ROYGBIV

I love to organize things. And I love rainbow-order (just look at my closets, sometime!). For years I've been separating my little scrapbook embellishments into individual categories. It's nice to have everything so organized, but I find that I forget to use lots of the fun little doodads that I have in my stash. So I'm trying something new. I've put all those little bits into rainbow order. It was a little hard at first to start dumping buttons and brads and eyelets and flowers all into a single drawer, but now that I'm almost done, I think I like it! And if I change my mind, I still have all my little containers to sort everything back the way it was.

More Spring Signs

One of my favorite trees in our wooded area is this one that has just started to pop with its pretty red blooms. I have no idea what kind of tree it is--it was here when we moved in--but it makes me smile every spring when it starts to flower.

Trying to be "Super Mom"

I have a tendency to not schedule playdates for Olivia and Katy. It is mostly because of laziness. I feel like they always have each other, and we have tons of girls their age in the neighborhood that they play with frequently. Oh, and if I make a date with just one of their friends, it often results in someone feeling left out thanks to that "3" thing. So today I made a playdate with Ashley for Olivia and Caroline for Katy. They were all so excited! I picked all four girls up from school, so they got to be car riders--a thrill in itself. They did art projects when we got home. Next they played hopscotch (after a lengthy meltdown by Olivia about wanting to go first despite our house rule that guests go first). And then they each got to ice and decorate two cupcakes (one for then, and one for after dinner). Fortunately it was a beautiful day so they did the uber-messy cupcake activity outside. They all seemed to have fun, but I was exhausted by the end of the afternoon. And reminded why I tend to not schedule playdates...

Silliness

Sometimes my kids just crack me up. This is how I found Katy's bear while straightening up before vacuuming today. Yes, those are fuzzy gloves on his little feet. Not sure why they're there. Maybe he was cold? Maybe she wanted him to have shoes and couldn't find a pair that fit? Or maybe she just stuck them on because they were there. She's at school so I can't ask her, but it made me smile when I found him--it's just so Katy.

Good Times

One of my favorite memories from elementary school was the annual book fair. I can remember pouring over the flyer when it came home and trying to plan how I would spend the money that mom and dad would allot to me. So of course I was excited when Ryan began having book fairs to go to a few years ago. This year is even better, though! Now that all 3 are in school, I get to actually help out with the fundraiser. It is without a doubt my favorite fundraiser done by the school. I plan to head it up in a few years if I'm not working outside the home.

Cat Fight!

When Oreo and Airy joined our family in 1993, we were still living in the era of cameras that used film. I took a few pictures of them through their lives, but none as kittens. Suffice it to say that I am having a lot of fun photographing our new additions. I had forgotten how ferociously they play fight at this age! With all the meowing and growling and pouncing and stalking and biting and clawing, you'd think one of them would get hurt. This is why it's nice to get 2 kittens...they take their need to "fight" out on each other instead of us!

Everyone Always Says...

One thing I've learned over the years is that generally if "everyone" says something, there's a pretty good chance the statement has some basis in reality. For example, "everyone" always says that you don't need to buy children expensive toys because they're just as happy with a cardboard box. We got our final jetpaks for the hot tub yesterday which yielded four nice-sized boxes. This particular box has been transformed into a dog house. Want to guess who's been the dog lately?

Winter Swimming

Who needs an indoor pool during the winter when you've got a hot tub? The girls have been enjoying playing in the hot tub a lot recently. We turn the temperature down to 99 degrees so it's safe for them, but still nice and toasty. And I love the way they look in their little bowkinis (that's Katy & Livvy speak for bikini).

Love/Hate

For years now, I have had a love/hate relationship with Kevin's fish tanks. On the one hand, they can be pretty and the sound of the water is relaxing. On the other hand, finding a good place for them (so that they don't leave a room looking like a dorm or bachelor pad), and the mess they can create during cleaning can be annoying. I was enjoying the lack of a fish tank for the first two years that we moved, but last spring Kevin got the itch to set one up again. It's been in our dining room. Along with an air hockey table and a portable fridge. Can you say "dorm room"? It wouldn't be so bad if that wasn't the first room you see as you come in our front door. I've hated it. A lot. But after painting the powder room Kevin suggested moving the tank in there, and you know what? I think it works!

