What's Up

We've been loving our outside time and have started a Tour of Playgrounds.  We've been spotting different neighborhood and school playgrounds and have been doing our best to try all of them out!

 Scott and Natalie have birthdays coming up in the next few weeks!  Our buffet price at Chicago's is about to go up.  :/

 Scott is going to try out piano lessons this summer and is very excited.  He's been "practicing" daily since I told him about it. 

 Natalie is going to try a week at dance camp.  She's also thrilled and has been practicing her ballet moves. 

 Kate is going to obedience school this summer.  Okay...not really. 

Scott has a countdown in his room going...only 8 more days of preschool left! 

I couldn't do this again if I tried...Natalie was scooting down the driveway when I snapped this picture.  Scott had written her name in chalk on the driveway a few days prior.  Pretty cool!:)

I normally don't purchase stuffed animals at garage sales.  However, I broke my rule a couple of weekends ago.  Scott and Natalie spotted a Barney for Kate.  It came from the home of a nice lady that we know, so I gave in and bought 25 cent Barney.  After a wash, the kids presented Kate her new purple dinosaur, and she bonded immediately.  She sleeps with it now and lights up whenever she sees it.  It's funny to see watch her on the video monitor at night with her arm around her big Barney.  She's in love!

 A rare family shot

 Natalie loves to go down into the mud room and put on strange combinations of hats, coats, shoes, etc.  Here I caught her teaching Kate the ropes.   

 Grrrr

This little monkey thinks that 5:00 a.m. is a proper waking time.  Natalie has been hearing her cries and rising for the day then, too.  Natalie told me that Kate was her alarm clock.  Mine too.  :/  The boys have been doing a better job sleeping through our cute little "alarm clock" though.  I'm so jealous!

I love these kiddos!

Train Up A Child In the Way He Should Go

So at the ages of 5, 3, and 1, I realize that my kids could use some guidance when it comes to properly celebrating Mother's Day.  Therefore, as soon as Jon left for work today, we packed up the van and headed to Marsh.  We picked out a big cookie, and I asked the bakery lady to write HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY on it in pink icing.  (I was really hoping that she would not ask me any questions that would lead to me having to admit that the cookie was for myself.  I would have been fine without any sentiments written on it, but the middle of the cookie was desperately crying for some more icing.)  

After purchasing my gift, we exited the store and headed to a local playground for a mini-celebration.  I had packed a fork, knife, and plenty of paper towels, and so we were set.  We found a bench and dug in.   (No time for good pictures when a cookie and playground are waiting.  I was going to take a selfie in my honor, but decided that I had celebrated myself enough.)

Once my belly was full, I began to feel a little guilty about my indulgence.  So I took another bite to remove the "M" and feel much better about the cookie now.  It's all about the others. :)  

Should I encourage this?

This is Natalie.  Sometimes known as Ann.  Her full name is Natalie Grace, but she gets quite upset when we call her that.  She corrects us and says that we can call her "Natalie Big Sister" or "Ann"...but certainly not Natalie Grace.  In church on Sunday, she told her teachers that she likes to be called Ann and she wrote Ann on all of her papers.  (She doesn't know how to spell Ann, so she writes about 14 different letters and tells you that you can spell Ann any way you like.) 

Not only does she refer to herself as Ann, she also has an imaginary friend named Ann.  For the past few months, "Ann" has been accompanying Natalie many places.  Ann sometimes joins us during dinner or in the van.  She and Natalie will have some interesting conversations.  She likes to race Natalie around the house.  Sometimes Natalie wins; sometimes Ann wins.  Natalie will cheer for Ann and congratulate her.  When life gets too dull with just Ann, sometimes Dane makes his way into the scene too.  Dane is older...seven I think she said.  He is all brown- brown hair, brown eyes, brown skin, and brown ears.  :)  Four year old Ann is also brown all over, but she has purple eyes.

 (Ann is on her left and Dane is on her right...or was it the other way around?!)

Scott cracks up at this whole imaginary friend thing and kind of eggs Natalie on.  He will ask Natalie where they are, and laughs and laughs at Natalie's responses...which only encourages more "appearances" from Ann & Dane.

Oh to be a three year old...