Early Wake-Up Call
We had an early flight back to Texas this morning. The kids all did great on the flight again and I saved them a piece of wedding cake from last night for them to eat on the plane today.
October 2, 2011
October 1, 2011
Wedding Day!
I was seriously wishing I had my nice camera at this point. Or at least that I knew about Henrys' giant fingerprint smudge that was on the lens of this little camera!
Henry couldn't stay up late enough to see Lindsay!
Spinning on the dance floor waiting for Ross & Lindsay to come to the reception.
Yay for Aunt Lindsay! I swear Sarah was actually super excited although her face doesn't show it here.
Mrs. Martin, Mrs. Martin, & Mrs. Martin!
Congratulations, Ross & Lindsay! We are so excited for you two!!
September 30, 2011
Rehearal Dinner/Wedding Eve
I think the girls were almost as excited about the rehearsal dinner as they are about the wedding tomorrow! Sarah & Henry had a spectacular hug that ended in both of them in tears toward the start of the evening. Sarah & Henry went back to the hotel before dinner was served (I had taken the kids out to eat in advance) but Anna was really insistent that she stay. Thank goodness my mom was able to come stay at the hotel with us so I could go back and enjoy the rest of the dinner, too. (Thank you, mom!)
September 28, 2011
Walk
Guess who didn't want to go on the walk?
Down to Golden for dinner!
The kids, Anita, & I went on a nice walk this morning. Although Henry really didn't want to go along and wanted to go home once we got to our destination, he was briefly distracted by some fun rocks along the way. The girls had a great time, however, and we all enjoyed being in the cooler Colorado temperatures.
September 26, 2011
Reader
Sarah enjoyed showing Grandpa how she can read.
September 25, 2011
Colorado: Day 2
Pulling the airplane out of the hangar.
Henry was not interested in checking out the plane.
She wanted a picture of her on the plane but did not want to go up in the air.
Brave Sarah wanted to go for a ride in Grandpa's plane!
Now Craig has the camera and we (grandma, Anna, Henry, & I are all back in the hangar.
Sarah was quiet and nervous the whole time.
They solved the corn maze!
Back on the ground we are checking out the Tiger.
Craig wanted to drive my dad's truck back home.
Cousin-time.
September 24, 2011
Colorado!
Henry was pretty excited by all the airplanes at the airport and then thought he was pretty cool on the airplane!
Wow! We can actually play outside here!!
Raspberry picking!
Slackline-fun.
Having fun with the extensive vehicle collection.
September 21, 2011
Donuts with Dad
Sarah's school had "Donuts with Dad" today. Sarah was so excited to show Craig her new school but they didn't have any donuts, just bagels!
September 20, 2011
Outside?
We have had a couple of mornings here and there where it has been pleasant enough to spend a little time outside before it gets hot again. Hopefully fall will come soon!
September 19, 2011
Advertisement
I had to run an errand at the mall today and Sarah really wanted a picture of herself with this ad.
September 16, 2011
Giant Spoon
Sarah called my bluff when I offered this giant spoon to eat her cereal this morning.
Sarah also had pajama day at school today but I failed to get a picture!
September 9, 2011
Starting to Read
Sarah is super interested in learning to read and it is fun to watch because she doesn't get easily frustrated by sounding out the words. I'm excited to watch her progress!
September 5, 2011
Light & Playdough
The (incredibly ugly) ceiling fan above our kitchen table died a week or two ago so we got to get a nice new light. The kids had fun with Nana & playdough today.
September 4, 2011
Eco Taxi
Anita, the kids, & I took the Eco Taxi to lunch today. Craig met up with us after his group bike ride and drove us home. It was a fun way to get into town!
September 3, 2011
First Day of Soccer
Henry was not excited from the minute he put on shin guards and his soccer socks.
Henry was that kid who cried and had to leave early.
Sarah was excited from the time she put on her shin guards and soccer socks.
Sarah had wanted to play soccer long ago but chickened out last year when it was time to sign up. This year I saw that Henry could also do a soccer class at the rec center so I signed them both up (they are in separate classes) with the hope that if Henry did it, Sarah would be more interested. Henry hated his first class and Sarah loved it.
September 2, 2011
Playthings
This is what Sarah had to have with her to play with in the car today.
August 31, 2011
Caps for Sale!
Sarah is loving her new school and I love the fun stuff they are doing there! She was so excited about the "Caps for Sale" hat that she made today.
August 30, 2011
Spelling
Sarah & Henry thought Anna's spelling assignment was pretty tasty. She was to write all of her spelling words in peanut butter.
August 25, 2011
Game Boy
Sarah & I had fun teaching Henry how to play "Keep-it-Steady" and "Animal Upon Animal" today.
Henry also had his follow-up with his regular doctor regarding his hearing/speech. He has added a ton of new words since he started Claritin. The current plan is to keep him on Claritin until his 3-year appointment and re-assess then. He also has an appointment with Early Intervention in two weeks.
August 24, 2011
Show & Tell
Sarah had her first show & tell today and she brought a flashlight. Her teacher turned off the light in the classroom so Sarah could demonstrate how it worked. I asked Sarah who had the best show & tell today and she very confidently said, "me!"
August 20, 2011
Dance Shoes
Dance classes start next week for Anna and the week after that for Sarah so we stopped at the local dance store to get new ballet slippers and tap shoes for the new year!
August 17, 2011
The Tube
Sending cars down the tube from one of my rolls of photo background paper never ceases to be fun. It's too bad it always ends up with someone swinging the tube around so I have to put it away for extended periods of time!
First Day for Sarah
Henry wanted his backpack, too.
Sarah had her first (half) day of school today. She seemed to like her new school today and I have a feeling it is a good fit for her—we will see after a few weeks!
August 16, 2011
Bicycle Gang
Sorry for the fog on the lens here: it is steamy at this time of year!
August 15, 2011
Sarah's New School
Sarah's new classroom.
She was excited by all the "sea" stuff in the classroom since that her her new passion.
We went to the open house at Sarah's new school today. There are 12 kids in the class with just three girls (two Sara(h)s!). I'm interested to see how this goes since last year Sarah basically refused to interact with most of the boys in her class. She starts on Wednesday and Friday this week with 1/2 days for both days. She will go three full days this year instead of three half-days.
August 14, 2011
Marble Track
August 11, 2011
The Party Continues
August 10, 2011
Tea Partiers
Anna is calling me on the phone to invite me to the party.
