Crunchy Con Mommy

What we've been up to these days...

2012-01-29T20:00:00.001-08:00

To preface, I realized as I was putting this post together that I have no pictures of Big Guy this time. So instead of pictures, let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up: He's been working hard on his schoolwork (including a history day project on germ warfare), learning to drive (he just got his learner's permit), obsessively playing a computer game called Minecraft, and becoming increasingly independent and excited to go off to high school next year! He (along with the rest of us) started taking tae kwon do recently, and is also busy with youth activities at church and chess tournaments.

Little Guy has been working hard on his letters...

Though to be honest he is having some difficulty understanding the whole homeschool thing... "What do you mean I have to work now? I was just playing. I think I should go back to playing now, instead of doing school." Etc. Hence the "sneaky" learning with the cornmeal in the baking pan!:)

And we have all been busy studying vikings... Lots of books, stories and projects, culminating in a Viking funeral in the back pond! We even lit the ship on fire...

And while we have been busy with phonics and Norsemen (and algebra and Spanish and piano and...) Daddy has been busy with the work of state!
And all of the kids (and I) have started tae kwon do! I only have pictures of the little kids in the uniforms so far... I have been avoiding the camera when Big Guy and I are heading to class!

We've had a fun homeschool class at the zoo, and more recently, a visit to the kindergarten roundup at Topeka Collegiate (Miss G came along to visit her old teacher):

And finally and most recently, Miss G had a "slumberless slumber party" for her eighth birthday! The girls came over for the evening, and we did crafts, made pizza, had help doing hair and nails and then watched a girly movie! A good time was had by all (though our poor teenaged helper got pounced on by a lot of hyper 7 and 8 year olds!)

Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

5K Academy is underway!:)

2011-09-20T08:19:00.001-07:00

We finally settling in, both to the new house AND our new school year! We started classes on Monday the 29th, so we are into our fourth week now, and doing work with three kiddoes is getting (a wee bit) easier!

Just before we started the school year, we got to spend a day in Kansas City at the T-Rex Cafe for Little Guy's 5th birthday!

After our first week of school (the honeymoon?), over Labor Day weekend, Big Guy and I travelled down to Tulsa for a Chess tournament. We each got to spend the weekend doing what we liked: he played a ton of chess, learning a new style (slow play) and I got to knit, read, do school prep and watch junky TV to my heart's content!:) We came back refreshed and ready to dive into our work!

Big Guy is doing a history enrichment class at the library this fall, so while he learns about "mysteries of history", the little kids and I get to browse for books for next week's school and play in the kid area:

Miss G (and Little Guy, when he feels like it) is studying Medieval History this year. The text starts with the fall of Rome, so we started with a week or two of studying the Roman empire, and one day we made Roman Standards and had a parade around the cul de sac. Between that and the history enrichment class that Miss G is taking (which is a little further along in medieval history than we are yet and so is encompassing knights), she is completely obsessed with armor and shield making, the schoolroom is covered with bits of paper, and everyone in the family has had construction paper shields made for them, typically emblazoned with an eagle ("because they are brave").

While Miss G takes that history enrichment class at the park, Little Guy and I take time to smell the roses at the Gage Park Rose Garden!

Big Guy, meanwhile, is becoming a mad scientist! His Advanced Phyisical Science course has a LOT of experiments!

Little Guy loves to play games, and sometimes doesn't even realize he is "doing school"!

And in the middle of it all, Miss G asked her big brother to take the training wheels off of her bike and is tearing up the cul de sac on a daily basis!

She has also inherited her Grandmom's interest in sudoku, so I got this "unifix" sudoku game because in a homeschool classroom, you can never have too many "unifix" linking blocks!

And to bring us up to the present, yesterday we finished our study of the early Celts by staging a Celtic battle, complete with war axes and battle paint!

They were opposed by a fierce barbarian invader:

Who was ultimately defeated...

And soon our warriors gave up their axes in favor of whatever tool came to hand in the fierce battle that raged on all afternoon, ending only with a snack of puppy chow, snack food of champions!

And that's what our little school has been up to! (Plus, of course, all of the math, grammar, spelling, Latin, etc. that aren't as photo friendly!)

We are about to start a round of house rennovations (replacing carpets with hardwood, etc.) and so hopefully our work won't be thrown too much into chaos. Once everything is done, I'll finally do a post about the new house!:)

A baby no more

2011-09-04T17:32:00.000-07:00

My little guy is now a big(ger) guy! We had a fun day, first spending an hour at the new Discovery Center in Topeka while Miss G went to her history enrichment class. Then we headed in to Kansas City for lunch and a movie. We went to the T-Rex Cafe, though, and the lure of the play area there was too great, and we never made it to the movie!

Happy FIVE to my story-telling, dress-up loving, super hero snuggle bunny boy!

Introducing 5K Academy

2011-07-10T09:20:00.000-07:00

I've been lining up my little ducks in a row, getting ready for the new school year. We are official "homeschoolers" now that the little kids are no longer using the public virtual school. Big Guy is still officially a part of Lawrence Virtual School, but we are doing some other coursework, as well. All of this means that we had to register our "school" with the state, and so we have named ourselves the 5K Academy!

Our plans to school throughout the summer fizzled out a bit. Miss G's reaction on the "first day of second grade" in early June was, "Why am I being PUNISHED with summer school???" I figured that a good attitude about learning was more important than my notions about year round schooling, so we have just worked on a few little projects and done LOTS of reading (and Little Guy has been taking part in all of that, as well). Big Guy has actually been fairly inspired to do schoolwork, because he figures if he works hard enough, he might be able to get some 9th grade work in before he hits high school next year. We haven't done quite as much as we expected, but he's gotten some good work done, in between Boy Scout camp last week, chess camp next week, and other summer fun.

I thought it might be fun to review some of our homeschool plans for the year, and some of the unexpected things that I have found to be really useful. Not curriculum (though I might do a future post about that), but actual supplies that make our lives easier every day! Some of them I never would have guessed would be so important to our success! A few of these include:

* a date stamp. Really, the motivational power of being able to date stamp a paper to show that it is DONE cannot be overestimated. Even Big Guy likes to do it! And there is a (good natured) tussle every morning to see who gets to change the date!

*Good quality colored pencils. Pencils are my coloring tool of choice. Crayons can't get enough good detail work, and markers simultaneously dry out and end up all over the kids in addition to the paper. I have a really nice set of 48 Prismacolor pencils that I hoarded for a long time as my "grown up" pencils, but have finally allowed the kiddos to use (as long as the set STAYS TOGETHER!!). Regular old colored pencils (Rose and Crayola, etc.) are okay, but there typically aren't a ton of colors, and sometimes the colors aren't as vivid as I'd like.

*Dry erase boards of various sizes. We have small, slate-sized ones for when we are working together at the desk on math or something, wall mounted ones for art work, schedule notes, etc. and a multi-purpose easel with a white board, too. They help reduce the amount of scratch paper we use, and it feels like a treat for the little kids to do math, grammar, hangman, etc. on a board. But what to use on them? Dry erase markers are okay, but they dry out really quickly (especially with small kids who forget to cap them), and again, there is the issue of getting ink on body parts instead of boards. Which leads me to...

*Dry erase crayons, which I just discovered. I LOVE them. Nice bold colors, they don't dry out or stain hands. A big hit.

*A 3 hole punch. For putting endless pieces of paper into various notebooks, portfolios, etc.

*Wall hanging folder holder. This is one of my favorite organizational tools! There is a pocket for each subject that holds the assignments for the day, so as they work on each subject, they grab the appropriate file folder plus any necessary books, and when they are done with the subject, the completed work goes in a basket sitting at the foot of the wall hanger. So then when I am doing my planning time, I can just grab everything out of the basket, do any grading, filing, etc. and then refill the folders and stick them back in their slots. It has made organizing the day much easier, because the kids can always see what work they still have to do, and if I am occupied with one of the other kids, they can start work on the next subject without me.

