tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89400305104659383572024-02-07T10:11:46.247-08:00The Schiltz BlogEmilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.comBlogger147125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-26349465279290001382011-07-04T18:48:00.001-07:002011-07-04T19:06:40.466-07:00Happy 4th!We have had a wonderful and full 4th of July weekend! <br /><br />We started off with a trip to Jefferson City to visit Aunt Riri, Uncle Curt, and A & E. Little E's baptism was this weekend, and the Jeff City crowd always puts on a great 4th of July show. <br /><br />B and M greatly enjoyed hanging out at Curt's parents house playing with cousin A and her friend S. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUJXcaINCH1EvKZS5jI-9mHgz6QI8f9LRlj4pPwPvYLVkhUMYME13sY3dvYGMLR4dAqXe5lkssl8M5XVzuNMYKdCDP71JGMui9wS0U7Kp1ugK8HvD23zUssH_snsT04VPk4cXD8fkMO05/s1600/Early+Summer+2011+037.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUJXcaINCH1EvKZS5jI-9mHgz6QI8f9LRlj4pPwPvYLVkhUMYME13sY3dvYGMLR4dAqXe5lkssl8M5XVzuNMYKdCDP71JGMui9wS0U7Kp1ugK8HvD23zUssH_snsT04VPk4cXD8fkMO05/s320/Early+Summer+2011+037.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625679860040908866" /></a><br /><br />However, we parents learned a valuable lesson...this is what happens when you leave a 5-yr-old, a 4-yr-old, and a 3-yr-old alone for too long!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicOkelOMxD3BHH2N8QClngbiYp4DaZU48ij93E6ezFXGpo37hnaixZOgI4H9i9GIGlhMlZLKbXYiz0MJ7CEy8ksXVSf3thvN0H30fFy4cxYuuq5FoOWQeEob7gichopXu4DLwR5cb3P9Ej/s1600/Early+Summer+2011+036.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicOkelOMxD3BHH2N8QClngbiYp4DaZU48ij93E6ezFXGpo37hnaixZOgI4H9i9GIGlhMlZLKbXYiz0MJ7CEy8ksXVSf3thvN0H30fFy4cxYuuq5FoOWQeEob7gichopXu4DLwR5cb3P9Ej/s320/Early+Summer+2011+036.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625679704868186562" /></a><br /><br /><br />It was a fun night, and the kids had a wonderful time playing together, playing in the sprinkler, and cooling off with water guns!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNyM4l4JNEJNIBA4bdp4IgF2-RzeKWKStk-OUT3FjLvrpiPvjvwcnj91OV_nayFHsX_O9Q2ChYD3UvkE3vY59iWYRoYxlzg1CccFEmX0TiE-L0wBQSC2gVg7egfbHcdA329SUvXwj-AvR/s1600/Early+Summer+2011+046.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNyM4l4JNEJNIBA4bdp4IgF2-RzeKWKStk-OUT3FjLvrpiPvjvwcnj91OV_nayFHsX_O9Q2ChYD3UvkE3vY59iWYRoYxlzg1CccFEmX0TiE-L0wBQSC2gVg7egfbHcdA329SUvXwj-AvR/s320/Early+Summer+2011+046.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625679696183563362" /></a><br /><br />On Sunday morning, we celebrated E's baptism. Aaron and I were honored to be asked to be E's godparents, so we were especially delighted to be there and to participate. E was absolutely perfect through the whole thing!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGaoZOZ3gRPh1WI05a9teP7fSKuGCyRay8MXHs0rFkCm9AhWnl6ICOQxr_EGt_FHSbtsKY66ZpqkqnaKPamJBYcIK1UgIbEw-jdjG6IrTuOaRWhAZ5OPasS6NEO3kwxlAsIlMxXnbML_C/s1600/Early+Summer+2011+057.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGaoZOZ3gRPh1WI05a9teP7fSKuGCyRay8MXHs0rFkCm9AhWnl6ICOQxr_EGt_FHSbtsKY66ZpqkqnaKPamJBYcIK1UgIbEw-jdjG6IrTuOaRWhAZ5OPasS6NEO3kwxlAsIlMxXnbML_C/s320/Early+Summer+2011+057.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625679686954351522" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6a7Jlo7SjzKg-sIvyyyQF6EUBf2V0EDsvZPTHpq8gqW_yTwLVuwGepF2mQl9DdHb8NG52LncYZIGVd74xXZ8Ge1G62V63ydAtG0D1w3YJrZ8CYpGU6SDXyGSTy9-h3hjPK8Y07pUITVFQ/s1600/Early+Summer+2011+050.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6a7Jlo7SjzKg-sIvyyyQF6EUBf2V0EDsvZPTHpq8gqW_yTwLVuwGepF2mQl9DdHb8NG52LncYZIGVd74xXZ8Ge1G62V63ydAtG0D1w3YJrZ8CYpGU6SDXyGSTy9-h3hjPK8Y07pUITVFQ/s320/Early+Summer+2011+050.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625680313686341074" /></a><br /><br />Sunday afternoon we were able to see a dear old friend (the priest who married us!) in Columbia, as well as one of my oldest friends.<br /><br />Then today, Aaron ran a race in our neighborhood, The Macklind Mile. We had a great time cheering for Daddy!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxifAVWGpTcvRK2rC0ZsPbQLrUThTAf_5dSL7n0qD2utbNwoIV9tJwH8fQpCWWT8CUSxAWe69XvMzqM7PeG6FKPah-ATBWVK9o2Lyi0VL9ZUQXBD-8MwoxS28v20zeSfCm65Dosa2ZdvS/s1600/Early+Summer+2011+073.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxifAVWGpTcvRK2rC0ZsPbQLrUThTAf_5dSL7n0qD2utbNwoIV9tJwH8fQpCWWT8CUSxAWe69XvMzqM7PeG6FKPah-ATBWVK9o2Lyi0VL9ZUQXBD-8MwoxS28v20zeSfCm65Dosa2ZdvS/s320/Early+Summer+2011+073.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625679672715084498" /></a><br />Finally this evening we celebrated with more family over at my cousin's house. B especially enjoyed the fireworks. M was a bit unhappy with the loud ones, but was generally ok. <br />Time for one family pic, and then time to head to bed!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOGfXWHnBKYhFCmcUPhgg83_laQV59s-do5rwBXjWTbW2nfOcn2eODKsEhhlgljzxqpJB8nWposKXsonaEGpCULlLpINkdSE2k57cSx4mt40TX5IuzvjLJCU3uFfkx87aP70uYfkq0MP7/s1600/Early+Summer+2011+077.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfOGfXWHnBKYhFCmcUPhgg83_laQV59s-do5rwBXjWTbW2nfOcn2eODKsEhhlgljzxqpJB8nWposKXsonaEGpCULlLpINkdSE2k57cSx4mt40TX5IuzvjLJCU3uFfkx87aP70uYfkq0MP7/s320/Early+Summer+2011+077.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625679665850886834" /></a>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-8491642989606495862011-06-30T11:48:00.000-07:002011-07-01T07:52:42.899-07:00Queen of the Scene on the Balance Beam...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaAFffjgzRqDupny4aLqftPinEfRtyE913N36pkVCdQLLMwtmegfDZ6db1FBjTFAhbSVjVZ2AEp9cCZFLhi3Mk5hHYQma1_Qpf8IFOR3Lv1rCuL8Vry7aeocBTOB8xC36bT39QqNQ3ONE/s1600/Late+Spring+2011+027.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaAFffjgzRqDupny4aLqftPinEfRtyE913N36pkVCdQLLMwtmegfDZ6db1FBjTFAhbSVjVZ2AEp9cCZFLhi3Mk5hHYQma1_Qpf8IFOR3Lv1rCuL8Vry7aeocBTOB8xC36bT39QqNQ3ONE/s320/Late+Spring+2011+027.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624087552216940978" /></a><br />That's what we have taken to calling her:) We picked a fun book from the library called "Queen of the Scene", and when M showed such skill on the balance beam, we made up our own title for her.<br /><br />With 3 mornings a week free for her while B was in preschool, we decided to try a little parent/child gymnastics class to have something fun for her. Overall, it was a pleasant experience, and she definitely got to work on wonderful skills. She was pretty willing to try all of the different apparatuses and skills, though she absolutely refused to do anything with the help of the teacher, Coach Mike. She would do it for Mommy, though. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggw6I8S72UgbeEFLPFvww0S0UybqtSycr31PJ22VLCs2ZcyJwvvX9rNKbfsChatVH9_wehbi-jyJ18bNxSmj8NqkXnc2lzdTT9Qod3aH1893jRKvJSezH87RV3Ef-ufTafgj-z8y17TZks/s1600/Late+Spring+2011+024.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggw6I8S72UgbeEFLPFvww0S0UybqtSycr31PJ22VLCs2ZcyJwvvX9rNKbfsChatVH9_wehbi-jyJ18bNxSmj8NqkXnc2lzdTT9Qod3aH1893jRKvJSezH87RV3Ef-ufTafgj-z8y17TZks/s320/Late+Spring+2011+024.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624087546756417282" /></a><br />Near the end of the session, Daddy got to come visit and see a session. We got to show off her awesome uneven bar skillz, her excellent rings skillz, and her fabulous tumbling skillz:)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3TuH8Kn6f7HLob5M2EvKA4vKff-TFNiDH1mjHSGeq89QNSke5ZwCzMxNwvQa7cUPp4Vpn-J3F559UnNoKFDIMitU49tGNW_0yPbnUftSvGYY4571rr_C5tvp7eNsYiHgoN24MJEMkvC1/s1600/Late+Spring+2011+023.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3TuH8Kn6f7HLob5M2EvKA4vKff-TFNiDH1mjHSGeq89QNSke5ZwCzMxNwvQa7cUPp4Vpn-J3F559UnNoKFDIMitU49tGNW_0yPbnUftSvGYY4571rr_C5tvp7eNsYiHgoN24MJEMkvC1/s320/Late+Spring+2011+023.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624087530438681858" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLi66SP2JWSdelc9bP6V4fg-Aa1SOlVw9u6O2hHHgE0yosydqWTQBcE37uVKM_GUn_YOf943taD20auHQBYMhCEOaN_GL4T9vpMebu2q4XaqNdhocbOeYreboRXIlImlur7ZQV9TMH-7T/s1600/Late+Spring+2011+018.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLi66SP2JWSdelc9bP6V4fg-Aa1SOlVw9u6O2hHHgE0yosydqWTQBcE37uVKM_GUn_YOf943taD20auHQBYMhCEOaN_GL4T9vpMebu2q4XaqNdhocbOeYreboRXIlImlur7ZQV9TMH-7T/s320/Late+Spring+2011+018.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624087514869286882" /></a><br /><br />We enjoyed it, and now that it is finished, we will definitely miss the pretzel and lemonade that we used to always buy from a store in the mall after class, and I will miss my weekly workout!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh50wt9Wszv67imYhj_nYGrZ884q0DXkJMIfO2TckEvwBNUQePB8lE3FvXK9DB8cAVuPemrAcAS_cC4DIQMcJCvWY7Gm8TToj0B79CZ6X0nUxOV3CNZcQK4mNaAMG8Otb4IYMH3iPQhZ_p/s1600/Late+Spring+2011+020.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh50wt9Wszv67imYhj_nYGrZ884q0DXkJMIfO2TckEvwBNUQePB8lE3FvXK9DB8cAVuPemrAcAS_cC4DIQMcJCvWY7Gm8TToj0B79CZ6X0nUxOV3CNZcQK4mNaAMG8Otb4IYMH3iPQhZ_p/s320/Late+Spring+2011+020.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624087506203870002" /></a>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-68681205779913567672011-06-30T11:38:00.000-07:002011-07-01T07:52:12.831-07:00Look What B Can Do!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSpM-8aYmU1rSqqWkZJilOzYK2iYRcBOz7owGa89dWHNpgCRgS2pLg6Wgr-FmTO-kZAwQSaEphs3Xj90xcPRxmn6j69C-PZoRPY43fSunKvQhGNbGteKwKMR6_0-zp0Deq873H2mONLOrX/s1600/Late+Spring+2011+011.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSpM-8aYmU1rSqqWkZJilOzYK2iYRcBOz7owGa89dWHNpgCRgS2pLg6Wgr-FmTO-kZAwQSaEphs3Xj90xcPRxmn6j69C-PZoRPY43fSunKvQhGNbGteKwKMR6_0-zp0Deq873H2mONLOrX/s320/Late+Spring+2011+011.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624084666141587522" /></a>He wasn't particularly convinced that he should try to take off the training wheels, but he has been riding perfectly with training wheels for ages, and last year, used a balance bike (like a regular bike but without pedals) with ease, so we figured that since he knew how to pedal and he knew how to balance, it was time to try to put the 2 together. <br /><br />In late May, we found a nice evening, planned a picnic dinner for one of the local parks that is very long and very flat, and got ourselves ready. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKH2zi7Abw81j6IRc5ywaGPyzHzkYSmMDondU76n_F3wRnMEZ_e2RWOMKvxFROCLdVU8Sx4TVcBXkiFFyvJxbWbUakaGQkmswKHAL3Q08erIbIJb69A0a7ApjABgRCFNUroqTdEnKYxnD/s1600/Late+Spring+2011+005.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKH2zi7Abw81j6IRc5ywaGPyzHzkYSmMDondU76n_F3wRnMEZ_e2RWOMKvxFROCLdVU8Sx4TVcBXkiFFyvJxbWbUakaGQkmswKHAL3Q08erIbIJb69A0a7ApjABgRCFNUroqTdEnKYxnD/s320/Late+Spring+2011+005.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624084652229926626" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAWi8pfQIvcWf8WgP6o0O7a1Stwpnq9uOVxrY0az8dOnasnf8ER3-j9ciMNaHY0IlUJTb-MZAsVUhvjsKLJgKY7v7Lrh52x_WF2FqsKBiAuS-D3-vxgaTVG0m6GPzHAQnAtiILCuk7Z2Rr/s1600/Late+Spring+2011+002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAWi8pfQIvcWf8WgP6o0O7a1Stwpnq9uOVxrY0az8dOnasnf8ER3-j9ciMNaHY0IlUJTb-MZAsVUhvjsKLJgKY7v7Lrh52x_WF2FqsKBiAuS-D3-vxgaTVG0m6GPzHAQnAtiILCuk7Z2Rr/s320/Late+Spring+2011+002.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624084646821523362" /></a>Aaron had lots of helpers for taking off the training wheels.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_SHTCUOOAw_NpkU_H34LvC0peBzSxoyUpnVSNTf5nofJajgrtpu57ZXMzJLZPdbZv5J7cWwSn1nbultQaFko6qVrSBvm8VaJjIV0AaliB0A8lgzarkO4H4sYVt3vvC_8b0-y-8y4k9kT/s1600/Late+Spring+2011+008.