Game Night...

One of our favorite things to do as a family is play board/card games together. Unfortunately we don't seem to take/find time to do it as often as the kids would like. The other night we made chocolate chip cookies and got out Cranium Cadoo and had so much fun! It's like the kids' version of Cranium and the kids LOVE it!

It's getting really fun now because T can read well enough to compete by himself and the competition is getting stiff around here. I love when one of the kids guess something that someone else is drawing/sculpting/acting out and they get that look of pride. You know the one, that look where they try not to smile and then break out into a grin that says, "I'm brilliant!". Thomas always has to relive it a few times during the rest of the game and it's fun to see their confidence grow.

Matt is a VERY competitive person and the kids have inherited it from him so sometimes things get a little heated but it always ends up being a fun memory in the end. It'll be fun when Em is big enough to join in too but for now we'll just keep coming up with ways to distract her.

I love it when we play and for a time the kids just feel like my best friends for awhile ya know? I hope they remember these times as fondly as I know I will!

Dance Fever...

A couple of weeks ago the kids had a chance to show off the dance moves they've been learning at school. Their elementary school has had a dance program for the last 2 years and the kids go once a week to be taught by a cute girl, Miss Chelsey, who is getting a dance degree and teaching for credits. They have LOVED it! This year she taught each grade a full dance and then they all performed their dances for the parents on the school lawn. Thomas's grade danced to Miley Cyrus's "Hoedown Throwdown". They were all supposed to wear western gear but T refused to wear anything but the requested basics of a white t-shirt and blue jeans. That's my boy, always going against the grain!

(Notice the distinct lack of anything "western" on my boy!)

It was so cute watching those first graders get out there and bust a move! Thomas was SO excited for it and would ask everyday leading up to the big performance how many days were left.

He was definitely one of the kids who put their all into the performance and I was so proud of him for getting out there with no fear. He must get it from Matt because I HATE performing publically!

Madison's grade did a native American dance using rings. It was so neat! Madison would come home each day that she had dance and tell me how hard she was practicing and how much she enjoyed using the rings.

She was excited that she was one of the taller kids and therefore got to be a "butterfly" in the back. They used rings to make the shape of a butterfly on their bodies while they danced and it was really cool to see that these 4th graders could do something so intricate.

She was terrified to perform and I was SO proud of her for getting up there and pushing through the fear to pull off a great performance. I love watching my kids do things that they have worked so hard to learn. It makes my heart swell with pride every time. Man I have cool kids!

Play-Doh Party...

My kids LOVE Play-Doh. I personally have a love/hate relationship with it. Love that it entertains them, hate the mess! We have acquired quite the collection of Play-Doh paraphernalia over the years so they have plenty to choose from. Their favorite thing to do with it is play restaurant. Usually one of them makes the entrees and the other makes desserts. Of course, now Em is getting in on the act and she just specializes in making a mess!

Saving My Sanity...

So it's been a little while since we've talked...sorry about that. I have to admit that the last week or two have been extremely trying for me. I forgot how hard it is to have a toddler around all day. My baby girl will be two at the end of this month and she has become quite a handful! I feel like she follows me around all day long trying to find as many ways as she can to drive me CRAZY! Many days it feels like she starts whining from the minute she wakes up in the morning to the minute she goes to bed at night. She has perfected an ear-splitting scream filled tantrum and shows it off multiple times a day. She has decided that if she does not get what she wants when she wants it she will let me know of her extreme dissatisfaction with me in no uncertain terms! Honestly, many days, I feel like I am two steps away from walking out that door and never coming back (or like throwing my own tantrum). I keep trying to tell myself that this too shall pass but when you're in the thick of it that doesn't seem to help much! I miss my sweet baby girl that was so peaceful and calm...

I do have to say though that my husband and two older kids are AMAZING! My kids see when I am at the end of my rope and come to my rescue by taking Em aside and playing with her. The other day Madison watched her the whole time we were at the park so that I could sit and chat with my sister. Thomas is so good at entertaining her too. He makes her laugh like nobody's business and he is her favorite jumping buddy on the trampoline (and believe me-she ALWAYS wants to be on the "Peen"). It is so sweet to see the love that they have for their baby sister...even though she drives them crazy sometimes too! Bless my dear sweet husband also. He comes home after long days at work and steps right in, sometimes with me in tears behind him, and gives Em his enthusiastic attention when I have no enthusiasm left. He picks up the whirlwind that has hit the house, throws in some laundry, does some dishes and doesn't complain when I ditch him to go for a Girls' Night. Honestly, right now I feel kind of useless. He does SO much to pick up everything that falls apart around me all day long.

I feel like I am empty. Like I have nothing left to give. Do you ever feel that way? I know this is a hard time. I know that this will pass and that I will miss this cute toddler stage, because yes, sometimes she is darn cute! But right now I am just trying to keep my head above water. I've noticed though that I feel better on the days that we get out and do something. If we stay home all day long I feel like I am going insane! The other day I took the kids to the mall (and left my camera in the car-darnit!) and we played at the Dinosaur Playland and rode the train and the carousel and had lunch and it was SO much fun! It was also like $60 after all was said and done. We've done lots of fun things this week (which I'll be posting about in the coming week) and it's really helped my overall mood but I've also spent too much money. I need to find much cheaper things to do that will get us out of the house and still entertain the kids. Any ideas?

Anyhoo, I guess it's probably better that I didn't post in the last week or so...in my frame of mind it wouldn't have been pretty! But I have some posts in the works now so come back and visit and I'll try to get back to updating more often.




P.S. I've decided to allow anonymous comments for those who don't have a google account so if you haven't been able to leave one before due to a lack of Gmail account, feel free to do it now...

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow...

About a week ago we said good-bye to "someone" our whole family loved. Matt's 4-wheeler. It was his 4th child. Every winter when it would snow Matt would turn into an excited little kid when he got to go plow. He would stay out all day long and drive around the neighborhood finding as many people as he could that needed help plowing their driveways then head over and do the church parking lot too. A couple of his friends had 4-wheelers with plows and it always became somewhat of a contest to see who could get out there first so that they could plow the most. It was always sad when Matt would get home late from work and realize that someone else had got out and plowed our cul-de-sac before him.

The kids loved it almost as much as him too. They always begged for rides and they loved when he pulled them on a sled around behind him. In the summer he tried to go out on some day trips with friends and was always so good about letting one of the older kids go with him.

We went on a day trip as a family also and had so much fun! Being the irresponsible parents that we are we got a warning citation from the rangers that day for Madison not having a helmet. Oops! I promise, we weren't doing anything crazy!

Well, in the end Matt decided that he just didn't use it enough to make it worth keeping. He decided that if he sold it we could use the money to help finish our basement or pay off some debt so he listed it in the classifieds and it went to a good home last week. The man that bought it brought his two little boys with them and they were SO excited! It makes me sad that Matt had to part with it, knowing how much he loved it and how long he has always wanted one, but I am thankful that he is willing to take one for the team and part with one of his "toys" for the greater family good. Thanks Honey....I love you!