Bonjour Amelie!

On Wednesday morning, Rob and I rose bright and early to head to University Hospital for our scheduled induction. A sitter stayed at our house for the day and managed the big kids. I'm going to fast forward ahead at this point and share some pictures of our brand new baby girl, then rewind and share the "birth story" at the end of this post to spare those of you who are not interested in such details. :)

 

Amelie Marie was born at 1:32 pm, weighing 8 lbs. 7.5 oz, and 20.5 inches long.  Rob had predicted 8 lbs. 8 oz. in the morning, so he was really, very close.

 

 

We discussed many, many baby names.  Amelie Marie became the front runner months ago, but we were still discussing on our way to the hospital.  My maternal great grandmother was named Amelia.  My mother lived with her off and on when she was growing up and she was an important and reliable person in her life.  (Amelie is the French version of Amelia and is pronounced like "Emily" with an "Ah" sound at the beginning instead of the "E.")  Rob's maternal grandmother was named Marie. Rob enjoyed going for walks to the park with her as a kid and remembers her as a smart lady who was always happy to spend time with him at a difficult time in his childhood as well.  We are happy to remember these two wonderful women in naming our newest addition. 

 

 

Everyone had a turn holding baby sister during an evening visit. 

Charlotte is overjoyed!

 

When Jakey says "Amelie" it sounds like "Amie" which means friend in French.  So I've already taken to calling her our petite Amie- little friend.

 

Nothing petite about these feet though.

(She gets these from Rob.)

 

It is hard work being born. 

Especially when you come with hair, eyelashes, and fingernails that have scratched your little face all up. 

 

Amelie is so sweet and cuddly, we are just thrilled she is finally here.

Je t'adore Amelie... we adore you.

 

And now, the nitty gritty.  Stop reading here if you don't want to hear any birth story details, but I promise not to be too graphic.

 

 

We arrived at the hospital at 6:30 am on Wedsnesday, as scheduled, and promptly sat in the waiting room for an hour.  Ugh.  (We decided to induce after my OB made the offer to induce a few days early so that we could plan childcare for our older kiddos.)  I was 1-2 cm dilated when checked and the nurse started my IV with Pitocin just before 8 am.  My doctor had a surgery scheduled, so we didn't see him again until about 11 am.  Things progressed slowly, comfortably, predictably, and just fine all morning. 

 

At 11 am Dr. McDonough checked me and I was 3-4 cm, so he broke my water at that point.  He left instructions with the nurse to call him in an hour with a progress report and warned her that with my OB history, "she's going to go fast."  The nurse called in the scrub nurse at that point who opened the surgical kit and laid out things the doctor might need later. (I am so glad she did this.)

 

By 12 noon I was getting pretty uncomfortable.  The nurse checked me and I was at 5-6 cm.  I looked at Rob and said, "that's not enough."  I was envisioning hours and hours more of increasing pain and was having serious doubts about continuing without an epidural.  I don't know how women labor for 24+ hours ever.  

 

By 1 pm I was panicking... more than a little bit.  Rob did his best to rub my back and keep me calm, but I was beginning to vocalize with the contractions and having a very hard time puffing my way through them.  The nurse checked me and I was 7-8 cm.  Welcome to transition!  (This is the worst part of labor in my opinion.)  Now here's the thing, she DIDN'T call my OB at this point.  I think she thought we had some time.

 

15 minutes later I told her in a not-so-calm voice that the baby was coming.  She told me to "blow out the candle and don't push" which is supposed to help me continue breathing I suppose while she notified the doc, but it was far too late for blowing out any imaginary candles.  I don't precisely remember but apparently I yelled at her (per Rob), "I AM blowing... AND I'm pushing!"  Despite that, I tried very, very hard not to push as I lay curled up on my side and telling everyone in the maternity wing (in a loud voice) that she is coming NOW.  I was just about to order Rob to catch the baby, as no one else seemed to be listening to me, when...