*Storage clipboards. I have one of these for each big kid (a clipboard that opens up so papers, supplies, etc. can be stored inside). If we want to take our schoolwork on the road and do our work at the library or the coffeeshop or even just the backyard, we can put the day's worth of papers, pencils, etc. inside it and go!

*Audiobooks, audiobooks, audiobooks! My kids and I love them! We listen to them going to sleep, in the car, while playing and coloring... Miss G would like to use them as we do other schoolwork, but Ifind it too distracting. Jim Weiss is one of our favorite storytellers for everything from Egyptian and Greek myths to Robin Hood to Sherlock Holmes!

*One of the supplies I am eager to use much LESS of this year is the computer. Both of the big kids used online curricula, and I felt that we spent all of our time attached to a laptop, especially since they like to use them for fun sometimes, too. Big Guy is still doing an online curriculum this year (though a he is doing a couple of subjects, such as math and logic, offline), but we are going "old school" this year with the little kids. All of my curriculum choices are book based (with the possible exception of Spanish, if we decide to continue it this year for Miss G). More details on that later, though!

There is lots more, I'm sure, but these are a few of the things that I learned to love using this year. And I'm getting excited for our new year in August! Time to get in the car and drive Big Guy out to Lindsborg for a week of chess camp! Miss G is off to three weeks of theater day camp beginning tomorrow, and couldn't be more excited!

Days 7-9 (AKA Beaches, trains and firetrucks)

2011-05-28T14:35:00.001-07:00

The morning after the big party was chilly and drizzly, but we HAD to take a quick trip over the the beach before going over to Nana's to hang out for the day! We had brunch at The Goldenrod (where I waitressed in my salad days) and got a big box of salt water taffy to bring home to Daddy, then went to visit Uncle Bob and Aunt Cheryl at their store, then despite the chill, headed down to Short Sands:

We then headed over to South Berwick for more fun hanging around with aunts, uncles and cousins! (It is distinctly strange to be at the grownup table when hanging out at my Nana's house! Even stranger since it is now Uncle Jim & Aunt Joanne's house, not Nana's!)

Little Guy got to try on cousin Jeff's fire vest, and was excited to learn that we would be touring the fire station in a couple of days.

After a nice day with the family, we decided that Big Guy (and maybe Mom, too!) needed a brief break from 24/7 time with the little kids, so they stayed with Nana and Gamma in South Berwick, and Big Guy and I headed back to the hotel for one more night, enjoying some wicked good fried clams!

The next day we moved over to South Berwick for good, because the little kids were wildly excited by the possibility of staying in my aunt and uncles's RV! So we spent some more time with family, and drove through the rain to Mike's Clam Hut in Wells for a yummy dinner:

The next morning we went to visit a friend of Nana's who has spent over 20 years creating an amazing display in his basement:

And then we were off to the beach (can you tell we are a bit excited?)

Making a mad dash for the waves:

This was a close as I was prepared to get to the frigid water of the north Atlantic, but my children had other ideas!

The weather was strangely variable... one minute huge fogbanks would roll across the beach:

And the next minute the sun would be shining! We were actually fooled by this weather, leading to a MOMFAIL moment: I forgot sunscreen, and we have suffered for it every since. (Bad Mom)

I think the kids enjoyed feeding the lunch leftovers to the gulls more than they enjoyed eating their own lunches:

Little Guy dug a hole:

Little Guy stuck his head in the hole. (Don't ask me, I have no idea.)

When the sun got warm, the Kansans got brave, venturing further into the waves:

A particularly large wave led to a moment of common sense, with Miss G running madly away from the freezing ocean:

"Wimps."

The Sand Monster wants to know, "Are you talkin' to me?!"

(I figured that I had to prove that I was on the trip, too!;))

Tidal pools are even more fun because it is slightly warmer than in the waves!

After a wonderful (though crispy) time at the beach, we ran over to Eliot to meet up with my cousin AnnMarie, her husband Jeff and their three kids (with whom my kiddoes had much fun throughout the trip!) Jeff gave us the grand tour of the Eliot Volunteer Fire Department:

And that's about the size of it! Days 10-12 can be summed up very simply: Drivingdrivingdrivingdrivingdriving.

We had a lovely adventure together, but we are SO happy to be home with Daddy again!

Happy birthday, Nana! (AKA Day 6)

2011-05-28T14:10:00.000-07:00

After months and months of keeping secrets and fibbing and avoiding subjects, the day of Nana's big surprise party finally arrived!! There were loads of people who came from all over to celebrate the big day, and happily, there were scads of kiddoes running around the backyard, just as we did when we were little!

(I remember this hill being a lot bigger! But we had just as much fun rolling down it when we were small...)

All of the kids made new friends with cousins who live far away...

And, of course, roughed around with Grandpa Preston, the biggest kid of them all!

Nana loved the pillow that Miss G sewed for her!

There was, of course, food for an army, which is good since we practically had a batallion's worth of loved ones on hand!

We got all of Nana's kids (and most of her grandkids and greatgrandkids) together for the first time since her 70th birthday!

Isn't my Nana beautiful??

My Mom and Nana!

Days 3-5

2011-05-21T05:07:00.001-07:00

We left our log cabin in Nauvoo early Wednesday morning for our "long" day of driving (since those wimpy days of only driving 6-7 hours aren't long at all...). We had hoped to make it all the way to Palmyra, but due to construction traffic and a tired family, we didn't make it nearly that far! In the late afternoon I started to think about finding a place to stop, and by 5:30 the kids were definitely ready to be out of the car. I was looking for an appropriate hotel when I saw a huge billboard for "Kalahari Water Park Resort" in Sandusky, Ohio. I decided to pull over and check it out and give the kids a surprise. It was a total (ly exhausting) blast! Like Great Wolf Lodge on steroids. The two big kids paired up and hit the scarier water slides while Sam and I stuck with the more modest offerings. We got a few good hours of water play in before it closed at 10pm, then another quick hour in the morning before heading out. Sadly, I don't have any waterproof cameras, so we didn't get any pictures, but we had a great time (even though the spontaneous splurge means more peanut butter sandwiches and fewer meals out!:))

After our Thursday morning swim we got back in the car for a comparatively "short" day (only about 5-6 hours!) We finally made it to the Palmyra area in the early evening, but it was rainy and we were tired, so we just went to the hotel (with all of the wet laundry that I didn't finish drying before we left Kalahari... not fun).

Friday morning I almost didn't take the kids into Palmyra because it was STILL rainy and we were all eager to get to Maine. But I knew I wouldn't forgive myself if we were so close and didn't go, so we drove over. We were a bit bedraggled, but it was a really special time, and I'm glad we went.

After we left the woods, Little Guy decided that the tall wet grass was more fun than the path, so he was SOAKED by time we got back to the car. But what's the fun of being four if you can't get covered with water and grass every once in a while?

"Look how wet I am, Mommy!" Yes, dear.

I don't know why this didn't occur to me, but for some reason I was surprised to realize that Joseph Smith's family cabin was right there (silly me, did I think he took a bus to the Sacred Grove???). We didn't take the entire guided tour of the farm but we did get a nice sister missionary to just take us into the cabin to look around. Ten people lived in this tiny house.

This is Joseph's loft bedroom that he shared with five brothers (there is another similar bed on the other side of the loft). It never occurred to me that his brothers were all there during the night Moroni appeared to him!

And finally, the kids didn't get out of the car here because they were eager to get to Maine, but we also drove past the Hill Cumorrah:

And a mere seven hours later...

We made it to Maine!