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_SHTCUOOAw_NpkU_H34LvC0peBzSxoyUpnVSNTf5nofJajgrtpu57ZXMzJLZPdbZv5J7cWwSn1nbultQaFko6qVrSBvm8VaJjIV0AaliB0A8lgzarkO4H4sYVt3vvC_8b0-y-8y4k9kT/s320/Late+Spring+2011+008.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624084638440324658" /></a>B pretty much got it on his first try...he was a little aprehensive, and liked to have help getting started, but was ready for us to let go and have him just ride within a very short time period. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8h5q6NYhyhG07GjC2Nlcrptf29lBMBOQpErZIEGVvh2a-usWyxO9DV32CM1QFFsVyEmcWIMGRqSZEKNSDYDLFhmuyBtkSk8Zxr_MOU79heP_JvPCIVvGK7uKK_a9YJxtoHNI3QXODU7Cj/s1600/Late+Spring+2011+012.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8h5q6NYhyhG07GjC2Nlcrptf29lBMBOQpErZIEGVvh2a-usWyxO9DV32CM1QFFsVyEmcWIMGRqSZEKNSDYDLFhmuyBtkSk8Zxr_MOU79heP_JvPCIVvGK7uKK_a9YJxtoHNI3QXODU7Cj/s320/Late+Spring+2011+012.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624084636217592242" /></a>M was his biggest fan:), and zoomed around the park on her tricycle all evening, too.<br /><br />By the end of the evening, he was taking off and zooming around the park independently. The kids and I went back the next morning to try again, and he was a bit nervous at first, but quickly got back into the swing of things, and is now an excellent bike-rider!<br /><br />Go B!!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-64771559301036983142011-06-22T13:39:00.001-07:002011-06-22T20:42:50.691-07:00Big Day:)Today we achieved a great milestone! Sure, it is one that, down the road, will fade from the list of important achievements. However, today it is a big step for a 5-yr-old and for our family. <br /><br />B graduated preschool! :) We knew he could do it! <br /><br />And honestly, of course we knew he could do it, but I am still going to take a moment to bask in hitting this milestone. As a speech-therapist, I have worked throughout my career with a huge number of kids who struggle every day with mastering even the most basic of preschool concepts, and it is such a blessing for us in this family that preschool was not a struggle, but a wonderful opportunity that we could financially afford to provide, and B could benefit from and enjoy!<br /><br />Two years ago, he was an anxious, shy 3-yr-old. Today, he was a beaming, happy almost-Kindergartener. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuL566PLZIFMDRVpimEMn2AXgb0fp8nCWjOohVBLSaVtBZ4NSgPpp388cWJ2m1Gt9y9zP9HkdmDDcPtS_SBzNgxouGq7kh-gFoJE9Ib9i_QRyNzz4HtllnnTjpRmY1WkxOIdFql4ySi36t/s1600/Late+Spring+2011+111.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuL566PLZIFMDRVpimEMn2AXgb0fp8nCWjOohVBLSaVtBZ4NSgPpp388cWJ2m1Gt9y9zP9HkdmDDcPtS_SBzNgxouGq7kh-gFoJE9Ib9i_QRyNzz4HtllnnTjpRmY1WkxOIdFql4ySi36t/s320/Late+Spring+2011+111.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621147160097431378" /></a>His teachers, Ms Linda and Ms Amy are excellent at what they do, and really helped him to come out of his shyness and to learn how to engage other kids and make his way socially. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMT2f2Du4TEZhl4SM6C-e3rYNQuZwSuZzaJjYWdEys6i5d8JxiBLFxjBuKAZD9-Omfidizofnzfvn1-YqqjpMI-ZChynpVBqs8hVfUP0nEFI-lHf2dPS0Anb0ytiOR06vNn5yEwAbWNuu/s1600/Late+Spring+2011+091.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMT2f2Du4TEZhl4SM6C-e3rYNQuZwSuZzaJjYWdEys6i5d8JxiBLFxjBuKAZD9-Omfidizofnzfvn1-YqqjpMI-ZChynpVBqs8hVfUP0nEFI-lHf2dPS0Anb0ytiOR06vNn5yEwAbWNuu/s320/Late+Spring+2011+091.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621147156432451842" /></a>This preschool class was a great group of kids, and we are so excited that a couple of his good friends are going to be going to Kindergarten with him. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKeXDtinfvamt2JNKeNAJ7zMD7z8zFsuV6s-ejULPL2P_7ETfEHF0JMFzDhDDBd_5Nr9e-ci2MTXXN_Ms_o_SWNXGDFnIm0XIzLVEZoZNCEvw5fclN5JOP5YFT0C6WwYmMSsF4uQTZc9pk/s1600/Late+Spring+2011+110.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKeXDtinfvamt2JNKeNAJ7zMD7z8zFsuV6s-ejULPL2P_7ETfEHF0JMFzDhDDBd_5Nr9e-ci2MTXXN_Ms_o_SWNXGDFnIm0XIzLVEZoZNCEvw5fclN5JOP5YFT0C6WwYmMSsF4uQTZc9pk/s320/Late+Spring+2011+110.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621147147537420210" /></a>It was a special treat that Aunt Riri, and cousins A and E could be with us today!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEGEbeZEGLplibECeG66awBzFdmyhaebXJJAuqOwI6gIGG_ICeqxQwESlkziVUelydtOXmQRtrX_EvvW5mkft9oY8IPKq-JQIk9A-8VM7QvfHd0uxDe8XSoFDB868qAKSr3bxLz7MAqzDy/s1600/Late+Spring+2011+096.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEGEbeZEGLplibECeG66awBzFdmyhaebXJJAuqOwI6gIGG_ICeqxQwESlkziVUelydtOXmQRtrX_EvvW5mkft9oY8IPKq-JQIk9A-8VM7QvfHd0uxDe8XSoFDB868qAKSr3bxLz7MAqzDy/s320/Late+Spring+2011+096.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621147135751484706" /></a>We are so proud of the little graduate. Seeing the progress he has made over the last 2 years has been wonderful. He has been able to try out a little bit of the world outside this home in a safe, supportive environment. And he is totally ready for Kindergarten, as far as skills go.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbWKhGyUNJRD_iwItlDCH24_aoqNt8Izw-vuNfVwk8NpMGsDyXbE5gHC050LDppHN0UqVvFS9vz77cWmeVtN0mvAsWEwnCcgI-K1pGjNotzZwxifYNb3MJHuc2MK5JKK-UMgEnMpa32UXG/s1600/Late+Spring+2011+098.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbWKhGyUNJRD_iwItlDCH24_aoqNt8Izw-vuNfVwk8NpMGsDyXbE5gHC050LDppHN0UqVvFS9vz77cWmeVtN0mvAsWEwnCcgI-K1pGjNotzZwxifYNb3MJHuc2MK5JKK-UMgEnMpa32UXG/s320/Late+Spring+2011+098.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621147128904492450" /></a>Congratulations, B!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-12008833420942148062011-05-26T14:39:00.001-07:002011-05-26T14:49:58.443-07:00Food for thought...The other day, I was chatting with B's preschool teacher, and she was talking about how you can sometimes see aspects of a kid's personality in their art work. She mentioned that, if given paint and a blank peice of paper, kids who are more reserved will keep their work well inside the boudaries of the page, and will tend to keep things a little more structured. On the flip side, kids who are risk-takers tend to paint all the way to, and past, the edges of the paper, and will really fill the paper with paint.<br /><br />Interesting.<br /><br />Then, the kids were at Atrium the very next day, and came home with these paintings...<br /><br />B painted this:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOq01yGrDxjAjrkPRe74ZAlhAhc5O4uV6A1hNxmt2vY4X_-aNsNeAxEFrkTcdsy-uETmM1Lx3Hv0Nv8ApDQDPQOLsp6Zj5nZV2hTyCcp0b7ZQFwEbDlpwhOznkUGtzFbg0rsNLnYqECAx/s1600/Spring+2011+081.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOq01yGrDxjAjrkPRe74ZAlhAhc5O4uV6A1hNxmt2vY4X_-aNsNeAxEFrkTcdsy-uETmM1Lx3Hv0Nv8ApDQDPQOLsp6Zj5nZV2hTyCcp0b7ZQFwEbDlpwhOznkUGtzFbg0rsNLnYqECAx/s320/Spring+2011+081.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611143513220094066" /></a><br /><br /><br />M, on the other hand, painted this:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1sw7UIwDXGkHzS3jsQjX55yKa25Mg_FkUXxKHJXxP3z0DePNRZV_sBMaDxWwyReGkMB_HEH2kwgVDrvEKvM5xbhPjYHyt3d4MBuujLc9nL5MasXX6RN1dR1mMLJFf5pwvaIzRnVXBQVDl/s1600/Spring+2011+082.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1sw7UIwDXGkHzS3jsQjX55yKa25Mg_FkUXxKHJXxP3z0DePNRZV_sBMaDxWwyReGkMB_HEH2kwgVDrvEKvM5xbhPjYHyt3d4MBuujLc9nL5MasXX6RN1dR1mMLJFf5pwvaIzRnVXBQVDl/s320/Spring+2011+082.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611144453031989506" /></a><br /><br />Um...wow. Please, people, leave me a comment and tell me how this is going to play out in the high school years!!!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-25188769717093264112011-05-21T18:08:00.000-07:002011-05-21T18:21:25.004-07:00Here's what we have been up to...Instead of a post about ice or snow, I wanted to make sure to show off what we have been spending our free time working on lately!<br /><br />Much to our excitement and the kids entertainment, we have started gardening at Granny and Grandpa's house:) <br /><br />I have been working really hard to use more local and/or organic produce these days, and also support some of the local farmer's markets. But growing produce ourselves was also a priority. We were considering joining a community garden, but Granny suggested we just make their yard our own little community garden. It was a brilliant plan!<br /><br />We have had so much fun watching the kids dig in the dirt. They have both been really interested in picking fruits and vegetable to plant, and also have been pretty helpful in the planting and watering. And Granny has been AMAZING. It is so fun to see them with her, all 3 of them enjoying this wonderful opportunity. Nothing is ready to eat yet, but hopefully we will have some good success stories this summer. <br /><br />Here are some recent pics:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9LXFTVR1iwalpeUCIyNoeNLYx2_ALcB_dDnxuoFyBcYoPtsnkvY7G6Wtbm0XcOxhY9TaiXp8HsS1xOK7Qg69nlxqWrwKCL2coFgeb6mmRxz8gx3nyW7ZKvFhZaxlpXJvTIl9pTYThhgNC/s1600/Spring+2011+216.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9LXFTVR1iwalpeUCIyNoeNLYx2_ALcB_dDnxuoFyBcYoPtsnkvY7G6Wtbm0XcOxhY9TaiXp8HsS1xOK7Qg69nlxqWrwKCL2coFgeb6mmRxz8gx3nyW7ZKvFhZaxlpXJvTIl9pTYThhgNC/s320/Spring+2011+216.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609343082318139682" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN14nM0UnNxfI-SENRacMkRGPdb9V1lH464Lf34YEk_bEZyJfw1sOV4aFIbHVafwRNvXt-awC97A4iF44EOhBBuErSX6QAGfHBThKhVpA9lsV-cJNd-HXSfnK1IIgk1_Dm4aDojAWauRt2/s1600/Spring+2011+217.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN14nM0UnNxfI-SENRacMkRGPdb9V1lH464Lf34YEk_bEZyJfw1sOV4aFIbHVafwRNvXt-awC97A4iF44EOhBBuErSX6QAGfHBThKhVpA9lsV-cJNd-HXSfnK1IIgk1_Dm4aDojAWauRt2/s320/Spring+2011+217.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609343075372656082" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdWIMqWAslgjKX3WunL0dPAE2OpXHj1gjuanr39FLOMaWiYT2FYJSBmpYODbLNqqsIUAXGoiLkDigJPo__4vcEpAqsNN_D9_I1WP2tECJZpeuXDCwQk7IjQyM6DQiHyxGI7Yej_Av3pkS/s1600/Spring+2011+218.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdWIMqWAslgjKX3WunL0dPAE2OpXHj1gjuanr39FLOMaWiYT2FYJSBmpYODbLNqqsIUAXGoiLkDigJPo__4vcEpAqsNN_D9_I1WP2tECJZpeuXDCwQk7IjQyM6DQiHyxGI7Yej_Av3pkS/s320/Spring+2011+218.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609343061418102418" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_6F4x9fRG8k2DF0wepNQPk8zPfTdphyphenhyphenZshToz9m0nKFJhyphenhyphenwG00-3GJXZX0rjKWB4vVKIrt5ezRDM6DTUoS5f2MIY5d0nTGFV_QyLoBidU6rngz7bhbT0rORlc1hLLR-OpGMi475St5cS/s1600/Spring+2011+219.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA_6F4x9fRG8k2DF0wepNQPk8zPfTdphyphenhyphenZshToz9m0nKFJhyphenhyphenwG00-3GJXZX0rjKWB4vVKIrt5ezRDM6DTUoS5f2MIY5d0nTGFV_QyLoBidU6rngz7bhbT0rORlc1hLLR-OpGMi475St5cS/s320/Spring+2011+219.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609343049463269426" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpgcn3nAv9TalVTIzb_ewQIBmoUJkIot2KP33kqDT44pzmuRbfGhBn_OWaUo7LGKsD0balGT228YMFS4x5HVpD1r7SA8EOHLecREBd7uHgu4USS3X41zq5Zcdxyk9iLPgpmv-Vn64e7g5w/s1600/Spring+2011+220.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpgcn3nAv9TalVTIzb_ewQIBmoUJkIot2KP33kqDT44pzmuRbfGhBn_OWaUo7LGKsD0balGT228YMFS4x5HVpD1r7SA8EOHLecREBd7uHgu4USS3X41zq5Zcdxyk9iLPgpmv-Vn64e7g5w/s320/Spring+2011+220.