Friday, July 29, 2011

almost ready...

BEFORE
DURING
 AFTER
AFTER
 BEFORE
 DURING
 AFTER
 AFTER
 LOOK WHO'S ALMOST READY
FOR SCHOOL TO START
 BOTH AFTER

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

lists

i sometimes make lists.
grocery.
tasks.
to do.
but lately i have been making a mental list.
a mental list of the stuff we girls still want to do before school starts.
we got school supplies over the weekend.
and each crayon, pencil, marker, eraser and what not are each labeled.
ain't no 1st grader or kindergartner getting on my girls' stuff :)
we made it to a water park last week.
we have done the back-to-school clothes shopping.
we have plans to go to the children's zoo.
we have bought each girl one of the 2 pairs of sneakers needed for school.
we have hair appointments scheduled (i will probably have to have an entire post on this one since it is my girls' "1st hair cut EVER".  no we are not Amish.  or Mennonites.  don't ask.)
and the "go to lunch with daddy" date is sorta scheduled...since we are mostly to his office on haircut day.  that one might even include the pedestrian bridge.  a downtown park and other sundry sites!
but...for the most part we are laying low. 
it really doesn't take much to make my lil honeys happy these days.
they enjoy playing together..."buddy land"..."water buddies"...putting on concerts & shows for me...watching movies together.
so......for that only being a mental list, it sure looks to be written down now, huh?!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

8 years and a-counting...

today is the day that karl & i got married.

eight years ago. 

and it has been a rollercoaster 8 years.

but so very worth each downhill and uphill!

best.  husband.  ever.

best hubs ever.  with the best dog ever.

the fam after the girls' dance recital in june.

the fam at our friends' wedding in april.

smacking and other annoying things...

i'm not a big fan of people who smack when they are chewing gum.  or anthing else for that matter.  but i have made an exception to that annoyance:  linnea chewing her favorite orange gum.  it cracks me up that the smallish piece of trident is overwhelmingly huge in her 5-yr-old mouth.  and she is all smack and spit when she is talking.  because why wouldn't she want to talk with gum in her mouth?  seriously, if this were someone who had not be in my belly for 9 months i would be beyond annoyed.  like making annoyed eyes at them.  but since it is my little linnea, it makes me laugh!  but - she is not allowed to chew gum just any old time.  basically only in the car or at home.  primarily because i don't want her smacking to annoy someone else and her to get their annoyed eyes and me going all mama-bear on them.  i think it is win-win-win for all potentially invovled.  the end.

swimming lessons are painful.  for me.  my girls have taken lessons a couple of times.  we did the once or twice a week lessons and although they love the water and have fun they did not learn much from those lessons.  if anything, they learned bad habits from younger kids who were scared of the water.  sigh.  and so we decided that this summer we would have them take 2 weeks of daily lessons in hopes of getting them to be swimmers.  and when i enrolled the girls i put them in the same class and in a level that i knew was above their actual ability.  luckily there is just one other boy in the class.  he is 7 and does know how to swim somewhat.  the first day i sat on a bench, book in hand attempting to read.  but i could not help but watch as the swim instructor got them each a hip-floaters, had them jump in the deep end and try to paddle to the other far end.  oh my.  i could tell both girls were afraid.  but i was so proud of them - they each paddle, with some help, to the other end!  and then they were shown how to use the kickboards and they kickboarded across the pool!  it was not the greatest swimming.  they won't win any fishy awards.  but they are being brave, stepping out of their comfort zones, and by cracky!  i think they might be able to swim at the end of next week!  and this makes me happy...swimming is a basic survival skill that everyone should know!  today, day 2 of lessons, they worked on backfloating - which wren hates.  but she eventually relaxed and did okay.  then, the instructor let them go down the big slide.  the big slide that my girls have asked to go down every time we go swimming...and today was that day!  wren climbed the stair, sat down and woosh!  down she went...full of giggles!  linnea climbed the stairs and stood up there.  i could tell even from across the pool that she was scared.  that she was not going to slide down on her own.  even when i saw wren hollar some encouragement to her i knew she would not go.  the instructor was saying something to her from where she was in the water.  finally another instructor when up, chatted with linnea and slide down with her.  after that?  she was perfectly comfortable going down by herself. 

and while each morning has been hard for me to watch, and pretend not to be the helicopter mom i can be...but we have all been brave this week.  i have learned to sit back and let them go on their own and beig big and brave themselves.  and the pride they have each had after each lessons is wonderful!  they both admitted to being scared, but that they were glad they stuck with it because it is fun learning to swim.  and each morning they look forward to going!  yeah!  i was worried that they would not want to go after that first day.  and for about 15 minutes i doubted myself for a bit for putting them in a class above their abilities...but, they have made me one proud momma indeed!!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

re-enactment

tonight we enjoyed a delish dinner of grilled burgers with fresh toms and onions!  the juiciest watermelon and oh.my.world. sweetcorn!  and just because, we had peach/cherry crisp right out of the oven.  i think we all will be in a food induced coma any moment.

but there was a "daddy shows" to watch. tonight it was "american pickers".  and as the girls and the daddy enjoyed the show i did a bit of work organizing an uppercase living order (that was delivered to the wrong house and i had to go search the neighborhood for it...not fun...but it ended well).  the "american pickers" were out-n-about looking for civil war items.  they also got to be part of a civil war re-enactment...

which led to linnea doing her own re-enactment.

a re-enactment of our tv evening.

this is our whole fam enjoying our wednesday evening watching "american pickers".



lemon meringue is wren. 
flynn rider is the daddy. 
the polly pocket with blue streaks is linnea. 
pascal is puddy mcfluffkins.

 and this little pooch is our alice.

oh, and this is me.  the momma.
YUP, THAT IS TOTALLY HOW I HANG OUT AT HOME.  HAIR PERFECTLY COIFFED WITH A PRETTY BOW.  A STRAPLESS BATHING SUIT AND MATCHING HEELS.

"LOOKS JUST LIKE  YOU, MOMMA!"  LINNEA TELLS ME. 
UH, NOT SO MUCH. 

BUT SHE IS ABOUT THE SWEETEST LIL THING IN THE WORLD!  I'M GONNA MISS SPENDING OUT DAYS TOGETHER...

Monday, July 11, 2011

how can it be the middle of july??!!

we are having a great summer! 
(staying busy and funning = lack of blogging)

i have a big ole list of house projects...that i kept putting off.  i have put them off b/c some would be easier to do with both girls in school.  give myself loads to stay busy with when our youngest is in school this fall.

sigh. 

how can that little teener-tiner be ready for kindergarten??!!

but then a few days ago i was offered a job.  a job that will allow me to take and pick up the girls from school.  will allow me to work 9-2:30pm.  and with the days the girls do not have school, i do not work.  how could i say no?!  and, what's even better?  it isn't even like it's a new NEW job.  it's at the accounting firm where i work during tax season!  so i know everyone.  i know basically what the position entails.  oh, there will be a learning curve as i have not actually done this job in a few years, but i am confident that it will be just fine! 

i am feeling incredibly blessed to be able to have this opportunity!  i will still be home with the girls when they are home!  still be able to attend their extra-curricular activities!  still be able to relish "snow days"...hee hee!  and of course, adding some coin in the bank is great, too!

so, that house project list i mentioned in the beginning?  well, i have amended it.  what i really "have" to do...and what can wait until after football season (because to be perfectly honest, not much gets done on "project lists" b/c of our weekends attending and watching football!)...i am knocking off some of the list this week with the girls at our church's daycamp.


there are many changes for us coming in august...but the changes will still keep one main priority:  my girls and making sure that i am home with them!