Days 1 & 2

2011-05-17T18:50:00.000-07:00

So we headed off into the wild blue yonder yesterday morning, and about six hours later pulled into a hotel in Quincy, Illinois. Much swimming and frolicking was had by all. It is my goal to have as few meals out during this road trip as possible, so we had fresh fruit and made grilled cheese sandwiches on an electric skillet for dinner. We got a good night's sleep, and today the "real" adventure began! (Sadly, it was an adventure accompanied only by iphone photos, because my "real" camera was out of batteries.)

After a quick stop at the Visitor's Center, we headed out for a carriage ride through the countryside. The morning was chilly but beautiful (and happily, they provided quilts for everyone to snuggle under!) We had a lovely view of the Mississippi and then paused in "Dan Jones' Hollow" to sing "I am a Child of God". All of the kids enjoyed meeting King and Max, the Belgian horses who pulled our carriage.

We had a picnic on the lawn and then headed down to ride in an ox-drawn wagon. Duke and Don, the oxen, horrified Sam by succombing to the calls of nature frequently during the ride...

Then we visited the Family Life Center, where there were demonstration in spinning, weaving, baking, barrel-making and other pioneer skills, and then found the "Pioneer Pastimes" tent which was filled with many toys and games from the era. All three kids really loved the "bear climbing a rope" game and many others.

We meandered over to our home away from home for the night, which is a one room log cabin constructed in the 19th century (happily with running water, electricity, satellite tv and even wifi, which is how I am composing this particular entry!)

We headed back over to Historic Nauvoo in the evening to watch "Rendevous in Old Nauvoo", an historical musical about Nauvoo, performed by the full time missionary couples. It was sweet and entertaining in an Andy Hardy "I've got a barn, let's put on a show" kind of way! Both of the big kids really enjoyed it, but Sam had mixed feelings, so we ended up taking a walk and taking time to smell the flowers!

Tomorrow we have our longest day of driving -- we are hoping to make it all the way to Palmyra! I suspect we'll be enjoying some fast food on that particular drive! :)

Wrapping it up

2011-05-13T20:05:00.001-07:00

Our first year of homeschool finished up yesterday, and we all survived! It was rocky sometimes, and contrary to popular opinion, my decision to homeschool does NOT prove how patient a mom I am.:) But I'm working on it. I loved it in lots of ways (and hope the kids did, too) and I'm looking forward to starting our new school year in June!

Miss G participated in a "Trash to Treasure" challenge at TCS. She created "Oscar the Trash Dog" and received a commendation, which excited her greatly! We stopped by the school to pick up the project, visit the 3rd grade rainforest and take a safari picture with little brother!

When we finished up our science unit on habitats, what better field trip to take than a trip to the "World Famous Topeka Zoo"??

Miss G is in the throes of a fun new obsession! "Hooping", as she calls it, is the new pass time. She hoops while watching tv, while listening to audio books and music, while doing her spelling, and clearly, while standing on tables...

My sweet kiddos made me a lovely Mother's Day breakfast in bed on Sunday...

Miss G and Little Guy built a model of a tidal pool. Good fun, but NOT the kind of project you want to do in the kitchen when the house is on the market and needs to be kept tidy!

And finally, when we finished up first grade and seventh grade yesterday, we celebrated by starting a bonfire and burning our excess papers. Do you think Big Guy is a little pleased?

We are off on a road trip on Monday (which I hope to blog). Sadly, Daddy will not be able to join us because he can't be away from work that long right now. So it's the kids and I on the road for almost two weeks! (Really, THIS is what our homeschooling togetherness has been preparing us for!) Wish us luck!

Dear Old Golden Rule Days...

2011-04-14T20:34:00.001-07:00

We've had a varied and crazy late winter and early spring in our homeschool world, and I realized that I haven't posted since Miss G's birthday (in January... oops!), so I have quite a bit to catch up with! We have had a lot of ups and downs, and my opinion of our success as a homeschool family seems to vary by the day, if not the minute! But overall, I'm happy with our experiment so far. So, on to the pictures! I posted a lot of these on facebook at the time, which is one of the reasons I haven't posted in so long, as usual. The kids went to the Arab Shrine Circus with Grammy and Grampy, and got to ride an elephant! (In a writing assignment, Grace said that she could "feel the elephants muscles" as it walked. Pretty neat!

Big Guy had the opportunity to join a Lawrence Virtual School group to go skiing in the Kansas City area. (Because I don't know about you, but when I think of downhill skiing, Kansas City is the first place that comes to mind...) He had a great time! It was his first time skiing, and the weather was so beautiful that it was almost too warm to ski, but he was able to learn a lot, and had a great time!

The kids have all been working hard at home, too. Little Guy joined us at home full time recently. Preschool was becoming a less and less exciting place to him as the year went on, especially when brother and sister were staying home for school, so since he's going to be home next year, we decided just to bring him home a little early. He's really enjoyed the transition!

One day recently, Big Guy had a LVS field trip to Exchange

City in Kansas City, so the little kids and I did a fun day of church history, past and future! We went to the construction site of the new temple (it has since gotten it's Angel Moroni on top!):

Then we went to visit Liberty Jail. Sam was at first NOT a fan of sitting still and listening to a presentation, but once he settled down, we all really enjoyed it.

Of course, the unexpected hit of the day was the park we passed as we were driving around trying to find the temple (I managed to find it again later in the day!). The kids have regularly asked when we can go

back!

While the big kids go to their swim lessons, Little Guy and I have had some good opportunities for getting some academic work in. "Workbook time" often happens at the picnic tables at the natatorium (when he's not chasing around after friends from church who are hanging around!)

And sometimes, all of that work and play is just too much for a busy four year old:

When Miss G was finishing her history unit on China, both of the little ones had a lot of fun trying their hand at calligraphy (well, Miss G did calligraphy; Sam just had fun painting!)

Little Guy got to welcome a new baby goat to Grammy and Grampy's farm!

Miss G has been having a good time learning about the states: the book The Scrambled States of America has a board game and a puzzle that has been very popular in this house!

After a field trip to LVS last Friday (when the little kids wrote books -- Little Guy narrated and illustrated, and I acted as scribe), on Saturday, Daddy and I got to take Big Guy on a special trip to Kansas City to see a Broadway Across America production of West Side Story, which was great! Then we went out to dinner after: The weather was so gorgeous earlier this week that we had to play hooky a little bit and take a picnic to the walking trails around Cedar Crest (the goveror's mansion). It was a lovely day!

So this is a small sampling of what we have been up to together lately! The thing that I try to remember through it all (and occasionally succeed in achieving) is:

2011-02-05T05:27:00.000-08:00

Senes from a pet store birthday party... The perfect party for the dog crazy seven year old whose parents refuse to buy a dog!

Fieldtrips, school and fun

2011-01-22T10:32:00.000-08:00

Kiddos hard at work... hmmm, I'm noticing a trend about how Little Guy spends his afternoons in the schoolroom!

A couple of weeks ago we had a last minute trip to Kansas City to visit Science City before the Dinosaur exhibit left.

Then last Friday we got to visit Lawrence Virtual School in person for the first time for an enrichment afternoon. In case it's not apparent, Sam decided that the best use of his toothpicks and mini-marshmallows was creating a pile of teeny tiny dumbbells ("So I can exercise my muscles!").

Then yesterday, while the boys were off with Grammy and Grampy for a field trip to the Kansas Historical Society, Miss G and I headed to Kansas City again for a day celebrating the arts. We went first to the Lyric Theatre with LVS for a Kinderkonzert by the KC Symphony. Then we headed to the Nelson Adkins Museum for lunch and a look at the Ancient Egyptian and Greek art.

All of that culture tuckered her out though, and it turned out she was coming down with something, so we've been curled up in bed or on the couch almost ever since.

The Capitol!!

2011-01-20T17:30:00.000-08:00

On Monday we got to visit Daddy's new office for the first time!! We were VERY impressed with Daddy's spiffy new digs!

Then we got a tour of the building. We got to see our favorite mural:

The governor's offices:

and the Senate Chamber (which was too dark for a good picture... it was a holiday, after all!).
Thanks for a fun afternoon, Daddy!