 

On the next contraction my doctor walked into the room and into his waiting scrubs as Amelie's little head arrived on the bed followed quickly by the rest of her.  I did not consciously push once.  I had not been "prepped" by the nurses (antiseptic, bed taken apart, etc.)  Amelie just burst into the world on her own! 

 

In the immediate aftermath there were some concerns... meconium in the amniotic fluid, a "true knot" in the cord (we have either a swimmer or a gymnast on our hands I guess,) and stitches for me.  But all was fine and now that the initial flurry of activity is over we are just happy to finally hold her in our arms, be at home, and give her as much love as we possibly can. 

 

She is a precious and beautiful little person and we are loving getting to know her and be a part of her life and her family.  :)

birthday boy

We are knee deep in birthday season here at our house! On Saturday we celebrated Toby's FIFTH birthday! (We partied a little early so that no unforeseen labor and delivery scenarios would get in the way.)   For his birthday this year, Toby requested a playdate to Adventure Crossing with his Daddy in lieu of a party.  Perfect for this very, very pregnant mom!  :)

 

Toby and Rob spent the day doing whatever Toby wanted to do which included skeeball, air hockey, race car games, and other fun in the arcade.  (Check out all those tickets!  He apparently used them all to buy candy, a matchbox car, and a couple of plastic dinosaurs at the end of the day.)

 

Go-Karts!  They arrived right at opening and did this activity first, which is why Toby is the only kid out there.  He apparently drove very cautiously around the track.  I love our serious little man.  They also took a ride on the larger track together with Rob driving... but Toby thought it was "a little too loud, and too fast... and a little too bumpy."  So they actually pulled off the track before time was up.

 

After that they moved on to an airplane midway ride, and then a game of mini-golf.

By that point they were both hot and sweaty and decided to head to Chick-Fil-A for a late lunch before coming home.

 

Back at the homestead, Charlotte, Jake, and I spent most of the day baking Toby's birthday cake, wrapping his gifts, and then preparing the dinner he requested. 

 

1. The cake was my own personal nightmare... Toby had drawn me a picture of what he wanted and I can confidently tell you- this is not it.  I was in tears while decorating it over how badly it was going.  (Note to self: do not attempt to decorate a cake ever again when 8 1/2 months pregnant.)  Ever the gentleman, Toby told me it looked great, and it did taste good, but I am still feeling wretched about it.

 

2.  For his birthday this year, he got an Angry Birds board/card game, a Ninjago t-shirt, and a talking Stormtrooper mask.  These toys are far too grown up for my liking.

 

3.  For his birthday dinner Toby requested "that one with the bum-shaped beans and orange potatoes."  Luckily for him, I knew that meant North African Beef Stew with couscous, which is an easy one that we all like.  Yay!

 

Toby also enjoyed being sung to in Primary (the children's Sunday school at our church) and taking cupcakes to share with his Preschool class today.  Altogether, I think he had a pretty great birthday this year, and he is loving telling people that he is "five, and soon I'll be six!"  Don't grow up too fast buddy!

 

Toby's birthday interview

 

What's your favorite color? Blue and green and brown

What's your favorite movie? Wreck-it Ralph

What's your favorite song? Jingle Bells

What's your favorite food? Bananas

What's your favorite thing to do with Charlotte? Play games- like Blokus and Cat in the Hat and Candyland.

What's your favorite thing to do with Jacob? Wake him up.

What's your favorite thing to do with Mom? Cuddle! :)

What's your favorite thing to do with Dad? Do that fruit game with him on the Kindle.

What’s your favorite part of the school day? Eating lunch.

What do you want to be when you grow up? I don't know. A builder or a missionary or a dad.

 

What makes you feel happy? When someone wants to be my friend.