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609343034750264178" /></a>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-11124445310095177472011-05-19T20:57:00.000-07:002011-05-19T20:57:00.513-07:00Ice SkatingOne more post left over from winter...we finally took our kiddos ice skating this year. We have been meaning to try it for years. But we just kept pushing it back for no good reason. Well, one weekend while Nana and Papa were down visiting, we just decided to go for it. The kids were not excited about the prospect at first. Both insisted that they didn't want to try and didn't want to learn EVER! We promptly ignored them, and they were honestly pretty interested by the time we got to the ice skating rink in Forest Park.<br /><br />Here they are with Papa once they had gotten their skates on. Both kids were really excited about balancing on the ice skates right away! They, of course, had NO CLUE that balancing on a thick, rubber mat was 10 Xs easier than balancing on ice.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHOKuelHh57ZTchrPPFURj4-RGdE_TI9totriNw_PAbJAF8uo6guzTlXqYjkw13J4lXHzKLBn8jPi4tTJGTpd1rI6dG5xoWE37pZGZ3esjaXFkLBkwsitOYuuCAAwh0Cyj8dM4yQzw7vWQ/s1600/Feb+2011+132.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHOKuelHh57ZTchrPPFURj4-RGdE_TI9totriNw_PAbJAF8uo6guzTlXqYjkw13J4lXHzKLBn8jPi4tTJGTpd1rI6dG5xoWE37pZGZ3esjaXFkLBkwsitOYuuCAAwh0Cyj8dM4yQzw7vWQ/s320/Feb+2011+132.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596027348591916498" /></a> Miss M showing her balancing skills.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDDrYXkIVAaiRSAoSu33KuCmBsWU79MywvCMTkqW2y4gNawXjwzFR_siXdQX-VjEQRdxoD1CBuoBJ0hZQ7M07Cfvy0p0SSZu7qsJBlyuSADvXHwXAOsSJ090L2ODXDe5dCcfHnffnde5CW/s1600/Feb+2011+133.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDDrYXkIVAaiRSAoSu33KuCmBsWU79MywvCMTkqW2y4gNawXjwzFR_siXdQX-VjEQRdxoD1CBuoBJ0hZQ7M07Cfvy0p0SSZu7qsJBlyuSADvXHwXAOsSJ090L2ODXDe5dCcfHnffnde5CW/s320/Feb+2011+133.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596027340117026210" /></a> And Mr B showing his awesome balance!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mpjoTzEDkpJrlTuYqZQFEesUPq2HR11IDkCumFn_J4SQCpg_-cMMMm9DrIo9RNdLzFWOLOpWc-wc142U2ZAiG-su-UOg2iHAHcPzS2R_nDv7iMyqjc8huWFolQ7dSBV6DaS1vdAuGF3d/s1600/Feb+2011+134.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mpjoTzEDkpJrlTuYqZQFEesUPq2HR11IDkCumFn_J4SQCpg_-cMMMm9DrIo9RNdLzFWOLOpWc-wc142U2ZAiG-su-UOg2iHAHcPzS2R_nDv7iMyqjc8huWFolQ7dSBV6DaS1vdAuGF3d/s320/Feb+2011+134.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596027332214405410" /></a> Drumroll please...first step onto the ice!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVruSmuVXpnb_vSKx2ykv3G0iQ4-TJVqPmAgIxMYobNPEf9eUkm4bLF5IajlpwtPhhmqb1KirLaMN7Iv1uyOTGLM57vvF5Zox4A9jTaArxbe5ns8IdAuM2uaJD_FkrWGlhDdWM4-vEoXNz/s1600/Feb+2011+135.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVruSmuVXpnb_vSKx2ykv3G0iQ4-TJVqPmAgIxMYobNPEf9eUkm4bLF5IajlpwtPhhmqb1KirLaMN7Iv1uyOTGLM57vvF5Zox4A9jTaArxbe5ns8IdAuM2uaJD_FkrWGlhDdWM4-vEoXNz/s320/Feb+2011+135.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596027323814280066" /></a> Same for Mr. B...he's on the ice, smiling, thinking maybe this might be ok after all!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5IT2wTVuGLz7bZ5hddIQ3QoVwBy6bjytxYgJfK2PhhOsNeLxKBY83d766MD6SPadgxtAaKAiL_PMGooXpKKLIwrbwuxjTy4HChArzF4TsutuY3TJxupK4Nxs-uEnGQXnyd5e7Boo5aGW4/s1600/Feb+2011+138.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5IT2wTVuGLz7bZ5hddIQ3QoVwBy6bjytxYgJfK2PhhOsNeLxKBY83d766MD6SPadgxtAaKAiL_PMGooXpKKLIwrbwuxjTy4HChArzF4TsutuY3TJxupK4Nxs-uEnGQXnyd5e7Boo5aGW4/s320/Feb+2011+138.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596027314915153538" /></a>After the first few moments, their excitment about being there and mastering balancing on the rubber mats was tempered by the realization that ice skating isn't quite as easy as it looks on t.v.!<br /><br />Both kids were pretty good sports, though. They went around quite a few times, either holding on to me, Aaron, Papa, or the fence...or some combination of 2 of these items/people. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONbINUxp2KdypJBPat3D8x6o8KV-yx0MkDzUbh_J_o-SzW2AASmWosBuqLXBzb8lkIt0oBfvVbJq489oSY7EXM5uOAvNvBJ-56TBn-i27dQ2-eEyyfXpFoCXTwvh4BWPH0_bSW_j8U4Ni/s1600/Feb+2011+139.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONbINUxp2KdypJBPat3D8x6o8KV-yx0MkDzUbh_J_o-SzW2AASmWosBuqLXBzb8lkIt0oBfvVbJq489oSY7EXM5uOAvNvBJ-56TBn-i27dQ2-eEyyfXpFoCXTwvh4BWPH0_bSW_j8U4Ni/s320/Feb+2011+139.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596026817413683042" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Iz-iKhM5eH9AFmyHax5RDsQtQqxbiF_6DIRVRr77pAuM93Zj0XqCUYiYexlU0GfXdc9HE4pTee52_WfBE8q2afUJsnd35j4dWssaYWbP9g_CeaO9UGvKNq1COeZZnF4Y3jczWj9WHxSD/s1600/Feb+2011+140.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Iz-iKhM5eH9AFmyHax5RDsQtQqxbiF_6DIRVRr77pAuM93Zj0XqCUYiYexlU0GfXdc9HE4pTee52_WfBE8q2afUJsnd35j4dWssaYWbP9g_CeaO9UGvKNq1COeZZnF4Y3jczWj9WHxSD/s320/Feb+2011+140.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596026805533600146" /></a> The fence got a lot of love that day!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGx_lOQ8PasE9KN4tQbUfgRT3teRpUymPbO99gFSnWHnEih3bCnCRSMWYhA8Ac3fL9Y-SrodliUBMj12JmEXKupo3d9yuc9KUTc4fE_M3hzbEHX8Qblwm-Vi8nCnEFowhe3hRFkPHRELn/s1600/Feb+2011+141.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGx_lOQ8PasE9KN4tQbUfgRT3teRpUymPbO99gFSnWHnEih3bCnCRSMWYhA8Ac3fL9Y-SrodliUBMj12JmEXKupo3d9yuc9KUTc4fE_M3hzbEHX8Qblwm-Vi8nCnEFowhe3hRFkPHRELn/s320/Feb+2011+141.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596026798700660258" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMOJVPVFF8aMEhXWor1AWqf1EdPxgWrIOZ9paCSj_ADA365e3VCyp3AriR64yycmL_XVNufSmH2-preSxKX4b3M3XTQsYISxkszpDoSFP8pF4aOJPBZfWV6qVGYvYfNjCEBJ7DZVZQsRt3/s1600/Feb+2011+142.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMOJVPVFF8aMEhXWor1AWqf1EdPxgWrIOZ9paCSj_ADA365e3VCyp3AriR64yycmL_XVNufSmH2-preSxKX4b3M3XTQsYISxkszpDoSFP8pF4aOJPBZfWV6qVGYvYfNjCEBJ7DZVZQsRt3/s320/Feb+2011+142.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596026791566446002" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-8aeU-3ZywK0z69VCNXofQx1qsH3pYxXewWKqkWREB_YuoUdFMhDL3Lf75zAuvcClVQevb4ZaqotyRKalsvwDFmCkAY-NHFSGcAcZj1ghzjhW7IKn_QGr18LAK093JN0yX6qFLoty1aZ/s1600/Feb+2011+143.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-8aeU-3ZywK0z69VCNXofQx1qsH3pYxXewWKqkWREB_YuoUdFMhDL3Lf75zAuvcClVQevb4ZaqotyRKalsvwDFmCkAY-NHFSGcAcZj1ghzjhW7IKn_QGr18LAK093JN0yX6qFLoty1aZ/s320/Feb+2011+143.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596026781364931138" /></a><br />In the end, a pretty good time was had by all. I won't go so far as to call it a "favorite" activity, but there was fun to be had, and I think next year we can build on it and give it a go a little earlier in the season, and a little more often. If we are going to keep dragging these kids to Davenport several times each winter of their lives, the least we can do is equip them with some respectable ice skating skills!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-52563361995246186092011-05-18T20:53:00.000-07:002011-05-18T19:04:01.033-07:00Snow-time!So it is FINALLY supposed to warm up a bit here. We have been wearing long sleeves and jackets all week...despite the calendar assuring me that it is May. <br /><br />But in honor of the arrival of warmer weather, I wanted to post some winter pics so we could all remember how far we have come:)<br /><br />Davenport often gets WONDERFUL snow. Far greater inch counts than in St. Louis. And while I think living there and dealing with it as a daily way of life could get tiresome, visiting and getting to play in deep, deep snow is just awesome. Here are some pics of one of our visits this year.<br /><br />This first pic was just to show that the snow really was nearly waist-deep for M and B. Thankfully most of the Iowans are hearty and compassionate people who are quick to shovel out pathways on sidewalks, so the kids were able to get around outside just fine. But the snow was literally up to their thighs!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDwJyrXIfbhcE89VYnUiYtSNqR8UopT2zbbucLWRPVTvKzw8JqYGWRN8Gl1_SrysErODn92XprYtiNmt9GJFk3l10gmJ1e2P9R8YA9F0mzSy0IdwqHE0-IY6KtTSehzRf083BxgpUpQbp/s1600/Feb+2011+056.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDwJyrXIfbhcE89VYnUiYtSNqR8UopT2zbbucLWRPVTvKzw8JqYGWRN8Gl1_SrysErODn92XprYtiNmt9GJFk3l10gmJ1e2P9R8YA9F0mzSy0IdwqHE0-IY6KtTSehzRf083BxgpUpQbp/s320/Feb+2011+056.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596025211293236626" /></a><br /><br />And the rest of the pics are just to remember the fun! Because the Davenport natives are used to the snow, and because school is rarely cancelled due to snow, all of the local school kids have plenty of time to play in the snow while they are waiting for the bus. Nana and Papa have a bus stop on their street, and the school kids made awesome tunnels in the snow that had been piled high by the snow plows. B and M had an awesome time with their Papa, exploring the tunnels and slides created by the school kids. Looks fun, right?!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqcm4Xho5Tfd5Ms1NH8eNhkKiWGxyFpwfTSmjuuPlpnN1DobjGIbF0AMsD4RO-KfenVU70khTbCcwHSe33Kfz0Vzk0UPf4hGONKIjZA11lxvS_zi_Q0oXA_gPzHStlva83m-U77CHLGdj/s1600/Feb+2011+058.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqcm4Xho5Tfd5Ms1NH8eNhkKiWGxyFpwfTSmjuuPlpnN1DobjGIbF0AMsD4RO-KfenVU70khTbCcwHSe33Kfz0Vzk0UPf4hGONKIjZA11lxvS_zi_Q0oXA_gPzHStlva83m-U77CHLGdj/s320/Feb+2011+058.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596025205071051666" /></a> You can just barely see M peeking out of the snow tunnel in this first pic. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3_vgVp6VveFKorRr_waQhnMD_xt-HyTJVVKx3buqyw2OwCQSyEV2Qrda-Wc-b2r-DLCbcZY0vHkpK7gJsqFzPkqlqyusAtxoeZJD48aHe6aEWeNMUCFK8zJV_A6g348iMakwvPP6_2Nsl/s1600/Feb+2011+059.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3_vgVp6VveFKorRr_waQhnMD_xt-HyTJVVKx3buqyw2OwCQSyEV2Qrda-Wc-b2r-DLCbcZY0vHkpK7gJsqFzPkqlqyusAtxoeZJD48aHe6aEWeNMUCFK8zJV_A6g348iMakwvPP6_2Nsl/s320/Feb+2011+059.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596025195404016530" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyxGJNV6iC8m-jh1sDGBdQbSPJ01G8ed0C-sHyE1bW50PiZMpAFdDUWougRnd8paM0jFuZsUT8lG9j-BuXu5jRFNRPT2m7imBlsGicQTfZyCwVcK4ElYa5qNLvRej9Qnz-ky-77mYi8zTf/s1600/Feb+2011+061.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyxGJNV6iC8m-jh1sDGBdQbSPJ01G8ed0C-sHyE1bW50PiZMpAFdDUWougRnd8paM0jFuZsUT8lG9j-BuXu5jRFNRPT2m7imBlsGicQTfZyCwVcK4ElYa5qNLvRej9Qnz-ky-77mYi8zTf/s320/Feb+2011+061.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596025189093375634" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXZZ6WF38iaKxAwATCs-hW5mZg9qiQyL-HW6rNKtqS2EckVk72NlAEj3WV1cBVDPr7obPfUsRthP9QOSiIu9If7woMN3-BM_EoCx6QZiSFQOAQbG7fLxbNWTA5ECWMrf66c54BvroACiQd/s1600/Feb+2011+062.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXZZ6WF38iaKxAwATCs-hW5mZg9qiQyL-HW6rNKtqS2EckVk72NlAEj3WV1cBVDPr7obPfUsRthP9QOSiIu9If7woMN3-BM_EoCx6QZiSFQOAQbG7fLxbNWTA5ECWMrf66c54BvroACiQd/s320/Feb+2011+062.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596025180067236018" /></a>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-4883286569907776462011-04-19T09:32:00.000-07:002011-04-19T09:37:50.288-07:00And I Quote...Molly turning 3!!1. What is your favorite color: “ley-yow” *still saying “yellow” in her own sweet way!<br />2. What is your favorite book: “Princesses” *don’t know what exactly this means…I guess it means any and all books involving princesses.<br />3. What is your favorite movie: “Um…a princess one”<br />4. What is your favorite food: “um...rice and beans” *this girl still loves her Mexican food!