Family Wedding!

2010-10-09T20:47:00.000-07:00

The littlest guys prepare for their very important jobs!

As do the smallest girls!
On the big day, the Kensinger kids get ready:

(Hey, Miss Tracy, he's grown up a bit since your wedding, hasn't he!! )

My three handsome men:

The beautiful bride:

My little party animal (eating an incredibly healthy dinner of one white dinner roll):

She was on the hunt for glow sticks

And eventually amassed quite a collection!
It was a lovely weekend, and really fun to be back in the same spot where we had our own wedding reception!

2010-10-06T14:09:00.000-07:00

So it's been awhile since I've hooked my "real" camera up to the computer, and I found pictures going back to the middle of the summer. Oops.

Grace and I went to Lindsborg to pick Thomas up from Chess Camp, and we had great fun exploring all of the town's dala horses:

"Dalamation"

"I Herd it Through the Grapevine"

And my favorite, "Salvador Dala"

Our chess master (and little sis) with the "Yankee Doodle Dala"

Sometimes, it's just easiest to give in and yield the bed to the small people:

We had a gloriously windy day when our favorite babysitter brought kites:

And Daddy took the boys to Little Guy's very first Royals game!

The little ones and I had a great field trip to the zoo on our first day of "Aah! Homeschooling is hard!"

And Miss G had a lovely encounter with the gorilla:

(There's no good reason for this picture. Just thought it was cute.)

Our homeschool scholars hard at work!

And we briefly interrupt these scenes of academic achievement for photos of a tall, dark and handsome man who we have occasionally caught glimpses of during this busy campaign season!

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming:

We had a Lawrence Virtual School field trip to Irish Waters Farm, a sanctuary farm in Berryton. Lots of fun!

The nice thing about homeschool is that when we are sick, we can just snuggle up and keep working!

And when we are sick of the site of our house, we can take our show on the road and do school at the local coffeshop!

October has arrived, so break out the fake spider webs!

2010-10-06T13:44:00.000-07:00

So, okay, yeah, the spider looks as though it's hung itself rather than spun a web, but what can you do??

The kids got busy carving at Grammy and Grampy's farm this weekend:

Can it be called "Indian Summer" if the cool weather only lasted three days??

2010-10-06T13:26:00.001-07:00

Again, I gave the little kids the camera and let them have at it!

The remains of a fun afternoon outside:
Yesterday:

What is that? OH...

The Many Faces of Sam, by Grace

2010-10-06T13:06:00.000-07:00

I gave Miss G and the Little Guy the camera both today and yesterday. Much bloggy goodness ensued (as well as LOTS and LOTS of photos of blurry thumbs and sidewalk).

Uncle Sam Wants YOU!

Think, think, think...

Put up your dukes!

Bicycles, parades and dinosaurs, Oh My!

2010-07-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy summer! Everyone in the family has been on trips except the Little Guy, many camps have been attended and swims swum. Here's a quick update on our summer so far:

I got to piggyback onto one of DaddyMan's business trips to DC and have some fun, fun, fun! I spent some quality time with hubby, had a lovely day at the DC Temple and spent a few days with my good friend Tracy.

While I was gone, Big Guy returned from Florida with my Mom (Gamma) and we had a wonderful visit with her for about ten days, much longer than we usually get to keep her for! Of course I put her to work, helping me paint Grace's new schoolroom (pictures will follow in another post.) And LOTS of babysitting.

Miss G finally grew into big brother's old bike, so we took it in for repair and the addition of some fun purple streamers to make it "girly". It's a big hit, especially because now Little Guy gets her old bike!

One day when it wasn't TOO hot, we headed over to Lake Shawnee for play time:

On the weekend of the 4th, Daddy took the kiddos to a parade, where they got to hand out lots of candy!

And on the day after the holiday (which Big Guy still grumbles about, since the rain meant we couldn't set off our fireworks) Gamma and Miss G packed up the car and drove to Florida. My little girl went on her first trip without her mama!

(And she's off!)

After they left, Big Guy and I turned our attention to the jigsaw that Gamma and I started:

And then the boys and I went into Kansas City to the science museum:

My handsome boys:

And then, on the day Miss G returned to us, we went BACK to the science museum!

And, well, need anything more be said??

The School year wrap-up (a little late!)

2010-06-06T15:23:00.000-07:00

First, to prove to my sweet hubby that I DO put him on the blog:

We went with some friends to the Royals game, and he won the speed texting contest! He a gift certificate, and bought a snazzy new jacket: In the last weeks of school, I was able to help chaperone a sixth grade trip to the Nelson Art Museum in Kansas City. Herding cats, I tell you. I thought kindergarteners were a challenge! :) In the last week of Discovery School, Little Guy went with his class on a walk to the local Dairy Queen. I wasn't able to be there, but another parent sweetly sent me some pictures: Then came "Graduation Day" for Discovery School. See you next year!
We interrupt our end of school coverage to celebrate Granddad's 70th birthday! And then it was Miss G's turn to "graduate" from kindergarten: Bye, Mrs. Berryman! We had a wonderful year! When the "end" finally came, we were too excited to sit still for a photo, but we gave it our best shot. Happy end of the school year!

Camp Granddad, Day 1!

2010-06-06T15:14:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, we got to be initiated into a family tradition! Camp Granddad, which has traditionally been conducted with our out-of-state cousins, was moved to it's "international headquarters" in Topeka this year, so all of the cousins could be involved. Great fun was had by all!

After camp was convened, we made mud pies for butterflies and decorated flip flops (the macho boys had a different activity involving dinosaurs, I believe!). We then played water balloon hot potato out in the yard:

And what would any gathering of children be without a LOT of pizza?

All of the Camp Granddad pictures are taken on my phone, so the quality isn't the greatest. Sorry!

Camp Granddad, Day 2!

2010-06-06T14:48:00.000-07:00

We started out our first full day of Camp Granddad with a wonderful trip to Hazel Hill, a local chocolate shop owned by our good friends, the Xidis family. They gave us a really fun, informative tour with LOTS of yummy samples!

Here, they are pouring out a mixture of molten butter and sugar onto a marble slab, preparing to add peanut butter and lots of other goodies to peanut butter fudge:

Everyone got a spoonful of warm, fresh fudge: Little Miss was so enthusiastic about hers, Nick gave her a bigger bite!

Little Guy, on the other hand, took smaller bites:

Here, we are getting an education about different varieties of chocolate:

Granddad and Little Guy take a little break:

As do Miss G and Cousin C:

The three year olds confer:

"I'll take a pound of this and a pound of that. How about you?"

After the chocolate shop, we went over to Gage Park. We had cupcakes to celebrate Granddad's belated birthday (since what we REALLY needed was more sugar...) and rode the train.

Then we split in groups, with most of the big kids going to the Zoo, and most of the little kids going with me to the Carousel.

Saddle up the chickens, we're ready to ride!

We ended our park time in true Kansas fashion, playing "Wizard of Oz"!

After lunch, we had a trip to the pool, then all collapsed into little heaps to sleep and prepare for our final day of fun!

Camp Granddad, Day 3!

2010-06-06T14:31:00.000-07:00

We were surprised on Thursday morning with a trip to the Fire Station!!

We even got to use the fire hoses!

Little Guy thought the air tank on the fireman's back was a rocket pack, and kept asking when he would take off!

Finally, we all sat down and received our assignments for the "Granddad Gazette":

Only a month behind...

2010-04-17T08:41:00.000-07:00

Over spring break we had a little adventure at the Kansas Historical Museum:

And, now, apparently, we are done with having our picture taken...

Class plays!

2010-04-17T08:31:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was Miss G's class play, "Ferocious Wild Beasts," in which she played the Mom:

And the week before that, we were treated to Big Guy's class play, "Dancing with Our Stars", in which he played "the sultan of swing, the prince of the polka" dance judge:

All right, already!!

