(This post got a bit long...even Jon was ready to skim through by the time he made it near the end.)
Jon had to work during the Superbowl, so the kids and I sat down to watch a bit of the game together. They were super excited and cheered for both teams.
Scott discovered a way to drink from his cup without using his hands. Trust me...I put milk in there. :) Our happenin' party lasted all of 10 minutes or so. I was trying to turn the commercials off, but I didn't get a "scary" car commercial turned off in time, and Scott got pretty disturbed by it. Who needs to watch the Superbowl anyway when you could be watching Miss Patty Cake? :)
My sweet and oh-so-crafty friend, Molly, sent us a FUN Valentine's day package complete with treats, goodies, and homemade playdough with heart cutters for the kids. They are still enjoying her great surprise. Thanks again, Molly!!
We took the kids to a fun gym. I had taken Scott this summer, but I hadn't attempted to take Natalie yet. I thought she might run wild. For the first few minutes, she acted hesitant and stayed close by, and I thought that I may not have needed Jon's help after all. However, in typical Natalie fashion, she warmed up quickly and was off like a race horse. The kids had so much fun bouncing and running and tumbling around. As we were driving away, we decided that I shouldn't try going solo yet with both kids. Scott is begging already to go back, but I'm a bit leery. A few days after our great time there, Natalie came down with a 104 degree fever and is just finishing up her antibiotic for possible strep. I sanitized their hands before we left the parking lot, but I'm still secretly calling that gym a germ factory.
Scott enjoyed having Daddy along and got to do some things that Mommy couldn't do with him!
Ready for more randomness? We have toooo many stuffed animals. Some from my childhood, some that were gifts for the kids, some that snuck into our basement overnight. Anyway...I have heard great stories recently about kids who are eager to give their toys away to those who are less fortunate and have developed a heart for giving at a young age. With this idea in mind, I got two empty tubs and told the kids the sad story about how some children do not have any toys and that we need to give some of ours away to them. I said, "Let's fill one tub with animals that we want to keep and one tub with animals that we want to give away." I picked up my least favorite stuffed animal first (least favorite because it is the largest). I told the kids how some other children would love to hug and squeeze on the overstuffed lamb...or bear...I'm still not sure what it is. Natalie immediately came over and gave the big thing a giant hug, and Scott interpreted that she wanted to keep it. After trying to talk them out of a few others and failing, I told Scott to start by choosing one that he definitely was ready to give away. He chose Officer Friendly. (If you've been a long time follower, you'll recall that Officer Friendly is an adorable police officer puppet...certainly NOT one to give away.) I immediately vetoed Scott's decision and pulled Officer Friendly out of the "Give Away" tub. I told him to choose again, but he was too busy freaking out since Natalie had started to pile all of the animals (including herself) into the charity tub. Sooo....I could see we weren't going to get very far and decided to save the "give to those in need" lesson for later or perhaps have Jon go through them sometime while I distracted the kids upstairs. Surely Jon would know better than to give away cute little Officer Friendly. And I'm sure he'd know to keep that darling duck that I received when I was eight years old, wouldn't he? Ummm...scratch that idea. I'll just do it sometime when the kids are asleep. Maybe. 
Check out Brody's shirt: "MY AUNT'S COOL!" :) He probably got a few extra hugs that day! :)
Grammy took Scott for an afternoon prior to Valentine's Day. They made delicious V-day cookies and cute Valentine's for us. Scott had a great time. Carol and Scott also took some cookies by Scott's great grandpa's house. Don wanted to try to sit up to see Scott on that day and was able to talk to his great grandson. That was the last "good" day Don had before going to heaven on Valentine's Day. I'm grateful that Scott got to see him that one last time. He will be missed.
Scott's my usual baking buddy while Natalie is napping. Today, however, I was feeling brave and allowed both kids to help me in the kitchen. I braced myself for arguments over who got to stir or pour in the ingredients, but I was pleasantly surprised. Instead, Scott kept saying, "Here Natalie, do you want to stir?" Now...before you think too highly of my three year old, you must hear the rest of the story. Natalie was a much more messy stirrer and often splashed things out of the bowl/onto the floor. Scott knew better than to do this, but he loved watching his sister make the mess. He stood by and giggled and giggled with each sloppy stir. She then tried to sample some batter which caused Scott to laugh even harder. Natalie was also loving every minute of it! 