<br />5. What is your least favorite food: “Peppers”<br />6. What is your favorite fruit: “pear”<br />7. What is your favorite vegetable: “carrots”<br />8. What is your least favorite vegetable: “I don’t like peppers…ley-yow ones or green ones.”<br />9. What is your favorite t.v. Show: “Um…Mom, I TOLD you…it was the princess one!” <br />10. What is your favorite song: “ABC”<br />11. What is your favorite thing to do with Mom: “Snuggle and read books”<br />12. What is your favorite thing to do with Dad: “Play tickle bed and play chick hugs.” *I wasn’t sure what chick hugs were, so I asked her and she added, “Mommy, it’s a thing that you play. It’s very blackish.” *??? <br />13. What is your favorite game to play with friends: “Um…play dog-es with Anna and Ben”<br />14. What is your favorite store: “Um…the cookie store”<br />15. What is your favorite sport: “What sport?” *I explained what a sport was, and she added, “I like gymnastics and playing soccer with Ben.”<br />16. What is your favorite Bible story: “Um…Mommy, I’ll go get it. It’s a big book…The ship one.” *she bought be her children’s Bible and turned to the story of Noah’s Ark. <br />17. What is your favorite place to go: “Mama, I like to go and get those cookies with M&M’s” *they sometimes get a cookie when we are shopping at Schnucks.<br />18. What is your favorite restaurant: “Um…rice and beans” * she means Lily’s, the Mexican restaurant down the street from us.<br />19. What is your favorite toy: “Um…playing with those flowers” *she was looking at a vase of flowers on the table.<br />20. What is your favorite thing to do with Ben: “Um…when Anna’s here and my birthday came, then I like to play dogs with him.”<br />21. What is your favorite drink: “juice and water and milk”<br />22. What is your favorite thing to do at school: “Uh…I like to play there with all the other kids…like all the other girls and I like to talk to all the other girls”<br />23. What is your favorite thing to do outside: “I like to play tricycles with these!” *On “these” she pointed to the knee pads that she happened to be wearing.<br />24. What do you want to be when you grow up: “A doctor and a nurse and a fighter-fighter (fire fighter) and a Mommy”<br />25. What can you do now that you are 3: “I can go to Atrium.”<br />26. Who is your best friend: “Anna and Rosie and Ellie and Alex and my favorite is Gwennie’s Mom and Gwennie is my favorite too!”<br />27. What is Mom's job: “Go to work and help kids.”<br />28. What is Dad's job: “Go to work, too.”<br />29. What does Mom always say: “Do not put your hands in your bottom” *Um…don’t even know what to say about this one!!<br />30. What does Dad always say: “Go potty in the bathroom.”<br />31. What is your nickname: “Molly Ruth Schiltz”<br />32. What makes you laugh: “When something drops, then I laugh”<br />33. What makes you sad: “When we go to bed and you NOT sit in the hall for 3 minutes, then that makes me cry.”<br />34. What are you thankful for: “God” <br />35. What does Mom love about you: “Giving flowers to me!” <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4djRNcbET4mdyX4hwVrUchyoW8ScULl-6Aq8iM5Dj8pgZeTYvLKN-4MDeurkkrc6gMd3e-Vjt488t1KUpnR1nMS_9bCNogcoWCLhd9Z6ShEtXN8DgIXPJq1h98DpcU_liMhXrr2140z_-/s1600/Feb+2011+160.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4djRNcbET4mdyX4hwVrUchyoW8ScULl-6Aq8iM5Dj8pgZeTYvLKN-4MDeurkkrc6gMd3e-Vjt488t1KUpnR1nMS_9bCNogcoWCLhd9Z6ShEtXN8DgIXPJq1h98DpcU_liMhXrr2140z_-/s320/Feb+2011+160.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597333867353624530" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0ykjzSK1gR0TUjJ0qt9DflgC0fZ2ly9pveQs6Gq26yU_cDB4WGGb9qgO984Wn8MbaQ-9aX7TDcQTD0d3UBwqhHzSTKNi5Bg3sTLVmkoYcczp1idzk1e7Enu5Q6KGgOfAzJ8jpfAOH20d/s1600/Feb+2011+173.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0ykjzSK1gR0TUjJ0qt9DflgC0fZ2ly9pveQs6Gq26yU_cDB4WGGb9qgO984Wn8MbaQ-9aX7TDcQTD0d3UBwqhHzSTKNi5Bg3sTLVmkoYcczp1idzk1e7Enu5Q6KGgOfAzJ8jpfAOH20d/s320/Feb+2011+173.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597333866280083010" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShScg190w9FoR8dNuW0Zmvgo-e-g-Tq-yfHded0B0GEF5kLie4Z5AQRs5aqz6OoTLApQb1TTHOJNFTzHLf4JHXvxZJpugPN7TQowAzu_Gfieq_rXwpjCBM0QQVOJ6HEpjGQeXND_BuxN_/s1600/Feb+2011+187.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShScg190w9FoR8dNuW0Zmvgo-e-g-Tq-yfHded0B0GEF5kLie4Z5AQRs5aqz6OoTLApQb1TTHOJNFTzHLf4JHXvxZJpugPN7TQowAzu_Gfieq_rXwpjCBM0QQVOJ6HEpjGQeXND_BuxN_/s320/Feb+2011+187.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597333848530428290" /></a>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-5781332525904065302011-04-15T20:40:00.001-07:002011-04-15T20:53:11.407-07:00Driving my train!So anyone who has met Mr B pretty much any time in his entire life will confirm that this guy loves trains. His addiction fluctuates...sometimes he is "completely driven", and sometimes he is just "nearly totally dedicated". I honestly couldn't even begin to estimate the number of days that my living-room-since-becoming-a-mommy has looked like this:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_NbuKFceRzMckPm0niKW5kkyzu3IlgTo_DF2UqIJXj0URLaKahjawY_hTSAGcBXTeyz-gunpr8kmSArzzdrSDZOjRHbDVZt27tdmx-lkwWAOOWZWxO_eX3QVdjCYwa5IAtAIBb-_nA9j/s1600/Feb+2011+003.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_NbuKFceRzMckPm0niKW5kkyzu3IlgTo_DF2UqIJXj0URLaKahjawY_hTSAGcBXTeyz-gunpr8kmSArzzdrSDZOjRHbDVZt27tdmx-lkwWAOOWZWxO_eX3QVdjCYwa5IAtAIBb-_nA9j/s320/Feb+2011+003.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596021320941867986" /></a><br />I really don't mind at all. In fact, when he wants to get out the wooden trains, I love it. As he has gotten older, the "real" model train, his Lionel, and the GeoTrax, as well as a few other train systems have begun to captivate him a bit more. But when he is randomly wanting to be a little more creative with track building, we head back to the good-old wooden tracks and have fun!<br /><br />Though lately, he has been getting a little more creative with his Lionel train too. Just a few weeks ago, I heard him directing a train-building mission with his favorite accomplice. They put a lot of effort into getting the set-up just right. I was doing the dishes, so I couldn't overhear exactly what they were both so serious about. <br />Finally, I went in to check things out, and discovered this excellent tunnel creation:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfY5qLluNs8lGAXuoNZpHvnAhvKkOkhhECIJM3AbF1JtUduox_aHlqzqB4HjyPAq-VJWXFRCCpX_0to5pljfn8OkVykbP7tQXXnZAkLIsRrK0uCdyRFvJ4bK5rFHuHVIAWGmbxhWAQJWht/s1600/Feb+2011+017.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfY5qLluNs8lGAXuoNZpHvnAhvKkOkhhECIJM3AbF1JtUduox_aHlqzqB4HjyPAq-VJWXFRCCpX_0to5pljfn8OkVykbP7tQXXnZAkLIsRrK0uCdyRFvJ4bK5rFHuHVIAWGmbxhWAQJWht/s320/Feb+2011+017.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596021496560473186" /></a><br /><br />But let me be sure to say, in the interest of full clarity, that M sitting ON the red chair was somehow a VITAL part of the set up, and she was totally on board with it. He would just sit and wait patiently with the train not running if she had to get up for a moment. And she really tried hard to stay in the chair for quite some time. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7sUH6fj_rZGm06gwXFpm1WkkeTN8jH90i-CAWVci4S6Z-SNOzmgka-Q_p_u3Gs6-Mo2iXHd-9S3GhOnng_bIZZ1VMpjClek3WVCM9j8Ne6e-ALWc5x0DqtuATQxqoab-gxdVHx08G6Ycx/s1600/Feb+2011+016.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7sUH6fj_rZGm06gwXFpm1WkkeTN8jH90i-CAWVci4S6Z-SNOzmgka-Q_p_u3Gs6-Mo2iXHd-9S3GhOnng_bIZZ1VMpjClek3WVCM9j8Ne6e-ALWc5x0DqtuATQxqoab-gxdVHx08G6Ycx/s320/Feb+2011+016.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596021489401658674" /></a><br />Ahhh...good times!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-31003232900535138632011-04-11T10:00:00.000-07:002011-04-11T10:00:08.086-07:00How to turn 3 in style...When you are turning 3, and you really want to do it right, you've got to think through the details, and get everything just right.<br /><br />For starters, you are going to need a chocolate cup cake, but MAKE SURE it is heavily iced....this part is VITAL.<br /><br />Then, step one looks something like this:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRYAVb3uGMTEvrRSgzPfzHv5bf40gAkiJHRu4YeaOf9xSckpbqX0AQLCxGlge2Ro9SeNk_KnxehyphenhyphenWUFA7om2xQ5jaFDazDiy58vioM-ePLpLuoeizmbUfJiQAGS5dtw92q3hyphenhyphenBJY3zc5z/s1600/Feb+2011+126.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRYAVb3uGMTEvrRSgzPfzHv5bf40gAkiJHRu4YeaOf9xSckpbqX0AQLCxGlge2Ro9SeNk_KnxehyphenhyphenWUFA7om2xQ5jaFDazDiy58vioM-ePLpLuoeizmbUfJiQAGS5dtw92q3hyphenhyphenBJY3zc5z/s320/Feb+2011+126.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589677017478723890" /></a><br /><br />Once you have completed step one, you can move on to the next step...step two looks pretty much like this:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FN2vGA038gx-FRgHIL2kcwACkrNpXnwcQRH9EBH4v5HKqIlQdvMmcuIqGsdTC0gbgADdDke588K_a7QPB6XZicY0h829SmYLvjPy608ln17hY0Z8YDTYdsk8qbZU5pZNOWSuLxihRKYA/s1600/Feb+2011+127.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FN2vGA038gx-FRgHIL2kcwACkrNpXnwcQRH9EBH4v5HKqIlQdvMmcuIqGsdTC0gbgADdDke588K_a7QPB6XZicY0h829SmYLvjPy608ln17hY0Z8YDTYdsk8qbZU5pZNOWSuLxihRKYA/s320/Feb+2011+127.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589677010339260706" /></a><br /><br />Once you are well on your way to celebrating in style, it might help to add an accomplice. Pick carefully. You need someone who will truly support you and encourage you whole-heartedly. It might help to choose someone who will laugh with glee at each new step in the process. As a pair, you two might look something like this:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJnWHVTILrZtOWukVvKWHxIeTHIv-tAE0tSC8laZTtHOjwQzclpHzEWG_qsLThLd1TJHFEPCYjtY5kQCGxsBdnWI9Kb3FvOyH3s37jxAY1ndnS1xPd8y3aFDgnV6Il02Ib2SR_MvoEvI3o/s1600/Feb+2011+129.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJnWHVTILrZtOWukVvKWHxIeTHIv-tAE0tSC8laZTtHOjwQzclpHzEWG_qsLThLd1TJHFEPCYjtY5kQCGxsBdnWI9Kb3FvOyH3s37jxAY1ndnS1xPd8y3aFDgnV6Il02Ib2SR_MvoEvI3o/s320/Feb+2011+129.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589676998470824626" /></a><br /><br />And finally, finish with a flourish. Really, you've already put so much effort into in. There is no good reason to pull back now that you are almost finished!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURMJbVMf_REIhH1mlddIbrinG_g429B7HUv_oVVs5OLUdXccmxkv69pC1g2ewB2xdt8wfHQX-Fpsh7LiIXAooL7vdm9dvDGrKRjvgqiokUyeD67uwSkWUNhJmslFpE4cWFg5WYZ5W9zOW/s1600/Feb+2011+130.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURMJbVMf_REIhH1mlddIbrinG_g429B7HUv_oVVs5OLUdXccmxkv69pC1g2ewB2xdt8wfHQX-Fpsh7LiIXAooL7vdm9dvDGrKRjvgqiokUyeD67uwSkWUNhJmslFpE4cWFg5WYZ5W9zOW/s320/Feb+2011+130.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589676993246361090" /></a><br /><br />And now, Happy Birthday! Enjoy the fruits of your labor!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-60864996989895972262011-04-01T10:42:00.000-07:002011-04-01T10:48:48.020-07:00Ever wonder...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ3whahvq4W0E1M6a96awzoRNrB0xV2FViHD1DCSTCti8yiOIMfIZNRRWI8d0jTxuTMe-EZvgLJvOvdzfpywCuwR9Y7HtiBzhNNSLDB19qhBdSBX6E1Qk5Dt0nxFGYzHCiOWBxZAEbgUdc/s1600/Feb+and+Mar+2011+%2528%2526+emotions%2529+040.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ3whahvq4W0E1M6a96awzoRNrB0xV2FViHD1DCSTCti8yiOIMfIZNRRWI8d0jTxuTMe-EZvgLJvOvdzfpywCuwR9Y7HtiBzhNNSLDB19qhBdSBX6E1Qk5Dt0nxFGYzHCiOWBxZAEbgUdc/s320/Feb+and+Mar+2011+%2528%2526+emotions%2529+040.