magazine (thanks to Grandma & Grandpa!), there was a recipe for turkey sandwiches. They were really cute (although the ones in the mag were done much slower and looked much prettier). The girls were hungry after shopping, so I worked fast!

We'll do these again...they were tasty as well as cute.

Natalie liked the next thing, opening up peanut butter cups in prep for the Pilgrim Hat Cookies. These were super easy. All that I needed to do was whip up some frosting and cut up some gummy slices for the "buckle."

Yum! Nicole thought so too!

May we be more thankful even on days that don't start out that way! Thank you, God, for the many blessings you give and how much love you show.

Costumes Everywhere

2010-11-01T08:10:00.001-07:00

Wow, we started as a bug, went through as Tinkerbells, and then ended as cats! And, along the way dressed up like vol cheerleaders just to be funny to Poppa! We started at the bug ball. Natalie decided she would be a dragonfly. We decorated a shirt, put faux leather pants on her, and made a headress worthy of a dragonfly. Along with pretty pink wings. Here she is with her class. Most of the class were boys, and were spiders. One boy was a butterfly, Maya was a ladybug, and Addie was a bee. They were so cute (even the spiders!).

We put a butterfly costume on Nicole as well to make her feel at home with all these bugs around as we visited Natalie's classroom. Poppa & Mimi were there as well to celebrate.

The kids ate some bug stew (which was vegetable soup) along with other treats (a spider made of oreos and candy for one). They were hungry and would go from here to do relay races in their costumes.

The next day, it was time to put on the wings again for the costume parade. New costumes for the girls and they were pretty!

There were some activities to do like bobb for apples, but we decided to pass on that one!

They started the parade. Some were on foot, others bike, but most in highly decorated golf carts. You would not believe!

There were also tee-pees out, which I didn't quite connect with Halloween, but the girls enjoyed it. Maybe it is looking forward to Thanksgiving??

Woody & I both dressed up, the first time since we were dating. He was the Lone Ranger and I was Carmen Miranda. I don't think anyone knew who I was!

The girls with Brianna...

Then, it was to Awanas as the cats! They were adorable! Nicole isn't quite ready to leave as we were late but she had just woken from nap.

Happier here with Bo...in another parade!

Natalie went through some games in the gym. This one was an easy one where they put candy on the clip of a mock fishing rod. The kids could not lose!

Here with Caleb and his brother...star wars was here

Other little games included duck picking and ball/frisbee/basketball shooting. They had fun! No more costumes for a while, I guess! Too much candy in the house now anyway!!

Fall Decorating

2010-10-26T14:35:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of decorating around the house for fall. We decided to do a picture (all 3 of us). The girls really liked making a scarecrow and pumpkin picture with pastels. I did the outline and some of the detailing, but the girls really did a great job filling in. They looked like pastel dusted princesses when they were done!

Ah, pumpkin carving. Natalie drew the face all by herself this year and did a lot of the cleaning out. Our little pumpkin was kind of lopsided, but we fell in love with the little guy.

With the hair, he does kind of remind you of, dare I say, Tom Hank's basketball friend in "Cast Away?" No, he's more happy than that.

Camping Out

2010-10-26T14:17:00.000-07:00

Wow, it was a family outing even though not all the family was there the whole time! Woody had to work, so it was a little hesitation to take the girls camping with the church group. However, since it was SO close to home, and Natalie really wanted to go, I gave up thoughts of comfort and decided to give it a try. The kids were excited. Grandma & Grandpa took them to the children's museum that day to give us a little time to get everything packed & set up, and then stayed around until dinnertime as extra hands. I know I won't remember the 14 trips to the solo potty or other inconveniences, only the fun times that we had!

Wow, a tent to play in!

The girls and me at the tent site. It was a great site, although far away from the action. If I had planned better, we wouldn't have had to make so many trips back to get different items!

One highlight was that Natalie was able to ride a horse. She really liked that, and the hayride we rode back from riding the horse.

Of course the girls loved the hot chocolate, strangely more than even the glow in the dark necklaces & bracelets I got them. I thought they would be a hit!

Everybody loves smores!

Here's Grandma & Grandpa helping out!

Natalie with her friend, Jenna Kate

The hayride in the background was quite different...I'd never had one pulled by church van!

The family...the funny thing is well, this is an equestrian park, and well, that is a pile of, well, you know...in the background.

Camping is always fun! Hotdogs on the way...

Everything went really well until 2am when Nicole woke up and decided to cry until I put her in my sleeping bag. After that, she slept pretty well and so did Natalie & Woody. However, I was waiting for sunrise! All three girls in the 2 person tent with Woody stretched out in the 3 person tent. [Woody wants to comment that he did not sleep that well...poor sweetie!]

Costume Craze

2010-10-23T12:38:00.000-07:00

There has been quite the costume preparation here. Mimi was gracious enough to make each girl a costume. She made a cute Tinkerbell for Natalie and a cat for Nicole. However, we found out our church isn't having their usual fall festival late, and the criteria for the costume time at Awana was either Bible character or animal. So, Natalie now has a cat costume made by Mommy trying to look like the one Mimi made!

They are cute! We'll put whiskers on them on the actual time to celebrate.

This Tinkerbell is very cute and we'll be finding somewhere to wear it!

Now, I have to make a bug costume for school this week. Gradually picking up pieces to make one...update later!!

Pigtails

2010-10-23T12:36:00.001-07:00

Love it!

Poppa's Day

2010-10-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

More blogging catching up! We loved celebrating Poppa's birthday. He and Mimi came over to stay a few days for the celebration. The girls liked making and decorating cupcakes for Poppa. We celebrated the first night he was here, then continued the rest of the time. The girls loved to sing as well as decorate. We still have balloons here to remind us of the time!
The girls spent most of the time outdoors with Poppa because the weather was excellent. They went to the playground as well as went to the lake. Mimi and I were at the market getting shrimp for that night's dinner while they went to the lake. But, Woody took some pictures of Poppa enjoying being the focus of their attention. It does take quite some courage to take a 2 and 5 year old out on the open water!

Man, sweetie, those are some COOL shades. I think I'll keep this photo for later blackmail....

Poppa and Nicole. She definitely has him wrapped around her finger!

Happy Birthday, Poppa, we love you!

Crunchy, Red, and Sweet

2010-10-09T13:24:00.001-07:00

Ooh, the third year to the Apple Farm. It's great this year that Nicole can walk herself, which made it a lot better! Because there were no grandparents and Woody had to work! But, we had a really great time together. Even though, there were several hundred people there! But, the good thing was that I saw several people I knew, who weren't with the school group.

Here's Natalie with her friend, Maya. I hadn't spent much time with Maya, but she really is a sweet girl. It is good that Natalie plays with her at school. There are only 3 girls in the class and they kind of stick together!

Here's a picture of the kindergarten class. There was one girl from K4 in the picture who must have gotten confused as to who her teacher was! They all love their teacher, who is really good! What great time to have only 9!

We started off finding the bees. I forgot to look for the queen bee like the teacher said!

Nicole and Natalie liked the little chicks too...I think if they had been selling them we might have had to take one home...I would like the fresh eggs!!

Nicole loved the cow. He mooed at her, and she thought that was special. She wanted to go back later, but he was asleep later!

Getting the pictures of Nicole too!

Nicole and I were together for the hayride, and Natalie sat with her friends. We were definitely crunched together!

After the hayride, the mining began. It is something new this year, and we weren't sure how it worked at first. They give you a bag of dirt. You pour some dirt in the sieve tray. Then, you put it in the circulating water. Nicole just liked playing in the dirty water! Natalie did like this part!

And, voila! There were some little gemstones and pyrite. It had a listing of what you had. We have a little ziploc bag that has our treasures!

Nicole liked picking out her pumpkin. She really enjoyed grabbing something! We didn't really pick apples this year because they said the ones were too high up on the tree for the kids to pick. They had prepicked them in a bin for us to select. So, we did get apples, but not like before. (note the portajohns in the background...they come into play later).

Natalie enjoyed picking her pumpkin from the patch. She picked as big a one as she could! But, it wasn't as big as the one we found near the store which was huge...and marked with a $80 price tag...wow!

We ran into Emma (and Meredith and Allie as well as Jo Ellen and her parents). It was a welcome surprise but we didn't get to talk long as Nicole was ready for snack time!

It was a hurried snack time as the bus was about to leave! Since we didn't ride the bus. I thought we might stay and do the maze that we didn't get to do. I had never done the maze since I was usually holding Nicole. So, I decided we would be adventurous!

The maze entrance...we entered fresh, excited, and enthusiastic.

And, we walked....and walked...whoops, wrong turn, turn around....note the sign stays to stay on the path so you won't get cornfused...

and walked....

and walked...by now I am tired of carrying all my supplied in the backpack, plus 2 pumpkins and several apples. I am redfaced too! Nicole is starting to lose interest and wants to sit on the ground. So, add a 2 year old to the load.

After much prayer and second wind, we found a few paths through the interstate signs on the path to the...