Lovely hostess slicing the cake.
Handsome host slicing some fish.
"show me your happy face"
"show me your surprised face"
"show me your sad face"
The kids are all having so much fun playing together this summer. I am so sad that it is over next week!
August 6, 2011
Baby Shower
We all went to a baby shower for one of Craig's co-workers tonight. Henry was in heaven with all of the fun car toys they had there and the girls helped Craig build a boat for a boat-building competition (they did not win).
August 5, 2011
Ballet & The Lizard
Craig took the girls to a free performance by the Houston Ballet at the outdoor theater near our house tonight. Both girls loved it. Of course, the one night that Craig is gone there was a lizard in our room! The lizard had moved on by the time Craig got home but I'm sure it is still lurking around in there... I'm not sure how I will sleep tonight!
August 3, 2011
Another Teacher Visit and New Principal
Anna's other teacher came to our house today and it went as well as the visit with the first. Anna spoke in front of her but not to her. I think Anna will be comfortable with both teachers and I'm thankful both seem willing to help her with her anxiety issues. One highlight of the visit was that Sarah killed a fly with her bare hand during tea. I'm not sure what Miss Manners would have to say about that but everyone at the table was impressed!
Also, Anna's school got a new principal so I went over to meet with him and he seems great. He homeschools his own kids (well, I suppose his wife does most of it!), so I think that is conducive to thinking outside the box/individualizing the education for each kid. I'm still nervous about making the switch to the new school but it seems like things are looking good so far.
July 29, 2011
Napping Game
Henry just loves to play "naptime." Sometimes he pretends to snore, too.
July 26, 2011
Kayaking
The girls loved "hiding" behind the branches of the weeping willow.
We took advantage of one more afternoon of Granny-Nanny Adele and took the girls kayaking while Henry napped. Thanks, mom!
July 25, 2011
Galveston: Day 2
No, group pictures are still too boring!
We didn't write this but we feel the same way!
After two days we are all a bit beached out (some of us more-so than others). It's a good thing we're going back home tomorrow!
July 24, 2011
Galveston: Day 1 (Henry's 2nd Birthday)
See, my mom really is here with us!
That little speck in the sky between the building and the right side of the frame is Craig's kite.
Hi, Craig!
A group picture was way too boring.
He still definitely needs his afternoon nap (which he didn't get much of today--sorry, Henry!).
Obviously the kids loved the beach today! The hotel is perfect (once we got checked in): we had a separate bedroom for the kids to share, my mom slept on the bottom of a bunk bed in the hall, and Craig & I slept on the pull-out sleeper.
July 22, 2011
I'd love to stay and paint but I really mustache...
She has no clue about the paint mustache.
Still no clue.
Not to be out-done by big sister, Sarah, Henry is playing with a flashlight with his sunglasses on.
July 20, 2011
Grandma & Grandpa
Henry really liked having Grandpa here to play trucks with.
Grandpa drove the kids bonkers with his freestyle-reading of The Giant Jam Sandwich.
The girls had fun playing Rush-Hour with Grandma & Grandpa before bedtime.
July 14, 2011
Craft with Jewels
The girls had their last summer camp this week: craft with jewels. This was the one that Anna really wanted to do and Sarah went with because Anna came to the dinosaur camp at the start of summer. It was at Sarah's new preschool and both girls loved it. It was basically like a slumber party camp.
July 8, 2011
George Observatory
We took the girls down to the George Observatory for members night. It was super cool and we all definitely want to go again. Before it was dark we got to see the moon and then we listened to a short lecture (Sarah got a bit squirmy) and then it was time to go up and see Saturn and also the moon again. Both were amazing. I was really surprised at how Saturn looked--it was like a glowing white cut-out on a black background. It was totally like one of those glow-in-the dark stickers on the ceiling. Henry stayed home with the babysitter (the telescope viewing didn't start until dusk and we weren't home until 11:30!) and did really well. The girls fell asleep in the car on the way home.
July 7, 2011
Dancers & Musicians
An orderly collection of fallen pine cones.
I wish I had made a video of this because Sarah's dance was so good. Anna's harmonica playing and the jingle bells around Sarah's ankle really spoke to her. It was also fantastic to have such a cool afternoon that we could actually be outside and not sweat to death from the heat and humidity!
July 6, 2011
Hanging Out
Henry played at putting the little Orange Blossom doll to bed for the longest time.
And then he played that he was sleeping in Sarah's bed (which he not-so-secretly wants for himself!).
Hug.
Kiss.
I'm not sure who he is calling, but it was a good conversation!
He's saying "shhhhhhhh."
Okay, so he got a little grumpy with the camera.
On to Sarah, she was ready for a few pictures.
Sarah with Fannie, the longhorn, that she loves dearly.
Anna was grumpy about something and Sarah went to console her.
Henry's "baby."
Anna refused to cooperate with me today.
Sarah and her second favorite animal, "Big Brown Bunny."
All of Sarah's "favorite" animals (and Henry's baby).
Anna's favorite animals.
July 5, 2011
Fireworks
Our town canceled the fireworks display tonight so we let the girls watch the New York City show on TV tonight. This was a big mistake because it just made them realize how much they missed by not getting to go to the live show in town! Sarah said, "I want you to immediately take me to New York City as fast as possible so we are there for next year's fireworks!" She then proceeded to tell me all the things she was going to pack in her suitcase the next morning so she would be ready to go at a moment's notice.
July 4, 2011
Fourth of July
We ran into Sean and his mom on the way to the parade so we sat together. Good thing, too, because Sean was a candy-magnet!
Henry loved all the different cars in the parade.
"George Bush"
We were hot again this year but didn't have any temporary tattoos to sweat off like last year.
I took the kids to the parade by myself this year since Craig is doing a bike ride called "Burn Your Buns." I drove to the parade instead of walking so that we could hopefully see the parade and then drive over to see Craig finish his ride.
July 3, 2011
Runner
Sarah saw that I was going for my run this morning and wanted to come with. I took her on a one-mile loop and then I went out and got the rest of my run in. Sarah is planning to run a 1-mile race on Thanksgiving day.
July 2, 2011
Mr. T(ea)
These ladies were not interested in the tea party as they had way too many other fun things going on in other parts of the house.
June 30, 2011
Dinosaur Visit
I took Sarah down to see the dinosaurs today since I've been going all week without her to pick up Anna & Ela. It was great to get some time alone together.