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590672140277357762" /></a><br /><br />Ever wonder what goes through a 5-yr-old's mind as he angrily sits in a time-out for trying to crash a fort that his mother and sister are sitting in after being repeatedly asked to leave the fort standing? It goes a little something like this:<br /><br />"I don't love you...you are the worst mommy ever...get me OUT of time out...I'm hungry...I'm thirsty...I'm very bored...Now let me get out...I mean it NOW...get me out...OK?...Molly, don't look at me!...somebody do something to get me out of time out...I will never give you kissies or huggies ever again...I want to build a train track where the fort is and you are NOT letting me...go away...somebody get me out...I don't want to talk...I don't care about time out...GET ME OUT!"<br /><br />In fact, this is EXACTLY what is going through his mind, because it was also coming out of his mouth, and I wrote it down word-for-word. <br /><br />Good times:)Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-53621814936132910042011-03-29T18:22:00.001-07:002011-03-29T18:27:06.506-07:00The 70's called...they want their dinner party back.This blog is mostly for stories about the kids. But sometimes there are just pics that are too good not to share!<br /><br />We were recently invited to our first ever murder mystery party. It was a 70's-themed fondu dinner party. <br /><br />We might have taken our costumes a "bit" too seriously, but it was a great night.<br /><br />Stayin alive with disco fever!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFUR50qyUiQQN-gx3trqvZf8ul9M6oIsyXqKTfUEvyVxig44V5xDbhh7wVl_TzEOQPkPkvBEqg5tCOSaKMQvGT7sglsiNjNZL-2u8Zr7_E7y2yyV9TwHAJ2iMSwOp2grcctVD9v4bJzKa/s1600/Feb+2011+118.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFUR50qyUiQQN-gx3trqvZf8ul9M6oIsyXqKTfUEvyVxig44V5xDbhh7wVl_TzEOQPkPkvBEqg5tCOSaKMQvGT7sglsiNjNZL-2u8Zr7_E7y2yyV9TwHAJ2iMSwOp2grcctVD9v4bJzKa/s320/Feb+2011+118.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589677677919229874" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE28c1MKVjBIJmr9hj_I5rAXOAamFUKkOsX9ffKi9tDpeK4Z4Wi8ee6TLSVyw836UJAMf45w3lKBZPQvQUOKWsIClxmSw5ZY_eUNKE9OQ-_ykKYk3yls3u0sy97HQGGtkyedOk7GdSty-0/s1600/Feb+2011+110.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE28c1MKVjBIJmr9hj_I5rAXOAamFUKkOsX9ffKi9tDpeK4Z4Wi8ee6TLSVyw836UJAMf45w3lKBZPQvQUOKWsIClxmSw5ZY_eUNKE9OQ-_ykKYk3yls3u0sy97HQGGtkyedOk7GdSty-0/s320/Feb+2011+110.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589677555537888626" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1FhKqE45k7la0b8DRPjLvcSmsf-D3boLtMSpXWjqoyeOJZLtjOxU6IBdT3AjrQpThhSrRj7J-WExM1KGGunO2LRy1BbR2TAUr0RXQBipus3gufFtwgoJ14_thPLsUQaufUNJmHrvVeWkT/s1600/Feb+2011+116.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1FhKqE45k7la0b8DRPjLvcSmsf-D3boLtMSpXWjqoyeOJZLtjOxU6IBdT3AjrQpThhSrRj7J-WExM1KGGunO2LRy1BbR2TAUr0RXQBipus3gufFtwgoJ14_thPLsUQaufUNJmHrvVeWkT/s320/Feb+2011+116.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589677551329810578" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtUGH3HAfJdrMdKDGYPsGM6wJzf3NZkeaP5GOHGrMC2xjC026xw3TIR-SiRBXBNE8oKofxy_RtvWzc6f3x35EB0j3DzOvoOUsSMFkskFS7j5E2Gwt9TyD1irbo9KHH1qZ6DxcrxxA32rU8/s1600/Feb+2011+117.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtUGH3HAfJdrMdKDGYPsGM6wJzf3NZkeaP5GOHGrMC2xjC026xw3TIR-SiRBXBNE8oKofxy_RtvWzc6f3x35EB0j3DzOvoOUsSMFkskFS7j5E2Gwt9TyD1irbo9KHH1qZ6DxcrxxA32rU8/s320/Feb+2011+117.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589677548937876706" /></a>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-38949387655619885672011-03-22T18:25:00.000-07:002011-03-22T18:25:00.789-07:00And I Quote...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7FZxmvC47XwXDLq5ZX4iO4AJlUFHiglqN_McY-Q8np69eCehBl0fKqKQWoq9HwZUm3aIbGnTX6KR-kSdrwfKXnvJ45VujKIqr7il58EvSUEZ100ecrOCRMOrSDLunosmjs2HbBz44nTG7/s1600/Feb+and+Mar+2011+%2528%2526+emotions%2529+042.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7FZxmvC47XwXDLq5ZX4iO4AJlUFHiglqN_McY-Q8np69eCehBl0fKqKQWoq9HwZUm3aIbGnTX6KR-kSdrwfKXnvJ45VujKIqr7il58EvSUEZ100ecrOCRMOrSDLunosmjs2HbBz44nTG7/s320/Feb+and+Mar+2011+%2528%2526+emotions%2529+042.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586714253654647954" /></a><br /><strong>Molly has had a few good ones lately: </strong><br />"cash money-er" - cash register<br />"Daddy, I bless-you'ed all over my cough-catcher!" - Daddy, I sneezed into my elbow:)<br />"hula scoop" - hula hoop<br />"I'm nervous to go to outer space" - after a fun trip to the Science Center.<br /><br />And for one that requires a quick story, I need to first say that she LOVES junk food. She is a salt girl, for sure. There is a cream cheese/salsa dip that I make for corn chips, and she LOVES it. Usually after I make it, I let her lick the beaters from the mixer. One night recently I was making the dip for a playgroup for the next day, and she came in right after brushing her teeth. She saw me using the hand mixer to make the dip, and saw me finish, and then pop the beaters out of the mixer. I started to drop them into the sink full of dish water, and with TERROR in her eyes, she frantically screeched, "Mommy, WHAT are you going to do with all that stuff on the 'blixters'??!"<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCBq2f6rqSRRGSoa26j0iizz5ORgB3XZ_3aYUD6jTj7lxfIPPAWihird1ZeAKqDIrQPZoWuL-i0Us0T2yQ3xZL-MtfHa-6IaxerZ6IT2W29U6spYjaU4W-W4q62yhviH07SVJdWpVhEKC/s1600/Feb+and+Mar+2011+%2528%2526+emotions%2529+046.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCBq2f6rqSRRGSoa26j0iizz5ORgB3XZ_3aYUD6jTj7lxfIPPAWihird1ZeAKqDIrQPZoWuL-i0Us0T2yQ3xZL-MtfHa-6IaxerZ6IT2W29U6spYjaU4W-W4q62yhviH07SVJdWpVhEKC/s320/Feb+and+Mar+2011+%2528%2526+emotions%2529+046.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586714249908471010" /></a><br /><strong>Ben has also been cracking us up:</strong><br />"tefnichal difficulties" - technical difficulties<br />"Holy infant so tender and WILD" - so tender and MILD :)<br />"Mom, get that spoon with the hair on it" - referring to the pasta spoon for stirring pasta that is cooking.<br />"Mom, this is my handsomest shirt!" - after carefully dressing himself for a holiday event. <br />"I want to be a train driver, but I might be a Mars figure-out engineer when I grow up, too." - after a delightful trip to the Science Center<br /><br />And my new favorite, fresh from him yesterday. He TOTALLY burned me, and I deserved it! <br />Here's the story: He has recently begun sleeping in socks every night. The thought of suffocating my feet in socks all night long makes me want to just go ahead and cut my feet off completely, but he loves it, so we are going with it.<br />Well, I found a clearly clean, but "tried on and rejected for sleep" pair of socks on the living room floor. I questioned him as to the socks on the floor, and he answered, "Too fat and too short. I don't like them."<br /><br />Being the ever-overly-let's-work-on-a-moral-lesson-here mom that I am, I responded, "You know Ben, some kids don't even have socks. Their parents don't have enough money to spend on socks. They can barely buy food, much less socks. So you really should think about just ignoring socks because their not exactly perfect."<br /><br />To which he expertly responded, "Ok, fine Mom. Send those socks to those kids. They can have them. I'm sure they would like them." <br /><br />Um...well-played 5-year-old! I will just go right ahead and put these socks in the give-away pile for you.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-37454011854952627872011-03-19T12:30:00.000-07:002011-03-19T13:00:35.020-07:00Wheeeee!So, here's the story. My kids are AWESOME, and bring me joy every.single.day. They are both so smart, knowledgable, compassionate, loving...I could go on all day. I am really amazed by who they both are as little people. <br /><br />They aren't perfect at everything, however, and I have learned that one of the greatest challenges of motherhood, for me anyway, is finding peace in trying to honor and respect what is difficult for them, rather than only relishing what is easy for them. <br /><br />Today's example: playground equipment designed for kids ages 6 to 12 years.<br /><br />You might say, "Wait a minute, neither of your kids is even in that age range, so why is this discussion even happening?"<br /><br />Here's why...kids don't pay one bit of attention to the signs listing the ages required for each set of play equipment. They want to play on whatever they want to play on. <br /><br />When we go to the park with other little friends, most of the other little kiddos will charge right up the tallest towers and steepest slides without a second thought. My kids, however, are not always so daring. B, especially, was never too interested, as a 3-yr-old, in scaling the tallest ladder to the tallest slide, through a throng of 10-yr-olds, just to slide. <br /><br />But as a mom, I worried that maybe his lack of trying the things that other kids were trying without a moment of hesitation meant that I over-protected him or that I wasn't raising him with enough self confidence. <br /><br />Well, this spring, I have learned with delight that, far from being over-protected or lacking confidence, B was just waiting until he was ready. <br /><br />He has become a monkey on the playground, and a brave one, at that. I am SO glad that I fought my urge to push him on the "big kid" equipment. Now he can enjoy having mastered it himself, and I can laugh at myself from 2 summers ago...now knowing that he was going to "find his bravery" as we call it, just in his own time. In fact, a whole year before he is even old enough, according to the makers of the equipment in question. <br /><br />Here is the "slide of death", that B would have never even considered trying 2 summers ago. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3WMF-dkMb3pra9WyPnDZIG5S2r_z8KZ3xS48J1O2zlug14EP8zmX2MdgkapPFEAWvTNqwtgkU7suOmFTqHdEPGCvcgHhzTn-I0n7KatC5pZv2bDmuYz71m9Lv040mo5q04uc2IaWQ6oEV/s1600/Feb+and+Mar+2011+%2528%2526+emotions%2529+032.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3WMF-dkMb3pra9WyPnDZIG5S2r_z8KZ3xS48J1O2zlug14EP8zmX2MdgkapPFEAWvTNqwtgkU7suOmFTqHdEPGCvcgHhzTn-I0n7KatC5pZv2bDmuYz71m9Lv040mo5q04uc2IaWQ6oEV/s320/Feb+and+Mar+2011+%2528%2526+emotions%2529+032.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585875875247720530" /></a><br /><br />Pretty tall, right!?? Seriously, I'm not even sure I want to go on this slide. It is SO SO tall.<br /><br />And here are the series of action shots that Mr B and Miss M insisted I take of them...as they squealed with glee while enjoying the slide.<br /><br />I will say that it is much easier for Miss M to try things like this, because she has her trusty brother to show her how fun it is first!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKebktzhpOLeynKkjF_AMBdDQJs3I14wsexB5nf8_ZdSLw6wk8g3qAQnW87uWgtLsGcSwY28qFkhEVI-QchyphenhyphenbFE3VwnMKgZFHKBlftX7KPtDoCz24Hkjt_ePKQ1Xq6T_8ndNnfHMnGd3Uq/s1600/Feb+and+Mar+2011+%2528%2526+emotions%2529+041.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKebktzhpOLeynKkjF_AMBdDQJs3I14wsexB5nf8_ZdSLw6wk8g3qAQnW87uWgtLsGcSwY28qFkhEVI-QchyphenhyphenbFE3VwnMKgZFHKBlftX7KPtDoCz24Hkjt_ePKQ1Xq6T_8ndNnfHMnGd3Uq/s320/Feb+and+Mar+2011+%2528%2526+emotions%2529+041.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585881655526139458" /></a><br />M was really wanting me to get a pic of her "pom poms" flying in the air. (her pony tails)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSDR3RLvpBFtRCUGkGv-Tx2_CubsaBfRn7TnMOLRVWIA04YZ_owLW35SlX37Uj6wdYqRkzFGPvqj8ZPsgJ5IKBg5Jp-BIzcYwa7UTtZw-EXu09B95DX4SwfdDdH0LKvDdiUzI7uTWQrO89/s1600/Feb+and+Mar+2011+%2528%2526+emotions%2529+040.