2010-04-11T15:19:00.000-07:00

That's for the Daddyman, who has been asking daily for the last week when I'd have a new blog post!!

We have been having lots of fun lately, and we are SO happy that spring has finally sprung! Little Guy and I took a recent opportunity to enjoy the sunshine at the zoo:

Though I'm not posting any pictures of them (because small brown lumps in the distance aren't the most fascinating photographic subjects) we actually saw bears at the Zoo! This is a highly unusual occurrence, at least for our family!

Much fun was also to be had in the human part of the bear habitat! We climbed the stairs about 87 times and enjoyed the wooden bears almost as much as the living ones.

We stopped for and ate a quick picnic before heading off to the library, which was obviously just exhausting, because this was the result:
In other news, Big Guy and I had the opportunity for two road trips in the last two weeks. Last week was to Wichita for state Science Olympiad, and the week before that we went to Salina for a play. It was a blast to have a little bit of big kid time (and hotels with room service and pools don't hurt, either!)

"Oh, wait, you're taking my picture??"

But despite the crazy hair, he cleaned up well for dinner and a show:

(holding forth on the subjects of the day)

The opening act was a fascinating (though LONG) Tuvan Throat Singing demonstration.

He got a little tired as the performance went on (and on):

But he perked right up for the main event: The Reduced Shakespeare Company doing The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged! I don't think we have laughed so much in two short hours ever before in our lives. Sadly, I chickened out and didn't get any photos during the show (we were in the third row and very visible!)

This week, Miss G and Little Guy had some fun while waiting for gymnastics to begin:

And finally, Daddy took the kids outside to enjoy a gorgeous rainbow before bedtime last Tuesday evening while I was at church:

(In a few short minutes, Little Guy managed to get muddy enough to warrant an emergency bath, but they enjoyed it!)

See you later, alligators!

Facebook is the enemy of blogging (for me, at least)

2010-02-22T13:13:00.000-08:00

So, yeah, it's been awhile. Because my dear sweet hubby keeps harassing me to update the blog :) here's a quick photo entry of what we've been up to lately (besides various viruses... grrr!):

As Big Guy left for the Klondike Derby (an overnight Boy Scout camping trip in JANUARY):

What we are seeing out of our front door A LOT this winter:
Just random three year old cuteness:
Miss G's birthday at school with a few of her pals:
Miss G's birthday "party" (having an overnight at the local Holiday Inn, with her friend O spending the evening with us, then big brother coming to swim with us in the morning):

Back in December, Little Guy helped out with the Christmas baking:
Big Guy's 12th birthday was the first snow day of the year (of many). What better way to spend a snowy birthday morning with the siblings? And for Big Guy's birthday celebration, he got to invite two friends (and Mom and Grace came along for the ride) to Great Wolf Lodge: Till next time, friends! And to get a slightly more regularly updated version of life among the crazy kiddos, find me on facebook!

Trimming the tree

2009-12-12T10:36:00.000-08:00

That bulb looks good enough to eat:

A star is born (?)

(We're going to pretend little guy is wearing pants... ah, potty training!)

The little people got ahold of the camera and had some fun:

Daddy puts on the finishing touch:

Merry Christmas!

Halloween

2009-10-31T20:01:00.000-07:00

Halloween began on Friday for us, with school festivities:

Little Guy's desire to watch the school Halloween assembly waned:
But Little Miss enjoyed performing!
At least there was one brief period where the big, furry wolf costume wasn't WAY too hot. The Halloween parade was COLD! Little Guy sat on my shoulders and kept me warm for much of it, which is probably why this picture is out of focus!

But then he jumped down and joined the parade:

We made it back inside to the warmth before we caught up with Big Brother:

Friday night Hubby and I went on a date and stopped by Silents in the Cathedral, an annual event at the Episcopal Cathedral where they show old silent films and play the accompaniment on the organ. Abbott and Costello followed by a horror film!

Little Guy enjoys his dirt and worms cupcake (and Little Miss' class would probably have been even more horrified to learn that the cupcakes were made with spinach than if they had REAL worms and dirt!)

But he likes it!

Saturday afternoon we were off to the All School Halloween party, where Little Girl "went on the bouncy toy FOURTEEN times, Mom!"

Then we were off the the church Trunk or Treat:

And finally, we introduce Captain Hammer!

Captain Hammer discovers his nemesis, Doctor Horrible!

And finally, we are off to our final stop of the night, trick or treating with friends!! Captain Hammer meets with civic leaders during trick or treating:

And finally, home with all of the loot. Each kiddo got to fill a glass jar with candy, and the rest goes to the Halloween fairy, who will leave books and other goodies in exchange!

Happy Halloween!

Costumes, pumpkins, ladybugs and public speaking, oh my!

2009-10-23T09:37:00.000-07:00

Picking pumpkins:

There were swarms of flying ladybugs that landed all over us whenever we stood still!

We got to Primary a little early last week, and the kids, being their father's children, were immediately drawn to the podium:

More farm fun

2009-09-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

Photo roundup

2009-08-31T12:08:00.001-07:00

This is where Miss G slept last night:

She and her brothers built the "fort" last night and when I got up this morning, she was still there!

Friday after school, we went to the library:

Is there anything better than licking the beaters after making frosting?

(I keep telling him that if he acts goofy while I'm trying to take his picture, I'll post the results!!)

Friday was kindergarten water day:

Do you think she likes her Popsicle?

When school was done on Friday, I asked her how school was. Every day since school began, she has told me, "AWESOME". Today was no different, but after a small pause, she solemnly informed me that, "Today may have been the best day of my ENTIRE LIFE!"

We were blessed to have our dear friend Tracy visiting from DC this weekend, and when Miss G had a slight cold on Sunday, they stayed home from church together. When we came home, they had made "Best Girl" awards!

Wow, an entire post without pictures of the little guy! We'll have to rectify that soon!

First Days of School...

2009-08-26T11:19:00.000-07:00

Here come the 6th grader and kindergartener!

Then I went home and faced the mess of the summer:

Miss G loves her new class:

Then we came out of school to find a little surprise in front of our parking space:

I thought Big Guy would think he was too cool to take a picture with a big rubber ducky.

I was wrong.

In the Merry Old Land of Oz

2009-07-31T13:40:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, Little Miss went on a road trip with me and my Mom. Have I mentioned how happy I am that my Mom came to visit?? Yay, Mom!

We headed to the charming town of Wamego to visit the Wizard of Oz museum:

Yes, those are in fact Wizard of Oz troll dolls.
I couldn't resist the knitted Tin Man!

And Little Miss got to have her picture taken with Toto!

St. Louis, Day One

2009-07-31T12:55:00.000-07:00

Sunday after church, with loaded cars and dozy children, we hit the road for St. Louis. We ended up staying about twenty miles outside of the city, in a hotel I've used previously (for Time Out for Women last year). We had a nice, big suite and there was a salt water pool which the kids loved (well, they loved the pool-ness of it, not so much the salt water part!).

The next morning, bright and early, we headed into the city:

After a pleasant few minutes in the underground museum, we took our places in line for our ride to the top of the Arch. Due to technical difficulties, we had to wait awhile:

Forty five (brief!?) minutes later, we found ourselves climbing into the "egg"(as the kids called the little elevator cars which take visitors to the top), and all was forgiven!

Quarters were tight but the ride up and down was a huge hit! The top of the arch itself, however, was something of a letdown. "Okay, Mom, this is nice. Now can we get back in the egg?"

So we walked down to the riverboat dock and had a little lunch. We boarded the boat and were captivated by river travel.
For about five minutes.

Did I mention that it was very hot?

Big Guy: Why are we on this boat?

Mommy: For fun.

Big Guy: Are we having any fun?

After a few more minutes of taking in the scenery, we found tables inside, and I sacrificed my electronics (iphone and camera) to the amusement of the small children.