June 27, 2011
Pool
June 23, 2011
Puddle Stomping
June 20, 2011
New Orleans Day 4: Oak Alley Plantation
Henry had a case of the lazies and didn't want to walk.
Waiting for the boys to catch up.
Henry tried to run back to the car so Craig secured him up on his shoulders.
Henry is looking up at me like I am the most awesome person to ever walk the earth (this is how he acts, too) I must remember this when he's 15 and wants nothing to do with me!
Henry reminds me of my uncle Neil in this picture.
This was my first and last mint julep!
Henry wasn't in the mood to tour a plantation today so he & I stayed outside while the rest of the tour group went upstairs to check out the house. I can tell he is tired of vacationing so it's good we are heading home tomorrow.
June 19, 2011
New Orleans Day 3: Aquarium & Street Musicians
Sarah wasn't sure what to think of the bird inside Cafe Beignet this morning. (Much better beignets here than Cafe du Monde!)
I much prefer Sarah's fake smile to her uncooperative look!
After a sweaty walk, we went back to the hotel to cool off while we waited for the aquarium to open.
At the aquarium! Anna is copying Sarah's old "happy face" that she used to do.
Henry shaking maracas with the street musicians. I've got video that I will post (have tagged this entry with "video" to help me remember. Just getting caught up on the blog now, videos will have to come later). The girls were resting at the hotel with Craig. They had gone out to walk around and to an IMAX show while Henry napped.
After dinner we came back to watch some more musicians.
The girls wanted to be street musicians like Henry had been so we went back to the first group (who had gotten drowned out by the louder brass band).
June 18, 2011
New Orleans Day 2: Street Car to Lafayette Cemetery
The girls wanted to pick up all of the beads they found along the street car line.
She found this flower on the walk from the street car to the cemetery.
Henry passed out instantly for his nap this afternoon!
New Orleans Day 2: Cafe du Monde
We walked down to Cafe du Monde for breakfast this morning. The beignets were served warm, not hot, which was nice for the kids, I guess, but they weren't that great. We will try another place tomorrow. I think the best part was that we got a seat in the air-conditioned part of the restaurant. Henry was particularly grumpy so his missed nap yesterday must be catching up with him.
June 17, 2011
New Orleans Day 1
Writing & sticker art on the six-hour drive (a very good distance).
Settling in with a good book.
The second-half driver.
We had fun reading and driving cars.
Near the Louisana border we started to see swamps and bayous.
We went to the Insectarium after we checked in. It was crawling with creepy critters. (I tried to not act too scared but I'm sure I didn't fool anyone!) Henry & Sarah were a little freaked out by this alligator (fake, of course!) at first.
Colorful & pretty displays (I'm slightly less creeped out when they're not alive and there is a layer of glass between me and them!)
Henry checking out the "circus."
This poor kid missed his nap and refused to ride in the stroller. He was pretty hot & tired.
The kids were great on the car-ride over to New Orleans. Six hours is a nice, short trip for our family. Henry took a little nap in the car but really needs a longer one. We missed his window by the time we got to the hotel and he really did OK without his nap. We'll see what tomorrow brings. He fell asleep right away tonight! Our hotel seems to be in a good location and it was fun walking around town this afternoon (hot & humid just like home but we'll survive). The kids are all excited for beignets and the street car tomorrow.
June 16, 2011
Pool-side
The girls had their last swimming lessons today and they are doing fantastic in the water! We have all been going to the public pool after their lessons this week, but I'm not sure how often I'll do it after today since all Henry wanted to do today was run away from me so we didn't stay long.
June 15, 2011
Idea-Man
Two more Henry-ideas that the girls had to join in once they saw how much fun he was having. This summer has been much more fun so far with the three kids (last year Henry was just a little too little to really play with the girls).
June 14, 2011
Reading & Ghosts
Anna is always trying to find a cozy spot to read her books. Here, she tried to make it private, too, but that (of course) only attracted her sister & brother more.
Henry decided to be "the ghost of Henry" and the girls immediately needed to join in.
June 11, 2011
Saturday
Henry was dancing, too, but here he had decided to be part of the audience.
Sarah getting some time to herself.
These two are really having fun together this summer! Here we have built a Museum of Natural Science.
June 10, 2011
Swimming Lessons
The girls had their first swimming lesson today (dinosaur camp is over now & they really enjoyed that). Henry didn't seem to care this time that we left them behind at the pool! As far as I can tell, they did a good job on their first lesson of the season. They have three more next week.
June 6, 2011
Dinosaur Camp
They could hardly wait to do their volcanoes when they got home!
The girls had fun on their first day of dinosaur camp! Henry wasn't sure he wanted to leave them behind at drop-off but we came home and had fun on our own so he got over it pretty fast.
June 3, 2011
Blueberry Picking
Anna & Henry are really having fun together now that she is home from school.
We went a little early in the week to get our blueberries but I didn't think we'd find the time again later on so we went for it. Henry got hot and grumpy after 30 minutes or so and we didn't get very much but enough to make cobbler and have a bunch left over, too. I don't know why there isn't a picture of grandma here since she was with us!
May 31, 2011
Sarah's Last Day
Sarah and her best friend.
Her teachers.
One of the assistants.
Sarah had her last day of school today. I don't think she was too sad about it, either! She will change schools in the fall and so will her best friend so I think that is why she doesn't care. Her new school will have a lot less kids in it so I'm excited to see how much more progress she makes there.
May 27, 2011
iPod
I gave Anna my old iPod Nano that I had been using for running (actually, it was Craig's Nano that Anna & I gave him when she was just a baby) and the girls think they are pretty cool sitting around the house listening to their own music.
May 26, 2011
Baby Elephant Walk
Sarah's tap and ballet class had a tap performance this morning. They performed The Baby Elephant Walk and Sarah said she was "so excited that daddy was here that I forgot to start dancing!" Since I'm so far behind on the blog when I'm posting this I will tag this post with video and make an attempt to come back later after I'm caught up and add the video (and more videos to other posts).
May 13, 2011
Book Fair
Sarah set up a book fair this afternoon then Sarah & Henry filled up their shopping bags with good books after Anna the cashier scanned each one. Then we re-stocked the hearth and did it all over again!
Additional Volunteer
See Sarah sitting there next to Anna?