 

Toby is just the most tender-hearted, sensitive boy I know.  Usually this is a blessing, occasionally it is a curse.  There is a little boy in Toby's class that is "always on yellow or red" and this has had Toby worried immensely.  Every day on the way home, he needs to discuss it, and we have brainstormed ways Toby can be a friend and example.  Today he was THRILLED to report that his friend stayed on green for the first time!  I am so proud of Toby for his kind, loving heart and desire to help others.  He is growing up to be an amazing little man.



birthday bear

A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated Jake's second birthday with a low key party at home. We invited a couple of friends, the Bowmans and the Bentons, over for dinner and dessert and just let the kiddos play.

 

Earlier in the day, Jake received this digger in the mail from Grandma and Grandpa.  It happens to be from the same set as the bulldozer Charlotte and Toby picked out for him, so he has been having a lot of fun with the two of them together.  (He even tried to sleep with them in his bed the first few nights.)

 

I tried to keep the menu simple and in line with Jake's favorite things, so we had BBQ chicken, sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli, grapes, and raspberry lemonade.  And there were chips and snacky things too, of course.  Since diggers and dirt are Jake's favorite things right now, I made a "dirt cake" for the kids' dessert and a "mud pie" for the adults' dessert. 

 

Mmmm...  crushed Oreos, pudding, Cool Whip and gummy worms.  :P

The adult version was a pudding deesert as well, but with a pecan crust and cream cheese and no Oreos.  :)

 

It was a rainy day out, so we had the kids all roll this ice cream ball around the living room to make a quart of ice cream as well.  It was our first time using it, and the ice cream was pretty good, considering it was made by little kids playing for 30 minutes.  We tried it again another night since then, and the ice cream came out much firmer with Rob and I rolling and shaking the ball around.

 

 

Jake received such perfect gifts from his friends!  A piggy bank (which he had been just recently asking for- since both Charlotte and Toby have ones.) And a punching balloon, which was a stroke of genius!  All three of our kids have loved playing with that.

 

His own soccer ball and cones! 

He knew immediately what these were, as again he has had the little brother torture of having to watch Charlotte and Toby play on teams, while he is still too young to join in.  And a fun sprinkler, which we will for sure be making use of in our new backyard (which is large and grassy but boring.)

 

We just adore Jacob. 

He is so loving and cuddly.  He watches everything that we do, and tries his best to be "big" and keep up.  He is another chatterbox in this already talkative household.  He worries when someone cries, but would rather sit in time out than say "I'm sorry" when he has done something wrong.  He loves music and drawing as well as dirt and diggers.  He is easygoing and kind to other children and animals.  He eats everything.  (Which is perhaps why he was 37 inches tall (98th%) and 32 pounds (90th%) at his 2 year old check-up.)

 

Happy second birthday Little Bear!

A busy week (or two) of milestones

After we came home from PA and NY, we had just two weeks before the start of school here and many things to do.
 

First on my list was a haircut for our big Jakey boy.  He made it nearly 2 years without one, but it was time.  He started to cry as soon as the stylist started cutting, but she popped a lollipop in his mouth and the rest of the haircut went very smoothly.

 

 

Here is Jake with his new big brother haircut.  This was also Charlotte's first day of first grade as we headed out to wait for the bus. 

 

Charlotte is so low maintenance and I LOVE it.  (I am sure this will change at some point, so I will enjoy it while it lasts.)  She insisted her lunchbox and backpack from last year were still good, and although we did buy some new clothes and shoes, she chose to wear an older favorite outfit for the first day.

 

Now that we are already a few weeks into school, I have 2 favorite things about Charlotte's teacher.  The first is that she not only indicates negative behavior (moving from green to yellow, to red) but also positive behavior (as kids can move up each day to blue, purple, and then pink.)  This system REALLY works well for Charlotte, and she is thrilled when she works her way up to pink.  My second favorite thing is that she sends home a homework packet each Wednesday that is due the following Tuesday.  This gives us the flexibility to work on homework when we are in the mood and to not have to work on evenings that are already busy with other activities.  So nice.

 

 

Toby also had a big milestone this month as he began Pre-K.

I really struggled with the decision to send Toby to Pre-K and even more so with finding the right program- for both of us- but he wanted so badly to start school this year, that I had to figure it out. 

