Keep On

Jack might be an engineer when he grows up.  He loves to build with Legos, and not only that, but he's really, really good at it.  He builds his own creations frequently and we're often amazed by the symmetry and thoughtfulness that each one displays.  Tonight, he made a spaceship all on his own and then came upstairs to share it with us.

In order to make this spaceship, Jack had to disassemble part of another set.  His conversation with Daddy went like this:

Brad: Would Lord Business approve?

Jack: He's imaginary.

Brad: I feel like I'm channeling Lord Business...

Jack: You're channeling something that's imaginary?  Keep on doin' that.

And then Jack walked away.

*****

I think we've created a smart-alec.  Just a tiny bit.

But I suppose that means we've also created a miniature engineer.

And both of these things are perfect to us.

Nope.

I came home today after spending a few nights away at a teachers' conference.  I was so excited to get home and see Brad and the littles.  I was also excited to unpack and crawl into my own bed for a well-deserved nap.  I thought maybe we'd take the kids out for dinner tonight, but surprisingly, they opted to stay in and order Chinese.  I think they've had a busy couple of days, moving around with different family members while I was away and Daddy was at work.  Jack and Hannah like their relaxation time as much as we do, thank goodness.  I think some of their motivation to stay in was that they didn't want to have to get out of their jammies, and I don't blame them!

Tonight while we were eating dinner, Hannah pulled a piece of chicken out of her chicken fried rice and asked, "Is this guts?"

Daddy told her that people don't eat guts.

"Or animal eggs?" Hannah asked.

Brad tried to clarify - "You mean animal eggs as opposed to non-animal eggs?"

"I don't know what that means," Hannah simply stated.

"Animals are the only things that lay eggs," he told her.

A few seconds of silence went by, and then...

"Nnnnnope."

We laughed and I got up to get a piece of paper to write this whole thing down.  As I was jotting and Brad was helping me remember exact words, Hannah went into more depth:

"You just got noped."

*****

I miss them so much when I'm away.

Flu Shots, Cookie Crumbs, and Fancy Footwork

I love Saturdays.  I love that I don't have to get up early.  I love that we don't have to rush through our morning.  I love that the kids get a chance to relax and play.

Unfortunately, today was a day that I'd set aside to be sure that the kids got their flu vaccines.  I do not get a flu shot - every time I get a flu shot, I get the flu.  And so, I'd rather take my chances.  But Brad always gets the flu shot - every year.  And he's pretty insistent that the kids get theirs, too.  Now that they are a little bit older, I was planning on having them get the FluMist to avoid the needles they hate so much.

Except when we got to the doctor's office, there was a sign saying they were out of the FluMist.  So we turned around and headed to a local drugstore to see if they had the FluMist.  They did not.  They also did not give flu shots to people younger than eight.  At this point, I'd done a lot of driving back and forth, and now my poor, little people were going to have to have a shot that I'd tried to prevent in the first place.  Nobody was happy.

Hannah whined and fussed a bit, but she was brave and volunteered to go first.  With a few snuggles, it was done and she was fine.  Jack was a different story.  The nurse nearly had to call for reinforcements and there was a lot of crying, screaming, and restraining in order to give Jack his shot.  I was a hot, sweaty mess by the time it was done and it was only 10:15.  Not the best way to start the weekend, that's for sure!  My favorite part, by far, was when the receptionist offered my little lovelies a sticker.  They usually assume that Hannah would like a princess sticker or a pony sticker.  And then when she doesn't say anything, they'll continue to list the other choices.  Today it was Spiderman or Jurassic Park.  Hannah's eyes lit up and she quickly echoed, "Jurassic Park!" which made me smile.  So her and Jack both got a dinosaur sticker and we were off.

Luckily, everyone seemed to recover pretty quickly.  In the afternoon, the kids invited some neighborhood friends over to play, and they ended up playing a game of hide-and-seek.  Our ever-clever Jack decided to purposely mislead his friends by laying a trail of dinosaur fact cards up the stairs to his room, and then deftly hiding somewhere else.  His plan worked swimmingly :)

The kids watched movies in the basement and I had a chance to take a late-afternoon nap, which was lovely.  In the evening, Hannah wanted to have a sneak-attack dance party with Daddy.  So she and I climbed the stairs, crawled into our room, and played a little Meghan Trainor and Justin Bieber.  We danced our little hearts out while Daddy watched, and then we caught Hannah's fancy-footwork on video because we just couldn't resist:

Happy Saturday, Folks!