Sarah came with me to Anna's school to volunteer today because she had a doctor appoint just after and I thought it would be easier with Henry to just take Sarah right away than to come back and get just her from the baby sitter. Sarah thought it was super cool to hang out with Anna in her classroom (although you could tell she was a little scared of all of those big kids, too!). I just had to finish making the last few graduation caps for Anna's class. We had a little time before her appointment so Sarah & I stopped at the school's book fair, too.
May 9, 2011
Cake Balls
Anita helped me make these strawberry cake balls yesterday for Sarah's school birthday treat today. Sarah requested cake balls so I knew with Anita's help we could make that happen! They must have been good because we didn't get any back when I picked her up this afternoon.
May 8, 2011
Fairy Houses & RC Car
The girls had fun painting their fairy houses from Corrine.
Anna & Henry love the RC car Anna chose for Sarah for her birthday—it is fun to see these two playing together.
May 7, 2011
Roar! Roar! Roar! Sarah is Four!
Craig setting up the music and photos for the party.
"Pin the plate on the stegosaurus"
Ella, Emma, Sarah, Anna, Ela, Huzah, and Katrina
Eros (on the end) came a little late so we tried for another group shot outside.
Playing outside with Papa after the party guests went home.
May 6, 2011
Happy Fourth Birthday, Sarah Elinor!
The gang took Sarah & Henry to the park while Anita & I met up with Anna at school (Anita read a story to the class and I sat in on an oral test with Anna—she whispered the answers to me and I repeated back to her teacher.)
Ducklings!
Birthday candles in her favorite food: macaroni & cheese.
Wearing Nana's glasses.
Anna in Nana's glasses.
Happy birthday from IHOP! Sarah looked terrified but claims she loved it.
May 5, 2011
Birthday-Eve
Anita, Brian, & Corrine came today to help celebrate Sarah's fourth birthday this weekend! Here the girls are looking through Sarah's baby album.
May 2, 2011
Glamorous Schmlamorous
Kate Middleton is out and now she's just wearing everything.
April 29, 2011
Sickness, Royal Wedding
Henry with his baby that now never leaves his side.
Henry & Sarah were running circles around me.
Sarah started jumping and dancing.
Then she decided to become Kate Middleton (note the ring).
Lovely veil.
Anna woke up feeling sick this morning so she stayed home. I knew it was serious when Sarah, Henry, & I saw a mom & four baby raccoons run across our neighbor's yard and Anna couldn't get up from the couch to come see the mom chase after one of the babies who climbed on the neighbor's roof and got "stuck." She had to climb up, wrestle him, and then carried him back down the tree in her mouth. I really felt a connection to that poor raccoon mother!
We did watch a bit of the wedding since Anna was stuck on the couch anyway. I think she was a bit jealous that Sarah was playing "Kate Middleton" upstairs. Henry seemed to also get the same sickness Anna had and almost fell asleep at the table while I prepared his lunch! Poor little guy! Sarah was sick earlier in the week so hopefully this moves though them as fast as it did for her.
April 27, 2011
Strollers & Baby
Henry just loved pushing his baby around in this stroller today.
It's a good thing I bought two so Sarah could push Fannie around, too!
He has been playing "nap time" a lot lately. Now he has a little friend to join him. (He actually got his baby for his birthday last year but I guess he didn't feel a connection with him until today.)
Hopefully one of them will share a stroller with Anna when she gets home from school.
April 24, 2011
The Hunt
April 23, 2011
Egg Coloring
The kids had fun coloring eggs this afternoon. Henry was about as graceful as Anna & Sarah were at his age. Although he did not crack any eggs during the coloring process, he did have to be removed from the table early.
April 19, 2011
Water
It's hard to believe it is so hot in April already that we are using the water table & pool daily now. (Sarah got some time to herself during Henry's nap while Anna was at school today.)
April 18, 2011
Train
The couches are the sleeper cars. Sarah is the engineer way up front on the ottoman.
April 16, 2011
Saturday
I guess I wasn't getting him out to the pool fast enough. Poor little guy.
Notice how Henry has draped himself across Anna to watch Cars.
April 13, 2011
Rare
Sarah is usually the first of the kids up so it's rare to catch her sleeping like this in the morning and actually have to wake her.
April 8, 2011
Water Table & Movie Night
It has been in the 90s so it was time to get the water table out! We also need new swimsuits as the ones from last year are a bit tight.
Sarah got her hair trimmed last night. This was a compromise length as she wanted it up to her ears and I didn't want to cut it!
Anna didn't want to come out for a while but finally realized she was missing out on all the fun.
Anna also got her hair cut and it is super cute but don't tell her that because she doesn't like the attention.
Henry's first time watching Cars.
Henry doesn't like popcorn and when he saw I was making it, he went to the pantry to get a snack trap and was pleased when I filled it with Cheerios.
Since it feels like summer here we decided to do Friday Night at the Movies with Henry now that he's getting so mature and can probably handle 30 minutes of TV each week. The girls were excited because they usually only get to watch TV on Saturday and Sunday afternoon while Henry naps.
April 2, 2011
Saturday
Some of our knockout roses.
Some cute little flowers that are growing in our backyard.
Mr. Neat: Henry always asks for a napkin at mealtime and he wants it on his lap when he gets it!
His first time brush painting. This was a much better experience for him than finger painting!
March 30, 2011
Stickers
Henry is in the pile-the-stickers-on-top-of-each-other stage.
Sarah is making a border and is making the art for Henry.
Anna is making a pattern on the origami paper.
Henry is a little more interested in stickers than coloring but he only really wants to sticker with vehicle stickers so it's kind of hard to keep up the supply. I am looking forward to the day he can peel his own stickers off of the sheet.
March 25, 2011
Park
I thought it was so sweet that Anna & Sarah were sticking with Henry.
And then Sarah took off.
And then Anna was gone. Henry did his best to keep up!
Bluebonnet Afternoon
Can you guess who didn't want to be there?
This was the second time he got up to leave.
So we all joined him. Off to the park!
I know I should edit these down more but I'm at a point where I've just got to post what I've got! Also, I did not dress the girls in matching shirts, they chose to do that themselves (this is in case they ask me later "why did you always dress us in matching clothes?!"). I try to buy different colors of the same shirt sometimes but inevitably they are jealous of the other person's shirt so sometimes it's just better to go with it. And Anna feels very strongly that knee-highs should be worn with capris no matter how many times I tell her she's missing the whole point of capris.
