Experience, lessons, life...

It's all about preparation:

Make sure everything is in order...

Pretend you know what you're doing and always see if someone is watching...

Never hesitate to get approval from Mom and Dad...

Even if you don't get what the teacher says, do something...

Try, Try, Try again...success just may surprise you...

And after every task, congratulate yourself by saying, "I did it!"...

My little boy is so hard on himself that he can't finish a drawing if it doesn't look right.

My little girl is so stubborn she wouldn't cuddle with me for this picture...

Despite all the frustration...I smile...

One morning, they got up together and didn't even come wake me.

(Waking me or coming to find me is usually the first thing they do.)

As I slowly came to, I overheard a few things:

"Abbra Cadabbra!  Make Gabby Sleeping Beauty!"

I stayed in the warmth of my bed...a bit later, I hear:

"Mom, Gabby's digging in your purse...she found...candy canes!"

Then I was jolted a bit more awake when I heard a clunk on the bathroom floor:

"Mom, I painted myself!" 

Sleeping Beauty with purple feet?

Gabby's stubbornness is spilling over into other areas.

You see, Owen is a pleaser so he gets frustrated when he does not do the right thing.

This little girl, on the other hand, doesn't give a rip...

at least, I don't think she cares much.

She has successfully been going potty, but when she doesn't want to, she won't.

No cajoling, no encouragement, no reward, no threat has worked...

Admiring...

Any suggestions?  

She does find humor in it all.  She has told me on a number of occasions, 

"I need a new butt!"

If this tells you anything about her personality,

I also overheard her "talking" to Daddy on the her "phone,"

saying, "I don't care, daddy!"

Oh baby...3 going on 13!  Yikes! 

Yep, that's a moth!

 I got a call a few weeks ago from Owen's teacher.

She had overheard him with his friends, playing with some money.

She thought the money was fake at first.

And then she realized he had a $100 bill!

What is a 5-year old doing with that???

And, another kid was trying to tell Owen he'd give him $20 for the $100.

Believe me, since then, Owen and I have had quite a few talks about money!

But, before this even happened, I had overheard Gabby and Owen playing "McDonald's."

 He was charging her $99.99 for a happy meal.

If a happy meal is ever even $10 in my lifetime, I will croak from the thought!

After a few horrible night's sleep 

and frustrating "discussions" with a 3 and 5 year old (almost 6),

I needed this post.  

To remember and smile and lower my expectations.

They are so young and innocent. Naive. 

I should go...Gabby is trying to jump off the TV stand as I write this.

Good thing she's sturdy!

And another!

This was a couple weeks ago and I'm finally feeling up to doing a bit of blogging.

Owen has learned to ride a bike...

including stopping and starting on his own!

We celebrated with a ride to Nanny's!

Since then, he wakes up in the morning, has breakfast,

and asks if we can go for a bike ride.

We've gone all the way to the train park, to the ducky park,

and to Nanny's a few times.

Rog found him a cool Transformer bike last week too!

My cautious boy...

One time, on the way back from the park, his shoe came undone.

He said, "Oh no!"  He stopped. Got off.

Fixed it and said, "This is not going to be a safe bike ride!"

I laughed...all the way home!

My new little rider!

So she picked it up two years sooner than her brother,

but hey,

she had her brother and cousin Elodie to show her a thing or two!

She is cruising!

It doesn't hurt that she has a lower center of gravity than her brother!

:-)

It should be a fun summer!

Clean Up

 This happened a few weeks ago...if not over a month ago...

my mind is playing tricks on me again.

I can't be outside without seeing/picking weeds and wanting to rake up the latest mess.

This "grapevine" has been somewhat of an eyesore to me because

it keeps taking over!  Don't get me wrong,

I love the greenery and the privacy...

but, it looks like this for over half the year 

and had begun to spread into the yard and up the trees,

springing up all along the fence 

and not producing anything but more vines and bird nests.

 So it became my project...last year.

I didn't get too far because it was a big job,

but when I mentioned it to my neighbor and that I wanted to take it down,

she went inside, got her husband and grandson, and put them to work.

THey cleared it from their side and then came over,

hacked up our side...and then...

they even pulled it all into the compost pile to wait for delivery to compost site.

There still is a bit of brush left but nothing too big for me.

Now I look at it and am waiting for a day that I can feel up to tackling it.

When will that be?

When will I plant something new and add a garden over there?

hmmmmm

More Spring Break Fun...

We were looking for something fun to do one of the days that we have not done before...

museums, attractions of some sort...

we chose MOA!