Exit! The best sign I had seen all day! By now, we are ready to head to the only other activity of the day, some more playground time.

By now, several hundred are gone and it is prime time to be at the Apple farm. The kids enjoy jumping for a while, but Mother Nature has been working and everyone has the need...so finding those portajohns!

By now, all the people we know are gone and so I have to squeeze all three of us plus the backpack (one of the pumpkins stayed outside) into a portajohn. Not something I ever want to repeat!

And, then we said goodbye to the scarecrow and all the fun!

Now, for the sweet part. I love to have at each fall we make caramel apples as we did when I was growing up. I was so happy that there were the ones that were premade like Mom found and not the pack that you had to cook the caramel first. This was much easier, and truly, much less sticky!

A great end to a great day! Even Woody was able to enjoy this part!

Big Parade

2010-10-02T12:56:00.000-07:00

One cute thing that Natalie did this week was make a Statue of Liberty costume. They all dressed up and had a parade shouting "USA!" as they went around the entire church. I wish I had been there to see it! She had a really great time, though. We celebrated afterwards with a picnic for the three of us (Woody had to work). It was great weather for a parade & picnic!

I turn my back...and

2010-10-01T12:51:00.001-07:00

Natalie is looking at me, much too old looking to be my child. Reciting addition and subtraction as well as writing her letters into words... working activity books with minimal help... doing chores to help out at home.
Nicole is talking in words that everybody can understand. Saying a crisp "Yes," as well as many other words. Although potty training is going slowly, she tries to be independent in almost every other way.
heard thumping in the bathroom the other day, and went in to find Nicole had climbed over into the sink and was sticking my toothbrush in her mouth. A little TOO personal!
Natalie lost another tooth yesterday and the tooth fairy was not as prepared as she had wanted to be! Before I know it, she'll have her whole permanent set (and the tooth fairy will have to get a job!)
I hear laughter and the girls are playing fun make-believe games with each other...enjoying each other's company.
then I hear fighting over a certain toy or item....oh well!
Nicole is focused on activities, like playdough for quite a while. She is also singing the alphabet song as well as recognizing the letters.
Natalie has made another friend on the playground...she is so very social (one of her gifts)
Natalie's supply of underwear is too small as she shot up a size overnight it seems! Just bought some for school; now, back to the store!!
I realize I've missed many opportunities, blown it many times, but may I focus on this being the most special time in my life with these 2 precious ones...

Wet and Whistle

2010-09-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

Well, I couldn't think of any cutsie title, so here goes! Last weekend, we took a rare moment to leave the park and go down to the lakehouse to spend the night. It was right after our first babysitting experience for a church meeting that had no childcare. Let's just say the girls somehow had the babysitter get them popcorn and fruit rollups which were not on the instruction list! They did have a good time, and no emergencies, so that's what is important! Now I know why we don't go out more often because you make dinner for the kids, babysitter, get everything ready...go out..then come back and clean up and wait for the kids to calm down before sleep.

It was tough getting everything ready after having a night away to actually go away for a night with everyone. But, definitely worth it! We packed and went away (without my camera) on our adventure! Woody did take a few cell phone pics and one video of Nicole catching a fish that I will have to post later. The girls loved splashing in the water and running around. After dinner, they made a small campfire with the main reason to cook s'mores! The girls were way too wired for sleep, so it was very late when they settled down to sleep. You would think that meant for a late rising, but they were up by 6:30am! So, quick breakfast makings and we were ready to pack up to see their cousins!

Nate & Isabelle were at a surprise visit to Grandma and Grandpa's house, so we went to see them and visited a train museum. The kids liked it and it was interesting to see the different passenger, dining, and sleeper cars of the era. It was a steam engine locomotive, which was also neat to see all the inner workings and design. Definitely neat to the engineer in me!

Sitting in the engineer seat...

Everyone on the end of the car for a picture!

We then swam in Grandma and Grandpa's pool, for the last time this season! It was cold!! Brrr!! I jumped in and definitely didn't want to stay too long. Isabelle didn't jump in, and I didn't blame her either! But, Natalie and Nicole both enjoyed the water, as did Nate.

Jumping in!!

It was a great weekend and special memories! Back to the routine this week!!

BSF This Year

2010-09-13T18:16:00.000-07:00

I am glad that we are starting up BSF Bible study this year in Isaiah. My only sadness is that Natalie won't be there as she is in Kindergarten 5 days per week.

Through a strange chain of events (God-ordained!), I have changed from being a group leader to a children's leader. Which is scary in itself to me as I am definitely not the most qualified (I can quickly think of two friends who blog who also homeschool who would be much more so). It is definitely a stretch, but I can already see where I can benefit from the training not only in church situations but also at home. I am kind of excited what will be the result of going through this year. And, glad that Nicole can benefit too.

Picture of the Happy Couple

2010-09-07T11:43:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Alisa's FB, here is a picture of the happy couple Doug & Ari!

Crashed it....

2010-09-07T11:10:00.000-07:00

I think this video kind of shows the fun time we had at Mimi & Poppa's this weekend as we went to celebrate my cousin Doug's wedding. The trip was kind of a stop and go type of event. We stopped several times on the way for traffic issues and potty breaks. I know we went to at least 4 rest areas on the way (that's how many there are!). It seemed to take a very long time. We were very glad to be at Mimi and Poppa's house, and the girls got out ready for action. So, we put out the slip and slides (2 of them together) to get out some energy. We then ate dinner and went out walking on the street for some more energy out. On the next morning, we went to the park and Woody & I jogged (I didn't jog as far of course) while Poppa watched the girls at the playground area. It was nice to be outside and moving! We then went to the library there which we had never seen before. It was nice for that. After that, lunch and trying to get the girls settled down for a nap before waking up to dress for the wedding.

The girls didn't settle down well and only had about 1 hour of a nap at most. This is very bad for Nicole, as she woke up NOT HAPPY at being woken up. It took coaxing just to get a little snack into her as well as dressed. I wanted to put her hair up but it wasn't worth the battle. We then headed to the church for the wedding. It was a pretty church, although more "decorative" than our normal church. Natalie had many questions about the statues and pictures that were on the wall and the meanings of them. The service was also very traditional but very long. Not the best choice for the first wedding for either of them. But, we were in the back armed with cell phones with video and pictures, candy, cheerios, and whatever else we could think of at the moment. It lasted about 45 minutes, and then we were released to blow bubbles at the bride and groom, which scored a hit with both girls.

Then, on to the reception. We blessedly had some snacks, which definitely were needed since it was past our normal dinner time. And, with some sprite (a treat for the girls) they settled down. We were on the river, so it was nice to go out on the balcony at times. Plus the dance floor, or up to see Poppa at his table. Or, of course, the rest room many times since we are potty training with Nicole. But, it was very slow service and the girls began to get restless. We had one course at a time then a long lag to the next one. Finally, Nicole had been as good as she could be....and reached up to touch the pretty glass votive behind our booth. Before we knew it, there was a crash where EVERYONE looked our way. I could only hope to melt into the booth with embarrassment. After that, Natalie somehow fell off the booth seat onto the floor. Needless to say, we ate our dinner course and chose to skip the cake cutting to escape with as little injury as possible. (Note: Nicole was not burnt on the candle, PTL!).

So, we had an adventure on our adventure, and I never was so happy to head home. On the way home, we did stop at Wendy's for a quick lunch the next day. Somehow in trying to help Nicole on the porta-john in the car, I ended up honking the horn, the door jammed for Woody & Natalie to get in, and I spilled my Sprite on the floor. After that negative spot, the home looked grand when we were finally there...and stayed there as much as possible the rest of the weekend!!

At the reception...Nicole happy now.

Natalie just likes her Sprite...forget about the rest!

Nicole laughing after the shattering of the candle...

Natalie after the fall...okay but ready to go! Of course, I'm past ready...

Potty Train Crashed

2010-09-06T11:47:00.001-07:00

Today, the potty training has crashed for the moment. Back to diapers because I couldn't take throwing another pullup in the trash. She was doing so great, then no interest!

Fishing?

2010-09-06T04:46:00.000-07:00

I especially like the way Nicole fishes with her pole, as well as Natalie prefers “boating!” I thought about posting the pictures but this is much better in explanation. Mommy is kayaking while Woody is the brave one.

Sympathy

2010-09-06T04:30:00.000-07:00

It is so amazing to see the two girls working to have each other share all issues. For example, when Natalie bumped her head and "needed" ice (ice heals anything around here per the girls), Nicole needed some ice in a baggie too...
Of course, Nicole has needed more sympathy lately as she has tripped and scrapped her knee a couple of times during our nightly walks. She also was following her sister as her sister was climbing a magnolia tree. Woody was watching both of them but didn't see the danger hidden. Natalie stepped on a yellow jacket nest as she was going up. However, she was up high by the time they were out and they ended up stinging Nicole almost 4 times in their fury. She wasn't allergic, but I know that they hurt!