Fancy Katy

Currently, Katy's favorite books are about a posh girl named "Fancy Nancy." Until recently I had to read them to her, but tonight I caught her reading to Bella, her posh new kitty (posh is a fancy word for fancy, by the way). Bella seemed quite interested and was purrfectly happy to sit and listen to the whole book.

A Boy and His... Cat?

Most people instantly assume that dogs are the natural companion for boys, but not my boy. He adores our cats. From the time he was a baby he would squeal and laugh and love on our older cats, Oreo & Airy. He prayed diligently every night for Airy after she died when he was almost 4--asking God to please give her some love and a little bit of shrimp to help her be happy. When Oreo died this past summer, he took it harder than my girls. And when they began asking for new kitties, he would comment that he just wasn't ready yet. Tonight as I peeked in on him, this is the scene that greeted my eyes:












I'm not sure which one of them looks more content.

Living on the Edge

We are slowly expanding the kittens' territory in our home as they grow more accustomed to their surroundings. They are successfully using the litter box (yeah!) and know where their food and water are. Today we gave them access to the entire upstairs hallway, half of the stairs down to the main level, and the entire playroom (in addition to the laundry room which is their home base). You'd think two playful little kitties would be busy exploring, right? Nope. They spent their time curled up at the gate--right at the end of their boundary. Funny how we seem to do the same thing--instead of enjoying all the blessings we have, we live on our border admiring everything we don't.

That's It?

The upper tooth next to Ryan's left front tooth has been loose for months. I mean m-o-n-t-h-s. The problem has been that he grinds his teeth, and this tooth had been pretty well ground. Finally I made a dentist appointment to have it taken out (at the dentist's suggestion) tomorrow. This evening, Ryan took matters into his own hands and covered a pair of Kevin's pliers with some gauze. It didn't take long for it to finally pop out, much to our relief. Now, as I said, this tooth had been pretty ground down, so I knew there wasn't much left of it, but was a little shocked (and sickened) at how bad it was--the picture really doesn't do it justice. Once he gets a few more permanent teeth we'll be investing in a night guard! But I'm wondering if the tooth fairy has to leave as much when there's so little left?

Our Family has Grown by 8 Feet, er, paws...

To further celebrate the Valentine's holiday we decided to share our family's love with two new little kittens. Introducing Midnight and Bella, a brother and sister we adopted today (for free thanks to Craigslist). They are 7 weeks old (born Christmas night), and are as sweet as can be. The kids are over-the-moon excited about our new additions. I've had to shoo them out of the laundry room several times to allow the babies time to sleep. Tomorrow we'll begin s-l-o-w-l-y expanding their territory to insure they can find their way back to their food and litterbox. It's too early to comment on personalities yet, but so far they seem to be playful and cuddly.

Where's the Romance?

There was a time that Valentine's day was about love and romance with my husband. But that was a while ago. Not that I don't absolutely adore and love my hubby, we make an effort to show it to each other throughout the year. So Valentine's day has become more about the kids. This year was no different. The kids got cards and candy and cute outfits to celebrate the day. We spent the afternoon at a double-header basketball game (Ryan's team won both games!), and then playing at the playground afterwards. We had an enjoyable dinner at McAllister's Deli, and then made it home in time to watch Space Buddies (a Valentine's gift). After the kids went to bed, Kevin, Roger & I spent the evening laughing thanks to several specials on Comedy Central. All in all a great day.

Pappy in Da House

This weekend looks like it will be a busy one with three (3!) basketball games for Ryan, Valentine's Day, and a visit from Pappy. Tonight's game is a make-up game from a few weeks ago, and is a bit of a departure from our normal Friday routine of pizza and a family movie. We still had pizza (at Cici's instead of at home), but our evening entertainment consisted of watching 8 & 9 year old boys playing their hearts out. Pappy got here this afternoon and got to come with us and be videographer. I'm sure it brought back lots of memories of watching Kevin play. Sadly, our team was defeated, but it was a close and exciting game.

Spring is Coming...

