Ashley and Emma finally learned to move the pipe by themselves. I think it may have to do with $$$. Whatever works! I don’t know many 12 and 10 year old girls who move pipe I think it’s pretty cool!
Justin just caused too much conflict out “helping” them so he and Claire got some good jobs done around the house when the girls would go out to move pipe. I can never have my walls and baseboards too squeaky clean!!
I love all of the summer time work!
I don’t know why, but I loathe snow! I am just not a cold weather person, it is sad. Ashley is most sad because I never want to go out in it to sled. I just watch from the window, its much better that way. These two came up to my window last night. I am glad they like this snow!
Kindergarten has the most fun tradition of making “witches brew.” We love our kinder teacher! She assigns each of the kids something yucky to bring and they sing along with a song as they each get to dump in their special ingredient. Justin had fingernails-nasty! He thought it was great!
Jaci had moldy bread.
Mrs. Fuchs
Saying Boo
J dumping in his ingredients;
Claire Bear tasting the witches brew, hmmm it tastes a lot like koolaide!
The K kids do a parade around the school to show all of the teachers and older kids their costumes, another fun tradition! Justin had a great time at his first class party!
We are having a SERIOUS debate at our house this morning. Which blankie belongs to which kid?
I am pretty sure Justin's is the bright one with chickens because we picked the cowboy fabric on the red and gold one at that cute shop while we were at Blue Mountain Lodge. Justin was already born, and I was pregnant with Claire, RIGHT???
Claire was playing with her alphabet cards and started laying them out in order, all by herself. Justin caught on and together they finished. They were laughing so hard it was quite cute to see them have fun together.
And one of the little brother trying not to cry.
I have been trying to put him in the middle of whatever we are doing and he seems to be content for a while. BUT he is still definitely FUSSY! I just hope he outgrows it, SOON!
We are trying to stuff as many mommy school days in as we can lately. Justin will start Kindergarten this fall and I am not sure how motivated I will be this summer to work with him. He does love school work, which is really nice. Emma was NOT a lover of school work which made mommy school not very fun, (she does like it better now at school.)
Justin and Claire know all of the abc’s by sight, we do a flash card contest and they LOVE it.
Now writing the abc’s is a whole other thing, Justin can write his name and that is pretty much it, Claire can write her C. I know Ashley could write her name at 3 years old but Claire is more like Emma, not loving the school work as much.
Notice Claire's tongue action:
Ryan was doing the same thing with his tongue when he was helping me make Justin's bed!
Justin is definitely a “south paw” He loves to spend the day dribbling. (which drives me crazy in the kitchen) He LOVES to dribble, and now wants to play basketball when he grows up. He will play baseball when he is a kid, and basketball when he is a grown up. Sounds like a plan!
We have been just hanging around here having everyday days. Justin and Claire have been playing nicely together……is it the calm before the storm?
Justin wanted a picture with his trains, he added a new one on valentines day, that big black Hiro in the middle. We have been non-stop Thomas tracks around here since Monday! Happy little boy!
Justin, Claire and I have been trying to beat the winter blahs around here. Its not that I don't have a TON to be doing, (I have done NOTHING to get ready for this new baby) I just don't have much motivation, I just know I am going to start that “nesting” phase any day now….please soon!!
We made those peanut butter cookies with 4 ingredients you know the ones and you put a Hershey kiss on top. (I should have taken a picture) Anyway we put Reeses hearts on top instead, they were yummy! Who doesn't love unwrapping chocolates!
The girls had their school concert on Monday night. It turned out really cute. Ashley's class learned to play the chimes. It sounded excellent, I didn't notice one missed note! It was fun to learn a different instrument too. (My pictures turned out so dark, Im not going to post them.) Emma's class sang Rockin Around the Christmas Tree and danced, it was cute too. They all got to sit on Santa's lap afterwards. Ashley asked Santa for happiness in the New Year. She is amazing with her unselfishness! I wish I was more like her! I think Emma asked for books and Justin wants a remote control monster truck and for Claire she has been asking for Wacamole. We will see what Santa brings!
Justin and Claire have been working on their Christmas lists. We got a flyer in the mail from Kmart and they had already circled EVERYTHING in it, but they wanted to go one step further and cut everything out that they want for Christmas! It was quite cute!
This looks like serious business!
Our first little snow came on Monday night. The kids had been waiting all weekend for it to snow and it finally did! Of course by the time we dug out all of the snow clothes it was all melted, but it was still fun!
My red neck baby with her swimming suit on under her snow clothes, she has worn a swim suit everyday this week! ( I did put her coat on top)
Emma was around too but I didn't take her picture?? We have had the flu this week, she felt better during the day, it was so nice to have her home. I love having my big girls around!
Much to Ashley and Justin’s dismay soccer has come to an end! Emma wasn't sad at all. She was actually quite happy to finally be done with it! Ashley was pretty sore from playing so intense on Monday, it was the first time she had a crowd to play for (Dad and Grandma). She has never experienced sore muscles before and was paying for it big time! She still did well, she was not her crazy aggressive self though, she was just to sore. She is in the orange below:
and Justin watched, and day dreamed, “when can I play mom?”
Claire and I were still in dresses from Primary Activity day earlier. I ran out of time well and didn't really realize it until I got to the game that I was wearing a dress. What kind of soccer mom wears a dress to the game?
Emma may or may not actually be trying here, she did kick the ball once, right at the first. I am pretty sure that was the only time though! And Justin dreams……..
DONE! Yeah what a good feeling! The sad part is I have done all of this work and taken a whole day to get it done and I only ended up with 28 quarts. I thought I was doing SO many, I did so many, I just always expect it to fill the whole pantry and it never comes close. Well at least I am getting closer, next on the agenda is pears, that should be fun day!
Thankfully Sara came to help me, I haven't canned peaches in a couple of years, and have never by myself. I was glad she knew what she was doing! And it gave my kids someone to beat up on! Poor Tayson and Jaci took their beatings well today, I just LOVE my obedient children! This is what they looked like all day, Claire didn't make it out of her PJ’s:
And Justin vegged all day, he is KING of the remote!
I am glad we got it done for another year! Or for a couple of days anyway…..
Im not sure who took these pictures, probably Emma, but I had to post them, I am not looking forward to wintery months and pictures like these make us happy!
Claire, Jaci, Justin
This airplane kept buzzing over us, we watched it for quite a while, I think it was spraying grasshoppers.