 

I visited FIVE preschools in the week before school started.  I ruled out the first four because of: location, cost, class size, uniform requirement, curriculum I didn't care for, too long of a school day... but mainly because of the feeling I had while there.  (Toby's only request was that the school have a good playground.)

 

Our last visit was to the Mother's Day Out/ Prechool at a local Methodist church.  I loved the small classes (Toby's has 8 kids with 2 teachers,) the 3 day/week option, the warmth of everyone I spoke with, the bright rooms and well maintained (but simple) toys, the weekly music class, and even the leaning of the curriculum to include messages from the Bible. (Toby's favorite lesson so far was for the letter A and was about putting on the Armor of God - Ephesians 6.)

 

I am so glad that Charlotte and Toby are both happy in their respective schools.  It also gives Jake and I a bit of time to spend together running errands and doing things that Jake likes to do... at least until baby sister comes along! 

 

4th of July fun

Way back on the 4th of July, we were still living in a house with many boxes.  Our friends from Germany, the Bentons, who have just recently moved to GA were so nice and invited us over to BBQ and celebrate with them.  Mandy made the most delicious salad and dressing that I have had in a long time, and everything else was yummy too.  I ate far too much!

Anyway, I neglected to take any photos- it is even possible I hadn't located my camera yet- but Mandy took some great ones.  Including ones of my growing belly and goofy facial expressions- special thanks for that Mandy!  (Also, if Rob's shorts look a little mismatched with his shirt, it is because he had not yet found the bin with most of his clothes in it.)

Here is the link if you'd like to see for yourself--  4th of July

We are so glad you are here Bentons!  :)

The Museum of Play

The last day of our trip to New York, Rob and I decided to take our kids to the National Museum of Play in Rochester. I guess I drag my family to a lot of museums, but this was one that Rob had found online and the kids could really appreciate.

 

Charlotte got to talk with Rosalita on Sesame Street.

 

Toby played the pipes ala Blue Man Group.

 

Nearly everything in this place is hands on! 

The kids created their own imaginary creatures.

 

As well as crowns and tiaras.  You can also see a shelf of books in the background.  The museum is FILLED with children's books and reading nooks, and local library card holders can check out books directly from the museum.

 

Toby got to see what it was like to climb the walls like Spiderman in the comic book exhibit.

 

And Jakey found a car table that was just the right size for little guys.  Actually the biggest problem we had at the museum was getting Jake to leave one activity to explore another.  He never would have left the fish tanks by the entrance if it were up to him!

 

I was looking forward to the Berenstein Bear's Country, and it was neat to explore the quilt shop, house, school, restaurant, and farm set up in this section.  (I think I want a blue and white polka dot dress now like Mama Bear and Kate Middleton.)

 

I didn't snap pictures of it- but Rob particularly enjoyed playing some of the "vintage" video games available in the arcade and electronic games displays.  Frogger, PacMan, Skeeball, original Nintendo... it really was a trip down memory lane as we saw toys from our pasts and got to play with some of them too. 

 

The kids also liked shopping in the biggest play grocery store I have ever seen and made me laugh with their selections.  (Charlotte picked fruits, veggies, a hunk of cheese and a loaf of french bread- very Euro of her.  Toby picked cake mix, ice cream, and party supplies- for a special celebration.  And Jakey picked 4 packs of strawberries and all the bananas on the display!) 

 

We played until we were all SOOOO exhausted that we ate a late lunch (at nearly 3 pm) and went back to the hotel for a 2 hour nap. Best. Museum. Ever.

PA and Palmyra, NY

After a brief week of settling into our new home, we decided it was time to hit the road. First stop (after just 12.5 hours of driving!) was to visit my family in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Okay, I may be a bit biased, but we had a great time doing all the things that we like to do when we visit PA...

 

We ate ice cream. 

In this picture- from the Kunkletown General Store.

 

 

We rode things with motors.