THE END! :)
Jon had to work during the Superbowl, so the kids and I sat down to watch a bit of the game together. They were super excited and cheered for both teams.
Scott discovered a way to drink from his cup without using his hands. Trust me...I put milk in there. :) Our happenin' party lasted all of 10 minutes or so. I was trying to turn the commercials off, but I didn't get a "scary" car commercial turned off in time, and Scott got pretty disturbed by it. Who needs to watch the Superbowl anyway when you could be watching Miss Patty Cake? :)
My sweet and oh-so-crafty friend, Molly, sent us a FUN Valentine's day package complete with treats, goodies, and homemade playdough with heart cutters for the kids. They are still enjoying her great surprise. Thanks again, Molly!!
We took the kids to a fun gym. I had taken Scott this summer, but I hadn't attempted to take Natalie yet. I thought she might run wild. For the first few minutes, she acted hesitant and stayed close by, and I thought that I may not have needed Jon's help after all. However, in typical Natalie fashion, she warmed up quickly and was off like a race horse. The kids had so much fun bouncing and running and tumbling around. As we were driving away, we decided that I shouldn't try going solo yet with both kids. Scott is begging already to go back, but I'm a bit leery. A few days after our great time there, Natalie came down with a 104 degree fever and is just finishing up her antibiotic for possible strep. I sanitized their hands before we left the parking lot, but I'm still secretly calling that gym a germ factory.
Scott enjoyed having Daddy along and got to do some things that Mommy couldn't do with him!
Ready for more randomness? We have toooo many stuffed animals. Some from my childhood, some that were gifts for the kids, some that snuck into our basement overnight. Anyway...I have heard great stories recently about kids who are eager to give their toys away to those who are less fortunate and have developed a heart for giving at a young age. With this idea in mind, I got two empty tubs and told the kids the sad story about how some children do not have any toys and that we need to give some of ours away to them. I said, "Let's fill one tub with animals that we want to keep and one tub with animals that we want to give away." I picked up my least favorite stuffed animal first (least favorite because it is the largest). I told the kids how some other children would love to hug and squeeze on the overstuffed lamb...or bear...I'm still not sure what it is. Natalie immediately came over and gave the big thing a giant hug, and Scott interpreted that she wanted to keep it. After trying to talk them out of a few others and failing, I told Scott to start by choosing one that he definitely was ready to give away. He chose Officer Friendly. (If you've been a long time follower, you'll recall that Officer Friendly is an adorable police officer puppet...certainly NOT one to give away.) I immediately vetoed Scott's decision and pulled Officer Friendly out of the "Give Away" tub. I told him to choose again, but he was too busy freaking out since Natalie had started to pile all of the animals (including herself) into the charity tub. Sooo....I could see we weren't going to get very far and decided to save the "give to those in need" lesson for later or perhaps have Jon go through them sometime while I distracted the kids upstairs. Surely Jon would know better than to give away cute little Officer Friendly. And I'm sure he'd know to keep that darling duck that I received when I was eight years old, wouldn't he? Ummm...scratch that idea. I'll just do it sometime when the kids are asleep. Maybe. 
Check out Brody's shirt: "MY AUNT'S COOL!" :) He probably got a few extra hugs that day! :)
Grammy took Scott for an afternoon prior to Valentine's Day. They made delicious V-day cookies and cute Valentine's for us. Scott had a great time. Carol and Scott also took some cookies by Scott's great grandpa's house. Don wanted to try to sit up to see Scott on that day and was able to talk to his great grandson. That was the last "good" day Don had before going to heaven on Valentine's Day. I'm grateful that Scott got to see him that one last time. He will be missed.
Scott's my usual baking buddy while Natalie is napping. Today, however, I was feeling brave and allowed both kids to help me in the kitchen. I braced myself for arguments over who got to stir or pour in the ingredients, but I was pleasantly surprised. Instead, Scott kept saying, "Here Natalie, do you want to stir?" Now...before you think too highly of my three year old, you must hear the rest of the story. Natalie was a much more messy stirrer and often splashed things out of the bowl/onto the floor. Scott knew better than to do this, but he loved watching his sister make the mess. He stood by and giggled and giggled with each sloppy stir. She then tried to sample some batter which caused Scott to laugh even harder. Natalie was also loving every minute of it! 
THE END! :)