Momma needed some sympathy as Natalie wanted her hair cut to shoulder length. The hairdresser saw my squeamishness and cut just below the shoulders. Here it is before it curled up to a little shorter. It took some getting used to as her hair was down her back in ringlets before!

D A T E

2010-08-20T11:34:00.001-07:00

Whoo-hoo! We finally had a date night for us the other night. Grandma & Grandpa watched both girls at their house while we started out with a bike ride/jog together and then had a great evening of quiet eating and a movie planned ahead! We went to the restaurant that I had my bridal luncheon at (love it!) almost 8 years ago. We had a spectacular meal, then went off to Barnes & Noble to walk around for a while. We are so behind on movies that we rented one to take home for our movie as well. On the way home, I realized that I did not have my cell phone that is normally clipped on the purse. I thought I may have left it at Barnes & Noble. So, we drove back to there after calling both places. There was no phone to be found. So, I was frantically praying on the way to the restaurant. They stated again that no phone had been found but went to our table to check. It was found wedged in between the wall & the table foot! Whew! So, that made the rest of the evening more light as the hour we spent rushing around was then humorous (on my expense!). We then snuggled down for a movie and ate some popcorn in our quiet home.

We did miss the girls and picked them up the next day. Although, I don't know if they missed us as much!

Celebration Time

2010-08-20T11:32:00.001-07:00

We went after our date night to meet up with the girls and Grandma & Grandpa. It started our celebration time for Woody's birthday. Although, it has seemed to be going on for some time as we did have a cake and mini party at Poppa & Mimi's house when we were there too! It has been a great time of preparation & celebration. Here, the girls and Grandma & Grandpa were all dressed up to meet the birthday guy!

We met out at the lake and had a great windy time to take out the sunfish together as the first activity while Grandma watched the girls.

After lunch, it was time for the inner tubing behind the boat that Natalie wanted to do. She started out with Woody (hence, the feet!). She loved it, and had Mommy next and then Grandma for the tubing fun with her!

We then celebrated dinner the day before Woody's bday with a special pie and dinner. His schedule won't allow celebrations on the actual day sometimes!

The girls had a blast decorating and wrapping with me while he went back to work. They had done some crafts for presents too, which made them really feel special. And, of course, decorated their own cards!

Omelet and grits for breakfast. Two things we don't have very often, but it worked! Unfortunately, Woody had to rescue a person out on a trail the night before and had to work until midnight, so me & he were little extra sleepy that morning! But, it was still good to celebrate the entire day! Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!!!

Last Big Trip Time

2010-08-14T06:34:00.001-07:00

Last big quick trip before school! We went to see Mimi & Poppa at their place earlier this week. The first thing Natalie wanted to do was the "jumping thing." So, Poppa took her and Nicole to jump at the mall. They both enjoyed jumping up high on the bungie machine. Then, they rode the coin cars together and played in the area for kids in the mall. It is too hot to do much outside!

The fire truck came by Mimi and Poppa's home while the girls were standing outside and gave them a hat!

We had planned to go to the community pool but their school starts early so we ended up crashing at Uncle Tom's pool. It was a great time with family we don't see too often! The girls really liked it too!

Off the board for Nicole!

Natalie is now a pro!

Seeing sweet Callie and Alisa there too. What a treat!

We then ventured into the mountains to picnic and put feet in the cold water. They really liked that!

Mimi and Poppa picnicing!

We then piled into Poppa's truck in the back to go around the loop. It was great as it had cooled down some. There was still more traffic than I thought we would see, though!

We saw the usual deer and other "tame" wildlife...

We saw the old churches and houses there too...

We also saw a bear cub high in a tree as you can see from this photo, eating cherries. It zapped the climb a tree theory really quick...bears can climb too!

At the mill with the family...

In what must have been a mansion of its time...

On the rock, the 2 sisters!

We then see how you stop for wildlife in a row as big racked deer made everyone want to stop, like the crowd for the bear earlier.

We had a great time!

2 Teeth Down

2010-08-14T06:26:00.000-07:00

I forgot to blog that Natalie lost her second bottom baby tooth at the end of July. The tooth fairy came again and brought her a Susan B Anthony dollar plus a couple of dollars. She is really starting to like the tooth fairy!

Swimming Again!

2010-08-14T06:17:00.000-07:00

What was our main activity from mid July to early August? Swimming lessons again for Natalie! This time, she had the benefit of having her friend, Elysia there as well. They really enjoyed being reunited especially since they won't be at the same school next year.
Natalie was initally really excited about swimming. Here she is with Elysia on the first day. She really liked the swimming part and did really well. What she did not like was jumping off the diving platform and board. She didn't like the depth of the pool, although we talked about it a lot.

The first day, she did really well with it, but it made her fearful. Finally, after the first week, an incentive of having her toe nails painted if she went helped a lot. She tried it again, and she did really well and had pretty nails and toenails too! The last day, she wanted to jump off the board one more time but the teacher said it was time to leave. So, a great experience this year for swim lessons! It's been great that we have had the same teacher for 3 years too. Next year, hopefully she will love it again!

Lost and Found at the Beach

2010-07-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

Wow, we had a great time at the beach! I just have the pictures from my camera at the moment, and I didn't even click the first 3 days! It was so exciting that we would rush out of the house without the camera. Grandma and Uncle Pete were good about always having their camera on the ready, and I'm looking to get some good pictures from their collection! But, here goes with a few to document. It was great to have all 10 of us under one roof! All 4 cousins were there, enjoying learning more about each other.

Some things were lost at the beach trip...Woody lost 2 pairs of sunglasses this time. He set a world record for losing the first pair on the first jump into the ocean! The waves did seem a little rougher this time, and even though he had a strap the second time, it didn't have the float attachment so it was lost in the murky waters.

Put into the almost lost category...Nate had a new kite, which was in this picture. He held it well for a few minutes, then did what any 2 1/2 year old would do...which is let it go. We found out that kites do sail away fast in the beach breeze. Grandpa made a run for it that was worthy of a marathon tryout, but it still sailed away. But, the good news is it was found the next day not too far away and it did still sail!

Uncle Pete, Emily, Nate and Natalie with the almost lost kite.

The sisters loved the beach!!

Found category...we found out that our neighbors were brave (?) enough to strap what looked like a fan on their backs, connected to a parachute, and fly in the ocean breezes. Another step up from a kite! The only negative was that they eagerly went out early in the morning, which wasn't too early for our little girls but was too early for the rest of the household!

The cousins also found that they could make a neat t-shirt for the craft they did together. Nicole and Natalie did really well all by themselves!

We also found the pool was fun. The girls both loved the slide and the pool! (Don't look too hard in the background of this picture, though...not a pretty sight!).

Natalie then Nicole down the frog mouth!

Our family borrowed Jo Ellen's idea for the turquoise t-shirts! This was a picture after the big picture time.

Found category...crabs! We went crabbing with the kids (except little Isabelle), and they loved it! They were good crabs too! They liked seeing the baby crab that we threw back. We only kept the big ones to eat!

There were several other things found in the ocean, including one conch shell that had an animal still in it! Also, fiddler crabs were popular as well as a live sand dollar.

And of course, anything with water is always popular with the kids!

Here are the cousins all together!

Natalie and Nicole another shot too in their cute jumpers.

We had a great time and wish we were back there!

Changes

2010-07-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

There are some changes around here! Ch-ch-ch-changes! First is a news flash from today...Nicole went in the potty for the first time! She was able to wear a Dora Pullup because of that surprise (that was the reward). However, we're back in diapers now because she has gotten Dora wet and then soiled, so back into diapers until we try again!

Also, during our beach trip (which I will post pics from soon I hope), Nicole discovered she could get out of the portacrib and the pack&play. She then was able to get out of her crib here too. So, time for changes in where she sleeps! Here is a picture of her first time sleeping in a bed at the beach for a nap....
And, now is her room fitted with the toddler bed. She is napping in it right now, so we'll see how she does staying in it at night and after naps!

The little sweetie is getting to be a big girl!

Bubble Celebration

2010-07-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

Nicole is 2! I can't believe it! We celebrated with both sets of grandparents and a big bunch of bubbles! We had Woody, Nicole, and Natalie mixing the bubble solution and used several different wands/tools to make several big and small bubbles. The girls had a great time!
It was cake time! I had made the cake (chocolate) and Mimi had helped by icing it with the white icing. Then, a little Dora decoration and lettering, and voila! A cake that Nicole liked. She is very much pro-Dora right now.

Mimi and Poppa there to celebrate!

Nicole (and Natalie) were definitely into opening and playign with the presents. Natalie was sure that she could share with Nicole!

Happy Birthday, little sweetie!!

R U A Chicken?

2010-07-12T13:04:00.001-07:00

Natalie, Nicole, and I proved we are no chickens by dressing up as cows to get free meals at Chic-fil-A on Friday. Woody chose not to participate, so he had to buy his own meal. Mimi and Poppa were there to cheer us on and helped us with our costumes. It was a great deal of fun on Thursday afternoon getting the costumes together. The girls were looking forward to it! In fact, Nicole woke up saying "Moo" on Friday morning!