Pinkalicious Morning
A stick of pink sidewalk chalk got crushed on the driveway so Sarah made her hands "pinkalicious!"
Henry got in on it, too.
I got him to show me his hand by saying "Stop!" which he always does with this hand motion that he saw in one of his books.
He is always safety-minded.
She is really resistant to learn on her balance bike. She is trying more since I described it as a "scooter with a seat" though.
He loves this little weather radio.
He got mad when I put the pillow down for him to rest his head on.
March 17, 2011
St. Patrick's Day Train Ride & Museum Trip
We parked downtown and took the light rail to the Health Museum today. The train was a big hit with everyone but I think the highlight of the day was when we got to the museum we passed a group of 8-10 people with ages ranging from adult to toddlers and they saw that we were all wearing green shirts for St. Patrick's Day. Immediately they all looked each other over and saw that not one of them was wearing a drop of green and they started pinching each other (the toddlers were spared). The Health Museum was OK. It really feels like it should just be a part of the Museum of Natural Science or even the Children's Museum rather than its own museum but we did have fun checking it out.
When we got home the girls went 4-leaf-clover hunting and Anna found another one! (Anna found one last Monday as well—she is one lucky kid!)
March 14, 2011
IHOP
Anna asked to got o IHOP for her birthday after she saw someone there a few weeks ago get a giant ice cream sundae. She was thrilled when the waiters came to sing to her (we all thought she'd hate that). Sarah & Henry were happy to help her with the sundae!
March 12, 2011
Rodeo
Imagine how excited we all were when we saw a cow named Fannie! (Sarah's stuffed longhorn's name is Fannie.)
We all had a fun time at the rodeo. I'm not sure why there isn't a picture of my mother since she was there with us. I have a picture I need to scan of me, Sarah, & Henry with a longhorn, too.
March 5, 2011
School Carnival
Anna wanted to go to Candyland first. Both girls got to pick out a cupcake at the end.
Craig & Henry went to the petting zoo while the girls were beading.
The girls waited in a very long line for this!
Can you tell if Henry liked the giant slide or not?
We rested for a few hours after the birthday party and then went over to the school carnival to have even more fun!
March 4, 2011
Cowgirl Hats
Anna with Sarah's hat & Sarah with Anna's. Anna is making Sarah's "happy face." I don't know what Sarah is doing.
And I don't know why Sarah's belly is hanging out in all of these but they have their correct hats on now.
This was included because of Sarah's face. She is Major Goofball #1.
The girls each made cowgirl hats at school in preparation for the rodeo!
March 3, 2011
Puddle Stompers
February 27, 2011
Fairies
I saw these fairies flying around the kitchen today so I took a picture of them since Anna & Sarah were nowhere to be found and I knew they would want to see what the fairies looked like.
February 26, 2011
Trucks!
Henry didn't have time for pictures: he had to check out the fire truck!
And he did not want to wear that hat!
I don't know what he's doing here but he has been doing it a bit lately.
Anna was super excited to show Sarah the school bus.
Anna just pulled the cord to honk the trucks horn and it was LOUD!
The girls wanted to play on the playground after they checked out the trucks.
Henry came to the playground for a bit but then couldn't keep himself away from the trucks.
That's Craig climbing across the playground toward the middle of the picture.
Henry just wanted to admire the trucks again.
We went to the Touch a Truck day at the park. The girls complained because princesses (Anna) and dinosaurs (Sarah) are so much better than boring old trucks but they actually enjoyed it once we go there (although they might not admit that if you ask them about it).
February 24, 2011
Shape Spotting
Anna spotted this "statue of liberty" on our walk to school.
Sarah spotted this coffee dinosaur in the parking garage.
Fannie
Sarah wore Fannie for quite a while in the sling this afternoon.
February 20, 2011
Train
She thought it was pretty cool that her shirt was the same color as the door.
We went for lunch near the train track today. The girls acted like they didn't want to go but they thought it was pretty cool (and LOUD) every time the train passed! Henry thought it was super cool, of course!
February 19, 2011
Museum of Natural Science
Craig took the girls to the Museum of Natural Science today. This time they checked out the butterfly exhibit along with the dinosaurs, gems, and the oil exhibit.
February 17, 2011
Leaf Confetti
The kids had a ton of fun doing leaf confetti this afternoon. It's too bad I don't have a leaf rake but this one got the job done, too.
Sarah
Sarah's pile of "fish."
We've named this cat Smokey. He is often found lounging in our backyard and he's pretty cute so he's got a name (we are NOT feeding him!).
Checking out the "catch."
I guess she's eating her dinner?
Sarah & I played out in the yard for the first part of Henry's nap this afternoon. It is so nice out now we have to get out as much as possible before it's too hot to have fun.
February 14, 2011
Valentine's Day
I was super sick yesterday and today so this is the only picture I got from today. Craig had to take off work and do all of my usual stuff (take the girls to school, pick up Sarah, car-line for Anna, ballet for Anna, etc.). The girls loved the Valentine's Day parties they had at school. I did muster up the energy (barely) to take the cats to the vet since they also got really sick on Saturday and didn't look good yet today. I think that that was about all I did though! Hopefully I'll be able to tackle tomorrow.
February 12, 2011
Lunch & Borders
We met up with Ela & her mom for lunch and then a Pinkalicious Party at Borders. We all had a nice time but the biggest news of the day was when Anna spoke to Ela when we left. She only said, "Bye, Ela, see you Monday!" but that was a huge moment for her. (She has "accidentally" spoken to Ela twice and this was the only time she spoke to her intentionally and said she felt proud after she did it.) Way to go, Anna!
Leaves
Anna found a leaf and thought it was so beautiful she had to tuck it into her headband. Sarah, of course, had to do it, too. I had to include both pictures because Sarah is always making a different goofy face and how can I pick just one?
February 10, 2011
Lego Mania
Henry is obsessed with the Legos lately and I love it because it's something all three kids can do together.
Tap & Ballet
Sarah seems to really enjoy her tap & ballet class and Henry is having fun playing with the toys there and one of the other little brothers who has to wait around outside for his sister to dance.
February 8, 2011
Goodbye House
The kids were sad that the cardboard house finally fell apart (I was surprised it lasted as long as it did!) but you can see they've got a blanket fort in the background so they were easily distracted.
