Friday Highlights

This post is dedicated to my impatient, 'blog slacker' calling, sweet blog stalker follower Kelly!  She is partying with my dear friend Alaina in Nashville this weekend for Alaina's BIG 30th -eh hem, 25th? BIRTHDAY BASH... wish I could have joined you all this weekend, but someone has to stay home with the kids, they can't watch themselves!!!

Tyler came walking into the kitchen sporting a new summer fashion statement. I really think the black socks top off the whole look!

And after replenishing the batteries in this old toy, Tyler and Addison had so much fun playing with this ball shooting contraption until...

Addison got her arm stuck in the tube trying to reach the balls inside. She carried the toy to me, attached to her arm.

And the good blogger mom that I am... grabbed the camera for a quick photo op before separating her new appendage.

Tyler hiding from Mommy in the cabinet he KNOWS he is not supposed to be in... if you can't tell, he's screaming MOOOOOOM, MOOOOOM, MOOOOOOOM, MOOOOOOOM!

Then Addison says, "Hey, it's my turn to hide! Mom come find me!"

More Dinner Table Fun

The kids were full of energy after they got home from school yesterday!  I had to recruit McKenzie to help me out with the little ones so I could get some things done around the house.  She took Tyler up to her room and they 'played' up there for a while.

Before dinner, she emerged with Tyler in her arms.... this is what she was up to...

Need a closer look??? 

He doesn't look very thrilled.  

It was loaded with hairspray and very crispy.

By suppertime, it had been messed with a little bit and had turned into a spikey 'poof'.

Tyler was making really funny faces at the dinner table, but of course, after Daddy brought out the iPhone, he wouldn't make them.  But you can still enjoy these videos. I guess it's a good example of how we entertain ourselves.

 

Addison narrated this one...

This one is the best. Keep your eye on McKenzie... 

and try NOT to pee your pants!!!

Fun at the Dinner Table

Videos and Moons

Nick took some video of the boys playing outside today. It was only about 50 degrees, but it was enough to get them outside and burn off some energy!

 

The moon(s) are out tonight...

Here are the little ones in the tub tonight after supper.

Bring on Spring

I'm done waiting for more snow, and given up any hope that we'll have the winter we had last year with inches and inches of snow (I went without for 6 years... I MISS THE SNOW)... but if this weather keeps up (currently 73 degrees) forget it!  Bring me some Spring!

After Tyler got up from his nap, Addison and I took him outside to get some fresh air.  After I went around and opened up all the windows in the house.

 

Tyler attempted to carry this ball up the hill...

 And as it rolled down... he proceeded to 'scootch' down the hill to catch it.

 

"Mom, take my picture!"

 

"Mom, here's a dead crispy leaf flower for your hair.... now let me take your picture!"

 Oops, there you go.

 

Next it was time to play in the flower bed...

Me: Addison, stand behind the tree and peek over the side toward me.
Addison: Like this?
Me: uh, no...

 There you go!

But look at me... or not.

(I have like 6 shots just like this.. none of which she looked at me)

 

Okay, next? 

The slide!

Then the ramp to the shed!

UP the ramp!

 

Down the ramp...

 

He was so proud!

 

Snuggles on the hammock...

 Then a quick rest...

 

Suddenly, McKenzie was home from school and racing up the hill toward us!

 

 And giving rides on the swing..

 And pushing them REALLY HIGH!

 But she liked it!

 Then rolling the ball UP and DOWN the big hill...

Then it was almost time for Trevor to get home from school... so we loaded up the wagon and went for a walk around the neighborhood while we waited for the bus.

Addison-isms

Addison has been playing a lot with the plastic farm animals lately. She carries them around in her 'lankie' (blankie), they sit on the bathroom counter while she does her business, they line up on the floor while she watches a movie, and lay down in a synchronized swimmer like pattern on her nightstand when she goes to bed.

However, we've noticed she calls them by the sounds they make.

A while back, she was sobbing uncontrollably looking for one of her toys.  It was hard enough to understand her when she was crying, but when she kept saying "May-hays" I had no idea what she was wanting.

Later that night, a light bulb lit up above my head.... she was looking for her horses!

She calls:

Cats - Meows
Cows - Moos  *She has mommy moos, baby moos, daddy moos, sister moos
Horses - May-hays (and she says it just like its spelled, no animal like sounds to it, just... may- hay. See why we struggled to figure out what she was wanting? Now, whether she wanted her Mommy may-hay or her baby may-hay, I don't know. She just wanted her may-hays.

I'd be interested to see what she would say when I show her a giraffe and ask her what it's called.

I suppose we should encourage her to call them by their respected names, but for now, it's just too cute. And the names may just stick, like what we call the remote (thanks to a little McKenzie).... marymote.

Happy Valentine's Day!

On this day of hugs and kisses, it is currently 61 degrees in Virginina!

The kids went out the door today with their arms full of Valentine's! I stayed up last night baking fresh sugar cookies for Trevor's Classroom Valentine Party! They are having an ice cream party with toppings galore, and decorating sugar cookies too!

