Mother's Day Gift- CANCELLED

*Natalie was being extra sweet yesterday afternoon.  She said, "Mommy, as part of your Mother's Day gift, I'm going to be nice and do everything I'm supposed to do for the rest of the month of May." 

Kate followed, "Me too!" 

Scott, the realist, burst their bubbles with, "That's impossible!"

A couple of hours later, Scott and Natalie were bickering back and forth and as the fight began to escalate, I asked what happened to my Mother's Day gift in which Natalie was going to be an angel for the rest of the month.  She steamed, "Well that all got cancelled BECAUSE OF SCOTT!"

Shucks.

They did surprise me with sweet homemade cards this morning, and Kate emptied her piggy bank coins into a gift bag along with a few pens and pencils from the pen drawer.  I love it!:) 

*Kate (and her random comments):  There is a girl in my BSF class and her hair looks like she is a zookeeper.

*Natalie used to be Dora fan...then is was Doc McStuffins, then Lalaloopsies, then Strawberry Shortcake, then Shopkins, and the latest is BEANIE BOOS!  Wonder what she will be into tomorrow?  It's ever changing!

*Ten more school days, then Scott's hoping for more gator time!

*I tried to stuff a book into Kate's bookcase one day, and it was too full.  I left Kate to go through her books and pull out ones that she didn't want anymore.  When I returned, ALL of her books were piled up, and she told me it was the KEEP pile.  :/  Better do the discarding of books one day when she is at Grammy's! 

*Duct Tape Day at School!  (We had one participant who would have put more duct tape all over herself if we would have had more time.  We had one non-participant who saw absolutely no point in wrapping himself in duct tape.)

Easter, Etc.

Growing like weeds, I tell ya!  Scott ran into a girl that was in his first grade class last year.  She even noticed and commented, "Wow, Scott!  You've gotten tall!" 

Grammy introduced the kids to the game of Monopoly.  They have enjoyed playing with her.  One of the kids asked if we could buy the game for our house too, and I immediately vetoed that idea.  Monopoly will be a game kept for Grammy's house...along with Chinese Checkers, Risk, or Trivial Pursuit.  The long games that start at Grammy's must finish at Grammy's!:):) 

Now the Resurrection Rolls that she made with them...they can be sent back to our house anytime!   Mmmmm!   Thanks, Carol!

The kids recently went to the zoo with Grandpa and Grandma.  Before they left I told them to grab a light jacket.  Kate got big eyes and said, "Why do we need our life jackets?"  :)  She was worried she'd have to take a swim with the dolphins.

Natalie to Grandpa and Grandma one day on the way home from school: "I had a dream last night, but it was inappropriate."

 A couple of family pictures on our pre-Easter celebration...

 Ready, Set, Hunt!

Along with the usual, the kids got coupons in their eggs that they took turns cashing in for prizes. 

After the hunt, we played a rousing game of kickball.  It's fun now that our kids are getting old enough that we can all actually do something together.  (Although no one will be recruiting the four year old girls for awhile!  "No...No...run the other way, Sweetie!") 

Moments in March

 At this rate, my blog book for 2017 will be really cheap...I'm averaging a page a month.

Here are my March pictures...

Kate continues to beg each night if she can read her "trapter" book... 

Kate & I surprised Natalie and read to her class.  Scott was surprised to see us too when we showed up for lunch.  I wonder how many more years the kids will be thrilled to see us when we show up for a "surprise" visit. 

Natalie was supposed to create a Dr. Seuss project for school based on one of his famous stories.  She chose "The Foot Book"...you know...left foot, left foot, left foot, right...feet in the morning, feet at night...

Here were a few of her favorite foot shots...

 (Wet feet)

 (Sick feet)

(Trick feet)...Okay, I'll spare you the twenty others...we were hoping for bonus points for the feet cookies!

Natalie's recently been into offering up peace signs.  I told her to cool it with the peace signs one day when I was trying to take her picture.  She argued, "But peace is a fruit of the spirit!"

Can you guess which day in March this picture was taken on?

Kate did a week of Dr. Seuss lessons at home, as well.  I'm not a huge fan of Dr. Seuss books.  For some reason, it seems like everyone else loves them.  Anyway, I do not like them, Sam I am...  During one tongue tying nonsense book, I turned to Kate and ask her if I must finish.  Thankfully, she told me we could be done.

She's been my little workout buddy this month.  When I was a teenager, my mom & I used to do step aerobics together early in the mornings before school.  It is cute to see Kate enthusiastically try to do it with me now.  One of us chats nonstop through the workouts while the other is huffing and puffing.  I'll let you guess who does what!:) 

She did so many workouts using a wobbly bathroom step, that she earned her very own real step.  She's pretty pumped!:)

That Was Fun, But Now It's Done...

Kate watches more Daniel Tiger than her mom would care to admit.  Any Daniel fan will recognize the jingle, "That was fun, but now it's done!" 

That's how I feel about February.  It was truly a fun month, sprinkled with some great activities.  Simultaneously, I'm happy to flip the calendar on another winter month and look forward to the coming spring!

Our Ohio friends, Molly & Tim, came for a visit recently.  As always, it was wonderful to see and catch up in person. 

Tim & Molly tried to convince us of our need for a dog.  Scott was definitely on board.  I'm notorious for making to-do lists or grocery lists and then leaving them all over the house.  For the past several months now, Scott's been secretly adding "Get Puppy" to my lists.  Sometimes I will get to Meijer and see "Golden Retriever Puppy" on my grocery list.   It always makes me laugh.  I'm hoping that we can check this item off sometime in the future!:) 

 Who needs a baby doll when you can do anything you want to Baby Kate!?!

 The kids acted out the story Caps For Sale again and again.

Natalie decided to make Valentine's for the kids in her class this year.  On the first one, she wrote, "I 💗 you!" to a little boy in her class.  I told her that the heart stands for love.  She quickly said that she needed to change it because "I love you is a very bad thing to say to a boy"- says Natalie! 

I was able to tag along on Natalie's field trip to a nursing home on Valentine's Day.  It was sweet, touching, hot, and sad.  When we left, Natalie whispered, "That wasn't my favorite field trip." Getting old is no fun!

Kate LOVES dance class night.  I'm at piano with Scott during this time, so my parents help with the pick-up and drop-off.  The girls favorite part of the evening is their one-on-one time with Grandpa & Grandma.  Natalie begs me to just drop her and go on to piano, so that she can play Old Maid alone with her grandparents.  When I ask Kate what her favorite part of dance class is, she almost always replies, "When Grandpa & Grandma pick me up!" 

 A guys-project...always up to something! 

Scott was assigned Theodore Roosevelt for his President Project.  Now that I'm all brushed up on my Teddy facts, I'm hoping that Natalie will get assigned him next year too!  Think the teacher would notice if we sent in the same work? 

We loved the incredible February weather and enjoyed checking out a new, very cool, playground (along with a thousand other children!). 

Loving this mild winter!