Another Day Older...

Today was my birthday, and it started off much calmer than last year's. Both kids told me happy birthday as soon as they woke up this morning. Other than the birthday greeting, it was just another day (until cake & presents later).

I don't have any pictures to include, but the absolute highlight of the kids' day today was finding a nest of baby bunnies under our air conditioner. Actually, Hunter found the first baby, which was really not so cute, as you can probably imagine. I figured it was very likely there were more, so the kids and I did a little searching on the internet to find out how many babies (kittens) a doe will have in a typical litter. We read that a typical litter consists of 3-9 babies, so we figured there were more. (What did moms do without the internet??) We managed to keep the dogs away from the unit and found 2 more later in the day. Not considering their destructive nature (or all the poop they leave in the yard) the babies were very cute and exactly the kind of thing preschoolers squeal with delight over. Tyler, Danielle, and our neighbor's children did just that. I'm not sure if the babies were old enough to survive away from the nest or if they'll try to find their way back. Personally, I'm hoping they'll make themselves at home in the neighbor's flower bed, where we can enjoy them from afar.

We are in the midst of a heat wave, so we spent some time playing in the kiddie pool today. A couple weeks ago the kids discovered the joys of the pool noodle. Here are some pictures and videos from our afternoon.

















When I envisioned playing in the pool in my mind, everyone was happy and agreeable. This is the reality:






Tonight we went out for my birthday dinner. I had initially picked a steak place that has free kid's meals on Tuesdays, but we found out at the last minute they went out of business. So we went some place else. It was a typical dinner out: Danielle ate the butter for the rolls (with her fingers) while we were trying to get settled at the table. Tyler took too big a bite of his hot dog and sat with his mouth opened until it just rolled out. I spilled something on my shirt. Someone knocked over their drink, which didn't fall but splattered, on the ground by the childless couple next to us who grumbled something rather unkind. You get the idea. The food was good but over priced. In hindsight, fast food take-out might have been a better idea.

Once back home, the kids gave me presents and a birthday cake. Danielle gave me a watering can, and Tyler gave me some flower pots. (Exactly what I asked for.) They were so excited and pleased with themselves. That look of eager anticipation on their faces as I unwrapped my gifts - that was my highlight of the day.

Bugs and Evangelism

Today we joined Mamaw, Beth, & Sebby at one of the metroparks to walk through their giant insect exhibit. The kids had fun walking on the paths and exploring everything with their cousins. Here are some pictures from our day.

Ron and I took advantage of the 99cent kids meals and outside playground at a local restaurant for dinner tonight. The kids were off playing so much that it was almost like we were on a date. Our kids played very nicely, for the most part. After watching Tyler, Danielle, and two other kids huddled up by the steps for a couple minutes, I decided to check on them. When I approached them, they all got quiet, so I asked what they were talking about. Tyler said, "Jesus and God." Not wanting to interrupt our budding evangelist, I quickly returned to our table to tell Ron. We thought it was pretty cute and laughed a bit. We stopped laughing, though, a minute later when we looked up to see Tyler chasing one of the kids and yelling, "If you're naughty you'll go with the devil! You'll go with the devil!" Appears he's going to be a hellfire and brimstone type of evangelist.

A Good Visit

Today the kids and I spent the day visiting with my aunt and cousins, who live about 1.5 hours away. We brought our bikes so we could enjoy part of the bike path near their house. The bike path replaced an old rail system through the area. Before riding, my aunt took us to a part of the path where the kids could explore a large engine, car, & caboose. It was really neat. Danielle thought it would be funny if I took a picture of her on the tracks in front of the train - as if she was about to be run over. If only we had some rope! Tyler enjoyed trying to figure out how all the parts worked. To his surprise, the real engine wasn't exactly like the engines portrayed in Thomas!

After checking out the train, we enjoyed a ride on the bike path. Including the return trip, the kids each rode a little over a mile. Not bad for little legs! They enjoyed seeing the horses and butterflies and riding with their cousins. They also enjoyed playing on the playground afterward. (They were pretending to be in jail.) The walk to the corner ice cream shop was a highlight, too.

My aunt lives right outside the town Ron & I lived in when we were first married. As we drove through town today, I enjoyed pointing out nostalgic landmarks to Tyler and Danielle: we lived down there. Daddy worked over there. We went to school over there. Etc. Tyler made the appropriate noises and acted interested. Danielle said nothing. I had to laugh to myself as I realized I was doing exactly what my mother used to do to me: boring me with places that meant something to her but not really that much to me. I hope I managed to make the appropriate noises back then, too. (Sorry Mom!)

We had a very nice day and made lots of fun memories.