We went early and were the only cows in the restaurant at the time! There were a lot of people who looked at us funny, but I did not care. I loved getting the free food and having fun! As were were preparing to leave, 2 more cows showed up, then a family was getting out of the car with dotted t-shirts. So, we weren't the only ones!

July 4

2010-07-04T13:15:00.000-07:00

July 4th has been fun. We started out making a special dessert for July 4th! This is a kid able to assemble dessert, and both kids liked helping!

The girls mixed the red & blue (I know, it looks green in the pic, but it is blue!).

Then, layering the crackers and filling...

And, tada with the topping...it is done! Everyone liked it!

We then went to the fireworks. The girls were dressed in PJ's since it was way past bedtime. I took the circus lightup toy which they both had to learn to share. But, it passed the time as we waited for the show.

Wow, it was great! The girls were jumping and laughing. So much that a family in front of us kept looking at us. I didn't think it was that unusual, so I just said, "They are excited." Duh! We only see these once a year!

Wow, today was nice celebrating in church in our red, white, and blue. I didn't get pics of our outfits but we did enjoy putting on patriotic colors for the actual day.

Over the Top

2010-07-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

Wow, this past week has zoomed by! We definitely topped last week's activity level and went over the top! The first part of the week, Mimi and Poppa came to visit. I hate that I was brain-dead & didn't get any pic's of their visit! We even went to the jump place with the girls and I forgot my camera again!! But, it was nice to move at a fun but not break neck speed those couple of days. We then had a few families over for an early celebration and time together grilling out and letting the kids play here. Then, we made the decision to tackle a theme park for the first time since we had kids. Natalie is definitely old enough to ride most rides but Nicole was even able to ride quite a few!

The first thing that Woody did was ride the newest, fastest rollercoaster on the park. I watched the girls and went on a few rides like the carousel that we could all three go on. Natalie went on one ride by herself. Then, Woody came back and encouraged me to ride the rollercoaster. He said it would fill my rollercoaster void for the rest of the day. Did it ever! I definitely had never been as high, fast, or long on a coaster. I didn't need any more of that and was happy to stay in Snoopy land the rest of the day.

The first surprise was that the girls liked the characters, even Nicole who had disliked the Clifford and other walking characters, including Santa.

The second surprise was the huge markup in drinks and other foods. You cannot bring any outside food or drink into the park, so you must buy there. The only thing you can get is a little dixie cup of ice water for free, so we got several of those to keep us hydrated.

The third surprise was that after a few rides, Natalie said she was through with the rides and wanted to go swimming. So, we went to the swim area. It was way beyond my thoughts and was really the highlight of the trip. Definitely made it worthwhile. We started at the wave pool. Everybody liked that, including Nicole. It was well done and great!

There were some kiddy areas too with playground like structures, spraying structures, and slides or rides. Anything you could think of... we moved from the "beach" to the mountain stream innertubing ride. That was our only catastrophe of the trip, as we vouched for a zip bag instead of paying for $10 locker...the cellphone was toast as the bag leaked a little.

After spending a few hours there, we wanted to find ice cream. It took several times to find ice cream as there were some water problems in the entrance area and several stores were closed. Including Chic-fil-A, so we didn't get lunch there. But, we did get lunch in Snoopy land, where the kids got a cute lunchbox souvenir for their kids meal. But, Nicole took a nap before we found the ice cream...

so Natalie ate all the ice cream by herself!

We then got dressed out of the swimsuits and went back to ride some rides. The kid rollercoaster was much more tame, and I rode it with Natalie (Woody had earlier). We then went on every kind of spinning vehicle ride you could think of for kids, and also the train and elevated helicopters. It was great, and we were ready to leave for a late dinner off the park!

The next day we didn't rest but went straight to Grandma & Grandpa's to spend time in their pool and eat lunch with them. Nicole liked jumping into Grandpa's or Daddy's arms! Natalie was doing great swimming by herself without a jacket. Swim lessons should go much better this year!

Wild, Wild Week

2010-06-26T12:49:00.001-07:00

We spent last week in cowboy hats, boots, and getting our country music fix for the year. It was VBS time where we wandered into SR ranch...well, maybe galloped is a better word. I'd been trying to prepare for our little room for a couple of months. The plan was less than 20 kids, 13 were registered the week before. Woody helped me decorate the Sunday before before he went to work. We made a little wagon out of a table, pool noodles, and wood with a sheet over it and paper finishings. Well, I should say Woody made it! The kids loved it and it stood up for a week of punishment.
He also made a little wagon for the kids to play with as well. The kids made shoebox ones for their group but used this as an example.

Here was a picture of all the cowboys and cowgirls. Natalie was in my class, and it was great to get her picture.

We had 21 on the first day, which mosey'd down to 17 on Friday. The first day was wild, we had no idea we would have so many. Just getting nametags for the new kids was a challenge while we were rotating around activities. There were several activities that kept the kids always doing something, whether in our room, on the playground, doing music class, or having a theme related snack. Of course, the snack was high sugar content, so the kids would be extremely wound-up for the closing worship rally. But, God blessed and we had a great group that seemed to have a lot of fun. It was more fun for me on Friday than any other day--I guess I knew it was almost over and I'd better relax a bit! The kids had a lot of fun activities including dressing up in Bible clothing and acting out the Joseph story with his brothers. Here's a picture of Natalie with Hannah, JoJo, and Daniel...

I realized I never took pictures of Nicole in her room...usually I was grabbing her quickly or dropping her off. She did have fun and did several crafts as well. Although, she was usually very hungry when I picked her up. We rushed home to eat some lunch.

After the fun at VBS, Woody had a couple of fun activities for the girls. While I was off scouting for blackberries, Woody made a double slip & slide for the girls which they played with for a long time. These pictures don't give the setup justice! Woody got hot and decided to run down the course himself!

Nicole speeding down the course...

Woody also made a course at home that took our slide setup and added the pool. Anything exciting Woody "Daddy" always thinks up!

The girls love getting on their suits and getting wet. It is so fun watching them play together!

Now, what are we going to do next week????

Camp Time!

2010-06-15T01:20:00.000-07:00

Time to go camping! Since the weather had been so much like monsoon season, we decided to try comfort camping! My parents were very gracious to let us borrow the camper, and we quickly threw things together to get ready for a quick trip! Natalie and Nicole are good about wanting to go new places and try new things. Woody was ready to drive the truck (only a 3 seater) and I drove the minivan for several hours to our final destination! We set up at camp and then Natalie was excited to go swimming. The lake was beautiful, although very high. There weren't many beaches! But, this was how Natalie mostly enjoyed the trip...
in the water!

Nicole liked the water too, just not as much as Natalie, and she didn't like being very deep (just toes wet please...).

We didn't take many toys or activities along. I took bubbles for Nicole, but she enjoyed running around more (it was hard to keep up with her most times!). They both also loved the camping hammock, which they used mostly as you would a swing.

Nostalgia point...this campsite we walked through on the way to swim was the same one Woody & I stayed at right before we were married. It was a special time as it was his birthday, and I had made plans for a little surprise birthday party the next day at the picnic shelter on the park. It was neat to remember those memories!! Of course, what would we have thought knowing we would have 2 little ones coming through 8 years later!!

Although Nicole & I weren't able to go fishing (nap time), Nicole had fun finding worms for the event...Woody and Natalie caught quite a few bream, but they didn't take any pictures!

Our campsite. The first night we didn't have many neighbors. The second night we had quite a few more, but they were pretty quiet.

Proof that I was there and did get in the water to swim. Natalie really did enjoy swimming in her life vest. Of course, when Woody swam with her he also did cool things like jump off a rock into the water. Mommy didn't do that!

One of my favorite things...making ice cream. We had never made any with the girls, so it was good for them to see. They really liked eating it!

...with melted chocolate on top of course!

One thing we were not able to do on the trip was go on a hike. We did that after we came back. Natalie was not as happy on this hike because of the heat. She kept wanting it to be over. So, we celebrated the end of it by getting back into swim suits, filling the pool, and eating popsicles!

Nicole liked helping wash the car too!

We had a great time!

I can do it...

2010-06-07T12:58:00.000-07:00

Nicole definitely has a can-do attitude about most things! She wants to try anything Natalie can do. She is very able with her hands and truly can do most things. She can walk Laci, my parent's dog pretty well, but it is a little different when she tries to walk Rosco.
She'll try anything the other kids are doing, whether playing basketball or climbing up a playround area (which scares her mommy sometimes!).

She can blow her own bubbles, which she has done for a couple of months now. She can open the lid, take out the wand, and go to town. She even has started to keep from spilling all the contents out!

She loves to try to color or paint also. Here she is with Elysia.

And, fingerpainting with sister!

She is definitely a challenge to keep up with and keep occupied! It's so great she has a big sister that she can learn and keeps her trying new things! She even tries to go potty now, but we are a little ways from that being mastered. She at least dances to the potty dance song...I guess that is a start! Maybe by the end of the summer...

