Thursday, March 28, 2013

Preschool Easter Party

 
Grant's last party of the year was yesterday.
 
They heard the story of Easter.
 

 
The party was then moved outside for sack races and other relay races.
Grant had a terrible time jumping in the sack race.
 
He is in the green sack...preparing to fall for the twentieth time.
 
 

 
Helping the next guy into the sack....
 
 
Best buddy from kindergarten....Owen.

 
 
 
 

Owen and Grant sit at the same table.
Here they were enjoying their party treats.
 
 
So that was it.
 
We are done with preschool parties.  I have to admit I sort of hate to see the year end since he is our last.  I am sure the little graduation ceremony in May for the kindergarten class will be a bittersweet day.
 
 
I am so thankful for each milestone our family passes.
I refuse to be sad!
 
 
Well, maybe just a little.
 

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Baby News

 
 
Baby C
Two month check-up
 
Her mother sent me this picture from the doctor's office.
They are all doing great.
 
Baby C and her family came to dinner at the Shupe Zoo a few weeks ago.
It was nice to see them again and catch up.
 
Baby C was not in a mood to be held by me.
She cried. 
I almost did too.

 
 
 
More baby news...
 
 
Our three heifers

 
 
were just introduced to the newest residents at the zoo.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
David just bought eleven more.
Some were calves just a few weeks old
still with their mommas.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Getting to know each other...
 
There are another twelve or so that are not ready yet,
but he is getting them in the next couple weeks.
 
Hopefully, we can stop buying after this.
With the addition of a bull borrowed from a neighbor
(and a little moooooood music)
(sorry)
 
 
we can have our own herd of cows
and plenty of steers to butcher.
 
 
 
Shhhhhhhhh.
They don't know about that little detail yet.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Celebrate Good Times

Today Grace's school had
'support your favorite team' day
to help celebrate March Madness.
 
 
 
 
This is what Grace wore to school today
minus the pom poms
and with an added long sleeve shirt underneath.
 
and shoes too
 
of course
 
 
 
She was so excited to wear this.
Too bad Illinois is already out this year.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gus had his 100th day of kindergarten last week.
They do a big party for the kids to celebrate. 

They are way behind the public schools.
Grace celebrated the 100th day at her school
several weeks ago.
 
 
 

And Friday we celebrated Grace's eighth birthday
 
 
with a butterfly cake
 


 
 
and presents

 
 
but mostly with cake

 
 
since that seems to be the highlight
of the festivities





I hope her wish comes true.
 
 
Thank you for thinking of her on her big day
with the gifts and cards.
 
They love all of the attention and birthday wishes.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Grace

Eight years ago
 
 
and very early in the morning

 
she decided to make an unexpected appearance

 
two weeks early.

 
I think all who shared in the day would agree

 
life is just a little sweeter

 
with a little bit of Grace in it.

 
 
 
Happy Eighth Birthday big girl!
 
 
 
We love you and are so very proud of you!


Thursday, March 21, 2013

Crazy Train

 
This week we have been riding the crazy train.
 
 
We have had
baseball practices for both guys going full swing (no pun intended) three nights a week,
swim lessons
piano lessons
teacher appreciation week lunches to cook for
spring band concert
springtime student pictures at two different schools
100th day party at kindergarten
high school math placement tests one evening after school
 
and
 
one very special girl with a birthday tomorrow.
 
 
 
 
 
I feel like I am on the crazy train.
 
 
 
 
Hop aboard.
It is a wild ride, but I would love the company.
 
I don't do well on weeks like this.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Have a good evening!


Monday, March 18, 2013

New View

Yesterday I looked back in the car
and saw this.
 
 
 
 
 
Haven't you heard?
Wearing your headphones like glasses is the latest rage.

 
Doesn't look like a very comfortable way to watch a movie to me.
 
I suppose viewing a movie through there wouldn't be too bad.
 
 
 


 
Saturday morning we loaded up for the season ticket holder open house at Slugger Field.
Free hotdogs, popcorn and sodas do not seem like much compensation
for season tickets.
 
 
We showed the kids our new view from our new seats.
This year we are closer to home plate instead of behind first base.
We also took the kids down to see locker rooms, lounges, fitness rooms, dugouts etc. that the players use.
Grant and Emily walked the field too.
Grant wanted to see the view from the field.
 
See?
 
 
Thanks Emily for sharing your pictures!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Grace went to a birthday party Saturday afternoon.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Then we loaded up for the farm.
David did a lumberjack impersonation for us.

 
 
 
 
He took down a good sized tree that was dead.
 

 
The kids hung out on the swings and watched him
 

 
at least they hung out on the swings
until he cut down the branch they were swinging from!!
 