Oh, and did I mention the popcorn?

The little ones spent about half of the trip taking pictures of EVERYTHING. The insides of their hands (note Sam's photographic technique in the above photo), the really attractive underside of my neck, the popcorn, random strangers, etc. (I spent an amusing fifteen minutes deleting the vast majority of them that night; I was tempted to post many of those pictures, but I figured they wouldn't be nearly as amusing to anyone else but me!!)

Peace, restored at last. The cost was merely a little air conditioning, some popcorn, and some smeary fingerprints on my personal electronics.

After that, we decided we'd had enough of the big city for the day and headed back to the hotel for pay-per-view movies, more swimming, and dinner at my favorite chain restaurant (California Pizza Kitchen, in case you couldn't restrain your curiosity). Once again, the camera was sacrificed at the altar of toddler amusement:

We will quickly pass over the tale of how our nights were spent, and simply say that we will not be staying in a hotel again until Little Guy is much, much older. Much older. Like twenty-five. And boy, how much do I love my Mom for making this crazy trip with us???

At the Magic House (St. Louis, Day Two)

2009-07-31T12:31:00.000-07:00

On our second day in St. Louis, we decided to forego the Zoo (it was really hot outside) in favor of the children's museum, The Magic House. First of all, it is HUGE! Second, it is CROWDED. Third, LOUD! But lots of fun, regardless. All three kiddos had great fun, though unfortunately, they often wanted to have fun in three different places at once, and there were only two adults! But we persevered!

One of the favorite parts of the day was the discovery of Jack's Beanstalk, which is a three story climbing structure (from which it is almost impossible to retrieve unwilling children):

While little guy liked it, he was even more pleased with the Beanstalk that was more his size:

The big kids had lots of fun in a hands on art and science room:

Then we went to Trader Joe's to load up on our favorite goodies (mandarin chicken rules!!), said a sad goodbye to big brother and Gamma, and then the little ones and I got into the car for a LONG drive home through St. Louis traffic and thunderstorms!

A rare sighting in the wild

2009-07-31T12:13:00.000-07:00

With Big Guy off to Florida for the rest of the summer (tales of our adventure in St. Louis to follow), the little kids and I headed to the Zoo today. While there, we had a rare sighting of our favorite creature, the Parentis Daddymanus:

Not, of course, to be confused with the more garden variety Parentis Crunchyconmommyus, who is commonly to be found at the zoo:

We were surprised and pleased to get a sighting of this rare creature outside of his normal habitat of office, home basement or gym, especially on a Friday morning!

Thanks for the surprise!

Pioneer Children Sang As They Walked (and walked, and walked, and walked)

2009-07-21T08:10:00.000-07:00

Last week while Big Guy was away at Chess Camp, Miss G and Little Guy and I decided to go to the dairy to visit the cows and get some milk. On our way, we stopped at Lake Shawnee to take a little walk. I figured (silly, silly Mommy) that we wouldn't walk far, so I wouldn't worry about taking the stroller (or water, or decent walking shoes!). The walking trail is marked out in quarter mile increments, so I told the kids we'd walk a half mile to the first set of swings:

Great fun was had by all. Miss G then asked to keep walking ahead instead of turning back. I warned that, of course, every step we took away from the car would mean a longer walk back, but the general concensus was to press forward, so we decided to walk to the next quarter mile marker. We got there, and as we were about to turn around, the kids saw this in the distance:

WAY off in the distance. Well, you can't see a playground and NOT walk there, so away we went! Of course, walking a mile in sockless crocs means that you start to get blisters before even arriving at the playground! But we made it, and made some new friends there, and played for awhile.

Then, of course, came the dreaded mile walk back to the car. Next time we go for a walk, even if no one wants it, needs it or asks for it, WE ARE BRINGING THE STROLLER! We made it without TOO much whining with lots of games of "I Spy" as well as countless primary songs, real and imagined (we re-imagined The Handcart song: When Kensingers walk to the park, we hope to make it home by dark, we walk in barefoot all along, and as we walk we sing this song...).

Big Guy, meanwhile, was having a blast at chess camp. I drove to Lindsborg to pick him up on Friday, getting there for the tail end of the awards ceremony. Here he is with Grand Master Akobian, who was one of their instructors:

After we got him checked out of the dorm, he wanted to show me around the town, and the weather was gorgeous, so off we went. Lindsborg is a really lovely little town which was founded by a Swedish community, and the influence is still very strong. The downtown area is populated by little Swedish horse statues called Dala, which are decorated in various ways. Big Guy's favorite:

Was, of course, called the "Dolla" Dala!

And after stopping to get a Hawaiian Ice (not very Swedish, but another tradition of chess club participants!) we had another Pioneer Children moment as we walked and walked and walked back to the car!

And then, reunited at last!

We lasted a whole ten minutes before the screaming began! But at least for the moment, my little family is back under one roof again!

Summer fun

2009-07-13T13:02:00.000-07:00

Big brother encouraging little sister before swim lessons:

At the farm for Grammy's birthday: Cake Time!

Miss G won Pin the Tail on the Donkey!

On the way home:

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

2009-06-22T08:16:00.000-07:00

"Why, yes, I do have some ice cream on my face, now that you mention it."

In training for a ten mile Scout bike ride at the end of the month!

The sight I see far too often when I wake up in the morning lately!!

At the farm, we find walnuts, baby goats, dogs, a gimpy Grampy and four wheelers. No picture of the adorable day old calf because I only had my iphone and couldn't get close enough to the suspicious long-horn Mama steer to snap a good picture!

St. Thomas (non-reunion edition)

2009-06-22T06:59:00.000-07:00

The day we arrived:

The day we left:And everything in between!

This next series of photos is of "my beach", as in where my house used to be before it was leveled and 500 condominiums were built on its ashes!!

The black gate in the foreground used to be part of our driveway, and our house was down on the little beach.

This picture is taken from about where our front porch used to be!

Okay, time for tears and nostalgia is passed!

This is back at the main hotel, where (for Mom's info) the Lighthouse restaurant used to be.

If the waitstaff isn't really prompt (and let's face it, it's St. Thomas!) the birds have great fun with the leftovers on the plates.

On the way to the pool:

The view from our room at breakfast:

Ah, vacation!

Reverting to type?

2009-06-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

I've read a lot of blog posts this spring about reunion anxiety; people not sure whether they wanted to go, people who went and didn't enjoy it, etc. There was never any doubt that I wanted to attend (after I was certain I wouldn't be the only one!!), and with my 20th high school reunion now behind me, I've got to say, it was amazing.

Thirteen of the twenty-eight members of my graduating class made the arduous trek to the tropical island where we were raised (for some, as far away as Calgary, for some, a simple drive down the mountain). Within minutes of seeing each other again, we were once again our high school selves: the brain, the good girl, the quarterback, the class clown (man, that sounds like the opening monologue to The Breakfast Club!). We were (with very few exceptions) all friends back then, and even after an absence of a full twenty years for some of us, we still seem to enjoy each other's company.

The remarkable thing that I realized is that in a larger school, we still would probably have filled the same high school demographic niches we did at Antilles, but in a larger school we probably never would have known each other, let alone become friends. My husband went to a large public high school, and the social lines were drawn in much starker terms (the jocks didn't hang out with the debate kids who didn't know the partyers, etc.).

So I raise my glass (of water, since I'm the "good girl"!) to Antilles School, and especially to the class of 1989!

See you in five years!

Deep breath...

2009-06-05T19:33:00.000-07:00

First, the fun stuff:

Because the kiddos don't get enough computer time at home, we had to get some at the library:

Hey, there's Nemo! And Dorrie!

And yet again, more water fun! (Are we sensing a pattern?)