Firefly Blessing

2010-06-07T12:54:00.000-07:00

It was a special time, unplanned, and really not thought of as well. We went out to a wonderful time with friends for dinner, which had us arriving back later than usual. We all ate too much, so we went for a walk with Rosco (even though it was much past bathtime). As we were coming back on the walk, I told Woody I saw a firefly. He didn't believe me at first, because it was the first one appearing. But, after a few minutes, there were several around. We went with the girls and each took turns catching a firefly for them to examine and watch fly away. It was just a special time and a special memory. Now, we are on the firefly hunt whenever we are up late at night!

It's Out!

2010-06-04T12:45:00.000-07:00

I thought we had a few more years on this, but it has already happened! I've been so slack after our computer died on keeping up with blogging. The loss of three months of photos has been disheartening, but onward we go! Last week, Natalie kept complaining of a loose tooth. One of her favorite stories is Berenstain Bear's Visit the Dentist, so she was glad to know that Sister Bear had already gone through this before. She kept wiggling, we wiggled from time to time (until she said it hurt). She finally was afraid to eat because she was scared it would come out. But, for the most part she was very brave. Most of this past week I have seen her like this...
And, since sister was running around with her mouth open, Nicole also wanted everyone to look at her mouth!

Well, today was the day. We were outside in the yard and for some reason I had Natalie show me her mouth. I said, "This tooth is just barely there..." and it came out! I had to quickly have her reopen her mouth because I was afraid she would swallow it, but she didn't. It is now safely in the tooth fairy pillow, awaiting the changeout for the money!

It did bleed a bit, which I had forgotten. I can only remember getting the dentist to take out needed teeth for space and wisdom teeth in my memories of my own teeth. I never remember any pain or blood, but Natalie assured me there was some pain before it was ready to come out.

Well, bye bye tooth! Can't believe Natalie is getting her second set of teeth...she is getting big (sniff!).

Where the wild turkeys are...

2010-05-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

Lots of why's for this post in my head, running around. I also contemplated several titles, including Turkey...it's what is for dinner, why did the turkey cross the road, lots of titles. But, since Natalie has read Where the Wild Things Are very recently, this one popped into mind.

It started as a normal walk after dinner. One of our routines is to take Rosco for a walk. And, this time, Laci was here too. Normal to take the girls, Poppa, Woody, and me with the dogs. We normally travel down an abandoned road near our house. There are some construction crews working there every weekday, and this was no exception. I had heard truck after truck of gravel or dirt go by that day.

So, we walk about 1/3 of a mile down the hill as we normally do. Rosco is let off the leash as he likes to roam back and forth smelling different smells and doing doggie activities. Natalie was having fun running around with Rosco. Nicole had been walking, but Woody put her on his shoulders for a rest time. Poppa was walking Laci on a leash. I was walking back with him, soaking it all in. Suddenly, there was a noise from the side of the road where the grass was a bit taller. A horrible squaking and other noise. And, that's when we saw her. A mother turkey popped up and began chasing Rosco away. She then went towards Natalie and Natalie ran away terrified. I grabbed Natalie's hand and ran with her, hoping to distance myself from the dogs and the action. However, this turkey did not stop but followed us instead of going after the dogs. It was like Jurassic Park with the raptors in my mind. It's beady eyes and head seemed to dart around, following us. I definitely began getting scared for both Natalie and me. We alternated running and walking, trying to get away. The turkey would dart at us, then run into the woods. Then, it would dart back at us. I didn't know when it would stop. I didn't know what it would do! I thought it would return to protect the nest. Natalie and I made it back to the house safely without any direct attack, but we were both shaken. I begged Woody to go back and take care of the beast. I suggested sending one of his coworkers who was a hunter for it as well. I wanted to take a shotgun down and do the deed myself. For, we had seen this turkey in our front yard that week earlier, but it had run away at that point.

So, the turkey is on my list for things that have attacked in my life. All the rest have been dogs in my experience. All I can say is that if I see it again, it will be definitely a memory on this earth!

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

It was a good Mother's day! After a week of Natalie almost knocking off her toenail and Nicole almost busting her mouth again, Mother's Day was pretty much uneventful for injuries. I had a lot of handmade and bought cards as well as a nice bookmark from the girls where they had picked wildflowers, pressed them and then laminated onto a bookmark. Most unusual gift: a turtle made out of newspaper for Natalie to paint. It is from a devotional we have for an idea for a craft. So, we'll do that sometime. I also have Tim Lahaye's new book and I went out and bought Max Lucado's Fearless for myself. I probably really need that one! Natalie's school and Sunday School class both made books where Natalie answered questions. In the school one, she wrote my age is 40. In the Sunday School one, she wrote 14. I guess I'm somewhere inbetween those two! The funniest things written on the book--

How do you help your Mom? She wrote washing dishes and cleaning her room (oh, that it were so!!!). HAHAHAHA.
What food does your Mom make best? Macaroni & cheese. The best that a box can do....
My mom's favorite food? Squash. She put this only because I make her eat a bite when we have it!

The cutest things written in the book--

What do you like to do with your mom? Play with her.
One thing my mom always says to me is: I love you. :)

So, when I awoke on Sunday morning, I had a banner of love across the kitchen...

And, Woody made pancakes for breakfast. We then opened the gifts and cards. Everyone then dressed for church. We should have made a picture! But, we went to church and it was nice to worship with Woody while the girls enjoyed their own classes. We then rushed home, ate some quick sandwiches and Woody went to work. So, I was able to play with the girls then put Nicole to bed. I had a few moments to do my Bible study before Natalie peeked out of her room (no nap for her most days). We then did a few things together before Nicole woke up. It was a quick snack for us then off to the grocery store to pick up some vanilla bean ice cream (we were almost out and still have fresh strawberries to eat! Back to eat dinner with Woody before he went back to work. We then played and the girls watched a bit of a video while I unloaded the dishwasher. Then, bath time and bedtime. Then, quiet time!!

Here is a picture of what is another part of my Mother's day gift truly. Woody has started this bookshelf for Natalie's room. It is a cross between a cube bookshelf but has the middle portion where you can put books. The side areas are for the organizer baskets. It looks great!!! Much better than what you can buy and it is custom fitted. Just a little stain & polyurethane are all it needs now. This will really help out if we decide to combine the girls rooms soon.

Smashing Time

2010-05-08T13:03:00.001-07:00

Another time with no camera, but a phone! I had an ambitious day planned today, that all turned out great! Natalie was spending some special time with Grandma, so Nicole & I tackled a lot of things together just the two of us. Woody was working most of the time, so we started last night with Walmart. I hate Walmart and usually avoid it like the plague. With 2 kids it is hard to manage. But, they do have some decent toys, and we have 2 gift cards needing to be spent from Christmas. So, we went there and bought trainer skates for Natalie and eventually Nicole, and a play fishing rod for Nicole. I was surprised at how high the prices were there now--they are renovating the store to have a more Target-ty feel and nothing was really a bargain, especially in the food section! We'll be continuing to use coupons and grocery shop on specials elsewhere!!

After last night, we got up bright & early this morning to start shopping at an array of stores, even the mall! Then, we met Woody for an early lunch at Olive Garden, which was great! Nicole did really well at Olive Garden, using her fork like a big person. Although, the thing she most liked to eat seemed to be croutons? But, she did eat a good portion of her cheese ravioli, which made me feel a little better. We then parted ways with Woody and we went to what I thought would be a fun time at Toys R Us. They were supposed to have a Crayola Wonder demonstration. I had visions of toys out, being tested by many kids having fun. We got there and there was a piece of Crayola wonder paper, with a few markers beside it. I asked the lady if that was it. It was. Reason #535 I don't like to shop at our dinky Toys R Us! We markered a paper then left after looking around the store for any deals for birthday parties coming up.

We then sailed to go pick up Natalie! We were meeting halfway between which worked out great because I wanted to hit a pick your own strawberry place on the way back. I thought this would be a great opportunity, and I was flying high on the last 24 hours and the multiple successes. I even bought milkshakes to enjoy right beforehand so everyone would be full of sugar and excitement. We pulled up, and everything was great. I debated about just paying for the pre-picked bucket, but my sense of adventure was high as well as my expectations. It looked...easy.

Little did I know that we were in for a mini adventure. I took the cell phone picture at the first, thinking this would be a fun picture to celebrate later...
This was the start! We had a bucket to fill, 6 hands to pick, and beautiful strawberries to enjoy! It started well, I gave instructions on what a good strawberry looked like to both. My initial was no white on it, red & shiny, and no defects. As we went along, we got hotter in the sun, the girls were whinier, and the fight over who had the bucket began. I was the main picker, and would try to pick some that Nicole could put in the bucket. It wasn't long before Nicole was picking up overripe strawberries, squeezing them in her hand, and then rubbing arms or legs or my pants. Also, there were some strawberries previous people had "tested" and it was a struggle to keep her from sampling the same berry that was discarded. And, eating the foliage and not just a strawberry! My resolve melted and my qualifications for good berries lessened too. We ended up getting almost a full bucket, but didn't get it to the brim. We made it back to the car after paying and never did air conditioning and the knowledge we were headed home feel any better than it did at that moment!