 
Our tree for the swings died a couple years ago.
We decided we finally had to take it down before someone got hurt
when a dead branch broke and they fell to earth.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hmmmm,
that sounds familiar.
 
 
 
 
Raise your hand if you know that story.
 
 
Um, yeah.
 
Thanks John.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Anyway,
the tree is down.
We have a new view from our kitchen window.
 
Sniff. Sniff.

 
 
 
 
Ever the resourceful souls,
Grace and Grant have a new (short lived) jungle gym in the back yard.
 






 
And Remington has a lifetime supply
(age adjusted for dogs of course)
of sticks to chew.
 

 
 
Since the tire swing isn't very
swingable
right now,
 
 
Grace and Grant used it to help haul wood to the barn to store.
 
Gotta love kids that aren't afraid to work!
 
'night!




Thursday, March 14, 2013

Cows and monkeys and butterflies

These two characters are rather cute,
 

 
but after several weeks of them staring at me while I worked on the computer
I finally had to move them somewhere else.
 
 
The cow first appeared atop my computer screen after Charlotte left.
Her mother gave us the cow to remember Charlotte.
 
Long story about the cow.
I won't explain.
 
 
A couple days later Grant placed his monkey beside the cow.
He told me he didn't want Charlotte's cow to be lonely like he was since Charlotte left.
He said it made him feel better to know the cow had someone beside her.
 
How do you argue with that?
 
 
 
 
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
 
 
I am running low on creativity right now.
When the kids wanted to make a tent the other day, I told them to go ahead.
 
I didn't help.  I didn't suggest. 
 
 
 
 
 
I hid.
 
Big mistake
 
 
 
This is the tent they built.

 
Please note the various building materials including
forty pound bags of dog food and
plastic containers that used to hold toys
(which were dumped on the playroom floor for the occasion)

 
Also notice the liberal use of tape
 
on my walls
 
and windows
 
and furniture
 
and floor
 
 
 
 
Yeah.
I should have helped with the tent.
 

I spent a week scraping ten dollars worth of tape off every surface in the living room.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Grace and I went to the science center downtown tonight for her school's family night.
We had a fun time.
 
No one else wanted to go with us.
The IMAX show was about Monarch butterflies.
We learned a lot and had a good time.
 
Time well spent with my youngest daughter.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

WE NEED KETCHUP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 
 
 
During our last night at Disney we dined at the
Whispering Canyon Cafe at the Wilderness Lodge.
 
It is a fun place for casual dining
 
and a great place to eat if you like ketchup......
 
This is a picture of approximately fifteen bottles of ketchup on our table.
 
"Why?" you ask.
 
 
Well,
we were some of the first diners of the evening.
The first poor person in the restaurant to ask their waitress for ketchup was required to yell LOUDLY
"WE NEED KETCHUP"
 
That prompted all waiters/waitresses to appear bearing a bottle of ketchup.
The next poor person asking for ketchup was also required to yell
"WE NEED KETCHUP"
 
The diners at the first table then transferred all the spare ketchup bottles to the next needy table.
 
This went on all evening.
We ended up with about fifteen bottles on the table for about ten minutes before someone else yelled for ketchup.
Our kids were more than happy to pass on the tradition and the extra ketchup.
 

I am certain this must be Grant's favorite place in the world to eat
given the abundance of ketchup.
Tonight he wanted extra ketchup to put on his mashed potatoes and gravy.
Yuck.


 
Later in the evening the kids all rode in
a stick horse roundup around the restaurant.
 
Even John and Emily had fun participating.
Here they were lined up and ready to go.
 
 
 
 
 
 
This was our server, Suzan.
 
She was terrific.
Emily was terrified of her.
 
 
 
She gave Emily many tongue lashings while we were eating.
They covered topics as wide ranging as
texting at the table
elbows on the table
talking with her mouth full
answering with Yes, Ma'am
and what/how much she was eating.
 
It was all in good fun, but I think Emily didn't quite know what to do about it all.
 
 
Behave yourself, Emily.
 
I might call Suzan if you get out of line!!
 
 
These are the last of the Disney pictures.
Now we return to your regularly scheduled blogging.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Grant lost his third tooth today...
exactly fifteen seconds before he got out of the car in carpool line this morning.
 
 
It was loose and he insisted he wanted me to pull it,
so I obliged.
 
He went to class with a mouthful of blood
and a grin from ear to ear.
 
He has waited the entire school year to lose a tooth
so he could get his name put on the tooth bulletin board in his room
Today he succeeded.
 
That was the first thing he told me when he got in the car after class.
 
 
BEST DAY EVER were his words.
Doesn't take much to make that kid happy.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Grade cards came home today.
Mostly A's with a couple B's sprinkled in to keep them humble.
 
Only two more grading periods until the year ends.
I can't believe the two older ones will be graduating eighth grade this year.
 
They are growing up fast.