A Beautiful Day

It's beautiful outside today. School is out, so I had both kids all morning. We had to do our big grocery run... which I'll admit is not very appealing on a nice day... for mommies or kids. Caleb and Madeline were amazingly non-whiny at the store, so I decided they deserved a treat. We ran home, threw the frozen stuff in the freezer, and went right back outside. We grabbed some happy meals and headed to the park.

Caleb was thrilled with the happy meals. I guess he saw a commercial that showed the trick-or-treat buckets, so he's been asking for one. He must have thanked me a dozen times. Madeline started using her bucket right away to collect berries, leaves, and rocks. (I conveniently spilled them out onto the ground before we got in the car.)

After they ate, the kids both ran directly to the tall slide. Madeline climbed up like a pro with no fear or hesitation.

Caleb was willing to take pictures for once, so I took full advantage. He wanted a picture by the monkey bars, and I think it turned out to be one of my favorites.

We played on the slides, took turns on the swings, and ran in circles... for no apparent reason. (We possibly even watched a drug deal, but I'm not sure about that. It looked a bit suspicious. LOL)

The kids had a great time. Moments like these make motherhood so fun!

Have a park-tastic day!

The Nature Center

We had a play date with my MOPS ladies on Tuesday. This time we visited the Nature Center. We had originally planned to walk around the (paved) little trail outside and then have a picnic, but it was a rainy day. Luckily there was plenty to do inside. My kids were actually entertained for a full hour! Inside! Let me add another exclamation point!

They have a spot where you can fish with a pole that has a magnet on the end. You then take your catch to this station to measure and identify it. Here's Caleb looking at the display.

Madeline was a hoot. She was into everything. Caleb was interested in all of the displays, but she just wanted to visit and run around. I'm glad we went, though. It was a great way to spend a rainy morning.

Have a nature-tastic day!

Happy Birthday, Madeline!

Happy birthday to my little princess... I can't believe she's already two! Madeline is such a girlie-girl. She asked for a "pretty skirt" to wear, so of course I made her a tutu! Notice the little white boots? Her Grammie found those for her. They're house shoes, but it's hard to convince Madeline that they need to stay at home. :-)

She was so excited about the presents that she started carrying them over onto the carpet. She wanted to open them NOW!

She kept saying "wow" over and over again... it was hilarious.

Overall it was a great party. The kids had a great time. Madeline received a lot of great gifts.

I still can't believe she's already two!

Road Trip

Josh had some vacation days a while back, so we decided to go to Dallas. Here's Caleb modeling his new sunglasses.

Here's a picture from the Fort Worth Zoo. I didn't get a lot of pictures on this trip. I was too busy kid-wrangling. I wish I had done better, but oh well. The kids loved the zoo. We had a great time running around and looking at the animals (and eating Burger King in the food court). It's great that Madeline is old enough to really enjoy these things now. She loved looking at the animals as much as Caleb this time.

Madeline looks very impressed by the kangaroo.

These shots are all from the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. They have this great elevated kids walkway that has little signs with facts and lots of whisper tubes going from station to station.

It was contained enough that the kids could run ahead a bit, and since we went early in the morning we only saw a total of four other people the whole time we were there.

Here's Madeline talking to Josh on the whisper tube. It was her favorite part of the walkway.

The absolute best part about the botanical gardens? It was free!

Our last morning we grabbed Uncle Bobby and went to breakfast. No, I don't have pictures of that either... but I did snag this one photo that proves we saw him! We all went to the Bass Pro Shop for a bit, and the guys decided to show Caleb how to shoot electronic deer on a screen. Guys.

We had a great trip. It's amazing how well the kids did being in the car so much. Next time I'll do better with the pictures!

Have a trip-tastic day!

Caleb's Birthday

Wow, I can't believe how busy we've been! I feel like life is on fast-forward. In the middle of all the craziness we had Caleb's 4th birthday. It amazes me that he's already four. Where has the time gone?

He received lots of great presents.

And he had a great time playing with everyone.

Unfortunately, he adamantly refused to blow out the candle on his cake. Madeline was happy to step in, though!

Up next: pics from Dallas.

Have a birthday-tastic day!

Pictures from my iPhone

Sometimes I'm running around with the kids and I realize I should be taking pictures. Usually this hits me about the time I remember that my camera is at home... or not charged... or whatever. Luckily, my phone comes to the rescue. Now I just need to make the effort to get the pictures off of it once in a while!

A while back we had several days in a row that were really warm but rainy. After putting up with the cabin fever for a while I finally put the kids in their swimsuits and took them outside. It turned out to be really fun, and now they always ask to play in the rain!

Have a rain-tastic day!

Recent Pictures

Our kids love the golden arches. I'm sure they'd eat there every day if we'd let them. I'm guessing it's something to do with the play areas in the restaurants, the fried food, and the toys that come with them... but that's just a guess. :-) So anywho, we took the kids to get happy meals this weekend. Madeline was all about the big creepy clown statue. She wanted to sit on it, so we had a photo op.

Caleb... not so much. Wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole. He was way more interested in the apples with caramel dip. It's the main thing he goes to McDonald's for.

On a totally different note, we (and by "we" I mean "Josh") worked on the play set this weekend. It's now all water sealed and cleaned up. And I finally lightened up and let the kids get sand for their sandbox. It was a big hit. Now it's all they want to do.

I guess the constant tracking of sand into the house is totally worth it when they enjoy it so much.

Have a family-tastic day!

Flashback

Sarah is dealing with Samuel's eczema right now, so I thought we'd have a little flashback to Caleb's eczema days. Here's a shot of his poor face. It's amazing how much better it looks in the picture than it did in real life.

Here he is all coated in vaseline before bed.

Poor baby. After every bath we had to grease him up.

It's funny how quickly you forget something that was a daily challenge. I still remember putting lotion on him constantly and trying to keep his skin from breaking open on his joints. I remember the way he would rub his face against his blankets because it itched. Thankfully he outgrew most of it by a year and a half. Hopefully Samuel won't have it this bad. Life with exzema isn't fun.

Have a flashback-tastic day!

More Projects

I'm amazed that I ever get anything done. I'm always multitasking... in a bad way... the way that means I work a little on everything and finish nothing. Oh well. Check out these cute metal flowers I found in Hobby Lobby today! They are about to begin a new life as curtain tie-backs for Madeline's room. I'll post a picture when they're actually on the wall and holding back curtains. Until then I'll leave you with this picture. It was just an excuse to try out my new camera anyway.

Have a multi-tasking-tastic day!

The First Day of Preschool

Caleb started preschool today. He only goes three times a week, but it's still his first "school" other than Sunday School. He set off this morning with his new red backpack and the biggest smile on his face. When the teacher opened the door he hung back to be the last one in, (it was a different teacher that he didn't recognize) but as soon as he saw his teacher it was game on. He ran right into the room, told me bye, and didn't look back.

Now pick-up time went a little differently. Since it is 100 degrees outside the kids didn't get to play on the playground today, but the teachers let them go out for just a few minutes right before going home. He didn't want to leave, and I hated to make him go, but it was still 100 degrees outside.... and Momma doesn't do 100 degree weather. We met up with Daddy for a surprise lunch, and came home for nap. What a great morning!

Have a school-tastic day!