Down on the Farm

As is our custom on Spring Break, we spent the day on the farm.  This year, we decided to go to Great Country Farms, and it didn't disappoint.  The weather was gorgeous - maybe even hotter than I'd planned for!  I think we even got a bit of sun, which felt nice.

My kids love a photo-op :)

Pure joy

This boy loves the slides!

Me and my little lovelies on the hay ride

Summer freckles make their first appearance

Jack showed her just what to do and what face to make!

They were so excited about this ninja course - it's like it was made just for them!

That face she makes when I've taken too many pictures

Funny side story: While we were at the farm, we decided to play a round of mini-golf.  It was only the second time the kids have played, but they were so excited!  Unfortunately, there wasn't a score card and any of those cute, tiny pencils, so we had to keep track of our own putts which wasn't a piece of cake.  For most of the game, Jack was in the lead, and so happily content.  Towards the end, I started to gain on him and finally overtook him.  At the very end, Hannah announced her score, and I announced mine.  Then Jack proudly explained that he hadn't been keeping score; he was just playing to have fun!  There was a grandma nearby playing with her grandkids, and she chuckled when she heard that...

"Gotcha there, didn't he?" she asked.

"Yes, definitely.  He always does!"

Thankful Thursday

Today, I'm thankful that my littles get excited over new books - picked out just for them at my school book fair!

Wordless Wednesday

This girl steals my heart on a daily basis.

Missing: Turtle!

Tonight, Brad and I were reading to Hannah when all of a sudden, Brad popped up to examine the turtle tank.

I heard, "Well, that's not good," and assumed that maybe Spike had passed away.  But instead, there was not a turtle in the turtle tank.

That was when Tuesday night got interesting.  With Jack screeching and moving so his feet weren't on the floor (where a turtle could attack!), and Hannah crying because her turtle was gone, Brad and I began a full-blown search:

I was just about to explore the hallway and Jack's bedroom, when I heard Brad call out, "Found him!"  He'd found a snuggly spot behind one of Hannah's toy buckets.

Crisis averted.  Thank goodness!

Generosity Feeds

A few months ago, the mom that inspired this post, invited me and my family to join them in a charitable event called Generosity Feeds.

I happily agreed and explained that Jack and Hannah had never done anything like that before, and that I thought it would be a great experience for them.  I especially loved the fact that we'd be packaging meals that would go directly to hungry kids in our county.

When I explained to the family that we had early Saturday morning plans to pack boxes of food, they were less than enthused.  In fact, Hannah cried when I announced (happily!) that we would get to wear hairnets and gloves.  I explained that it would be a family adventure and that I thought it was important that we help those less fortunate than us.  We are very lucky, and Jack and Hannah live a sheltered life and don't know how lucky they are.

We showed up to Loudoun County High School early this morning, and while we weren't quite sure what to expect, we all ended up having a lot of fun.  We got to work at a table with my former student and his family, and while Hannah did refuse to wear a hairnet and had to do a job where she didn't come directly in contact with food, she was even smiling by the time it was through.

Our table team

Daddy and Jack on the food line

Hannah counting bags of food, five per rectangle

{Video: Jack rings the bell}

Taking a box of 20 meals to be quality-checked by Wegmans' staff

Happy Faces

The best part of this morning?  When Jack came up to me at the end and asked if we could do something like this again soon.

I love that boy and his big heart.

But first...

While Brad and I both graduated college with a degree, our thoughts on the matter, as far as our children are concerned, differ slightly.  I certainly would prefer that both of our kids go to college, but it wouldn't be the end of the world if they didn't - if they just really felt that it wasn't for them.  Brad, on the other hand, would feel as though he'd failed as a father if they don't go to college.  And they know this because he's pretty much shared his thoughts...in those exact words.

Last night, as I was getting Hannah ready for bed, picking out clothes for the next day, she randomly said something about how Daddy would have failed as a father if they don't go to college.  I have no idea how this little idea popped into her head because it certainly wasn't part of any current conversation we had going, but I've come to roll with the punches when the little people bring up a topic that seems totally off the wall.

I tried to explain that Daddy is an excellent father, no matter what.  And then, that all Daddy means is that he really wants them to go to school so that they can get a good education and a good job when they grow up.

Hannah continued to talk, sharing how Jack doesn't want to go to college, but that she does.

She crawled up into bed, pulled the blankets up to her chin and announced, "I'm going to college...but first, I'm going to sleep."

Definitely made me laugh - the whole, first this, then that attitude.  First things first, Baby Girl.  You can see that I've taught her that sleep is a priority :)

After we read to Hannah and we were snuggling down, her college conversation continued.  She brought it up somehow, and then Brad asked her what she might like to study in school (math, science, etc.).  She explained that she wants to be a police officer.  {Brad did so well.  It's not the safest field for our girl to head into, and her alternative (being a fire fighter) isn't much safer.  Plus, there's the whole idea that you don't technically need a degree to do either.)

I told her maybe she could study laws, and we did explain that while she doesn't have to go to college to be a police officer, it certainly couldn't hurt.  Maybe she could even be a detective one day, or be in charge of all the police officers!

Those answers seemed good enough for Hannah.  She probably dozed off while dreaming about college and fighting crime :)

             

Meanwhile, this mama will probably have nightmares for years to come about her babies going away to school.  Sometimes, I just want to freeze time!

Crisis Averted...and Messy Fingers

Hannah Bear had a soccer game this morning in the rain.  Since the weather was less-than-stellar, Daddy and Jack decided to stay home where it was warm and dry.  Hannah and I bundled up and went to soccer.  I was glad that the girls got to play today since they were rained out last weekend.  Hannah did extremely well - she scored three goals and played tough the whole time.  I was a proud assistant coach!

After soccer, we ran a couple of errands together before heading home for lunch.  On the way home, Hannah announced, "Mama, can I tell you something?  I think it's a lie."

"What's a lie, Baby Girl?"

"I don't believe that Santa, with his belly like a bowl full of jelly, can really fit down the chimney.  The pipe is just too small."

I decided to wait this one out...while I bided my time, Hannah continued.

"I think he just comes right in the front door...belly like a bowl full of jelly...that rhymes!" she shouted through her girly giggles.

I took a deep breath, thanked my lucky stars that I'd kept my mouth shut, and agreed with my sweet girl of five.

*****

Later this evening, we decided to order Chinese food since neither Brad nor I wanted to make dinner.  Jack is not really a fan of Chinese food, and hasn't really found something on the menu that he loves, so we keep trying new things.  We decided to order him some barbecue spare ribs since he loves Grandma's ribs so much, and believe it or not, aside from the grumbling about getting the meat off of the bone, he really liked them.

It occurred to both me and Brad that it's the messiest we've ever seen Jack get during dinner.  I started to tell him about when he was a toddler, he hated to be messy so much that he would opt of art projects in the toddler room at school.  I said something about how impressed I was that he was eating and not worrying about his messy face.

"Oh, I'm very aware, and it's bothering me very badly."

We had a good laugh about that, and then I told the story of how Miss Tab had suggested that I get a bag of uncooked rice, put it into a big bowl, and then have Jack watch as I put his little cars and dinosaur toys inside the rice.  She was hoping that he'd get over his sensory issues while digging for his toys.  That, of course, is not at all what happened.  Eighteen month old Jack watched with big, blue eyes as I buried his tiny toys in rice, and then he ever-so-calmly walked away to play with something else.  He was not about to stick those tiny fingers in a bowl of rice when there were plenty of other toys to play with.  In hindsight, maybe I should have buried Skinny Bear?