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSDR3RLvpBFtRCUGkGv-Tx2_CubsaBfRn7TnMOLRVWIA04YZ_owLW35SlX37Uj6wdYqRkzFGPvqj8ZPsgJ5IKBg5Jp-BIzcYwa7UTtZw-EXu09B95DX4SwfdDdH0LKvDdiUzI7uTWQrO89/s320/Feb+and+Mar+2011+%2528%2526+emotions%2529+040.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585881487519605362" /></a><br />B was much more interested in action shots...the more creative, the better!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqPR17jyTeV0XiyBCIwjb0xDpyaAKtZl_ZNxgS5wI0mR8eyAYz81UT8rxLB3yG9_4-o1zWIvZHnDjxeWVvb75Rj2tw3tvLcsbouJfAgX1uXo_6YgHN3xFIvoZHW2JIE4yVwhLD7vMnpqIH/s1600/Feb+and+Mar+2011+%2528%2526+emotions%2529+039.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqPR17jyTeV0XiyBCIwjb0xDpyaAKtZl_ZNxgS5wI0mR8eyAYz81UT8rxLB3yG9_4-o1zWIvZHnDjxeWVvb75Rj2tw3tvLcsbouJfAgX1uXo_6YgHN3xFIvoZHW2JIE4yVwhLD7vMnpqIH/s320/Feb+and+Mar+2011+%2528%2526+emotions%2529+039.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585881483307009362" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJL-ilSALZVmamfINCEZG243uoCot1NTjBuiw6Qu59a70lBwyHADsUJ88DwHSMWcN6lHJF7GO02J53Q_KGCRnNn45F5fDN7YTPhUCqfp2zgsiAOYJe8hA8lZJu_pqxbtUTTFOFKT9N-9J/s1600/Feb+and+Mar+2011+%2528%2526+emotions%2529+037.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJL-ilSALZVmamfINCEZG243uoCot1NTjBuiw6Qu59a70lBwyHADsUJ88DwHSMWcN6lHJF7GO02J53Q_KGCRnNn45F5fDN7YTPhUCqfp2zgsiAOYJe8hA8lZJu_pqxbtUTTFOFKT9N-9J/s320/Feb+and+Mar+2011+%2528%2526+emotions%2529+037.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585881482729157762" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyA7uIzW_ajOhyphenhyphenMRzn2xTGhiQFm7-77m2IMIeHjhUXE8kLMWltUdQeyf8YhW__of-9eIrcm-_7YH-GeR1-alXRvCwZQzVVtz0VjmWA42n96GtOINaIW9M6jb6mAreUMWfD_MfUTHg74zr/s1600/Feb+and+Mar+2011+%2528%2526+emotions%2529+036.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyA7uIzW_ajOhyphenhyphenMRzn2xTGhiQFm7-77m2IMIeHjhUXE8kLMWltUdQeyf8YhW__of-9eIrcm-_7YH-GeR1-alXRvCwZQzVVtz0VjmWA42n96GtOINaIW9M6jb6mAreUMWfD_MfUTHg74zr/s320/Feb+and+Mar+2011+%2528%2526+emotions%2529+036.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585881474470742658" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdAs73aq-AgLDPI5Jld_clUsJBnFeFSy0UaEDSaIPsuDLmA8Ua_mxR6F1a0_u4Isq7d932XuuALqMiCUXxWdpTt6TATY8yzNf7IurI7wm9-FbxrejImkcIoIYcXqNpgHVfXDGEguOw1Y5/s1600/Feb+and+Mar+2011+%2528%2526+emotions%2529+035.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdAs73aq-AgLDPI5Jld_clUsJBnFeFSy0UaEDSaIPsuDLmA8Ua_mxR6F1a0_u4Isq7d932XuuALqMiCUXxWdpTt6TATY8yzNf7IurI7wm9-FbxrejImkcIoIYcXqNpgHVfXDGEguOw1Y5/s320/Feb+and+Mar+2011+%2528%2526+emotions%2529+035.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585881474130252162" /></a>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-3462641057879809262011-03-12T17:01:00.000-08:002011-03-12T17:01:00.714-08:00Get to work!I often see a lot of myself in my first-born. We have so many similarities. We tend to be thoughtful and introspective, which lends it sometimes to a bit of anxiety, too. I also see him becoming more compassionate all the time...a trait of mine that I am delighted to see pass to him!<br /><br />However, there are times when I have to admit that he is A LOT of his dad too:) They both have crazy, fun sides that are so fun to see. They also have similar senses of humor (though I don't know what that says about Aaron...that his sense of humor is similar to that of a 5-year-old boy!). <br /><br />They love spending time together. Recently, we had a very snowy day and Aaron decided to work from home. Well, his little buddy just had to work along with him. I snapped these shots of the 2 of them "working". <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD42Q0s-nKa524BKlHDVbP2qquuBXKccTDabzKQ_fEjAhagUG3EB9RJLg3-AmHJ0kMC1cyn9pAIYbUORWaUWeMU1XzF03EvELwzHYbYmFZD4ZIFtpIAwKthZ4gyO8oGJJ2nLhdZuP_yBmz/s1600/Feb+2011+015.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD42Q0s-nKa524BKlHDVbP2qquuBXKccTDabzKQ_fEjAhagUG3EB9RJLg3-AmHJ0kMC1cyn9pAIYbUORWaUWeMU1XzF03EvELwzHYbYmFZD4ZIFtpIAwKthZ4gyO8oGJJ2nLhdZuP_yBmz/s320/Feb+2011+015.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582992411851426226" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPJHUEwBCjbteivnHpyJ5OJExWSnxM2ekaekhvOYyOj70NSZid_WjLEY9EukCRARH1ztrB8gKVxwckJtZqX13SFaFqHtLEzAHBWJl5KQo_Ri0GkrgHB9jtNvH6p9M3lxllG8h72sjOdkc/s1600/Feb+2011+014.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPJHUEwBCjbteivnHpyJ5OJExWSnxM2ekaekhvOYyOj70NSZid_WjLEY9EukCRARH1ztrB8gKVxwckJtZqX13SFaFqHtLEzAHBWJl5KQo_Ri0GkrgHB9jtNvH6p9M3lxllG8h72sjOdkc/s320/Feb+2011+014.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582992400542211218" /></a>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-50162398996224013892011-03-10T18:23:00.000-08:002011-03-10T18:39:33.602-08:00Sometimes I'm a bad mom!Seriously...sometimes I'm not the greatest. <br /><br />In my defence, first of all, often I am AWESOME. Like a rock star, but in elastic-waisted pants and a ponytail. <br /><br />My kids are smart and creative. They pretend all sorts of fascinating, nuanced play, and I know it is just because my awesomeness has rubbed off on them. And because I try to give them a lot of unstructured play time each day. Some might call it "I'm ignoring you so go play and leave me alone", but those evil people would be wrong. It is really "I am fostering your sense of creativity and your sense of self by not directing all of your time". Yeah, I'm awesome. <br /><br />But sometimes...well..oops. <br /><br />For example, just a week or two ago, I was giving my kids "unstructured play time" while I worked on some paperwork for work (honestly!!), and I kept smiling as I overheard them talk. They had created this elaborate play scheme, and were in the process of very diligently hiding their most precious treasures in a treasure chest so that robbers couldn't find them. And they were setting creative traps for those robbers all over the house. <br /><br />I was very pleased with their creativity and my awesomeness...until, that is, I walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water and I discovered this:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGlF7Px21tPspqzLxtgMN7HVV5mlfbi2N9b6JBHGcM7wgfQfl4TZXN5auJMlds4DcKJjyx7vjk-8D49KzYbnGVPxcyXjLIc-j79nMiadH_8quV7tDOjEo7Zmeoxs8OTZbv-y31zV8lqOJ/s1600/Feb+2011+001.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGlF7Px21tPspqzLxtgMN7HVV5mlfbi2N9b6JBHGcM7wgfQfl4TZXN5auJMlds4DcKJjyx7vjk-8D49KzYbnGVPxcyXjLIc-j79nMiadH_8quV7tDOjEo7Zmeoxs8OTZbv-y31zV8lqOJ/s320/Feb+2011+001.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582642760431004082" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6nfMAClelXTcbpC4iI0bcMkuUq_A3Qht2OVZeareBrZRIQLlKURyanghFvbYb9sHOPlS23AmhSnWyi0RLiCNZ3mvxRRUpwQzRdX2xl50HaFcuWhGgNv29uotu3uVpEDWTLjdEDPfQmxkt/s1600/Feb+2011+002.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6nfMAClelXTcbpC4iI0bcMkuUq_A3Qht2OVZeareBrZRIQLlKURyanghFvbYb9sHOPlS23AmhSnWyi0RLiCNZ3mvxRRUpwQzRdX2xl50HaFcuWhGgNv29uotu3uVpEDWTLjdEDPfQmxkt/s320/Feb+2011+002.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582642743971396482" /></a><br />Yep! Their treasure chest was the MICROWAVE!!! They seriously played with the microwave for a solid 10 minutes...rearranging and perfectly stacking their treasure...in...the...microwave. <br /><br />Ummm...oops. <br /><br />We have since had a very clear chat about microwave safety. And other, "more suitable" (meaning "less electric") treasure chests have been identified.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-8277863303000968812011-03-01T11:37:00.000-08:002011-03-01T11:40:03.593-08:00Just had to share...What my husband made me for Valentine's Day:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWUUthyphenhyphenOpU-HWCpV7VBG2cYgZ5TE14ExqCX5iGGhjR_sdGotASyuOarPKzpleA8J6IyBSXBV7UAgK0mASRN5jq8RufK5-6LLQHa0beroln2_3-JTzpmcZt-TrStzkvUE4cVEX_gEs67hue/s1600/Feb+2011+104.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWUUthyphenhyphenOpU-HWCpV7VBG2cYgZ5TE14ExqCX5iGGhjR_sdGotASyuOarPKzpleA8J6IyBSXBV7UAgK0mASRN5jq8RufK5-6LLQHa0beroln2_3-JTzpmcZt-TrStzkvUE4cVEX_gEs67hue/s320/Feb+2011+104.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579198083525138354" /></a><br />Flourless Dark Chocolate Cake. And, <strong>yes</strong>, it was every bit as delicious as it looks.<br /><br />Thanks to my Love!!Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-45354830587187963562011-02-15T18:56:00.000-08:002011-02-15T19:08:44.843-08:00Possible calling for Mister B?First, let me say, I hope you enjoy the new layout. I know that I have had the UGLIEST blog ever since I started it, but I just didn't choose to spend the time to go seek out new, free designs. Finally though, as other friends blogs have gotten prettier and prettier, I just decided that I should at least see if Blogger had anything else to offer that would take no more than 1 min of my time to apply. Well, here it is! Enjoy:)<br /><br />As for this post, B might just have found another passion. That brings the count to 3...trains, cooking, and now: photography!<br /><br />This kid LOVES to take pictures. Sometimes the pictures are awesome, and sometimes they are exactly what you might expect a 5-yr-old to take. <br /><br />When he really tries, they can be quite good. *See the star ornament pic below. <br /><br />But he also gets a lot of joy from just snapping random digital shots at random angles, and then laughing at the unexpected and strange results when we go back through the pics. *See the final pic attached:)<br /><br />The part I enjoy the most is seeing the world from his perspective. He's just a few feet tall, and his perspective and my perspective are very different. I love seeing pics he takes of M. To me, she is so tiny, but she's only a bit smaller than him, so it's fun to see pictures taken at her height. She also thinks it is really funny when he snaps shots of her, so she is often laughing or smiling really genuinely, and those pictures are always priceless. *See the spoon/smile masterpiece below.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMuNL05H2lf_QDcHw06m9UvheZGJZxjqxznQ2zkxhT4vB5fuUXxKRodyaYz3k1GI99FPcDFEA6CLnJiQIOhYZmXMiOfF96nIh0STdlAli9NWpx0r0pbUOINP_YEqiKeUCM1OaV_ontaIag/s1600/Winter+2010-2011+014.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMuNL05H2lf_QDcHw06m9UvheZGJZxjqxznQ2zkxhT4vB5fuUXxKRodyaYz3k1GI99FPcDFEA6CLnJiQIOhYZmXMiOfF96nIh0STdlAli9NWpx0r0pbUOINP_YEqiKeUCM1OaV_ontaIag/s320/Winter+2010-2011+014.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574116997331486306" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Q1p3Gopiq8wYG0fvOTbhtpA3XAPuOSQ8GmqVeWMsutnDZyUrLgtyoQjtJCV_u7uKCNT6J-7CKXkw9woqGH1mOuXZgZvbLLLVc6xT82c6vv9ljyJXQ6zY6cTz303Xgq_QlAjxQxAwko1g/s1600/Winter+2010-2011+022.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Q1p3Gopiq8wYG0fvOTbhtpA3XAPuOSQ8GmqVeWMsutnDZyUrLgtyoQjtJCV_u7uKCNT6J-7CKXkw9woqGH1mOuXZgZvbLLLVc6xT82c6vv9ljyJXQ6zY6cTz303Xgq_QlAjxQxAwko1g/s320/Winter+2010-2011+022.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574116993976773570" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSyn-Lxx9n9PDGB3eIUAW5FHTJRLW1SFMH0rbO-IV9LKAfkK0MOhUPXW0SiP6EGh3wzwI5jo53fEcUZ1SWf72LF51X9tZJMMR1wyRVd1uL1XfmqqAKQ04Hzd0lrE2LQ1J9gTMPnT1uHgKa/s1600/Winter+2010-2011+019.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSyn-Lxx9n9PDGB3eIUAW5FHTJRLW1SFMH0rbO-IV9LKAfkK0MOhUPXW0SiP6EGh3wzwI5jo53fEcUZ1SWf72LF51X9tZJMMR1wyRVd1uL1XfmqqAKQ04Hzd0lrE2LQ1J9gTMPnT1uHgKa/s320/Winter+2010-2011+019.