Taking time for fun

Since life has been so busy lately, I have been trying to remember to stop and just have fun and be present with the kids. The other afternoon I just got my camera out and the three of us were just goofy for the camera. It was fun and a great reminder of how wonderful it is to just stop and have fun!

Critter is loving books lately. Especially this one about trucks and one about animals. He likes to point at each item and have you tell him what it is. He gets a kick out of it. However, don't try to trick him by telling him something different than what it says. He knows and will give you a very sneaky look! :)
Our goof-ball. It is so hard lately to get a "normal" picture out of her. Once the camera comes out, so does the performer! Man, this is going to be one of those pictures I can bribe her with later in life :)

The older both of them get, the harder it is to get a picture of them together. One of them is tormenting the other or trying to get away or making a funny face. This is the best one I have gotten in quite awhile.

She has grown so much. I look at this picture and am so proud of who she has become. She is inquisitive, loving, generous, kind and adventurous! I could not ask for a more special daughter. I am so glad that I stopped and enjoyed these moments with them. I know in the near future, she will not want to goof off and just take pictures with me anymore.

There is her smile! :) Getting her to laugh is the key. Man, she still melts my heart.

In the theme of having fun and taking a break, two friends and I met with our kids at the Zoo. It was a great morning. They have a new splash pad there and of course the kids all wanted to go in. Critter was the most adventurous. He walked right in and did not mind when the water came up right into him. It was fun and I think we will be hitting this the next time we go to the Zoo.

Right before I took this picture, the water shot up from these spouts. It surprised him and then he just laughed! He loves the water just like his sister.

We brought lunch and after the kids ate they ran around the grassy area. Critter was getting pretty far and his buddy W helped get him back. These guys are only 10 weeks apart and his parents are godparents to our kids. It is so sweet that they can grow together along with their other buddy C. There is something about this picture that strikes a cord with me. Our boys and kids are growing SO fast. It seems like I look at them and they change from day to day. Yet....I see this and see how small they still are in the world. There is so much yet for them to learn and experience. Even though at times I feel like my time being needed as a mother is fading, they will still need me for awhile, and I need them. For some reason, this picture gave me perspective. My kids are growing, learning and changing day to day. They will continue to do so and I will stand here guiding them and loving them. The world stands before them and I can not wait to see what they will do :)

Hope you can take some time for fun. It really does wonders for the soul!

Off we go again...

Apparently my children do not like the color of my hair. They are striving everyday to make it a lovely shade of gray! We got to head off (yes again) to the ER yesterday for Critter. Ironic since we just got the bill on Saturday from his last ER trip. As I was taking a nice hot shower and Hubby was taking care of the kids, Critter decided he needed to climb onto the sofa table (those taller tables put behind couches, but ours is/was by the front door). Not really sure why he needed to do this besides the fact that he is a MONKEY! He went ahead and pulled it down onto his feet. Yes...I said his feet. Now, he does not have what you would call small feet. So, when they swelled up they looked really not small! After 30 minutes of crying, off we went to the ER.

3 hours, 6 X-Rays and a co-pay later....we were home with swollen not broken feet. Thankfully! I could even imagine trying to contain this child with two broken feet. The thought of that makes me cringe.

Here are his lovely feet. They don't look nearly as bad in the pictures. When he finally wanted to walk last night, he was limping around like an adult. Today he seems to be doing pretty good. We went this morning and played for a little while because I wanted to see what his feet would do. After about an hour he slowed down and was ready to go home. But, I felt better about his feet seeing that he could play for that long.
I really hope to NOT post anything again for awhile about the ER. I joked with my mom about not needing a college fund for the kids, but an ER fund! I think I was only somewhat joking.... Does anyone need a sofa table?!?!?

Memories

It has been a crazy couple of weeks around here. Time is just FLYING by! Today was Pumpkin's last day of school. I feel like just yesterday she was heading up the stairs for her first day. She has grown so much this year. She is learning so much I am amazed at her everyday. I know before I know it Critter will be off to his first day! Once again she did not really want to take a picture without her brother. He was not that into it though! :)
Finally right before we left she let me take a picture of just her. She no longer wants to take a regular picture, she likes to "pose" somehow. Unless I get her laughing, it is so hard to get a picture of her actual smile! This one is sort of close.

Critter did not want to be left out!

My parents close friends came into town for a vacation with them. I have known them since I was 2 and am still friends with their daughter (Pumpkin's godmother). Well...when I was growing up Mrs. P would always braid my hair. I have vivid memories of this growing up. She would braid it while it was wet and a day later I would have curly hair. When Pumpkin heard these stories she asked if Mrs. P would braid her hair! It was so cute when they came over, Pumpkin was so excited to sit and have her do this. It brought back so many memories from when I was a kid. She left the braids in for a day and then was excited for her curly hair. The only problem is that she now wants her hair braided often and I don't know how to do it! I figured out how to braid from pigtails...so that is what she is getting!