One of my earliest memories of spring centers around my parents singing the "Spring is Coming" song. I think it's one that my mom used as a second grade teacher? But as the winter would draw to a close we would begin singing:
Spring is coming
Spring is coming
How do you think I know?
The ______ is getting ________
I know it must be so.
Fill in the blanks in as many ways as you can imagine: The grass is getting greener; the days are getting longer; the weather's getting warmer; the flowers are poking through the ground; the birds are building nests; and on, and on. We would all sing the song and add as many verses as we could think of.
I sing the song with my children now, but we get to begin singing it much earlier in the year. It came to my mind today as I noticed that the pear trees in front of our house are beginning to bud.











Oh, and on an unrelated note, thanks to this project I've been playing with my camera a bit more. While experimenting with the macro mode, I shot these pictures of my rosemary beginning to bloom. I love the way this one came out!











And for those of you looking for some kid pics, here's Ryan as he heads over to Brandon's for a little catch. Also spring-related in that he's wearing shorts and a T-shirt. In February. Love it!









Oh! And I have now made more posts this year than I did the entire year of 2007!

Something Special

What is it about having breakfast for dinner that tastes so good? Is it because the flavors are unexpected at that time of day? Or maybe because we feel like we're getting away with eating something we shouldn't? Maybe it's because it's so easy to clean up compared to many dinners? Or perhaps if we've thought ahead and tripled (or quadrupled) the batch of pancakes it's nice knowing that there will be a yummy treat on a school morning, a deviation from the normal cereal and yogurt? I have no idea what it is, maybe a combination of all of these. But tonight, while Kevin was traveling, the kids and I feasted on pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and fresh strawberries & kiwi. Delicious at any time of the day.

Whew!

The past week or so has been crazy with all the school-related things going on:
1. Field Trip (3rd grade)
2. Class Pictures
3. Book Report Project (3rd grade)
4. 100th Day of School
5. Dalmation Day (Kindergarten)
6. Teddy Bear Parade (Kindergarten-required making a 'float')
7. Valentine's Day (all 3--buy and write Valentines)
8. Jump for the Heart (need to raise $$ for PE)
9. Yearbook pages need to be completed (I'm in charge of Ryan's)
10. Getting ready for the Bookfair
11. Working on Kindergarten scrapbooks (I'm doing at least 10 of them for different students in the girls' classes)
Definitely busier than usual, because all of this needs to be combined with:
1. Regular, on-going homework assignments
2. Lots of us getting sick
3. Basketball
Fortunately after today things should settle down a bit into just normal activities and assignments(I hope!).

Along those lines, I went to the Teddy Bear Parade this afternoon to take pictures (for those Kindergarten scrapbooks), and left with a mixture of emotions. My idea of decorating a shoebox to make a float is to provide basic assistance and supplies, and let the girls decorate it the way they want. Our floats were cute, but very basic--decorated with paper, stickers and glitter glue. But about half of the kids' floats were a little over the top--wheel assemblies, elaborate papier mache structures, tons of decorations. Simply put, obviously done by the parents, not the kids. So I felt a little guilty that I had done so little and that my girls' floats were so simple by comparison, a little perturbed that parents were doing their children's homework assignments, and a little proud that I allowed my children to do it themselves.

A Little Wilhelm?

Tonight at dinner we were eating steak (yum!). All the kids seemed to be enjoying it. Olivia then commented that she must have forgotten to get herself a napkin, so she got up to get one from the sideboard. No one thought anything more of it.

An hour or so later while cleaning up the kitchen, I noticed a napkin on the floor. Under Olivia's seat. And I picked it up and discovered a bunch of chewed up, spit out steak. Wadded up in the napkin. That she conveniently dropped on the floor...

I burst out laughing as I immediately remembered the stories my mom used to tell about hiding vegetables in the table leg when she was a child (or was that Aunt Donna?). I've got to hand it to the child--she is creative. Sneaky, but creative.