(I know this picture is terribly blurry, but it was getting pretty dark out by then.  I so wish I had taken a picture of Jake on the four wheeler with Uncle "Nart" aka Mark.  It made a huge impression on the Little Bear and he has been asking about Mark every day since we got home.)

 

 

We went swimming at Aunt Melissa's and also at Connie's pools.

 

 

It was really hot out, so we went swimming a lot!

 

It was great to have time to spend with everyone- even if it was brief in some cases. We also had a campfire, ordered pizza from Frank's, and visited the animals an the Haydt's farm. :)  

 

After 4-5 days in PA we drove 4 more hours north to Palmyra, NY to visit some of our church's historical sites.  My dad instigated this trip about a year ago.  He and his wife Linda, and son Dan (recent high school grad! good luck at Westchester!) along with my sister Pam, husband Mark, and kiddos Leah and Connor all traveled with us.

 

We visited the Joseph Smith Farm and Sacred Grove.

 

 

We walked to the top of the Hill Cumorah.  This was something that my dad really wanted to do and he made it to the top just fine... ahead of this pregnant lady in fact.

 

And then in the evening we came to watch the Hill Cumorah Pageant.

This is an outdoor performance that is put on for two weeks every summer by a volunteer cast of about 650 people.  There is outdoor seating for a few thousand people.  There is a huge stage put up on the side of the hill, and some cool special effects involved, and of course it is free to attend.  And yes, it rained.  Rob and I last went to this pageant 8 years ago when we were dating and it rained that time too.  This time was different though, as it rained SO HARD and was accompanied by lightning bursts, that the performance for the night had to be cancelled. (This rarely happens.)

 

 



 

But would we be deterred?!?!  No, we would not! 

We returned the next evening (for the final performance of the year) and were finally able to see the show.  The story highlights characters and events from the Book of Mormon and Toby LOVED it and has taken to dressing like a Nephite since we've been home.  (He ties a belt around his waist and another around his forehead.) 

 

 

Here's Toby with the stage behind him.

 

The costumes have gotten better over the years, and my dad says 30 years ago they sat on very basic benches and not the comfy individual seats that are now set up- but the overall message has remained the same- Jesus Christ visited the people of the ancient Americas and they recorded his teachings in the records that became the Book of Mormon.  I'm glad my dad prompted us to take this trip and share these places with our kids.  It was a memorable trip!  And I think they learned a lot and enjoyed it more for having extended family to share the experience with.

We like to move it, move it...

We like to.... MOVE IT!

Well, "like" might be too strong of a word, but like it or not, we are once again in the process of moving.  This go around we are moving locally from one neighborhood to another within the same county.  Also for a change of pace, we are moving ourselves with only the help and kindness of our friends and our church family- but not our Uncle Sam. This will be our 4th move in our 7 1/2 years of marriage and of course coincides with our 4th pregnancy.  If this trend holds true, then we will never move again!  HA! 

So anyway, I will share some photos of our new home once we are settled in a bit, but I thought I'd share some things that I have learned, or am currently learning, in case you find yourself in a similar situation some day. Besides, I don't want to forget what it feels like to be in this situation myself.  :)

1. Ask for help.  I'm still learning to do this, but it has become ever more clear to me that it is important to recognize my limits and seek those who are willing and able to help.

2. Accept help when it is offered.  We are so blessed to be members of our church.  No joke. I have had offers from people to babysit, clean, load the truck, etc, etc. It can be difficult to accept help sometimes, but I am so appreciative of the spirit in which it is offered and genuinely try to allow people to help however they can, because it just makes all of us feel good, ya know?  I know I like it when people let me help them.

3. Sometimes it is better to pay someone else to do it.  We have a piano now.  And we know pianos are heavy, and delicate, and expensive.  So we are paying a professional insured company to move our piano rather than try to do it ourselves.  It's not cheap, but it costs a lot less than a new piano.

4. Make a plan.  For our last week in the house, Rob and I sat down and wrote out a sort-of master schedule for the week.  When the piano is being moved.  Where the kids will be each day. When the windows should be washed. When to move the garden plants and goldfish.  When the Internet is being hooked up/shut off.  There are just way too many details to attempt to remember them or even have them on separate lists. I need everything in one place.

