Circus!

A couple of weeks ago, the Circus came to our small town. It was the perfect type of entertainment for my group of kiddo's and my niece and nephew. It lasted an hour and the kids loved it!


The clowns that none of the kids thought were funny.



Llama and dog show.

Twirling light show.

The Acrobat (Turner's favorite!)

The Elephants did a cool dance routine.



 

The kids atop of the pole were 8 and 9 years old.

Camel rides!!

Lauren walking her elephant out of the show.

Turner's Preschool Graduation

My little guy is turning into a 'big kid'.

He graduated from Preschool three weeks ago.

I wasn't sure how I would take it since I have a tendency to be quite emotional when it comes to my children. During the ceremony and afterward, I can describe how I felt with one word.

Proud.

We had so much fun with Turner during his infant and toddler years, but watching him learn to write his name, ride a bike, draw objects that we can identify, solve puzzles, etc... it's the coolest.

He was all smiles at graduation and we couldn't help but smile right along with him.

The weather was rainy and cold, but it didn't stop us from enjoying this very special moment with Turner.

For some reason, I'm unable to upload the video of the kids singing so I put it up on YouTube. Here you go! Turner's class singing Y-E-L-L-O-W.

Country roads, take me home.

After dinner most evenings, Hubs and I load up the kiddo's and take them for a walk on a county road across from our house. They sit in the strollers, enjoying a cold treat for a duration of the ride. It is one of the rare times that my five-year old will comply with being in a stroller. We bribe him with Fudgesicles. Works every time.

Within an 800 meter stretch, we get to see lots of farm animals. Which also means we get to see quite a few animal babies this time of year. Amongst the cows, horses, sheep, dogs, cats, goats, and other common animals; we have a new little donkey that arrived a couple of weeks ago. Turner and Lauren really enjoy the trip out to see it. It's so cute!

I haven't been able to take a good picture of it, but it looks just like this!

We live in an Amish community and we really enjoy it. The families that live near us always wave to us as we pass by. The kids enjoy seeing the Amish children out on their lawns playing games, climbing trees, and running about.

Oh, and I can't forget the phone booth that is in the middle of nowhere! I will definitely have to post a follow-up pic for you. I tried to get a picture of it the other evening, but it was occupied and I didn't want to be rude.

We are very lucky to live in the country and get to enjoy all of the animals without having the responsibility!

New wheels!!

My $30 find! A double-stroller for the kiddo's that was in excellent used condition.

Oh, the things I get excited about these days.

Squatters

A few weeks ago, Hubs was checking a few things in our silo and noticed a bird perched on a nest. The bird flew away when he walked into the silo and this is what he found when he peeked into the nest.

We couldn't get the kids fast enough! Hubs held them up so they could take a quick peek at the newly hatched little birds. Turner and Lauren were in awe of them.

 
We went to check on them a week later and got to see them with feathers.

And then the next week, they were gone.

It was very cool for us to have had the opportunity to witness the first stages of life for our little bird friends!

Rainy day activity - Getting Mummified!

A few evenings ago, the kids had used up all of their allotted television time for the evening and were passing time by picking on each other.

Suddenly, I remembered a friend of mine letting her kids wrap each other in toilet paper.

I thought it would be fun if I allowed the kiddo's to make Hubs and I Mummy's for the night.

Instead, the kids decided that they wanted to be the Mummy's, so we wrapped them up in toilet paper and they had a blast!

It was just what we needed to lighten the mood on a dreary evening.

Mother's Day

I had an AMAZING Mother's Day thanks to the kids and Hubs. Best one by far.

Here is a pic of the woman that brought me into this world and who, among many things, passed her middle name on to me. I did not pass the name on to Lauren; however, Lauren did inherit our eyes.

My sweet Lauren and my Mom, Jana Lynn.

BiRtHdAy PaRtY!!

Last month, my beautiful niece, Brodie, turned 4 years old.

It doesn't seem that long ago that I was posting her baby pics on here, as she was the precious little girl that made me an Aunt for the very first time.

Love her!!

Brodie's birthday party was done in a space theme. (As you can imagine, Turner LOVED it!!)

My amazing and crafty Sister had everything planned perfectly.

Brodie was dressed in blues and greens since she chose to represent Earth. I wish I had taken pics of her before she had to bundle up. Her outfit was adorable!!

All of the kids received alien eye headbands, galaxy play-doh, jet packs, and Mars and Milky Way candy bars. My sister even served them Tang, just like the astronauts get to drink!!

The weather was a bit chilly, but the children didn't seem to mind at all. They had so much fun.

Trike-A-Thon 2013

This year, Turner participated in his last Trike-A-Thon.

Hopefully, next year, Lauren will get to participate!!

It was a beautiful day and the kids had a blast cheering each other on. The best part was seeing Turner's face light up when we arrived to watch him ride. He was thrilled to have his Dad, Mom, and both of his Sister's there.

 

What we're reading now.

Until last month, Turner and I or Turner and Hubs were reading small books before bedtime. Books with short stories and lots of illustrations. We enjoy books like that very much. However, I was encouraged by a librarian to begin reading a larger book to him.

I hadn't thought of doing that before, but as time passed, the more appealing it became. I wanted Turner to listen to a story, ask questions, and imagine the characters as he sees them in his mind. I wanted him to anticipate each chapter as the story unfolds.

So, together, we chose our first book.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling.

 

 

I thought that the adventures of Harry Potter would keep his interest as most children are fascinated by magic. There is also a bit of tragedy in the book, as Harry Potter's life started out a bit difficult. Turner asked a lot of questions about Harry's home life and it also allowed us to talk about bullying and being a new kid at a new school. The timing on this couldn't have been more perfect since Turner will be starting Kindergarten in the fall.

 

So far, the book has been a success!

 

Parents are encouraged to read to their children for 20 to 30 minutes a day. We always have a quick story time before nap, and now we read Harry Potter for twenty minutes at bedtime.

 

We are three-fourths of  the way through the book. When we finish, I plan to have a Harry Potter evening where we can put on our cloaks, carry our magic wands, and watch the movie. I'm also glad that this is a series so we can continue our Harry Potter experience for months to come.

 

 

Meet Olivia!!

 



Olivia by Ian Falconer.

Olivia is Lauren's new fascination.

Olivia is a big sister who always has good intentions, but often encounters obstacles. Like most children, Olivia is a dreamer and an independent thinker. She has a big imagination and despite what happens, she remains an optimist and is always willing to try. I think her values and lessons are wonderful for Lauren to learn from.

We borrowed an Olivia book from the library and she really enjoyed it so I found an Olivia book that came with a LeapFrog Tag Reader bundle that was also available at our local library.

Now, every time Lauren sees anything with Olivia, she smiles big and says, "Livia! Livia!" I found an Olivia app for her LeapPad and I discovered that Olivia has her own cartoon series on Nickelodeon.

There are quite a few Olivia books that we will be adding to Lauren's collection.

You can also learn more about Olivia by going to her page. myolivia.com

I highly encourage you to check it out!