Feeling Better

Things are finally starting to look up around here.  We had to cancel dance class, a play date, and a dinner celebration for Rypie because of the germs swirling around our home, but the sun was shining and Hannah and Daddy are feeling much better.  

We spent the day inside - playing games, making bracelets, taking naps, and watching TV.  It was good, family fun.  But that's not to say that we're all completely thrilled about being inside for what's likely to be four days straight.  This afternoon, I drove to Firehouse Subs to get lunch, but more importantly, to breathe some fresh air and get out, even if it was just for 30 minutes.  

This evening, Hannah's fever finally broke, and it seems that Daddy's antibiotics have finally kicked in as well.  He was even up for giving Jack a much-needed haircut.  

He always looks so handsome, but he said he misses having his forehead covered.  And he was none-too-thrilled when I tried to spike his hair with some gel ;)

Happy Weekend, Everyone!

The Lessons They Teach Us

This weekend was a lazy weekend around our house.  We didn't have any plans going into it, and we didn't even get out of our jammies until we decided to take the kids out to dinner on Saturday night.  We had big breakfasts and napped and watched TV.  Yesterday afternoon, I hung out with the kiddos and did some school work while they watched Christmas movies.  Brad was doing some work on the turtle tanks.  It wasn't a very planned or eventful weekend.

If I'm being honest, I usually feel very unsettled about these weekends.  I don't especially like going into a weekend that's fully planned because, in theory, I like to have plenty of relaxation time.  But in reality, it makes me anxious.  I always feel super lazy and unmotivated, and then I feel guilty that I didn't get enough done or seize the day or something.

I also feel guilty that I didn't plan a fun, family event.  We didn't go to a museum or a pumpkin patch (Christmas tree farm?) or even to the store.  I felt bad when Jack announced that he was bored, like I'd let him down.  I realize this is crazy, but this is what I think.  Every weekend where I haven't planned something rather substantial, I secretly am feeling guilty, which makes it quite difficult to relax.  I wonder what Jack will write about when his teacher asks him to write about his weekend.  Will he have anything to say?

Let's just say...I shouldn't have worried.

"I ate sausage.  I slept.  I snuggled with my mom.  I played with my sister.  I love home."

And also, I shouldn't feel guilty.  Because, clearly, he loves his down time, too.

Memorial Day Weekend

Our weekend was full and busy and filled with sunshine and smiles.  We are so lucky.

On Saturday, we were rather busy with soccer, groceries, house-cleaning, and yard work, but by the end of the afternoon, everything was clean and tidy and perfectly in its place.  We love it on the rare occasions that all the stars align just so, so we scooped up our kiddos and headed out the door so we wouldn't have a chance to mess it up just yet.

We went over to Grandma and Grandpa's to visit with them and Great-Grandma Earlie.  Brad's grandmother will be in town for at least a month, and we're so excited to be able to spend so much time with her and for her to be able to be around our little lovelies for so long.

Hannah Bear had skipped her earlier nap because she wasn't sleepy, but then she slept for a really long time snuggled up against me while we visited with family.

While she slept, our little man drew pictures for Great-Grandma Earlie and Aunt Jess.

After Hannah woke up from her late nap, we went out for Mexican before heading to our local neighborhood's summer kick-off.  

The kids had a good time waiting for the sun to set.  Jack attempted to climb a coconut tree (akin to a rock wall) with Daddy.  He made it about half-way up and then decided he'd had enough.  Then we found out he wasn't quite heavy enough to repel down, so Brad had to go back up and pull Jack down by his ankle :)

                            

The kids enjoyed racing through an inflatable obstacle course before the fireworks.  Hannah wasn't thrilled when the fireworks started.  I had to snuggle her really close and cover her ears for the rest of the display, but by the end she was oohing and aahing and calling out the pretty colors.  It was a really fun night, and the kids slept really good once we got them home and into bed.