I made a couple giant frosted sugar cookies for Trevor's teachers.  When I offered to bake the sugar cookies for their party, she sent a note home telling me how many they would need, and if I wanted to include any extras 'just in case'... she would be okay with that as well!

Here are the kids' Valentine's I made for them to take to their classmates this year:

Aren't they the cutest things!!!!

The kids had a blast helping me put the suckers in their photos!

McKenzie opted NOT to do the photo.. and just took the leftover suckers to school to give to her friends.

When I was taking the pictures of Trevor and Addison, of course, Tyler wanted to have a chance as well! Getting him to hold his fist the right way, was a bit difficult, all while trying to look at the camera... too many instructions for an 18 month old.

Addison got all dressed up in hearts and fru fru... she LOVES wearing her fancy skirts, so I had her hold a giant cookie (for her teacher) for a photo op:

Nick was scheduled to be on duty today and tomorrow, so we went out to eat at Olive Garden with the kiddos, AND... I got my little Valentine gift from Nick last night...

My own box of oatmeal creme pies (my biggest weakness)... and a nice little card!

Thank you honey!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!!

Let's Go Skating!!!

It was a beautiful day today! Our snow is long gone, but it makes it easier to part with when the temperature gets up in the 50's. 

So, I was knee deep in cleaning and organizing my enormous pantry when Nick decides he wants to take the kids to go roller skating at the skate rink just a few miles from our house.  McKenzie had spent the night at a friend's house so he called her up and asked if she and her friend wanted to go with us.  [Surprisingly, her answer was no.] 

So I got the kids dressed, and left my kitchen and pantry a mess and we walked out the door to go skating.

The kids had never been before and Nick and I calculated that it had been about 7 years since we last put on some skates. [A bunch of us went out in Pensacola, FL for McKenzie's 6th birthday and had a blast at the skate rink that night]

Anyways, Addison needed a size 7, but they started at size 8... but the smallest size they had available when we got there was an 11!   Thank goodness we brought an extra pair of socks for her! We needed them.  Trevor was so excited to try skating, and was ready to go once I got his skates on him.

I offered to stay back with Tyler the first round, so Nick (sporting some old style skates himself) took Trevor in his left hand and Addison in his right...
 

It wasn't long (and I mean a few seconds) before Trevor was down...

 He immediately turned my way and continued to fall at least a half dozen times before making the 15 foot trip back to me... arms and legs and skates flying, and the screaming getting louder with each fall.

Addison was quite a trooper, continuing on with the lap.   That is, until a long white bearded 80 year old ish man came fancy skatin' past Nick yelling "18 and older skate time".... apparently we missed that announcement, so he turned around and lead Addison back to our seats. She then wiped out as she was stepping up onto the carpted area and bonked her head on the edge.  More screaming.

Nick went on a few solo laps, so I stayed with our happy screaming children crying, "I wanna go home, I don't want to skate anymore!"

What, you want proof?

 (Trevor screaming extra loud when he realized I was trying to take a picture of him crying on the sidelines)

 

Do those look like the faces of happy roller skating children????

Wait, here... let's pretend she is zooming past me on some fancy in line skates and smiling for a quick photo as I wave and blow her kisses as she passes by. Whoosh!

(actually she had a rapid mood change and posed quick for me before going back to looking like the previous photo)

That move had the lady next to me in stitches!

After a few minutes, I convinced Trevor and Addison to go a round with me.  It was now my turn to have a kid clinging desperately for life on each arm... we started off pretty good. Addison pretty much had it down, and let me pull her while I tried instructing Trevor to 'march' a little to decrease the frantic moments of losing his balance.  He kept rolling his feet front to back, each time moving farther and farther away from each other, causing his arms to make some sort of attempt to compensate, making the whole situation that much worse, for EVERYONE nearby.  So between me catching Addison in a mid spinning fall and pulling her back up to her feet, while trying to downsize the flailing arms and legs of a mess on my left (Trevor), I can only thank the good Lord above for helping me to NOT make a complete fool of myself as well and keeping me upright.

At the halfway point, Trevor had all but given up, and we were at the point where I am forcing him to continue to skate around the rest of the lap.  (Yes, all this time, we have only made it halfway around) But to prevent people from thinking I am a terrible mother, I let him stop at the 3/4 mark and join Nick (on skates) chasing Tyler around the outside.  And of course, Addison wanted to quit too.

The skates came off, the shoes went back on, and they went to play on the indoor jungle gym.

Meanwhile, there was one person who went that had a blast!!!!! That would be my sweet little Tyler.  He walked up and down the sidelines of the rink flirting with the ladies, and keeping us on our toes as he would take any opportunity to hop onto the wood floor that was the skate rink... If they had skates small enough for him I guarantee you he would be out struttin' his stuff on the rink!

But instead, he hung out with Mom and Dad...

And when a good song came on... he'd do his thang...

"Great Idea, Nick."  <---- Sarcasm.