5. Expect to eat out.  Tonight I made a pot of broccoli soup and hopefully I'll get dinner on the table tomorrow night as well, but after that it will be cereal, sandwiches, and take-out through Saturday.  It is not our ideal, but I can't face washing dishes on top of everything else and the fridge, freezer, and cupboards all need to be empty and clean. It won't kill us, right?

6. Expect things to get broken.  Every time we move, something gets broken.  Last time I broke two things while unpacking that I shed a few tears over... and already this time I had a potted pepper plant tip over in my minivan, make a bit of a mess, and kill the plant.  It's gonna happen, so I need to just do my best, take a breath, and move on.  (This is my personal pep talk today.)

7.  Life will continue to happen even though you are moving. Jake got his first tick bite today.  There is a girl's night out tomorrow night and I have book club on Thursday.  Over the weekend Charlotte spiked a fever.  It has been difficult to keep on top of all that needs to be accomplished, and frankly, we're not going to. Obviously, the tick bite and fever were urgent and important- so they were dealt with immediately. Girl's night out, on the other hand... well I'd love to go, but we'll see how I am doing when the time comes.

8. Pregnancy changes nothing- and everything. I don't know anything about anybody else, but I like to think that I can do whatever I decide to do.  And I can.  BUT... when I am pregnant I get really tired around 2 pm, I need to put my swollen feet up at some point, I can't lift as much or take as many trips up and down the stairs, I need to drink more water, and I drop things more. (I'm clumsy to start with.) So I just try to balance my "mind over matter" with my "knowing my limits" and get it done. Also, it is super easy to fulfill those nesting urges.

So, those are my thoughts, for what it is worth.  :)  No matter what happens, in the end we will be in our new home, our baby will be born in a few months, and all will be well.  Until next year?

all about my dad: a pop quiz

I thought it would be fun for Father's Day to give the big kids a little quiz about their dad.  I asked them individually so they would not hear each others' answers.

Charlotte:

My dad is __24__ years old.
My dad weighs __200__ lbs.
At his job, my dad does: make money
Dad's favorite color is: orange
My dad likes to: throw pillows at me
My dad likes to say: sweetie-pie
My dad is great at: cuddling with me
If my dad won a million dollars, he would: take us to Monkey Joe's 100 times
I know my dad loves me because: He loves me!  He just does.


Toby:

My dad is __19__ years old.
My dad weighs __24__ lbs.
At his job, my dad does: get money
Dad's favorite color is: purple
My dad likes to: play UNO with me
My dad likes to say: what the?
My dad is great at: throwing pillows at me
If my dad won a million dollars, he would: buy footballs or something with it
I know my dad loves me because: he is so cool

Tybee Island & Savannah

Over Memorial Day weekend we made a short trip to Tybee Island, GA.  We hadn't been there before, and I didn't do too much research beforehand, so there were some surprises along the way- some pleasant, some less so.  Surprise #1: be prepared to pay. There is NO free parking on Tybee.  Day 1 we actually paid someone $20 to park on their lawn for 4 hours. Day 2 we arrived much earlier and got a spot at a more reasonable meter rate.

The walk to the beach wasn't bad though.  Just a couple of blocks. Surprise #2: pack your lunch. There is nowhere near the beach to get food or drink.  Thankfully, I had packed us a cooler of lunch, snacks, and drinks for the day we arrived and on our second beach day we picked up subs at IGA in the morning.  Jakey LOVED the beach.  He loved the "dirt" as he called the sand.  And especially the fact that he could dig in it for hours and no one minded (unlike when he digs up my garden plants at home.)

Toby was pretty happy about being buried in the sand.

Jakey would go, go, go until he could go no more.  Then he would come to me and say "night, night" and I'd wrap him in his Superman towel and he'd sleep for about 30 minutes before getting up and continuing on his way.  I am so glad our kids are such easy travelers- I know not all 21 month olds would be so reasonable.