February 1, 2011
Marble Run
Sarah had fun with the marble run this afternoon. We'll leave this up for a while since it takes a lot of time to set it up (even with instructions!).
January 29, 2011
Pottery
I took the girls for a Henry-free experience at the pottery painting place and we brought Anna's friend and her mom along, too. We also decided to have Anna's birthday party here in March so we are going to have a lot of pottery to display around here! Anna painted Tiana and then helped Sarah with her giant dinosaur. Sarah asked me to write "Zig Zag" on the dinosaur's toes (Sarah has been going by the name Zig Zag since November) and to paint eyelashes on her so we would know she is a girl. I painted a little tea set for the girls dolls.
January 27, 2011
Ballet & Tap
Sarah had her first tap & ballet class this morning. This went much better than the mommy & me class we tried this fall. She participated and seemed to have fun! Henry & I played with the other moms & brothers in the gym while Sarah had her class.
January 25, 2011
Lego Dinosaurs
Sarah & I spent a significant amount of time this afternoon working on these Lego dinosaurs. I made some videos of Sarah explaining each one in detail (what it is called, if it is a herbivore or carnivore, describing unique features, etc.). At some point I'll get my act together and start posting video again.
January 23, 2011
Uh-oh
The girls have for months been eating their pretzels in this way: stick a finger through one of the holes and say, "uh-oh, oh-oh, bite" and then take a bite. Repeat and repeat some more. Henry has now started in on it. He sounds more like, "uh, uh, uh" and then he takes a bite. (Actually, almost everything he says sounds like "uh, uh, uh.")
January 22, 2011
Arbor Day Festival
I stood in line for our baby trees while Craig took the kids to the bouncy rooms. The girls were having too much fun in the bouncy rooms to join Henry on a pony ride and in the petting zoo. The girls loved their balloons but Henry was only mildly interested in his cat balloon. Anna's popped in the car on the way home and it was the worst thing that has happened in her entire life. Sarah was sweet and shared her balloon with Anna once we were home so that helped to soften the blow a bit. Anna & Sarah helped me plant the trees along the back fence while Henry napped & Craig went for a bike ride.
Good Morning!
Sarah, Chopstick, & Fannie (the Longhorn) having a cuddle in our room in the morning.
January 21, 2011
Fountains
January 20, 2011
Children's Museum
Henry reluctantly checked out the grocery store first although he had his sights on the firetruck from the moment we walked in.
Although less busy than the one downtown, this store wasn't really as well stocked and the register wasn't as fun.
This is what he wanted to check out!
Sarah got her fire-fighting gear on first.
Now Henry is dressed up, too!
Henry was in heaven here. The "dirt" is bits of tires.
This was fun until "too many" kids came by for Sarah's liking. Henry, on the other hand, was hanging out with other moms & kids like he'd known them for years.
Water is always a hit.
Experimenting with wind and sails.
I took Sarah & Henry to the local children's museum this morning and it was just their speed. Not quite as busy (although it was rainy today so we were not alone for long!).
January 18, 2011
Blanket House
Sarah & I spent a long time in our blanket house this afternoon staying safe from wild winds and thunderstorms. Sarah would frequently run out to get supplies or get babies for us to take care of. I was "Big Mama" and she was "Little Mama Baby Keeper." (You can spy our pile of babies behind Sarah in the picture. They are really easy-going babies as they really just sleep in a big pile all of the time and need no further attention from us.)
January 17, 2011
Long Live the Queen
This is what Sarah & Clementine were up to this morning as Craig & I were getting ready for the day.
Painting Pottery
We were going to meet some friends on the other side of town to paint pottery but when we got there the studio didn't open for another hour and a half and that timing was not going to work with Henry's napping schedule (I had tried to get a sitter for him but couldn't) so we ended up going on our own to one right by our house. The girls had fun and Henry & I attempted to paint a dump truck together. He got a few strokes in and then I mostly painted one-handed while holding him on my hip trying to keep him away from the shelves and shelves of irresistible pottery. Lucky for me the girls were quick painters today but I promised them another trip without Henry in the near future, too.
January 15, 2011
Children's Museum
Craig is having a very hard time here waiting for his turn with the wave machine.
All three kids were in there together but I was slow with the camera.
We all had fun at the Children's Museum downtown today but it was a bit too crowded for our taste. It was geared more toward Anna's age and up although there were still many things that Sarah & Henry enjoyed. We will definitely go back but we'll wait a while before we do.
January 14, 2011
Finger Painting
Henry was not into finger painting. He wasn't even into eating it. He pretty much just pushed the paper and paints away and wanted nothing more to do with the whole scene.
January 13, 2011
Thursday
Henry is thrilled with his trucks coloring book.
Anna is performing on the step-down. Henry has just fallen from spinning. I don't know what has happened to Sarah!
Now Sarah is in on the performance. Sometimes Henry goes up and spins and dances with them now, too.
January 12, 2011
Wednesday Afternoon
Beading mania continues!
Watching the bread rise.
Anna is pretending to be "really rich."
Henry does a good job sitting in his chair reading or playing with toys while I prepare dinner. If he is on the loose he will climb on the chairs & table and get into all sorts of trouble.
Sarah got in on being rich, too.
Henry's sunglasses were in the car but he seemed happy with these so he could be rich, too.
January 9, 2011
Paleontologist and Gold-Digger*
The girls had fun with their kits today but Craig and I had to do a lot of the digging (as anticipated: Sarah's kit was for 5+ and Anna's kit was for 7+). Anna was disappointed that the gold in the kit was nothing at all like what was pictured on the box. In fact, I was disappointed, too. Yes, it does say in fine print that what is inside my differ from what's on the picture on the box but the box showed something really flashy and inside we found black lumps of coal (basically).
Anna still has two more nuggets of pyrite to get out and Sarah still needs to assemble the T-rex and do the growing & shrinking dinosaur that came with the kit. The glow-in-the-dark dinosaur that came in the kit is kind of lame but she doesn't seem to mind too much. (It doesn't fit together well so it keeps falling apart. I'm not sure if glue will fix it.)
Sarah was so fascinated that we were "real paleontologists" when we were digging. When we were not, we were not paleontologists any more.
*Anna's kit is not called a "gold-digger" kit it is called a "gold mining" kit but I couldn't stop calling it the other name and laughing every time I did. I might be going insane (or I might already be there!).