And then there's the not-so-fun: Sam has gone on sleep strike and is spending 30 plus minutes screaming before choosing to go to sleep. And then waking up a couple of times in the night and repeating the show. Not teething, so far as we can see, not sick, nothing different in his room. It's a freaking mystery.

And the big kids are pushing each others' buttons (and mine) non-stop lately.

And I'm a big ole' crankypants.

Sounds like a good time for me to get the heck out of dodge for awhile. Happily, I'm off to Kansas City for the weekend to attend a yoga teacher training conference (keep your fingers crossed that I'm not revealed to be a big faker dilettante of a yogini!). Then home again for three days before heading off to the high school reunion in St. Thomas for four days! (I just hope that Sam gets his sleep issues under control before he's with the grandparents for four nights...)

Beautiful ballerina and gorgeous guys

2009-06-01T05:58:00.001-07:00

While enjoying Little Sister's performance, Big Guy was NOT a fan of the rest of the LONG recital!
Ah, home at last!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Little Guy was chillin'

Moments

2009-05-30T17:33:00.000-07:00

Miss G, in her ballet gear, doing her favorite thing:

Rain boots and bathing suits are the new trend this summer: "Whaddaya want, lady??"
Water rockets in flight, afternoon delight: Little Guy and his pal, Albert:
Miss G's dress rehearsal for her ballet recital: And finally, my newest project, half complete (and unblocked as the still wonky toe attests)! They are Monkey socks in Dream in Color Smooshy (and if anyone can tell me why Cookie A named these socks "Monkey", there might be something in it for you!!): Obviously, I need some more pictures of my oldest child!!

The pictures that go with yesterday's post

2009-05-25T14:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial Day, everyone!

2009-05-24T11:20:00.001-07:00

Well, I haven't blogged in awhile, so I thought I'd drop a quick line on my new toy (it rhymes with "my loan") that David gave me for Mother's Day. We are finally well after long bouts of bronchitis, and the kids are thrilled that school is out! It is Sunday afternoon and the big kids and I are out on the porch, reading and quietly playing while Sam naps. Happy summer afternoon!

Washington, DC

2009-05-01T14:42:00.000-07:00

I just got home late last night from my super fantastic girlfriend trip to DC and I'm ready to report! (Watch out... MANY photos to follow!)

David and I arrived Tuesday around lunchtime and went straight to Old Town Alexandria, where we walked around a bit (almost giving David a coronary while he sat in the yarn shop and had to listen in silence to the VERY liberal employees there!) and had lunch at one of his favorite places, a chili place called Hard Times Cafe. Not my first choice, but tasty! I then had a quiet afternoon before meeting up with David to go to the Cherry Blossom Banquet for the Kansas Society of DC. It was a typical DC event of the kind I used to dread: crowded, loud with lots of small talk. I guess it either gets easier with age, or doesn't seem so bad when I only do it once a decade or so, but I actually had quite a good time. It was held in the building of a DC law firm right near the Capitol, and there was a beautiful rooftop garden with a glorious view of the Capitol. A friend took a picture for me, but I don't have a copy yet.

The next morning I met up with Petra and Sarah and we headed over to Sam's office to meet up with Mary for a day of sightseeing. It was fun to hang around David's old office (now belonging to the current chief of staff) for awhile.

I got up the courage to get all yarn-geeky and ask Sam to take a picture with my sock to send to Yarn Harlot for a donation to Knitters Without Borders:

Petra was enjoying the seat of power:

And then we headed over to the National Archives to see the Constitution and Declaration, followed by lunch at Jaleo, a tapas bar in the neighborhood of my old office. We got to meet up with my dear friend Tracy (and again, my picture taking brain wasn't working!)

We then cabbed over to the Supreme Court to keep an appointment with a delightful young man named Travis who is a clerk to Justice Kennedy. He gave us a fascinating private tour of the Supreme Court, and we were even able to go into the Justice's chambers and spend about ten or fifteen minutes with him.

The Supreme Court gym is located right on top of the Courtroom, so apparently they have to be VERY certain that Court is not in session before using the (basketball) court!

And Justice O'Connor used to teach an aerobics class up there, as well, and apparently she still attends it sometimes when she is in the building:

From the Court, we walked back the Sam's office, then over to the Capitol Building:

Sam took us on a tour of the Capitol Dome (which I never managed to do when David worked there because the Senator needs to be in attendance). This spot is about above the frieze, but still well below the painting inside the dome:

But you just keep going up and up! Our next stop was the very distant balcony you can just make out under the painting:

Then you keep going up and up and up and up:

And finally emerge in the open air with an amazing view of the city! It was raining and chilly, but still really neat!

We had a lovely dinner in Georgetown, and then rested up for the big event the next day! The First Lady's Luncheon is an annual event sponsored by the Congressional Club, which is an organization for Congressional spouses.

Just in case the first picture makes it seem like a small, intimate event, here's little perspective:

There was a front stage with a runway leading from the stage to the head table which was at the back of the ballroom (the event was in the "Reagan" Hilton, where President Reagan was shot). We were quite close both to the stage and the runway, so were pretty close to the First Lady as she was introduced and walked to her seat:

She spoke briefly about community and national service, as well as about how the First Family is adjusting to life in DC.

And then the entertainment for the luncheon ended up being an unexpected and exciting little thrill:

Blake Lewis from American Idol! Sarah and I were giddy like tweens!

As we were waiting for our ride in the lobby of the hotel, who should walk by?

Sarah and I owe Petra big time, because we felt embarassed to talk to him, but Petra just shouted out, "Hey Blake, can we get a picture?" (She was also the one who had the guts to ask Justice Kennedy for the photo, too, so yay Petra!)

Then home again! I had such a great time! And I am glad to be home!

Spring has sprung

2009-04-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

We had to wait around awhile after school yesterday for Big Guy to return from a field trip in Kansas City. The weather was gorgeous, and the little kids decided to take full advantage:

She got a little carried away with the hugging, and his feelings were mixed:

While waiting, Miss G decided to rock some yoga asanas:

Then she decided to borrow the camera:

Big Guy wasn't enjoying it.

On Monday, we had a day off from school and went to the farm! Everyone got a lesson in driving the riding mower, which was a HUGE hit! I didn't get a picture of Big Guy riding, but the little ones had a ball.

And finally, last week was Big Guy's fifth grade production of "The Princeless Princess". He was Prince #1, who was neither tall nor dark, but at least a little cute! Sorry for the photo quality.

A few quick pictures...

2009-04-10T14:31:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine just emailed me a few pictures of Miss G, and I couldn't resist posting! The first is part of the pre-K class auction item, which was a clock with pictures of the children as the numbers. Little Miss is a happy number nine:

As my friend pointed out in the photo below, my kids always know where the camera is! This is a snapshot of Sunday morning of General Conference. Big Guy is on the couch with blankets, pillows, popcorn and an M&M Conference Bingo game. Miss G is sitting in a blanket filled laundry basket with coloring and snacks, and Little Guy is sitting in a blanket filled cardboard box, just with snacks. Different strokes! My position was next to Big Guy on the couch with my knitting...

And finally, here's my girl on pre-K "Wheels Day":

And the Bears Snore On...

2009-04-10T08:36:00.000-07:00

Miss G had her theater debut today in the Pre-K assembly! They did an adaptation of the picture book And the Bears Snore On. Much cuteness ensued.

Miss G and Miss O primp and preen in front of the mirror, getting their costumes just right!

On stage: "They tweet and they titter. They chat and they chitter."

Taking a bow:

Miss G informs the audience that she played "AKA Porcupine #4":

Sitting (mostly) still for one more round of photos before the treats! (Who thought cupcakes were a good idea at 9:15 a.m.? Just asking...)

Farm Report

2009-03-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

Grampy's farm is just teeming with new life! We went for a visit yesterday afternoon to play with the animals, eat pancakes and bacon until bursting, and throw snowballs until there was no snow left!