Can you see that purple speck in the middle of the photo?

Yup, that is Charlotte.  She was not interested in being buried in the sand.  Or the sand at all for that matter.  She is our water baby 100%.  I had to drag her out to eat, drink, and reapply sunscreen.  She socialized, splashed, and swam until she was barely able to walk back to the car.  The tidal pool in the foreground was the perfect spot for Jake to splash and play without being pounded by a wave, and all three of the kids spent time lounging there with other little ones.

On day 2, Toby got his revenge.

(With a little help from his mom.)

All things considered, Tybee Island is not going to be a beach spot that we are in a hurry to return to.  Edisto was much more simple to get to for a short trip, and Outer Banks, NC is still our all time favorite (US) beach vacation place.

Surprise #3: Savannah.  I like it.

I am not a city dweller by any stretch of the imagination, but if I had to pick a city to live in, I think Savannah would be way up on my list.  We had some hotel credit saved up, so we stayed at the Country Inn & Suites in Historic Savannah (for free.)  Since I was thinking "beach trip" I didn't plan to spend much time in the city, but each evening after cleaning up and changing clothes we headed out for dinner and a stroll.  And it is really such a beautiful, green, friendly city.  People talked to us everywhere!  People played games and music in the city squares, and jogged with their baby strollers through the park!  The houses and buildings are colorful and historic instead of gray and blah!  It was kinda awesome.

 

Look at these trees!

Surprise #4: if you want to eat at The Lady and Sons (Paula Deen's) you must plan ahead and make a reservation. Oh well.  I didn't do that.  So I guess we will just have to go back to Savannah again.  :)

school's out for summer!

This week brought the end of soccer season, the end of Kindergarten, and the beginning of a crazy busy Summer.

Charlotte's Kindergarten graduation was very cute. I was so proud of myself for not crying... until the last song of the slideshow her teacher prepared!  It was set to the song "Let Them be Little." If you have never heard it, you should listen to it and you'll agree- that's just not playing fair. EVERY parent in the room was practically sobbing.

We celebrated the first day of summer vacation by heading to the library to sign up for summer reading and then playing at the park and splash pad.  Bears love the water!

Big kids love the water too! 

We are looking forward to a lot of fun and a lot of work (with moving) this summer too!  Here is Charlotte to sing you a little song about what she learned this year in school.  ;)

Art space

I love seeing different ways that children express their creativity and individuality and personality! But man, music and dance lessons can be pricey. When I was a kid, I loved to draw and paint, and now as a parent I love to let my kids draw and paint because it is so incredibly cheap! We have art supplies on our kitchen table nearly every day, and the kiddos create so much artwork that I cannot possibly keep or display it all. I do have portfolios of my favorites for each of them, but the majority of our masterpieces end up in the bin just out of necessity.

 I thought I'd photograph and share today's artwork just for fun.

Battling robots by Toby, age 4. 

 Toby cut all of the individual pieces before assembling his battle-bots and decorating them.  The bits of paper above are their weapons flying through the air.  The blue button is to fight, the red to stop, and the yellow to fly.  Toby is my 3-D man. He prefers to work in multimedia and excels at construction problem solving.

Facial expressions practice by Charlotte, age 6. 

 Charlotte has been experimenting with how to show emotion in her drawings and sat down today to practice.  She had a very clear goal in mind with each face and did her best to convey her ideas.  She is so incredibly observant. I was blown away honestly.

Experimentation with lines, color, scissors, and glue by Jakey, age 21 mo.

Jake has only just barely jumped on to the arts & crafts bandwagon, but he has done so with GUSTO!  He has added "marker, paper, and glue"  to his vocabulary just this week.  He is particularly fond of the glue stick.  (I think he may have used it as chapstick today as well.)  Also, he did not draw the arrows- Charlotte added those to the ends of his lines before I could stop her.  He seems so grown up to me sitting at the table with a crayon in his hand.