We came home, cooled off, and the girls napped happily. I stole a few minutes myself too. Next time, we'll have to go when we have 2 adults at minimum!!

New Bird on the Block

2010-05-06T14:33:00.001-07:00

The big discovery of the day was while the girls were playing outside this afternoon. We were running all around. Suddenly, I heard a bird cry and then Natalie rushing to look what was crying. We found this, a bird in the blocks around where we have a fire pit.

Now, if you have never seen a grown woman jump 2 feet, you missed your chance to see me jump. I kept telling the girls not to get too close. I went and filled a pan with water and added it to the block. All this time, the bird was silent and motionless. I then digged up a worm and thought to drop it in too. But, the worm just dropped ON the bird and it stayed there. So, I got a stick to move the worm off the bird. As soon as it touched the worm, the bird jumped and made a ruckus. I then saw what must have been Mommy & Daddy bird swooping around my head. I got the girls back and me too.

Here's the bird after the scare. We then went inside and are watching a video in safety. I'll get Woody to follow up on this one after dinner!

A couple of more pictures of concert...

2010-04-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Anne for the pictures!!

Singing Pretty

2010-04-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

Last night was the concert for Natalie's preschool choir, their spring concert. She really looked great singing, doing the motions, and just praising the Lord. I really liked the song, Keeping my Eyes on Jesus. It was a special time to enjoy her as she has really grown up and doing better all the time in these concerts.

3 Weekends of Birthday Parties

2010-04-26T12:40:00.000-07:00

We have been blessed to know what we are doing on Saturdays for 3 weeks! First was Maggie's party. She had a swim party at the Y, which was really different. I didn't know how it would be actually. I should have brought Natalie's life vest (although they had one we could borrow, thank the Lord!). She really enjoyed it after she was used to everything. She was jumping in and really splashing around. I didn't know parents would also get wet, or I would have brought my bathing suit as well. Woody was able to watch Nicole during this party, which made it a lot better to keep focused on Natalie during the pool time. She really worked up an appetite and ate a lot of cheese puffs and cake (healthy!). We had a great time celebrating Maggie's birthday.
The group photo at the end

Splashing, kicking, using those swim class skills!

Next it was Elysia's birthday party. She had it at a local jump place. I had both Natalie & Nicole with me. Natalie ran off and played with her friends, so it was just me & Nicole. I must say I got quite a workout carrying Nicole up the slides and other places she couldn't quite do by herself. It reminded me of when I was doing all that for Natalie! Both girls had a great time and worked up another appetite for pizza and cake. We had a good time!

Natalie & Nicole jumping together once or twice! Natalie didn't want to stay with her younger sister, although Nicole would run after Natalie every time she zipped by.

Natalie right next to the birthday girl!

Next, it was Caleb's birthday! We went to McD's for his birthday. Natalie again was up in the playarea while I was trying to keep Nicole in the lower play area. They really didn't want to come down for food, but finally did. They kept running back to get back on the play equipment. But, then a few minutes for cake and ice cream then back again! Nicole quite loved being around the bigger girls as they came down and played with her for a moment. It was a great place to be on a rainy day!

Natalie next to Caleb and also right next to Elysia!

Whew! Mom is ready to relax from birthday parties this weekend. None scheduled that I know of anyway!!

No Camera but Great Hike!

2010-04-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

I guess it is great that there is a camera on a cell phone! Forgot the camera to a nice family activity of the first hike for all of us together! Woody chose the hike, and I packed a few quick snacks for us. Since we were going after lunch, I didn't pack many snacks. However, I didn't know the hike was going to be a little strenuous. Natalie was hiking in brand new hiking boots. She did great until about halfway where it did get quite steep. All resolve melted and Woody and I had to try to encourage while Woody would carry her for short distances. He had quite a workout with Nicole on his back and Natalie on front! I promised her that she would be picking out what we ate for dinner that night if we made it all the way to the falls (which were, quite wonderful--the camera pictures don't do it justice). We were very proud of Natalie (and Nicole too, who was quite well behaved!).

Nicole in the backpack, Woody, Natalie
Again, Nicole in the backpack, Woody, and Natalie

Another item of encouragement--being able to stick feet in the water!

We went to Wades afterwards (Natalie's choice). It was late and I think everyone was glad the express line was still open! We even celebrated sharing a piece of peanut butter pie. A very happy family memory!

A picture of the falls again. Really nice end to the hike!!

Earthy Stuff

2010-04-18T12:47:00.001-07:00

Enjoying the wonderful days! We have had a garden during all of our marriage (mostly for economic savings, but also for the great fresh produce!). The girls really love participating in planting and harvesting. Natalie has gotten big enough that last year and this year she has her own flower garden part too. We planted zinnas that we started from seed in the winter, plus the snapdragons were a blessing to come back after the winter. And, I found some impatiens and begonias at the supermarket that were just begging me to take them home. Natalie really liked planting those pretty pink flowers, and she is doing a great job!
Working in the dirt with Daddy. Of course, Nicole loves to work in the dirt also, and she always looks like a little dirt ball after she is finished!

We also made a terrarium of local forest fern using a simple Mason jar. I love watching the fern fronds uncurl, something I am sure I learned a long time ago but am rediscovering as teaching my children. We went for a hike last weekend and it was like a magical area with the dew settling on the unfurling fern fronds. (OK, I know I don't get out much!).

Go..Wonderpets

2010-04-13T17:53:00.000-07:00

Linny, Tuck and Ming-Ming are now in our house! Yes, we now have 3 fish to make up for the 2 that were lost. Natalie has named them after the wonder pets. Not that we've seen a lot of episodes, but she did remember their names.

Here's a not so good picture of one of them...they are neon tetras so it is hard to get a good picture. Don't ask me which one it is!!

3s Company when Camping

2010-04-11T12:44:00.001-07:00

Woody showed how brave a man he really is when he took both girls camping by himself. I had some errands/things to do, and he wanted to go camping. So, it worked out for him to take the girls (not too far, it was Nicole's first time!). Here Nicole is driving them to the campsite. Well, okay, Woody did drive them but Nicole likes to pretend. Rosco was there too, but I didn't have a really good picture of him.

The tent was just the right size for Woody, Nicole, and Natalie. Had I come, I would have been sleeping outside with Rosco...

The girls eating the nutritious meal of hotdogs, mac & cheese. I came and brought cole slaw as some kind of vegetable addition. Yes, I did come for a while to see how they were doing!

Enjoying time in the camping hammock...

Mommy shot from Natalie taking a picture...

Bubbles were a great way to enjoy the time outdoors!

Natalie's favorite thing...roasting marshmallows for S'mores.

A great time for all...as I enjoyed time snoozing in my own bed, Woody was trying to get Nicole to settle down as she was so excited that everyone was sleeping with her that night. She kept trying to keep everyone up and entertained!

Easter Activities

2010-04-11T12:43:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that Easter was a week ago! We did many activities to celebrate Easter. One of the first ones was decorating sugar cookies. I found a good sugar cookie recipe in an old cookbook (don't have to refrigerate the dough and it rolls well). And, using the sugar cookie glaze recipe and food coloring, we made some really colorful cookies! Natalie really used her artistry, while Nicole had fun but enjoyed just eating them too!

Then, we also made birds nests (butterscotch chips + Chow mein noodles). The eggs were candies and jelly beans. Natalie wants this again sometime!

And, so does Nicole who woke up from a nap unhappy but brightened up when she tasted the "treat."

Next year I might have Nicole decorate eggs too, but this year it was a craft for Natalie & me only! She did all the dye work (Mommy was just the supply and instructor). She also put on the stickers which made them a little more special. Next year we'll try some half-and-half eggs or something new. But, it was still fun this year!

Poppa came down and brought a few activites that the girls enjoyed. Nicole was his special buddy during this trip and stayed pretty close by to him.

Natalie was our resident artist and would draw scenes of what we were doing, kind of like a camera shot. She did really good!

We went for a hike the next day and also went on a train ride and playtime at the local park.

Easter eve, we started the resurrection cookies. Nicole helped out this year and Daddy was the narrator for each item. They really loved beating the pecans!

Here's a very sleepy girl who woke up on Easter morning, and had to look for her Easter basket that Daddy had hidden! They both enjoyed looking and finding their basket, which was a tradition from Woody's childhood.

They both brightened up finding a basket to open up!

One of the other neat things this Easter season has been finding tent caterpillars. They both like playing with the fuzzies! I remember playing with them in my childhood as well.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-01T14:28:00.001-07:00

Egg-celent!