On Sunday, we ran a few errands and did some shopping for Jack's upcoming birthday party.  We also made our first mango salsa of the season.  It was delicious (well, the adults thought so at least)!

Today, the kids spent most of their time outside with Daddy.  They played soccer and ran through the hose in the backyard.  They built turtle platforms for their pets.  

We went to the pool on opening weekend for the first time ever.  Jack's been asking about the pool for weeks, and we've been telling him we'd probably start going to the pool once school was out, but somehow he knew it opened this weekend.  Earlier today, I heard him negotiating with Brad about going.

"Please, Dad.  Today's the last day of the weekend.  We have to go to school tomorrow, so we really should go today.  It's our last chance for awhile."  As soon as I saw the dimples, I knew there was no hope.  So we packed up and headed out.

I couldn't believe how packed it was - doesn't anyone know how cold that water is?  But the kids had so much fun.  Jack even went off the diving board...it was one of the conditions for visiting the pool so early in the season.  We've been working towards the board for years!

I'm so thankful for a fun, happy weekend with our family.  It was the perfect reset before another busy week.  Only four more days before Jack turns six (more on that soon).  And only 16 days left before I'm out for summer...it's so close, and there's still so much to do!

dreams really do come true

And no - I'm not talking about Disney dreams.  Although we're in preliminary talks for our first Disney excursion with the littles.  More on that to come, I'm sure.

Saturday was great.  We had a lazy, pajama day at home.  I took a nap while Hannah slept mid-day, and then I got cleaned up, and Jack and I went to the store to get a fall tablecloth and napkins for an upcoming fall birthday celebration.

On our way home, the light near the entrance to our community turned red, so I decided to "save time" and take a right into our neighborhood, rather than going the long way around.

In the front of our neighborhood, we have a beautiful street lined by trees on both sides, and the lighting and the colors of the leaves felt like it couldn't have been more perfect than on Saturday afternoon.  Jack and I rushed home to grab my camera and Hannah Bear and Daddy, so we could head back out to that perfect spot.

I've dreamed of taking pictures at this spot since we moved to this neighborhood -  we've been here for four years.  It's gorgeous.  Winter, spring, summer, fall - just beautiful.  Lucky for me, I was able to get everyone ready quickly, and Brad agreed to come along to help with traffic control.  It's not a busy road, by any means, but people coming and going to the clubhouse need the road, and we wanted to be safe.

I'm so glad we went.  I didn't get the best pictures - but the kids had fun running around, posing for Mama, and chasing the local geese:)  We had to share this beautiful spot with a couple of girls posing for Homecoming pictures (their moms have good backdrop taste), and a man who was walking the road for exercise.  I didn't care - it's that pretty.

See for yourself...

So, as I was saying - this was a dream come true.

Now I'm only hoping that the leaves will remain on these trees long enough for our family photo shoot coming up next week!

Circus Schmircus

Well, this weekend was a bust.

Late Thursday night, Brad woke me up because Jack was coughing like crazy.  I say coughing, but really it was more like a bark.  We set up the humidifier, and he seemed to settle in.  Friday morning, when I went to wake him up, I could tell right away that he had a fever.  Lucky for me, Brad was able to stay home and telecommute so that Jack could stay home and rest.

I went off to work, but on my way in, I was feeling under the weather myself.  My throat was sore, and as the day progressed, I started to lose my voice.  Friday night, I was feeling so icky that I actually cancelled our house-cleaning plans for Saturday.  You know it's bad when that happens...

Saturday morning was worse - like razorblades across my throat.  Jack still had a fever.  And Hannah?  She was starting to cough, too.  We did not like where this was going.  We were scheduled to attend the circus at 4.  We'd bought tickets months ago.  Jack had been looking forward to it for weeks.  Hannah had never been.  We wanted this so bad, but we needed a miracle.

It didn't come.  We knew we couldn't go.

We called around to see if anyone could go in our place, and no one else was available.  Those poor tickets went to waste.  Jack was a trooper though - when Daddy broke the news to him, he didn't cry.  He is sad he has to wait another year, but he understood, and we were thankful for that.