Portraits
The kids were not super in to getting their portraits done today and I didn't get one of the three of them together. Another time!
January 8, 2011
Museum of Natural Science
Tri-SARAH-tops!
Watching the pendulum swing. We did get to see it knock down a block a little later on in the morning.
These were amazing. I'm planning to make a little photo book for the girls of these since we took approximately one zillion pictures in this exhibit.
Anna was thrilled to see a real tiara from a real Russian princess! (She has a fascination with Russia.)
Checking out different crude oils.
Giant armadillo.
Checking out how heavy different elements are.
We always love a good "will it float" experiment!
The girls loved the Museum of Natural Science. We went for the dinosaurs (Sarah) and the gems (Anna) and stayed for the oil & chemistry exhibits and a planetarium show. Since Sarah got a dinosaur digging kit for Christmas I picked up a "gold mining" kit for Anna there. I think we'll check those things out tomorrow afternoon while Henry is napping!
January 4, 2011
Lanterns
We weren't able to put the lanterns that the girls punched out on Christmas Eve because it was raining. We finally lit them up tonight but the pin punching wasn't as spectacular as we all thought it would be. It was fun all the same!
December 31, 2010
New Year's Eve Party
Lots of shots of Henry because I can't get over how cute he is in his tie! The TV in the background is playing our party music.
We each had a skewer with 12 grapes (Henry had blueberries) to represent each month of the year. Some months in 2011 will be sweet and others might be sour!
She didn't want me to take her picture so she's saying, "Nooooo!"
v
Anna & Sarah wanted to do "the exact same thing we did last year!" for our New Year's party. So we had a dress-up hors d'ouevres party again. This year was more fun though because Henry got to more actively participate in the fun. The kids loved their champagne glasses, the balloons, and the confetti. They weren't happy when we started vacuuming up the confetti but then we had fun making "balloon confetti." I love these kids!
December 30, 2010
Zoo
We had a great visit to the zoo this morning. Henry definitely "got" the animals this time. The monkeys were active and noisy, we got to watch the leopard and panther eating their meat, and we even got to hear and see the male lion roar. Very fun!
December 29, 2010
Butter
No, we didn't let her keep all of that butter on the waffle.
Art Time
Henry is signing "hot" because the dough was still warm here.
December 28, 2010
Thank You Notes
I gave Sarah some tracing sheets with her name on it so she could practice for her thank you notes.
Anna getting to work on hers.
I dotted the S and the R for her to trace but Sarah can write an A and an H! This is the first I knew about it!
December 25, 2010
Merry Christmas!
I don't know how Sarah fell asleep last night because she was so super duper excited about Santa coming in the night! Sarah is the early-bird in our family but Anna was the first up. Their alarm clocks glow green when it's "OK" to get up in the morning. Sarah's glows at 6:20 and Anna's glows at 6:40 (Sarah would be up much earlier many days without that 6:20 time so it's a compromise time. Anna's is at 6:40 because that's what time she needs to be up when she takes the bus to school although she'd sleep until 7:30-8 if she was allowed.) Back to the story! Anna woke up first and saw that Sarah's alarm wasn't green yet so she waited in Sarah's room with her. It's not clear where she waited if it was in bed with Sarah or on the floor with the animal bag. At 6:20 they both came downstairs to get us (even though we told them they could get their stockings and anything Santa might have left on the hearth without us). They were excited about their Santa gifts although I know there was some disappointment on Anna's part that she didn't get a star that walks or real magic. (They got chocolates, stationery stuff, and a walking dinosaur for Sarah and a purple unicorn for Anna; Henry got chocolates, a few car books, and a wooden car; Craig & I got chocolates.) Henry woke up relatively early for him since the girls were probably a bit noisy! He got his stocking, we had breakfast, and then the gift un-wrapping began. Henry was, of course, surprised by the whole situation and loved it all.
December 24, 2010
The Nutcracker
The girls loved going to the Nutcracker today. Sarah was a little wiggly as I had anticipated but she did really well on my lap. We are planning to go to Sleeping Beauty in March since this was so much fun!
Pin-punching
The girls wanted to make paper lanterns for our driveway for Christmas Eve so I set them to work punching some designs in the paper bags with pins while we waited for it to finally be time to go to the Nutcracker.
December 19, 2010
Quick Visit
Grandma & Grandpa came in today to see Anna's Nutcracker performance. The kids were super excited to have them here even though it was too short of a visit! Anna was thrilled that they came to see her and Henry enjoyed having someone else to discuss trucks and trains with. My dad & Craig knocked down the ugly shade thing we had in our back yard, too, which was the highlight for me! Sarah thought it was pretty cool when she said, "I can see Nana in my head" to my dad as he was unbuckling her from her carseat and then we all said that we could all see Nana in our heads now!
December 18, 2010
Gingerbread Saturday
Sarah's side.
Anna's side.
We assembled a gingerbread house and make gingerbread cookies today. The girls had a ton of fun cutting out cookies and decorating the house and the cookies. Henry wanted to eat every single gumdrop off of the house!
December 17, 2010
Another School Party
Sarah, Henry, & I stopped at Anna's school party today. I think Sarah was a little overwhelmed and Henry, again, wanted to get his hands on everything in the classroom. Everyone is very excited for winter break to start!
December 16, 2010
School Party / Decorations
Sarah, Henry, & I went to Sarah's school party today. Sarah didn't want to go at first but ended up having a good time in the end. Henry had fun, too, but I was glad when they said we could play outside on the playground because he was trying to check out all of the things in the room that he doesn't normally have time to investigate when we drop of Sarah in the mornings.
December 15, 2010
Cookies & Boxes
Sarah loved her task of peeling the wrappers off of Hershey's Kisses for the Peanut Blossom cookies we made today. And then we were surprised by the giant stack of boxes waiting at the door for us when we were done!
December 11, 2010
Ice Skating
Craig took the girls ice skating while Henry & I ran some errands. This was a much more successful outing than last year in Korea! The walkers were awesome and Sarah's double-bladed strap-over-your-own-shoes skates were a hit.
Decor
Sarah took some time to decorate the tree on her night stand.
December 9, 2010
Finally Fall
This boy goes to Anna's school and his dad is working on a project with our neighbor so he's been coming over to play dome afternoons. Anna has started talking to him a little bit but mostly just in front of him.
This is Sarah.
The kids are having a ton of fun in the afternoons now that the weather is so nice.