2010-03-28T17:41:00.000-07:00

Like last year, we went back to the same egg grab festival that we went to last year. This year Nicole could attend as well! As I remember last year was warm, a good day, maybe even a bit hot. I dressed the girls in nice spring-y clothes thinking about it. Then, Woody pointed to the thermometer and showed me it was in the 40s. Yikes! It warmed up to about 50, but the wind was whipping like a winter day. And, I had decided not to carry my coat since the girl's stuff loaded me down like a pack mule. But, I wanted that warm coat after we got out of the car. Burr!! I talked Woody into going back into the car for a while after we bought tickets. It was a nice 10 minutes of warm while the kids got ansy, but played in the minivan.

We then got out and melded with the huge crowd ( a lot more people than last year! ). We found the Easter bunny first. Nicole didn't care for him either (just like Clifford I guess, funny dressed up person gets a no from Boo-Boo). But, Natalie had fun getting her Easter bunny picture with Nicole & Woody.

Then, the fun started when Grandma & Grandpa showed up while we were waiting in line for the bouncy. Reinforcements!

Both girls liked the bouncy. Nicole was safe in there for a while, but we had Natalie bring her out when bigger kids got into the bouncy. But, they got a fun time for a couple of minutes!

Then, off to pet animals. The rabbits were probably their favorite to pet, although they petted quite a few animals!

Nicole liked chasing the goats best! We were doing this then heard that the egg grab was about to begin!

Grandma & Grandpa went with Natalie while we stayed with Nicole (different age groups). There were thousands of eggs on the field! Nicole did great and grabbed about a dozen before the bigger kids appeared quickly on the scene. It was probably over in about a minute, it seems!

Natalie found Maggie, her friend, there. It was great they could visit during all the waiting times!

The girls together, enjoying a Tootsie Roll. Most of the eggs held a Tootsie Roll. However, we thought we had opened all of them. You are supposed to check before you leave. When I got home, I found Natalie's had a first place prize ticket in there. Ooops! She would have loved winning something, but that is how it goes!!

We had a great time and loved spending time with Grandma & Grandpa. It made for a really special day!!

Special Visit

2010-03-26T17:39:00.000-07:00

We had a very special weekend last weekend. Natalie & Nicole's great grandpa was visiting Grandma & Grandma. So, we loaded up the minivan and headed there for a great time with him. We were able to enjoy pretty weather during our visit, so part of the time was spent fishing in a local pond. Natalie caught the first fish, a good sized catfish! We all had fun casting and catching a few. Nicole was mostly catching dandelions, as that is one of her new thrills. She wants to pick every dandelion that is in the yard! But, she has now found that she likes the seed dandelions even more since you can blow and watch the seeds scatter.
Natalie with her fish!

Here is the four generations together, what a blessing to have everyone spending time together.

We enjoyed staying out in the sunshine together, enjoying some game time with t-ball and kickball.

We are now praying for Great Grandpa as he has suddenly gotten an infection and is in the hospital. Any prayers would be greatly appreciated!!

Each Favorites

2010-03-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

I wanted to capture the favorites of each of the girls right now at this stage in their lives...

Nicole
Favorite food - cheese, bread, fruit, pasta. Not much else she will eat except any dessert.
Favorite activity - cross between picking flowers and doing the surprise song. The surprise song is something Natalie taught us from school... you hum a few bars and then have a loud burst note. This "wakes" everyone up and they look surprised.
Favorite outfit - all outfits end up getting dirty. She can get dirty doing almost any activity! It's some kind of talent. I'm trying to loosen up and put little cute outfits on her--might as well!
Favorite loveys - her white diaper cloth (very soft) and little doll. Or, any of Natalie's toys, especially panda.
Favorite item - right now it is chapstick. She has a fetish about chapstick and will try to sneak Natalie's. We have to keep the door closed because of it. I gave her one and she had it wiped down within 30 minutes (no more in the tube!)

Natalie
Favorite food - She likes the sunshine cups (put a buttered slice of bread with no crust in a muffin pan and crack an egg in it & bake). Or the pooh logs (half a hot dog bun with peanut butter and bananas, we put dried cranberries as ants). Anything new that doesn't have ANYTHING green in it. I think eggs will be her favorite for a while.
Favorite activity - picking flowers, any kind of game or make believe
Favorite outfit - she is getting really excited that she can wear skirts and short sleeves again.
Favorite loveys - Pink bear and her dress up doll, Madison. Also the live doll she called Nicole she carries around often.
Favorite item - anything Nicole touches. There can be a toy that is getting cobwebs on it, but when Nicole picks it up, Natalie wants to play with it right then!

They are both great joys and it is fun to see them interacting more and more!

Ode to Freddy

2010-03-17T17:56:00.000-07:00

We now have an empty fish tank. Natalie went to feed Freddy tonight at supper and reported he was in the same place as Blackwood was when she passed. So, no pets right now for Natalie. We'll have to get some friends of Freddy for her tank!

Weekend Fun

2010-03-13T16:22:00.001-08:00

We've had a good time the past two weekends, even though Woody was at work the first weekend. After weighing the pros and cons, I decided to take the kids to the big event at the library solo. And, I am glad I did especially since we went early and left early! We had fun making bookmarks and then seeing a neat animal show. But, Nicole could only stay seated for so long so we left a little early and went to the character photo area. Natalie was great and wanted to pose with Clifford and Olivia. However, Nicole wanted really nothing to do with any of the characters! She has reached the age of character-phobia. But, here are the pictures:

Nicole actually did try to touch Olivia with me holding her, but wanted not to get near without me. We then went to see the BMX event, but the crowd kept building so I decided we would leave and do the rest of our day. After (unsuccessfully) trying to find a winter coat for Natalie, we went to eat at Chic-fil-A. It was fun lunch time with a purpose...we were then getting ready for dessert. Which, took a change of clothes because we were going to get ice cream on PJ day free! So, we quickly hunkered down and slipped PJs over my clothes and put PJs on the girls. Natalie took a picture of me after getting my PJs on.

Success! Ice cream free on a pretty warm day! It just cannot be topped!!

The girls have spent a lot of time playing together and dressing up together. Here is Snow White and Sleeping Beauty together...

This weekend looked dreary as wet weather pounded us last night. We had to turn grilled hamburger hopes into Manwich burgers as it was pouring! And, so this morning we debated about going anywhere but decided to make a break for the lakehouse. I watched the girls while Woody did some surprise cleanup. We then turned to have some fun in the blessed sunshine together. Which was neat to see Woody and Natalie fishing together. They were having fun!

Nicole was partially interested in fishing, but much more interested in running and taking leaves, and her favorite, sweetgum balls, and tossing them into the water. Also, she loved grabbing anything that was new to her. But, I spent my time walking back & forth on the dock following her. Maybe one day I can fish too! I remember not too long ago I was following Natalie...

And, now she is fishing on her own!

While Nicole still prefers dropping into the water at this point...

We then played a game on the floating dock that we were in a boat, which was fun to Nicole for only a short while but I bet Natalie would have done for a while longer.

We then left but really had a fun day!

Ode to Blackwood

2010-03-12T16:13:00.000-08:00

Blackwood Goodwin
1/17/2010 - 3/12/2010

After having supper, playing games including Chutes & Ladders, we went to remind Natalie to feed her fish. Unfortunately, there was a surprise waiting for us...Blackwood was no longer swimming on his own. Yes, Blackwood has gone to fishy heaven. Natalie's first pet passing. We have tried to answer the questions, but at least Woody didn't let her see him flush Blackwood.

Meg Ryan I Ain't

2010-03-11T14:50:00.001-08:00

I have been getting rather antsy about my hairstyle. I have been ready for a change. I really thought I would want a shorter cut, and I had kind of the Meg Ryan look in mind. So, I set off for a salon to get this "new look" for myself. I must say I do have more curly hair than Mrs. Ryan. And, I have learned something:

Take a picture with you

My first clue that it might not turn out as I thought was the lady mentioned that she remembered Meg Ryan in "As the World Turns." Not being very soap-savvy, I didn't know that fact. Then, she looked for a picture but didn't find one to start. And, the chopping began...

When it was finished, I didn't really recognize the person in the mirror, but I didn't cry either. I just kept saying in my head, it will grow back...

Natalie had her hair done as well to correct the snips she made herself a few weeks ago. It looked fabulous on her. We went to Bi-Lo afterwards. Natalie said, "Mommy, the people are laughing at you." I asked her why. She said, "Because your hair looks so funny." Ouch.

So, I'm investing in clips, hats, whatever until the growth comes back to a way I can get it fixed. Maybe protein shakes to help it grow?

Way to Go, Natalie!

2010-03-05T16:41:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of you, Natalie! After several years of biting your fingernails, you have stopped! After trying everything from coersion, medication, and downright dislike for it, she stopped pretty much as a surprise. I just left it alone with a prayer, and here she is with pretty fingernails. Sweetie, you deserve Mommy to paint your nails every week now...

We had her best friend, Elysia, over this past week. Unfortunately it was snowing outside kind of a strange snow. It was too cold and yucky to stay outside for long. So, inside was the activity. After lunch, the girls donned costumes and ran around the house using their imaginations...