Thanks Mrs. P!

I could not leave out the picture from my "Mother's Day". Luckily we had planned on celebrating on Tuesday because the whole family (besides me) got a lovely stomach bug on Mother's Day weekend. So....I got to spend the weekend doing LOTS of laundry, making chicken noddle soup, and sanitizing lots of items. At least I knew that my family needed me! :) We went to a baseball game on Tuesday, and it was a great time. It was Critter's first non-college game. He loved to clap when everyone else did. We rode the train from the station to the game and the kids had a blast. It was a great day even if I did not get to spend the actual day with my mom. I know she understood :)

So...we have just been busy around here. I am hoping that life calms down a bit or at least enough for me to stop for a minute and enjoy what is going on around me!

My growing girl

I am not sure where my baby girl has gone. This beautiful child I see here has grown SO much! You are still amazing me each and everyday. You have a heart of gold, care deeply for those around you, take lessons to heart, have a love of God that amazes me, and you remember EVERYTHING! I can not believe some of the stories you remember. I have a hard time thinking of what you are talking about some times. I love who you are and who you are becoming. I miss my real little girl, but I am trying to enjoy each day of who you are now.

You love the outdoors. It does not matter if we go to the park, the splash pad, riding your bike or just in the backyard; you love it. You seem so happy when absorbing the world around you.
Pumpkin, you are such a beautiful child. I love how you show your emotion through your eyes. Just one look into your eyes shows if you are happy, sad, thinking, etc.

Lately, you are my goofball. Whether it is singing, dancing, making up stories, making up games, or off in your own world; you are entertaining all of us. I can not tell you how much I love being in the present and just listening to you make up songs and dance around the house. I pray you keep up your imagination and your love of entertaining. You can make us smile in a heartbeat.

Monkey was always one of your nicknames, and it continues to be. You still love to climb and drive me crazy! Here are a few of the thoughts you have said lately that make me laugh out loud!:

~ At a birthday party as they are serving cake at lunchtime (we had not had lunch beforehand)

"Dude, is this our lunch!" you said this with a huge smile on your face.

~ You had been telling me your belly hurt for awhile. I was asking you if it hurt all the time or just some of the time.

" Hmmm....I think it just hurts some of the time. Maybe 3 days a week"

~ Your response quite often.

"Seriously?!" I have no idea where you get this from, seriously! :)

I love you my sweet girl. I can not believe that you are 4 1/2. I don't know where the time has gone. I hope to remember what you are doing in these special moments.

Mommy's man

My little man is getting so big. He is at the stage where he is learning new things everyday and the "baby" ways are fading away quickly. I want to remember some special things about this time of our lives.
My man still loves to sleep. He has never been like his big sister with wanting to be held and cuddled to sleep. He loves to cuddle and be held during the day, but not as he is going to sleep. He sleeps like a big kid now. When I walk in to get him after a nap or the night, he will stand there and tilt his head and smile, usually with his hair sticking up all over the place!

He is VERY inquisitive. He likes to stand back and figure out the situation. He does not have to be hands on everything like Pumpkin. There is an analytical side of him which I adore. And no...he really is not THAT pale I am using a great Zinc Oxide sunscreen now which stays a little bit white! :)

Critter likes to be like big people now. When he is thirsty and takes a big sip of water he will smack his lips and say "Ahhh". That is what this picture is. He also has figured out how to cheers with people. If you are drinking while he is, he will stop and look at you, raise his cup to you and say "Dears". Also, if you do not take a sip after doing the cheers, he will make you do it again!

He is getting to the No Fear section of life, just like Pumpkin. We went to the splash pad yesterday and he was running through the water and all around just loving it, until he got tired that is! You can't see it in this picture, but he has taken to running on his toes, just like Pumpkin. Let me tell you that it is not helping his coordination!

Critter, you are the light of our lives. You are still momma's boy, but you light up when daddy walks in the room. You are a smart cookie. You have figured out how to climb on everything in this house, including your sister's bed. If you can not get up the first time, you bring something over to help you. You have discovered your love of cars and balls. Luckily, most of the time you are just throwing the balls and not everything else you find! You are using your sign language skills quite often. When something goes wrong with someone or they get hurt (usually your sister) you are the first one over to give a hug. There is so much love in your heart. We love you dear son. I hope to remember these moments when you grow up!