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574116990677464034" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6awUgA__OB2fi4vBJ5bHfm_3eCMUlqH1WDdLPIGcnONq9_OAR87yp3Fi1JINM_-Nsm17M0Sbjx9ddnj6bIYwsTT_dYQfSOJjNtFzv98TG1YgfW0pzxaO2Hbr688GKkSST2vHuB0sTGRLN/s1600/Winter+2010-2011+024.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6awUgA__OB2fi4vBJ5bHfm_3eCMUlqH1WDdLPIGcnONq9_OAR87yp3Fi1JINM_-Nsm17M0Sbjx9ddnj6bIYwsTT_dYQfSOJjNtFzv98TG1YgfW0pzxaO2Hbr688GKkSST2vHuB0sTGRLN/s320/Winter+2010-2011+024.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574116980204888658" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWCUp_yvCl54Kj47ZLh_x5u6hn9dRRRH3Sqp2QqP0Y0-is0DpQWBq8B8TtsIvRqjdNFhZTGmfgGvPG2_n9y_H0-lY4CfQH9hDF9UiAdgkbu42dpbF5QKT0TsahvM8Yhg7djHo7BCC_GXh7/s1600/Winter+2010-2011+025.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWCUp_yvCl54Kj47ZLh_x5u6hn9dRRRH3Sqp2QqP0Y0-is0DpQWBq8B8TtsIvRqjdNFhZTGmfgGvPG2_n9y_H0-lY4CfQH9hDF9UiAdgkbu42dpbF5QKT0TsahvM8Yhg7djHo7BCC_GXh7/s320/Winter+2010-2011+025.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574116972812964722" /></a>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-27218709922428729202011-02-08T08:03:00.001-08:002011-02-09T14:16:26.110-08:00Good "Old" Mom<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXWlUmg6ck99MZzDynq7EXxMha1g5jNjvujRmx7kde_aVVAPhry-CgDsaNbcNoLYftP0CHs3HSwZHs2oe3Gkep3TQClKsLn03RvFAUtOqy44k1Lw_PWTI4tOd-EIjadEL40OjGqaN-zJ08/s1600/horse+and+carriage"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXWlUmg6ck99MZzDynq7EXxMha1g5jNjvujRmx7kde_aVVAPhry-CgDsaNbcNoLYftP0CHs3HSwZHs2oe3Gkep3TQClKsLn03RvFAUtOqy44k1Lw_PWTI4tOd-EIjadEL40OjGqaN-zJ08/s320/horse+and+carriage" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571352133914602946" /></a><br />Ben and Molly and I were watching a home video of when I was a child today, and B especially was LOVING it. He was reveling in seeing so many of his family members looking so young, especially Granny and Grandpa.<br /><br />Out of the blue he says, "I can't believe how long ago this was, Mom! Did you guys ride in a horse and carriage back then?"<br /><br />SO hysterial!<br /><br />What really struck me was this: when I was a kid, I remember asking my mom the very same question...however, I was probably looking at a black-and-white picture of her as a child. Something that clearly represented a by-gone era. <br /><br />My son was watching a full color video of me and my family, jumping on a trampoline...not exactly the "old" days, by the sight of it. <br /><br />I wonder if all kids who are learning about the past, and about how diifferent things are now from how they once were, imagine that their parents must have lived through all the "past" that they are learning about. Now that I think of it, I can remember B asking me once if I met Jesus before he died. SO amazing to me that, even with all he knows, and with how relatively young I feel, my son can't place me in time yet...all he knows is that he is young and I am old. Interesting stuff...but I've got to run now...there is a chicken to be plucked for dinner, the cow needs milking, and I haven't churned the butter yet! Have you seen my bonnet, btw?Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-601621008588426432011-02-01T19:13:00.000-08:002011-02-01T19:13:01.017-08:00Mom VictorySo, I think that, both in the blog world and in the real world, we mom's are really good at airing our self-disappointment. We don't throw ourselves under the train all day every day, but pretty much every mom I know is openly critical of herself from time to time. Myself DEFINITELY included.<br /><br />So I thought I would take a moment to share 2 of my "Mom-Victories"..."momories"...whatever.<br /><br />Let me preface my self-praise with some self-criticism:), I am the type of woman who thinks that one of the hardest parts of parenting is accepting the fact that you can't have control...over MOST things. I control some things, but FAR fewer than I thought I would be able to. And this is often excruciating!<br /><br />BUT, I get a lot of mom-joy from trying to realistically choose goals that I CAN control, and then trying to actually meet my goals. And in the early days of parenting, when the realities of my own lack of skills/intuition were crashing down around me, I set a couple of clear, direct goals for myself. They were benchmarks I would either meet or not meet, but were not related to how much my kids cried/slept/ate/or otherwise performed. <br /><br />I can now officially announce that I have met 2 of my most significant goals for Ben!! Woohoo!! Roll out the party! Give me a trophy!! Seriously, people(I know there are at least 3 of you who will read this), praise me! :)<br /><br />On Ben's 5th b-day, I passed second of 2 markers that I set for myself:<br /><br />1. That my children would not watch t.v. while they were under the age of 2.<br /><br />and <br /><br />2. That my children would not get sunburned while they were under the age of 5.<br /><br />Now that I have met my goals, I can stop pretending to parent altogether. Seriously, it's t.v. pretty much 24/7 around here, and I threw out all the sunscreen in Nov. <br /><br />I know I still have to get Molly to her 5th birthday sans sunburn...but she'll be 3 soon, so I've got the end in my sights:)<br /><br />Phew...glad that's over! Pass the bonbons, turn on Oprah, and fetch me a glass of chardonnay, please??!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6MhoK513Y4bUq0Ws5ys_pD9Qwe1chsjxNTx68xbMLIqQpTF9ba2HEyU-lJGj0enqNjqEWLpB7FHDygVIQnJDUBDxUO5jdq9-pfOpiFHLzZrAfm1czMCHOdgLUqa-uHIKjfqEgCmQTbuVt/s1600/103.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6MhoK513Y4bUq0Ws5ys_pD9Qwe1chsjxNTx68xbMLIqQpTF9ba2HEyU-lJGj0enqNjqEWLpB7FHDygVIQnJDUBDxUO5jdq9-pfOpiFHLzZrAfm1czMCHOdgLUqa-uHIKjfqEgCmQTbuVt/s320/103.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568552914029233810" /></a>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-43792856353497798902011-01-31T19:53:00.001-08:002011-01-31T20:20:48.242-08:00And speaking of snow...Before this winter passes, I wanted to jot down a few snow memories of the kids:<br /><br />-Ben LOVES to shovel snow. Seriously. When we get more than an inch, as soon as I will let him, he will bundle up in his snow gear and head outside to shovel. Sometimes the neighbor kids will come and shovel our walk for us, and he always worries that they will shovel too much of it and there won't be any snow left for him. He's actually pretty good at it, too. I don't even have to go out with him. I will get him ready and send him out, and then just sit by the front window. He knows to make sure that he can always see the window, and can just shovel and play out by himself for as long as he wants, which is often over 90 min! Molly will last 30 to 45 min usually, but he LOVES to be out in the snow. <br /><br />-Speaking of snow gear, it is still a pain to get them both dressed for outside play, but it is unbelievably better than last year. Last year, Ben would fuss and whine the whole time...now he is completely aware of the benefits to himself of participating well. He can't wait to get outside, so he works hard to help me dress him. He is way more patient with getting his gloves on, and does his hat and coat independently. Molly has never fussed much, and is now even easier to dress because she insists on putting her own coat on. Less work for me! She is so cute with gloves, though. If I help her with gloves, even if all fingers and thumbs are clearly in their right place, she will still go finger by finger and feel each spot from the outside to make sure everything is in it's right space.<br /><br />-Molly loves to make snow angels. However, for some reason, she doesn't like to do them while on her back. Instead, she flops face down in the snow and goes to town waving her arms and legs. Seems chilly to me, but she seems to love it. <br /><br />-We always...every.single.time...come in from snow play and head straight to the kitchen for hot chocolate. We all love it, and it is just one of those things that I know I will miss when they some day grow out of it. The chilly tromp to the kitchen...getting the water/milk heated...picking mugs...stirring for waaaay too long...and for Molly, the adding ice to cool it down until it is really more cold chocolate rather than hot chocolate, but she insists! :)<br /><br />Here they are...shoveling away! Molly even got into the action this time, using a little kids broom. This is not our sidewalk, by the way. Some random lazy neighbor who couldn't be bothered to shovel was saved from neighborhood shame by a 5-yr-old and a 2-yr-old!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAtKZJzsp8EeST8pwsReYYDWFBJ_076o3atvNpv2lCRiNSAfWnqHM3jZpM_nUkrlVyI5g34S3xXV57vM2bp1kyT7TgrwaDVsDgDZpf0cyFwHYKScl4KnaKr1f3s-qXedVL0h1PY6GJai4/s1600/Jan+2011+%2528%2526+Elizabeth%2529+009.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAtKZJzsp8EeST8pwsReYYDWFBJ_076o3atvNpv2lCRiNSAfWnqHM3jZpM_nUkrlVyI5g34S3xXV57vM2bp1kyT7TgrwaDVsDgDZpf0cyFwHYKScl4KnaKr1f3s-qXedVL0h1PY6GJai4/s320/Jan+2011+%2528%2526+Elizabeth%2529+009.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568568797798162450" /></a><br /><br />And, of course, the proper snow-angel demonstration. Make sure you flop face first into snow, and then have at it. Fun times!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqADeWc5zJmD25lBDu7gxi41-vdhJ4jInXFqaXODuJWpd5-GuKAJb9q51nrjEOPpC0NujxV1L3-Cy4tVEWBT7EWNDl9m0EogwdlqtsQE78VrwihjK8dIP8-bkwxgc4NV98qoyjawiclif/s1600/Jan+2011+%2528%2526+Elizabeth%2529+010.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqADeWc5zJmD25lBDu7gxi41-vdhJ4jInXFqaXODuJWpd5-GuKAJb9q51nrjEOPpC0NujxV1L3-Cy4tVEWBT7EWNDl9m0EogwdlqtsQE78VrwihjK8dIP8-bkwxgc4NV98qoyjawiclif/s320/Jan+2011+%2528%2526+Elizabeth%2529+010.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568568805544005314" /></a><br /><br />And here, Ben gets into proper snow angel form with Molly. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1flZjE-HddjiZVlhNeeGSIw5qaWojhkXLwq_4SmiIoR-l-9IofFSwj_U8iHXQ9ESMxHKHrx2hWsHwT3w8OKyKi7aqx-XT-J_dsECoDrOZAJI5l1VALJDwCJuJZKSG29R4N7CJDyYTRJl/s1600/Jan+2011+%2528%2526+Elizabeth%2529+012.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD1flZjE-HddjiZVlhNeeGSIw5qaWojhkXLwq_4SmiIoR-l-9IofFSwj_U8iHXQ9ESMxHKHrx2hWsHwT3w8OKyKi7aqx-XT-J_dsECoDrOZAJI5l1VALJDwCJuJZKSG29R4N7CJDyYTRJl/s320/Jan+2011+%2528%2526+Elizabeth%2529+012.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568568814592084178" /></a><br /><br />Cute kids, along with their trusty snow-shovel-side-kick!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEium9InaaMC664hitOUD47yg47AxH-pAALPmUwMOzo5WDMHIYEgATcsKMXoVZ22kZE104z95jowDYJhcjcxlZCKo3rtefXZGzKSikR7gT0lrUPrvPBVkJnLchgUEeQ-ItDUbRcTMjYI-94e/s1600/Jan+2011+%2528%2526+Elizabeth%2529+013.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEium9InaaMC664hitOUD47yg47AxH-pAALPmUwMOzo5WDMHIYEgATcsKMXoVZ22kZE104z95jowDYJhcjcxlZCKo3rtefXZGzKSikR7gT0lrUPrvPBVkJnLchgUEeQ-ItDUbRcTMjYI-94e/s320/Jan+2011+%2528%2526+Elizabeth%2529+013.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568568817920531042" /></a><br /><br />Warm weather toys are even more fun on snowy days.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX5zhar5Kv59b4tAz4gPKXb78Af8EDNHNwAA60IIW18vtO-QOuDJaNET7dbYGo2EsGXmddevMLyyMm2Lo25w1C7sBrOshqlUv6q9r3zDSG0-nGTYZHlF1hl4tekmOIhW1HqkSx3NnzIDmL/s1600/Jan+2011+%2528%2526+Elizabeth%2529+017.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX5zhar5Kv59b4tAz4gPKXb78Af8EDNHNwAA60IIW18vtO-QOuDJaNET7dbYGo2EsGXmddevMLyyMm2Lo25w1C7sBrOshqlUv6q9r3zDSG0-nGTYZHlF1hl4tekmOIhW1HqkSx3NnzIDmL/s320/Jan+2011+%2528%2526+Elizabeth%2529+017.