Thursday, March 29, 2012

Christmas 2011: Or How April's Blogging Skills Hit a New Low

I know, it's March.  I have no excuse.  But here you go.  Lovely Christmas Eve photo:


The stick horses (er, unicorn) that I handmade for Adam and Jane (with last minute help from my Mom).


Jane's gigantic doll house which was a hand-me-down from some very generous friends.  Notice the leotard over the fleece jammies?  Classic Jane.


My Mom came and spent an entire week with us.  It was lovely.  Enough time for Paige to warm up to her and for us to finish the entire "Pillars of the Earth" miniseries, neither of which are minor feats.

Maybe by next Christmas I will be caught up on my blogging.


Hahahahahahahahaha!

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Jane's Birthday Questions


20 Birthday Questions: Jane 3/18/2012 (Age 3)
What is your favorite color? Pink
What is your favorite toy? Princesses
What is your favorite fruit? Oranges
What is your favorite TV show? Dora and the Crystal Kingdom
What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Eggs
What is your favorite outfit? Rapunzel Princess Dress
What is your favorite game? Mouse Trap
What is your favorite snack? Fruit Snacks
What is your favorite animal? Horse
What is your favorite song? I Came to Earth with Power to Choose
What is your favorite book?  Princess Finding Book
What do you want for your birthday this year? More Princess Dolls
Who is your best friend? Nolan
What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ride the Rollercoasters
What is your favorite drink? Orange Juice
What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Angry Birds
What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Eggs
What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Macaroni and Cheese
What do you want to be when you grow up? A Princess

Adam's 5th Birthday Questions


20 Birthday Questions: Adam 3/18/2012 (Age 5)
What is your favorite color? Blue
What is your favorite toy? Marble Tracks
What is your favorite fruit? Watermelon
What is your favorite TV show? Octonauts
What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Progresso Soup with Crackers
What is your favorite outfit? Angry Birds t-shirt
What is your favorite game? Mouse Trap
What is your favorite snack? Nutrigrain Bar
What is your favorite animal? Elephant
What is your favorite song? I Want to be a Missionary
What is your favorite book?  I Wonder Why books
What do you want for your birthday this year? Big Angry Bird
Who is your best friend? Eli
What is your favorite thing to do outside? Sprinklers
What is your favorite drink? Lemonade
What is your favorite holiday? Halloween
What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Angry Bird
What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Pancakes
What do you want for dinner on your birthday? French Fries from Red Robin
What do you want to be when you grow up? A computer builder

Friday, December 9, 2011

Epic.

One of these things is not like the other...


Look what we found in our coop!


My faith is restored.

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Thursday, December 8, 2011

Jane is Three: Cue the Happy Dance

Jane's first question on the morn of her birthday, "Am I three?"  When I said yes she did a rendition of the Hokey Pokey as she yelled, "I'm three, I'm three, I'm finally three!"  If she could skip right to 16, she would.  In honor of her Golden Birthday, here are some facts about Jane:

She is the stereotypical precocious child.

She listens and learns from everything I say and often repeats the most embarrassing bits at the most inconvenient moments.

She would subside on condiments if I let her and has been known to eat butter, ketchup, cream cheese and drink those little containers of half-n-half straight up.

She is extremely "girly" and loves all things pink, purple, sparkly and princess.

She started ballet in September and still loves to put on her tutu and leotard every week.



Her hair still makes me laugh sometimes.

When she was born she had delicious, drippy cheeks.

Truly edible.
And beautiful blue eyes.

She loves to accessorize.

And she loves to make others laugh.

She is extremely physically affectionate.  She wants to hug, kiss, snuggle and be as close as physically possible to other human beings. 




She prefers to sleep on her brother's floor rather than in her own bed.

She couldn't wait to turn three.

She has a wild imagination and I will often overhear her playing out scenes with whatever lucky creature is nearby.

Did I mention she likes to accessorize?

She loves all animals and wants to touch/hold/pet/hug them as much as she can.  Just so you know, our chickens are not fond of being held.
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She's been planning her "Princess Birthday" for months.  I finally jumped on board a couple weeks before her birthday and made these lovely Rapunzel braids for Jane and her friends.

Then everyone ate a delicious pink princess cake with pink ice cream and pink lemonade.
We love you Jane.  You make our lives sparky, pink and hilarious.  We're so glad you're part of our family.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Shredded Kids

They make it look so easy:


Tunnel to Towers Race and NYC Shenanigans

Right after the Run for Mercy, I packed my bags and boarded a train with seven good friends for a relaxing few days of child-free fun in lovely New York City.  The train was the perfect way to get there.  It is about a 7 hour ride, which gave us plenty of time to talk.  At first we were doing that kind of frantic talking that Moms do because they know they will be interrupted at any moment by a child needing something.  Then we remembered, No Kids!

Four of us awoke bright and early Sunday morning and boarded the ferry to the starting line.

When I uploaded the pictures to my computer it loaded the ones from the camera Scott had at home with the camera I had in NYC in the order they were taken.  So, while I was making my way to the starting line, Scott was engineering the bike ride to church.  When I got home, he told be they rode bikes to church and it took me a minute to realize, "...but, how?"  Leave it to Scott.

Back to NYC, this race is run by firefighters in full gear.  It's really cool.

And Army regiments run in it in formation.


I loved this firefighter dad carrying his little man.

The race goes through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel (which feels so long and can feel a bit claustrophobic if you remember the tunnel is under water...).  As you come out of the tunnel there are West Point cadets, each holding a banner for a firefighter or police officer killed on 9/11.

There were also several school groups singing patriotic songs.  The whole thing was an awesome experience.

Finished!



After the race was over it was time for the fun to begin.  We started with Billy Elliot on Broadway followed by a late-night dinner.

Breakfast the next morning was glorious if not a tad expensive.  $9 for my OJ.  It was fresh squeezed, but still.

Is it a girls' trip without pedicures?

No, it's not.

Back at the farm, the kids were being entertained by a tree being taken down in the backyard.  I think Scott even made them some popcorn.

The next day some of the girls took the early flight but some of us stayed until later.  We went to St. Patrick's Cathedral
.

Apparently, while I was being born, John Paul II was in NYC at St. Patrick's.
30 Rock, baby!



And then it was time to head home and kiss my husband's feet for letting me get away for a few days.  Same place next year ladies?

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