On top of having to cancel our circus plans, we also had to cancel our Sunday Steak Dinner plans with our neighbors.  They have preemie twins, so there was no way we could expose them to these germs.

So our weekend was a bummer.  But on the other hand?  We had a low-key, nap-a-lot weekend, and after lots of extra sleep on Saturday, I did feel better.  Just not great.

Lucky for us, Jack's and Hannah's fever went away before the weekend was through.  They both have residual coughs and are taking breathing treatments before bed, but at least they feel better.

Me?  I feel okay, except I sound awful, and my throat feels raw.  It's a tricky thing when you're a teacher, and you lose your voice.  Or when you have two, loud little lovelies and you lose your voice, for that matter.  But I'm managing.

The worst part?

It's a tie between having to tell Jack we couldn't go to the circus and not getting to eat circus food.  Because you know I'm all about the circus food.

And Hannah would be, too.

Weekend Update (x2)

Our past two weekends have been really full and fun, and I don't want to forget about them.

I'm sure you could tell from our Grandparent's Day post that we spent the day with Grammy and Grampy.  Brad was out of town for work that weekend, and Grandma and Grandpa were off enjoying a beautiful Alaskan Disney cruise.  I know, we were jealous, too.

The kids and I decided that on Saturday night, we would spend the night at Grammy and Grampy's new house.  Jack and Hannah had been asking to have a sleepover for a long time, but I certainly didn't want to stay at our house completely by myself, and we all thought it would be fun to have one big pajama party.

Saturday morning, Ryan and Dylan came over to a play for a little bit.  The kids had a good time in the ball pit with their cousin:)

After we had played with Ryan and Dylan, had the house cleaned, and put all of our groceries away and got ourselves a tiny bit organized, we went to one of Jack's friend's birthday party.  Jack had a very good time, but Hannah Bear was a little too shy to play.

On our way home from the party, we passed Grammy and Grampy on their motorcycles, coming home after a ride.  We made a U-Turn and followed them home; Jack and Hannah love to watch Grammy and Grampy on their motorcycles!

Then we went home for a bit to pack up our things, and headed over for the sleepover at about dinner time.  Grammy and I made an easy kids' dinner for Jack and Hannah, and they both played with their new toys from Grammy and Grampy, a Star Wars Lego set for Jack, and a new baby doll for Hannah.  Afterwards, we ordered pizza for the adults and watched Iron Man.  We gave the kids a bath in Grammy and Grampy's tub, and while I had fully intended to have an all-out dance party, by the time we got around to it, it was too late, and we'd probably have woken the neighbors.  We ended up putting Jack and Hannah to bed in their new room for the first time.  It was a low-key and relaxing evening, and while I had packed school stuff to do after the kids went to bed, I didn't even open my bags.

(where we found one of Hannah's babies)

I spent the night snuggled in bed next to my little lovelies, and the next morning, we made breakfast and played before meeting up with Ryan and Dylan, and heading off to the Grandparent's Day Festival in my parents' new neighborhood.  It was really fun - they had bounce houses, temporary tattoos (which my kids love!), sno-cones, popcorn, and hot dogs.  Jack also got to climb into a fire truck!  The kids and I had a blast, and I think Grammy and Grampy had a good time, too.

Thanks for such a great weekend, Grammy and Grampy!  We hope you had as much fun as we did!

*****

Last weekend was another awesome weekend because Daddy finally came home from his work trip.  The kids and I were so excited to see him on Friday night.  His plane landed around 4:30, so I tried to rush after school to get the kids and get home in time to make a Welcome Home banner for Daddy's side of the garage before he got home.  We almost made it!

Instead, Daddy got to help the littles make the banner:)

We ordered dinner and just enjoyed spending time all together after so many days apart.

Last Saturday was a beautiful day, so we took the kids to the park.  I was sure it would be crowded because it was so pretty, but only one other family was there, and it was very nice to have so much room to run around.  Jack went across the monkey bars all by himself for the very first time - we were so proud of him!

{Video: Jack on the Monkey Bars}

(This video was taken after he'd already gone across several times - his poor arms were tired!)

Saturday night, we ran some errands and then on Sunday, we just spent a lazy day at home together.  

It was another perfect weekend, for sure.