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568568821918299458" /></a><br /><br />Ben had a great time creating a huge snow pile at the end of our tiny slide and crashing into it. Though he reported that it wasn't nearly as fun or soft as he thought it was going to be.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCwXkdPt8iM1F6mUceFbmHU0sph1pqhOygJnQ6us84bnvaeJL_VgVq6ugyq9ZR1VfbOt0XwXt7GecDixwxqsw5yVunr6ZhTEt8iafFyKgOTz2vKc2t5q8ldp6lEgMBZOWmWLvyf4kmQacu/s1600/Jan+2011+%2528%2526+Elizabeth%2529+019.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCwXkdPt8iM1F6mUceFbmHU0sph1pqhOygJnQ6us84bnvaeJL_VgVq6ugyq9ZR1VfbOt0XwXt7GecDixwxqsw5yVunr6ZhTEt8iafFyKgOTz2vKc2t5q8ldp6lEgMBZOWmWLvyf4kmQacu/s320/Jan+2011+%2528%2526+Elizabeth%2529+019.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568568913060613906" /></a>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-23812958463003232922011-01-31T19:43:00.000-08:002011-01-31T19:53:21.462-08:00Snow DaysWhat do you do on snow days? We have enjoyed a few good ones around here lately. <br /><br />We don't have a terribly rigid life around here, (that comes next year and I am DREADING it) but we do have some formal plans every day, from preschool to my work and things like that. And since we are usually headed out at some point, I often make plans for getting to other places like the Science Center, or running errands. But when the snow has been a bit deeper lately, we have just been staying in jammies all day and coming up with a number of winter-time indoor play plans. It has been a lot of fun!<br /><br />Here was our latest inside diversion: an obstacle course. It was fun just setting it up in the first place. Then the kids went through it a ton, and even convinced Mommy to give it a shot. Man, that tunnel is tight! Fun times:)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCSgP4Z3XWZQpU5XTWTsBMfI2M5s5QZKZK2wMul7-oX0Bs5BrKfGvx2PGzatw2_YsxP-9ghNuFrQYPcL2puQ3k1szOvrnlYhs9wruNYzEv6ZyJFbFnzwbU0_sYG8ft0rnohThJZ2gsqr5/s1600/Jan+2011+%2528%2526+Elizabeth%2529+007.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCSgP4Z3XWZQpU5XTWTsBMfI2M5s5QZKZK2wMul7-oX0Bs5BrKfGvx2PGzatw2_YsxP-9ghNuFrQYPcL2puQ3k1szOvrnlYhs9wruNYzEv6ZyJFbFnzwbU0_sYG8ft0rnohThJZ2gsqr5/s320/Jan+2011+%2528%2526+Elizabeth%2529+007.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568562158739288370" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoFOXoFWhPhC7ZCueeSR1R93Yzr348A277gI21Jx3gw1eMdh7GdUP7LQA69ouWE9FEwl52AuCTjTe3Jzssx6-Et7VcU5F-rXDBobEGowDgUZwhf7voI4sXTh_-zEMlkxXHhU7RWIei2xQr/s1600/Jan+2011+%2528%2526+Elizabeth%2529+006.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoFOXoFWhPhC7ZCueeSR1R93Yzr348A277gI21Jx3gw1eMdh7GdUP7LQA69ouWE9FEwl52AuCTjTe3Jzssx6-Et7VcU5F-rXDBobEGowDgUZwhf7voI4sXTh_-zEMlkxXHhU7RWIei2xQr/s320/Jan+2011+%2528%2526+Elizabeth%2529+006.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568562154635146658" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKu4cvqIvOLNWU0RkMugjVCrc5KKOLGnOxRQesYdkhY8ww7MRCWepaMq65genJ8i7A0l79K2h9h1lO3IXQuXnYYhOdDCP1KP0LK1gA4ZaNMe90_WZ-50v1N7ks8UNn4Mhsc13FVO_FcvAd/s1600/Jan+2011+%2528%2526+Elizabeth%2529+004.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKu4cvqIvOLNWU0RkMugjVCrc5KKOLGnOxRQesYdkhY8ww7MRCWepaMq65genJ8i7A0l79K2h9h1lO3IXQuXnYYhOdDCP1KP0LK1gA4ZaNMe90_WZ-50v1N7ks8UNn4Mhsc13FVO_FcvAd/s320/Jan+2011+%2528%2526+Elizabeth%2529+004.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568562144121409106" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1yYWNyA6fmEQGb4MG0uGLT9VxLuWONCPxSNQ4WBPV9xV1hL7GfxSC-Lt-9_I5VGRLDcOgaVhpypUXvKuD-JZDWNHIUvI-ulm_njPOfqDp1FEIov29g8lBwcXCm86cQdFtieG4TbB62RIh/s1600/Jan+2011+%2528%2526+Elizabeth%2529+003.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1yYWNyA6fmEQGb4MG0uGLT9VxLuWONCPxSNQ4WBPV9xV1hL7GfxSC-Lt-9_I5VGRLDcOgaVhpypUXvKuD-JZDWNHIUvI-ulm_njPOfqDp1FEIov29g8lBwcXCm86cQdFtieG4TbB62RIh/s320/Jan+2011+%2528%2526+Elizabeth%2529+003.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568562142649566338" /></a>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-46733622903691050322011-01-31T19:25:00.001-08:002011-01-31T19:39:32.793-08:00We've been busy!We have had an exciting 6 months around here. Ben and Molly had 1 cousin this time last year, and now they have 4!! <br /><br />In July, Aunt Gigi and Uncle Martin had little baby Hazel. She was a sweet little infant, and has become a delightful baby. We love to see her whenever we can.<br /><br />Baby Hazel, born on July 27, 2010.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRcuTHNbr4wfXSwDWkzhAnmBWIV9lERziQ_mdKeOKQszn0rjJDr5qEWIVZ0TkQVXr9GM6LeIV_urmuI3US6T8sbCfbwY1VPyLYb1OCUPvyR-cfzQEhEYGjc3vLK_6CGvOTCyAMncrTbrEL/s1600/015.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRcuTHNbr4wfXSwDWkzhAnmBWIV9lERziQ_mdKeOKQszn0rjJDr5qEWIVZ0TkQVXr9GM6LeIV_urmuI3US6T8sbCfbwY1VPyLYb1OCUPvyR-cfzQEhEYGjc3vLK_6CGvOTCyAMncrTbrEL/s320/015.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568557946511767586" /></a><br /><br />6-month old Hazel with her adoring cousins:)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi65ETKt5PAMDvIvgVuwg2z8hhmMubQtqngDPaEMU9LOKnoWABsyOpk27DkFyZ8VVZWpaestRSJYOYjGLX7lTLKYPDrwhT5WJpLrbm5yeBFU_14pfCcp-QzQRKkOnAV6ZD_9lLJQVt-5G3x/s1600/Jan+2011+%2528%2526+Elizabeth%2529+022.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi65ETKt5PAMDvIvgVuwg2z8hhmMubQtqngDPaEMU9LOKnoWABsyOpk27DkFyZ8VVZWpaestRSJYOYjGLX7lTLKYPDrwhT5WJpLrbm5yeBFU_14pfCcp-QzQRKkOnAV6ZD_9lLJQVt-5G3x/s320/Jan+2011+%2528%2526+Elizabeth%2529+022.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568557748832622770" /></a><br /><br />Then, this month, Uncle Marty and Aunt Aubrey welcomed little Arlo. He came a tad early and needed oxygen for a while, but is now happily home and doing very well. We can't wait to head up to Davenport and see him again, this time at home and away from the NICU.<br /><br />Baby Arlo, born 1/11/2011<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBpYo1QQreykxg0MYzhJVoD2VY_ElJaOTpLD8H3VisEORNIZKoJhPlHcOfi1ev0fwvQbkmbp1T6O2AHwZyCXWsumMs9rAJzvsoszLYbBH9wZXc3QEBeD32cga27MxynSG5VbOqzGB9oMH/s1600/Winter+2010-2011+123.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBpYo1QQreykxg0MYzhJVoD2VY_ElJaOTpLD8H3VisEORNIZKoJhPlHcOfi1ev0fwvQbkmbp1T6O2AHwZyCXWsumMs9rAJzvsoszLYbBH9wZXc3QEBeD32cga27MxynSG5VbOqzGB9oMH/s320/Winter+2010-2011+123.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568557348964677730" /></a><br /><br />And then, to keep things exciting, Aunt Riri and Uncle Curt and cousin Anna welcomed baby Elizabeth just last week. We have already been to Jefferson City to snuggle her, and can't wait to go again.<br /><br />Baby Elizabeth, born 1/22/2011<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_ED96x34M56Dt9EnEezVv6Ggs4l0bd3qorqJip0rpRfEoFqAhAHG0W75EnHZ0Lz9kWLek5j9FqScEcVzvZWVt6jKssCic3U4siWZNDglZm_UvzXh3lLm8y7RbC74cF0pF1Kp3Lfws3aD/s1600/Jan+2011+%2528%2526+Elizabeth%2529+047.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_ED96x34M56Dt9EnEezVv6Ggs4l0bd3qorqJip0rpRfEoFqAhAHG0W75EnHZ0Lz9kWLek5j9FqScEcVzvZWVt6jKssCic3U4siWZNDglZm_UvzXh3lLm8y7RbC74cF0pF1Kp3Lfws3aD/s320/Jan+2011+%2528%2526+Elizabeth%2529+047.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568557558936019842" /></a><br /><br />Cousin Anna is still awesome, as always. Here she is, giving her very best "say cheese" face to the photographer, cousin Ben.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl20wA6uSSwDAqHKCJfVIKGn2GsnraLlrYmc013EkWSDm1OEUdrcfzIMqmroiDPdgk3i5j3C1GkqjcQMTgYEdIpfXDQSiXrcxancDkbo6RHVFze0dCPBs0Pe9OQY82FbohnGTGZ3FXAbHD/s1600/Winter+2010-2011+046.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl20wA6uSSwDAqHKCJfVIKGn2GsnraLlrYmc013EkWSDm1OEUdrcfzIMqmroiDPdgk3i5j3C1GkqjcQMTgYEdIpfXDQSiXrcxancDkbo6RHVFze0dCPBs0Pe9OQY82FbohnGTGZ3FXAbHD/s320/Winter+2010-2011+046.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568559807529251746" /></a>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8940030510465938357.post-1257972658575156562011-01-31T19:17:00.000-08:002011-01-31T19:21:05.055-08:00Interview with Ben - 5 yrs old<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVFOevIKGjORKke120MsB-NWPc3cLU-y2WCadhkaU9KP9_oV7DgF91nfERRKhQ49n8dQx_AEeJD8mp8kWQ7dW8Sxey5Z2hwIAYAytw7R-hCvQYDsCk8eWl2IYEY2qh3N_LK0mt0hjzqx1/s1600/Winter+2010-2011+043.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIVFOevIKGjORKke120MsB-NWPc3cLU-y2WCadhkaU9KP9_oV7DgF91nfERRKhQ49n8dQx_AEeJD8mp8kWQ7dW8Sxey5Z2hwIAYAytw7R-hCvQYDsCk8eWl2IYEY2qh3N_LK0mt0hjzqx1/s320/Winter+2010-2011+043.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568555734897898242" /></a><br /><br />I did this interview with Ben right after his birthday in November, and a nice "selfie" picture that he took. Enjoy!<br /><br />1. What is your favorite color: “blue and green”<br /><br />2. What is your favorite book: “The Curious Garden”<br /><br />3. What is your favorite movie: “Ice Age…I like it is someone is with me”<br /><br />4. What is your favorite food: “cous cous”<br /><br />5. What is your least favorite food: “I don’t like spinach or salad”<br /><br />6. What is your favorite fruit: “apple”<br /><br />7. What is your favorite vegetable: “green beans”<br /><br />8. What is your least favorite vegetable: “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can answer that question. I think I like all vegetables.”<br /><br />9. What is your favorite t.v. Show: “Cat in the Hat”<br /><br />10. What is your favorite song: “Row Your Boat”<br /><br />11. What is your favorite thing to do with Mom: “Go to the Science Center”<br /><br />12. What is your favorite thing to do with Dad: “See the Gardenland Express”<br /><br />13. What is your favorite game to play with friends: “Tag”<br /><br />14. What is your favorite store: “Noodles & Company and Target”<br /><br />15. What is your favorite sport: “Soccer”<br /><br />16. What is your favorite Bible story: “I don’t know what you mean. Oh, I like the 3 Jesus Bibles that I have.” <br /><br />17. What is your favorite place to go: “Target”<br /><br />18. What is your favorite restaurant: “Noodles & Company and Lily’s”<br /><br />19. What is your favorite toy: “My model train”<br /><br />20. What is your favorite thing to do with Molly: “Play coo coo town. We tickle each other and wrestle each other”<br /><br />21. What is your favorite drink: “chocolate milk”<br /><br />22. What is your favorite thing to do at school: “play blocks”<br /><br />23. What is your favorite thing to do outside: “Play in the snow”<br /><br />24. What do you want to be when you grow up: “A train driver”<br /><br />25. What can you do now that you are 5: “Go sledding. I couldn’t go sledding when I was little.”<br /><br />26. Who is your best friend: “Beatrice, Mina, Aiden and Colby” (kids from school) “My best brother is Alex” (he calls one of his close friends his brother)<br /><br />27. What is Mom's job: “I don’t know. Um…therapy.”<br /><br />28. What is Dad's job: “Work”<br /><br />29. What does Mom always say: “I love you”<br /><br />30. What does Dad always say: “I love you”<br /><br />31. What is your nickname: “Benner”<br /><br />32. What makes you laugh: “Daddy tickling me”<br /><br />33. What makes you sad: “When my brother Braeden doesn’t play with me.” (Braeden is the other close friend that he refers to as his brother)<br /><br />34. What are you thankful for: “Nana and God. And you and Papa and Daddy and Molly” <br /><br />35. What does Mom love about you: “That I am your lovie bunny”Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904415211777376699noreply@blogger.com1