Even Nicole joined in on the fun. The girls didn't want their pictures made, so the pictures don't look posed at all...

In fact, they look kind of strained and unhappy...but, they were having fun!

They did try outside for a while, but decided it was not good weather. You couldn't swing or anything! So, we went back inside...

And played Barbies!

The only bad thing was Nicole had to go down for a nap & she didn't want to at all...she wanted to play with the big girls. And, it is no paci time, so she didn't cooperate at all. But, it still was a great visit.

Toddler Protest

2010-03-04T18:52:00.000-08:00

This week, Nicole has really put on the crying and fussing to protest the removal of her little friend (the pacifier). At night, we've had up to 1 hour of cries and screams for the pacifier. Naptimes have been even more fussy (I guess because she is less tired).

Wednesday she completely protested the nap. All items thrown out of the crib several times to protest. Items "requested" to be put into the crib. I tried sending Natalie in there with her sleeping bag to give her a clue that I was really wanting her to sleep. After that she took off her socks and threw them out of the crib.

Today she was protesting, but I was tired. I laid down to take a quick nap, during which she fell asleep. When I peeked in on her a few minutes later, she had thrown everything out of her crib, plus taken off her shirt in protest and thrown it out! I laid a blanket over her little body and she slept well until she woke up. We could then put the shirt back on!

One funny note during this week was the night we had a fire. She had gotten her pants dirty outside, so I was letting her run around without the jeans (it was close to bath time). She was having fun and running around. She has been pretending to go potty for a while now by getting on the toilet and...just putting paper in there, no other things (not ready yet). But, she definitely has figured out how to take off the diaper because she started pulling it off and laughing as I ran behind her trying to put it back on!

Hopefully after this week the pacifier will be a distant memory and we'll get over these protesting times!!

Cold Turkey

2010-03-01T14:09:00.000-08:00

While Nicole & Woody were escaping to the mountains on Saturday, Nicole fell a couple of times and really busted her little lip. Other than that, they had a great time and returned happily after the fun in the outdoors.

However, by Sunday night it was apparent the lip was not healing very well. Upon consultation, we decided our treatment with normal antibiotic ointment was good, but the pacifier was hindering the healing. So, last night was spent without a pacifier for Nicole at night. She took it predictably by yelling at the top of her lungs for quite a while. I escaped to a shower while Woody monitored. She finally fell asleep and did sleep all night (PTL!).

However, today I have had to pretend like I do not understand her little words and motions for a pacifier. All pacifiers have been confiscated and locked up where she cannot find them (at least the ones that I could find). She happened to find one somewhere and it was removed from her presence.

Today at nap was the same story as last night. She just can't understand why her little friend that has been so faithful has been removed from her. Once the lip is healed, I know we are not going to find these again because I can't take the removal again!!

Land of the Lost

2010-02-27T16:32:00.000-08:00

I feel like I have come back to life after a long time of inactivity. It kind of reminds me of a show I watched when I was little (hence the title, Land of the Lost). Looking back, it probably was a little scary because of the sleestaks (I'm sure that wasn't the right spelling) or these alien/reptile looking creatures that would appear when this little band would wander the wrong way. They were usually asleep, and walking in on them would make them move rather slowly, so the heros could run away in plenty of time. So, they could have some more shows! I feel like the slow moving sleestak right now, but I am getting better. After all, I've moved up from saltines to some real food now!

This all started about 1:30 am on Thursday. I had no idea that it was coming and my week schedule would be so changed. After the purging that the virus had in store for me, all I could do was stay in bed on Thursday. No BSF, no spending time with the kids. Woody had to call in to work to take care of the kids. And, I was diligently trying to stay away from the family and disinfect the bathroom each time I entered (because, of course, we only have one bathroom). I was able to get up on Friday but the plans we had that night had to be scrapped because I still didn't feel good, the house looked like a disaster after 24 hours of neglect, and I had the food but none of the prep work done. But, it turned out to be the right decision because Natalie started throwing up at 6:30pm, which would have been in the middle of dinner. She, however, was blessed with a much better recovery and is zooming around like nothing happened right now. However, she is only eating crackers, applesauce, and banana even though she could probably expand that.

Today, Woody and Nicole escaped to the mountains to hike together while Natalie and I enjoyed some quiet home time with crafts and coupon cutting together. We went outside into the bright warm sunshine also to soak it up (it felt so good!). But, we're all back together now and enjoying time together.

Falling In

2010-02-21T04:08:00.000-08:00

After snow tubing, we came back home to warm enough temperatures to go hiking. I had grocery shopping to do, so I left right after breakfast to try and get that done before we went hiking. There is a spot that we can walk to go hiking, but we do have to "bushwhack" a bit and ford a river to get there. So, we headed off with Rosco and the girls to do some family hiking. All was going great and we crossed over the river to get to the hiking trail. Rosco slipped a little on the slippery rocks on the way over, but seemed fine. The girls were having a great time, even though we started off with a few whines due to there only being one leash to hold. Then, Rosco stumbled and acted like his rear right leg was hurting. So, with him being 180 lbs, we decided to head back to see if he could walk back by himself. We made it back to the river. Poor Woody had to get Nicole across, less-than-agile me had to follow to hold her while he went back for Natalie. Natalie's job was to stay put in one spot during this time. That seemed to work okay, because she had a stick that she was pretending to fish while we slowly made our way across due to my slowness. But, before we made it across, there was a splash and a yell. Natalie had tried to move across the rocks and fallen into the river! So, I took Nicole while Woody went back to rescue our wet (and cold!) princess. So, we had to walk back with Natalie soaked from the waist down. But, we came back to a warm bath, clean & dry clothes, and hot tea for the princess. She did really well not complaining too much on the way back. Although, she says she won't be swimming in the river by choice any time soon!

Snow Tubing

2010-02-20T18:10:00.001-08:00

We planned a trip for the 3 of us (Nicole to stay with grandparents) to go tubing. It was a special time where we could have just some one-on-one time with Natalie. And, she really had a good time. We went up traveling right after BSF on Thursday. Most everything in the area was closed because they have had so much snow. The main roads were great for traveling, though. We went out shopping after stopping at the motel to check in to get Natalie some goggles. Then, we went out to a really nice dinner, where Natalie was very well behaved. But, we were next to a table not so behaved, but they settled down after a while. It was a great meal! And, then we went shopping at the mall to walk off some dinner. Natalie really liked the motel and was thrilled that we were all sleeping in the same room. We watched a little winter Olympics then called it a night. We woke up, ready to get some breakfast and then head out to the tubing place! Here we are at the tubing place, ready for action! We had to wait in line for quite a while, but finally were released. They had 4 tubing runs. 2 of them had "magic carpets" or ways to get back up without much exertion. We started on those, but found the less crowded paths were the ones not with magic carpets. We opted for less crowds with a little more work on our part.
Natalie with the tube. She wasn't allowed her own tube because she couldn't stick her feet out to stop.
Natalie with Woody. Not many pictures of us actually on the lanes because they forbid cameras. I can see why...it would be a lot of time taken up. Plus, they wanted to sell us their pictures.

Look at all the snow in the area! It was really a winter wonderland...

Natalie with Woody on the back tube lane. We let her go down a couple of times by herself because we ended up the only ones on the back paths. Nobody wanted to tug their tubes up the slope!

Here we are all together. It was a great memory!!

Valentines and Birthday

2010-02-20T18:00:00.001-08:00

What a week! After a few weeks of routine (except for snows), we have had quite a few days. It was great getting ready for Valentine's Day. We had fun in the snow before hand, and got ready for church the next day on Valentine's. How neat to have it on a Sunday! We had all the presents and cards ready on the table. We ate a good breakfast then opened up the gifts. There were a lot of candy but other small things to balance it out as well. I had a really neat wooden picture gift handcrafted by Woody with pictures of us on it. Very creative! Here is a shot of me & the girls on the way to church. Of course, we didn't know there was only one combined service at this time. We came back and then went back for the late service. Woody was working, but at least we spent the early part of the morning with him.
Natalie's Valentine's party was the next day. They swapped Valentines and little gifts of candy and other small items. They really had fun together enjoying the time. Nicole was here too, just running around terrorizing the room when I was trying to take a few pictures. I'm grateful I can take her with me during these times so I can go too! Here is Natalie with Elysia, her BFF:

Praying before the "meal" of cookies, strawberries with chocolate dip, chips & salsa, and juice boxes.

Then, it was my birthday. Here was the decorated room that Woody worked so hard on the night before! He really did a great job. The kids loved waking up to all this festivities.

Here was the purse cake that Natalie & I decorated. I would say that Nicole helped, but she really only helped herself to candies waiting on the table to be decorations. I must say I have learned a lot about making cakes. I understand now why people get them at bakeries now instead of trying to make them like when I was growing up. But, you do miss out on a lot. Natalie & I had a blast trying to copy the one in the book. Fun and a good memory. We'll do it again most definitely! I'll try to get more experience for next year...

It was a great Valentine's and birthday! Thanks to all the family with all the love!!