Owen had not been there since he was a baby and Gabby never had been!

Owen was too busy to take it all in to be able to make clear decisions 

about what he wanted to ride...so we rode the Ferris wheel!

I was probably more scared than Gabby!

Owen did like it!

Then he tried the bumper cars...but,

you get a bunch of 4-6 year olds in cars 

that only move when you turn the wheel far to the left or right 

and then get stuck when they bump together,

it made for a very short ride.

:-)

Live and Learn!

The impetus for our trip was that I got a free membership 

to the Aquarium Sea Life on the lower level...

We actually did that first so we didn't have to be there with lots of people.

It was a good plan...no one was there!

We had the place to ourselves and soon enough, 

Gabby let me put her down.

She kept saying, "Don't let the fishies get me!"

She'd come back to make sure it was still ok...

It was so neat being so close though!

It wasn't very big...

but just enough!

There's even a new rain forest exhibit.

Not everything was there, but there were poison dart frogs!

Owen's favorite:  sticky toads!

and then...what's a better way to end the day...

Chocolate all over the place!

Spring Wedding!

A very personal and beautiful wedding indeed!

Catie is no longer "Burgie" but is now a Kastan!

It was a sweet 

(two English majors made for many metaphors in their vows!)

and personal 

(an individually typed letter to every person invited!  

it was at our place settings at the reception!)

and fun

(cupcakes, dancing, toasts, and great food!)

indeed!

It was nice to get dressed up and leave the kids for a night...

It took 3 tries to get this one below...

we were laughing so hard!

I love weddings...and we have 5 or 6 more this summer!!!!

Surprise of the Week!

So we knew Owen had the balance because he can cruise on the strider,

but we got him on a purple bike that says, "Sweethearts!" and a girly helmet,

but by golly, he can ride a bike!

He got it right away and it took about 3 seconds to get him started.

Stopping?

That's a bit of a different story!!

:-)

MARCH?????

Of course I wanted to organize my house a bit, 

paint the laundry room, 

maybe do some sewing over my spring break, but instead...

We had play dates, 

jumped on the NEW trampoline, 

went to the park,

 played in the yard, had a couple fires in the fire pit (already!!),

opened the windows every day, swept the deck,

 painted the driveway, played on the swing set here and at friends' house,

played games, ran around, had more friends over,

trimmed the bushes,

 had s'mores, ate outside, walked around barefoot, 

got dirty enough to have a bath "4 nights in a row, Mom!"

Love it!

Sad to say "Spring Break" is just about over, but it has not gone too fast!

What a blessing to have thoroughly enjoyed it!

My LIttle Twinkler

 First day of gymnastics:

 Doing as her teachers tells her...

 Ta-da!

 Walking the beam...

 Somersaulting...

 Jumping on the tramp...

 

"Handstands"

 Getting help from teacher...

"I can do it!"

 Gabby doing it all by herself!

 

 Every once in awhile I got a "Hi Mom!" through the glass...

No tears, no worries...just fun!

She was all hops and skips going to, while at, and coming from her little class.

Precious new first steps...

They just keep coming!

Field Trips!

 THE DAM!

Owen gets to go on field trips regularly through the year...

and I got to go on a quick one!

The Dam is one of Owen's favorite places...

We've gone there together before.

 

 The naturalist talked all about vertebrates, 

warm and cold-blooded characteristics, 

reptiles & amphibians...I learned so much!  :-)

 It was a last minute plan and possibility that I was able to go.

Nothing happens by accident!

I've been to the classroom a few times,

had lunch with Owen one time,

helped with Christmas and Valentine's Day parties,

and now I've been on this trip.

It is so fun having the kids know my name and 

want to hug me when I come to visit.

To be 5 again!  :-)

DISNEY ON ICE!

 Gabby got to go on a "field trip" as well!  

Daddy took a day off work and

 took his princess to see Disney on Ice downtown.  

What a day!

 Daddy bought her a princess purse, princess ice cream...

 They got there nice and early...

 Her favorites?  Mickey and Cinderella!

And then, true to form, 

she fell asleep with about a half hour left of the show.

So much to take in! 

Memories...if these times are forgotten in the mind, 

I hope pictures help tell the stories!

Winter for a Day!

We spent some time drawing and coloring, 

but it has not been too much this winter 

that we got to play outside like this!

Gabby even played!

Last year she wouldn't walk, play, roll around, etc...

This year she goofed and dove in the snow!

Perfect snow for a snowman!

Have I mentioned that Owen is always hungry?

No snow angels this time though!