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!

Sesame Street Live!

Instead of taking a family vacation this year, we decided that we would take the kids on a special outing every month.

This month, we took the kids to see Sesame Street Live - Elmo's Super Hero's.

It seems that most of the events/outings that we attend are heavily influenced by what Turner enjoys. This time, we had Lauren's interest in mind. We decided to take her to see her favorite pal, Elmo.

When we asked Turner if he wanted to attend the show, he wasn't too thrilled that it was Elmo; however, he thought the Super Hero part would be kind of cool.

So, we purchased tickets and we had a wonderful time!

The show took place at the Renaissance Theatre in Mansfield. I was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful it is inside. It's an old restored theater that is painted and decorated with most of the same colors and items that were there originally in 1928. It was originally a movie palace theater, so there really isn't a bad seat in the house.

When we arrived, the kids picked out souvenir's and snacks from the snack bar. Then, we found our seats and the fun began. Sesame Street Live was a very interactive show. I loved how they encouraged crowd participation and constantly invited the kids to stand up and dance. It kept the kids attention while allowing them to get out of their seats and burn some energy. Just what Turner and Lauren needed!!

*If you decide to watch the video, I must apologize in advance. I have the worst Mom-voice ever!