Dalmation Day

In recent years it has become a popular thing to celebrate the 100th Day of School in the elementary schools. The children practice counting each day, and on the 100th day there is a party of sorts. Each student brings in 100 of some small item. They get to make a snack bag counting out 10 of 10 different items (like tiny pretzels, goldfish pieces of cereal, raisins, etc.). They do 10 of 10 different activities (like jumping jacks, hula hoops, steps, etc.). It's all about 100. Our school is no different. HOWEVER, in the Kindergarten classes, they take it one step further. And on the 101st Day of School, they celebrate Dalmation Day--complete with an appearance of Cruella Deville. I forgot about this until Kevin reminded me at 7:30 p.m. last night. Since they're supposed to dress up in honor of the day, I frantically made 2 spotted T-shirts for them to wear (this is the stuff they don't tell you about with twins). Of course I got double the excitement when they saw their shirts this morning.

Not Easily Impressed

I made homemade applesauce today. It was delicious. I peeled, cored and quartered twenty (TWENTY!) apples. Simmered them in a little water and added pie seasoning--no extra sugar. The kids enjoyed the applesauce, but when I showed them that I peeled (almost) all the apples in one long strip, they weren't impressed! I was impressed. So impressed I took a picture to prove it.

The Groundhog Was Wrong

This week weather-forecasting groundhog Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, and proclaimed another six weeks of winter. Perhaps we need another groundhog to predict things down here, because today is downright balmy. It's 67 degrees--feels warmer outside in the sun than it does in my house. The girls are on their scooters and the boys are playing basketball. The buds on our pear trees are getting plumper in the past two days. I'm still working on cleaning around this joint--didn't want to overdo things yesterday. But I've got at least one window in every room open and the smell of fresh air in this house is like heaven.

Goodbye Germs

Sick of sick around this house. It's in the upper 50s and I'm letting in fresh air. Cleaning everything I can with Clorox. Get these germs out of here before anyone else gets sick!

We're All Sick

No pictures today. Ryan was up all last night throwing up. My cold is worse. The girls went to school, thank goodness. Just exhausted.

Snow Day?

There are so many things to say about these pictures, not sure where to start. First, I know, more than one picture. Oh well. My blog. My rules! :)
1. North Carolina is even more cautious than Virginia and Maryland when it comes to snow days. We have less than an inch. Possibly less than half an inch. But no school!

2. The kids practically never see snow, so even this tiny amount is thoroughly exciting.

3. They started pestering us about going outside to play in the snow at 7:22 a.m.

4. When you don't get snow where you live, you don't invest in things like snow suits or boots each year. Last time we bought this stuff was in 2006. Looks like Ryan's grown a bit...

5. It does not require much snow for kids to have a great time! Nor does it require expensive snow toys. Barbara's driveway had a thin coating of snow with a nice layer of ice underneath. Made for great "sledding" with cardboard boxes and plastic lids.

















6. If your children go sledding in a Pamper's box, you might be a redneck... :)

Sledding -- NC-Style

Some Things Never Change

When I was a kid and I stayed home from school because I was sick, I would spend the day watching TV: cartoons in the early morning followed by a healthy dose of game shows. The afternoons always stunk until Captain Chesapeake came on around 2 p.m. But while the TV programming has changed for kids now, some parts of staying home are the same. Moms encouraging extra handwashing, extra liquid consumption and extra rest. Children enjoying a day home with mom with some extra attention and special privelages. Like getting to eat meals from a tray in front of the TV. That still may be the best part. Katy sure thinks so. Makes me miss my mom when I'm feeling sick!

My Girl

I know I've commented about this before, but I'm always struck when I see Livvy doing things that are so much like me. Perhaps it's because we are usually saying she's so much like Kevin. As I was editing pictures, I glanced down and saw that she had cleared the magnetic responsibility chart and was organizing all the little magnets. And then she made a chart to show how many we had of each symbol. Right up my alley. That's my girl.

SuperBowl XLIII

I remember a time when our kids would be in bed way before halftime of our SuperBowl parties. Not anymore. We had 6 families over to watch this year: 17 kids. And in preparation I spent a fair amount of time cutting apart 3-D glasses in anticipation of the half-time commercials. Kevin set up an "official" Fiki Football playing field on one of my old scrapbook tables. We all had fun playing - especially dads vs. older boys! So much fun to spend time with good friends eating good food and watching a little football. Just wish the game was on a Saturday night.