Fannie
Sarah sat at the piano for a while and sang a song for her longhorn, Fannie.
December 8, 2010
Russian Tea Cakes
Anna got to help with the final rolling in the powdered sugar when she got home from school. I got the America's Test Kitchen holiday cookies magazine yesterday and this has renewed Sarah's & my spirit for trying new recipes. These cookies are delicious and will be on the annual cookie list.
December 7, 2010
Spritz
I convinced Sarah to make more cookies today by busting out the cookie press for spritz cookies.
December 6, 2010
Forward
Henry is now facing forward in the car!
Henry & Sarah loved driving this car-cart at the store close to Anna's ballet today. The ones at our regular store are slightly different and they love those, too.
December 5, 2010
Sugar Cookies
Sugar cookies! The girls had a ton of fun cutting out the cookies and decorating.
December 4, 2010
Cinnamon Stars
Anna was super excited to get to help with today's cookies: cinnamon stars. This was another Martha recipe that I was un-impressed with. Tomorrow we'll make something from our standards list to help offset the disappointment of two lame cookies in a row!
December 3, 2010
Spirals & Bullseyes
Sarah was super excited to make spirals and bullseye cookies today. This was a new recipe from Martha Stewart and I wasn't very impressed. This one won't get added to our annual list but Sarah & I had fun making them anyway.
December 2, 2010
Beautifulest
I often find Sarah staring at our Christmas tree and she comes to me and says, "We have the most beautifulest tree in the whole world!"
Tea & Zamp
We had tea on Thursday today with our vanilla pretzels and some store-bought treats. The girls loved Zamp's hiding place today (he is the "Elf on the Shelf" we got last year). Henry doesn't really care about Zamp or the Christmas tree which is fine by me!
Cookie #1
Sarah had a ton of fun helping me make the vanilla pretzels today. Amazingly she never asked to taste the dough. When we were all done I finally offered her the last of the scraps that would not be made into cookies. I may regret that tomorrow!
Fall Weather
December 1, 2010
List-Maker
She is painting some Christmas-themed suncatchers.
Sarah & I made a gigantic list of cookies we want to make this month. We will do our baking in the afternoons when Henry is napping and Anna is at school. We'll also do some on the weekends so Anna can help with a few. Sarah got a little annoyed at how long my list is to give away cookies. She is very concerned that we won't get to eat any cookies!
November 29, 2010
Tasters
Sarah and Henry like to get a sample to taste when we stop at Great Harvest during Anna's ballet class.
November 28, 2010
Home Again!
The kids did awesome again on the drive home. We listened to "The Cinnamon Bear," the girls colored, and Henry watched for trains and big trucks. We only hit traffic about thirty minutes from home and we were in that for about thirty minutes. We all started getting impatient at that point!
The minute we walked in the door, the girls wanted to start decorating for Christmas and I figured that they deserved that after such a long drive. You can see in the picture above that Anna & Sarah have major knots in their hair from the drive. We were all happy to get home again. I hope jumping back into the regular routine tomorrow isn't too tough!
November 27, 2010
Driving Back
Henry is thrilled every time we see a train or big truck or construction equipment! The girls are enjoying The Cinnamon Bear radio show and coloring. We all can't wait to get back to our house tomorrow!
November 25, 2010
Thanksgiving & 34
November 24, 2010
Grandma & Grandpa's House
Anna & Sarah got a tea party set up right away.
Henry is thrilled with the selection of vehicles to play with. The cousins are pretty good, too!
Owen's party
The kids had a ton of fun at Owen's party. Craig took the big kids on the big trampolines and I took Henry in a little bouncy room which he loved.
November 23, 2010
Pie Crust
The girls loved helping Nana cut out decorative pieces for the pie crust. I think they also started worrying about when we are going to make our pumpkin pie. I assured them that we will have pumpkin pie at Grandma's house on Thanksgiving!
November 22, 2010
Nana & Papa's
November 21, 2010
Snow!
The kids spied a small patch of snow by Nana & Papa's house and just had to check it out!
Easy Drive
Sarah's turn to nap.
We had another easy drive today. We started by listening to some kids audiobooks which was a big hit. We made it up to Nana & Papa's by 1:30 thanks to the time difference and no traffic the entire trip!
November 20, 2010
Driving to Colorado
We got off to a good start this morning at 7:30 but Anna was still not 100% better (it seemed to come and go). She did end up napping a bit in the car and we stopped for the night in Dumas, Texas in order to get everyone to bed on time. Overall all three kids were really great. Henry was easier than during the trip to Minnesota because he did nap longer than 45 minutes the two times he fell asleep. He also really loves to read now so between books and all of the trucks and trains we passed, he was pretty easy! The girls did a lot of coloring and sticker art.
November 19, 2010
Delay
I love that all three kids were just hanging out reading books tonight.
We were supposed to start driving to Colorado this afternoon after Anna came home from school but instead she got sick at school this morning and although she as acting fine most of the day, she got sick again just before Craig came home and then fell asleep on the couch for about three hours. When she woke up she had a very hard time "getting" that it was still Friday and not Saturday already. We hope she feels much better in the morning and that we can get on the road by 7 or 7:30!
November 18, 2010
Acorn Hunters
His trunk is loaded up with acorns.
Anna's hands.
Sarah's hands.
Henry started adding to Sarah's stash while I was taking the previous picture.
Here he comes with an acorn for me (in his left hand).
Pausing to chat with Grandma on the phone.
Henry nabbed Anna's acorn-net while she was on the phone.
She had something "really important" to tell Grandma.
Signing "thank you" after he handed me an acorn.
Showing me the inside of the acorn.
Just a shot of the back of his little blonde head.
"Look at all of the acorns I have!"
Ready to go in and help me make dinner.
For the longest time the girls have been going on "acorn hunts" at the bus stop. This morning and this afternoon Henry joined in! He walked around and gathered acorns and brought them to me just like Anna & Sarah do. We had a ton of fun playing in the yard this afternoon again. We are loving this fall weather!
November 17, 2010
Wednesday
Sarah was proud of the headband she made in school and wanted to make sure I got a picture from behind.
He came across his helmet and had to have it on!
This set is him "throwing" the frisbee into the grass. If I threw it on the porch then he brought it back to the grass.
They both need to be on the grass.
His new shoes are grippy so he can now make it to the top of the slide (although he has to really work at the top).