Future Engineer? Architect? City Planner?

I feel the need to brag on Tyler a little. While Ron's been gone this week, Tyler has been working on putting together all his big Lego sets to surprise him when he gets home. Tyler has put these sets together ALL BY HIMSELF. Since we have hundreds of Legos, I sorted them into piles for him by set, but he did everything else by himself. Seriously, I did not build anything except the fire truck's ladder thingy, and I screwed it up the first time. He is amazing at following the instructions and step-by-step plans. I looked up the sets online to find out how many pieces are in each of the sets he put together and found there are a total of 1971 pieces! Not bad for a 5 year old that doesn't like to sit still.

The County Fair

The kids and I took advantage of the beautiful day and somewhat milder temperatures to visit our local county fair today. We haven't taken the kids to the fair since Danielle's first birthday, so really this was new to both of them. We had such a good time. It was another one of those days that reminds me to tell my husband how grateful I am to be a stay-at-home mom.

We enjoyed looking at the naked sheep (recently shorn), the baby donkey, the silly goats, the beautiful horses and the HUGE cows. While we were there they were having a costume contest for the donkeys and their handlers. (Who thinks of such things??) Danielle could hardly contain herself when she saw the pony rides. Danielle rode Leo. Tyler rode King. They both really enjoyed their rides.

Tyler really wanted to try playing a game, so I conceded after this very nice (read: "not as pushy as everyone else") game attendant agreed to let Tyler have a prize even if he missed. Turns out this shouldn't have been a concern. Tyler threw the dart & popped a balloon on his first try. He had 3 darts and managed to pop 4 balloons! He was so excited to trade his little prize up for a "big" one after his third balloon. I was trying to take a picture of him with his prize, but he wanted it to look like the dog was eating the cotton candy, so you can't really see it. Regardless, he was very pleased with himself. Danielle didn't want to play any games. All she really wanted was cotton candy (which she pronounces totton tandy).

After the game the kids rode a ride and played in a giant bouncy house that had a slide, too. There wasn't a time limit on the bouncy house and it was relatively cheap, so that was a good deal. They had lots of fun and wore themselves out pretty good in there.

After the rides the kids were exhausted so we headed back to the car. Before we left, though, Tyler went back to the same balloon game and won a little prize for his sister. She was delighted and he was, of course, very proud. On the ride home the kids enjoyed their cotton candy and managed to get themselves good and sticky. (She didn't really eat all that!)

It was a great day.

Sparklers, Smoke Bombs, Spaghetti Dogs, & a Slip & Slide

(I tried to post this yesterday but wasn't able to get it uploaded, so today is actually yesterday now.)

We enjoyed celebrating the 4th with Grandma & Grandpa R earlier this week. Ron and I were especially grateful for the child-free afternoon we had together while Grandma & Grandpa took the kids to a parade, lunch, the hotel pool, and the mall play area. The kids especially enjoyed the sparklers and smoke bombs Grandpa brought. The fireworks were nice, too. I think we all had a nice holiday.












Although this is of absolutely no importance, I thought it was funny and wanted to share it. We had spaghetti with our dinner last night. While Ron and I were busy talking about something else, Danielle quietly arranged her spaghetti noodles on the table into the shape of a dog. She did get scolded for playing with her food (and not using her fork), but it was so creative I had to take a picture before we made her eat it.




Today was Tyler's final game of the season. As luck would have it, he hit the very last pitch on his very last at bat! It was a great way to end the season! He also received a medal and a trophy. He was SO proud.















After dinner this evening we pulled out a Slip & Slide, invited the neighbor kids over, and had a great time. It was a wonderful way to enjoy the 90+ degree evening. By the time we were done, all the kids had chattering teeth, goosebumps, and pruney fingers.

Another Finished Project

Well, it only took me 3 weeks, but I finally stained the entire playset. Here are the before and after pictures. I used every bit of stain, even scraped the can, and thought I managed to cover it all. I was proud of myself for having just enough. Today while we were outside I managed to find one board where I forgot to stain the side. Of course, every time I look at the playset that's the one spot I'll always focus on! Oh well.

I forgot to mention this conversation I had with Danielle earlier this week. After VBS one day she was talking about God and Jesus. She was trying to figure out how they fit together. When Tyler was trying to figure out the relationship between God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit earlier this year, Ron used an egg analogy. I thought I'd give it a try. I didn't really mention the Holy Spirit (because she didn't ask) but talked about Jesus being a part of God, like a yolk is part of an egg, etc. Danielle is smart, but she's also blonde. Sometimes things take a little longer to sink in. When I was done, Danielle said, "You mean Jesus ate a part of God?"