This is Clooney, the new bottle-fed calf (more on that later):

The widdle biddy bunnies were soft little bundles of fur: Muddy chickens still lay lots of eggs:
Big Guy winds up to the pitch:

Little Guy and his cow boots LOVE the farm:
"Hmmm... how muddy could I get in that?"
Bottle-feeding time:

The new ram:

And finally, the Pied Piper of Holton:

Parks, picnics, parades and playdates (Oh, my!)

2009-03-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

We had a busy and beautiful St. Patrick's Day, first spending some time at Gage Park, climbing around on the cement animals:

Then moving across the street to the zoo for the real thing:

Then we headed downtown for the annual St. Patrick's Day parade (note to self: don't wait until 25 minutes before the parade begins to try to find a parking space next year!)

We ate a quick picnic lunch while watching the parade, then picked up a friend and headed for home, where we had about five other friends join us for a chaotic but fun afternoon of playing in the yard! Now Mommy wants to curl up with American Idol and some knitting! Good night!

Small adventures and misadventures

2009-03-16T16:28:00.001-07:00

Goodbye, school...

Hello, spring break!

Yup, that's one big, fat lip. And just to make me feel like the world's best mom, I don't know exactly how he did it!

My most fervent hope is that this is the biggest drama we have this week!

Quiet Sunday afternoon

2009-03-09T13:48:00.000-07:00

We were home sick from church yesterday (AGAIN) because Grace has strep. In the afternoon, we got a call that a realtor wanted to come see the house, and we had to vacate for awhile, so we headed over to David's office to hang out for awhile.

A nu'er cow!

2009-03-05T16:05:00.000-08:00

This afternoon we went to the dairy farm to pick up our milk, and every time we saw a new calf (even if it was one we'd seen a moment before), or even a picture of a cow, for that matter, he proudly crowed, "A nu'er cow!" And when you're at a dairy farm, that's a LOT of "nu'er cow"!

Thursday in the Park with Sam

2009-03-05T11:53:00.001-08:00

She likes me... she really likes me!

2009-03-05T11:45:00.000-08:00

After a week that's been filled with lots of "I don't like you!" from Little Miss G (prompted by everything from the need to eat her vegetables to her dislike of bedtime), it's reassuring to know that when all is said and done, she (maybe possibly) doesn't think I'm completely horrible.

Three little monkeys snuggling in the bed

2009-02-26T18:14:00.000-08:00

Quick photo update

2009-02-25T20:49:00.000-08:00

Miss G and I had a fun morning out on Saturday:

This is what faces me when I try to leave the house!

Great, unexpectedly sunny day at the zoo!

Big Guy's Blue and Gold Banquet where he "bridged" from Cubs to Boy Scouts

I can see clearly now, the dirt has gone

2009-02-19T15:32:00.000-08:00

Who knew what a difference clean windows would make? (Okay, yeah, I knew, but I forgot.) I just had the window cleaners in for the first time in, well, too long. (Let's leave it at that, please.) Holy mackerel, do they look good! They even make the gloomy February landscape look prettier, which is quite a feat.

Add that to carpet replacement/shampooing, massive mulching, weeding and clipping going on outside, and the reorganization/decluttering that's been ongoing since the new year, and slowly but surely I am reclaiming my house from neglect (which I choose to blame on the babies). Yes, I know I still have a toddler (plus two other kids who aren't paragons of tidiness, either) but I am ready to pay attention again now, I guess. (At least this week.)

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

If you give a kid a costume...

2009-02-18T11:20:00.000-08:00

He'll probably want a magic wand to go with it.

Too many books

2009-02-17T11:40:00.000-08:00

We got new carpet in our bedroom last week. Our room is where the bookshelves live. Bookshelves which had to be moved. You do the math.

I had to go to a meeting that night, and left the job undone. I wish I had a picture of what I found when I got home that night (after Little Mister had gotten into the bathroom). On second thought, it's probably better that I don't.

On a side note, you can see that I moved Daddyman's books last: George Will, John Wooden and baseball are at the front of the piles!

As I write this, Little Mister is having his first "nap" in his big boy bed. When we went upstairs at naptime, he crawled in to the bed in his room and looked at me with such a satisfied look on his face that I couldn't resist letting him give it a try. He's been out about half a dozen times. Hmmm. Maybe not.

A Quick Note

2009-02-08T21:05:00.000-08:00

A friend (and you know who you are) just recently went "anonymous" on her family blog, giving her children pseudonyms to combat online crazies. I've been thinking about this ever since, and have decided to follow her example, so from here on out, our family consists of:

Daddyman
Crunchyconmommy
Big Guy
Miss G
Little Mister or Little Guy

Bye!

In sickness and in health...

2009-02-08T20:00:00.000-08:00

First, Miss G was sick:

Then, little Mister was sick... Don't let the big grin fool you; first he was sick in the car as we were driving to David's office to pick up my van, where we had left it. We cleaned him up at the office, put him in a t-shirt of David's, snapped this picture, then he was sick again all over himself, then we cleaned him up AGAIN and found a slightly less clean t-shirt of David's for him to wear, and made it home before he threw up a third and final time. Miss G is trying to look sympathetic and pitiful with the sick boy!

I'll leave you with a message from Miss G, as she ate her snack the other day:
Later!

Oh, my, the cuteness.

2009-01-26T17:39:00.000-08:00

Organization versus chaos

2009-01-14T13:19:00.000-08:00

Yikes. The spring cleaning bug has hit me early this year. I've always tried not to be a packrat, and between living in St. Thomas and moving a lot in college and young adulthood, I really like the process of decluttering. And oh, boy, am I on a roll! Today I loaded up what I've collected so far, since it was threatening to devour our dining room table. I brought three boxes of books, cds and movies to the library to donate for their annual sale, and the back of my van is stuffed with about nine more boxes and bags full of donatable stuff for Goodwill. Now the goal is not to replace it with more stuff we'll just want to get rid of next year!!

Reorganization of the pantry in progress:

(Note: since writing this about a week ago, I've loaded up the van a second time with donations, including a huge load of professional clothes that my skinnier-by-the-day hubby can no longer wear without attracting stares and giggles.)

And here are some of the forces of chaos trying to thwart me in my tidy, organized goals:

Miss G had her fifth birthday party on Saturday. Fifteen 3-6 year olds dressed as princesses and knights were on a royal quest to rob me of my sanity. I joke. Kind of. Lots of fun, but holy cow, I admire pre-school teachers and others who have an innate talent (which I lack) for wrangling large groups of children in this age bracket!

We made got dressed up, made royal crowns, went on a quest involving the following:
*sneaking down into the valley without waking the sleeping beasts (going down stairs past all of the stuffed animals)
*climbing up a mountain and sliding down the other side (fort/slide)
*stealing some magic potion from Merlin's magic laboratory (little packages of bubbles from a cauldron)
*stomping on dragon eggs (large swathes of bubble wrap left over from mail order Christmas gifts) and gathering dragon eggs (super bouncy balls with little dragons inside)
*climbing through a (tent) tunnel into a dragon's cave to fight the dragon (inflatable, about 4 ft. tall) and steal his treasure (toy rings and candy kisses)

We then had a royal feast and the presenting of royal gifts. And that description sounds very tidy and organized and doesn't begin to suggest the level of noise, movement and mess invovled! The party was Saturday (this is Monday) and the house is ALMOST recovered.

And now my sweet girl is five. Sigh. (Cue Zero Mostel singing "Sunrise, Sunset" in the background.)

Happy birthday, baby girl.

A rare sunny day...

2009-01-13T19:31:00.000-08:00

Ramble post...

2009-01-05T08:26:00.000-08:00

We have had a quiet, productive, pleasant few days. Thursday evening, rather spur of the moment, all three kids went to the farm for an overnight, which means that Daddyman and I had 18 hours in the house without the kids. That's never, repeat NEVER, happened before. We had a quiet evening, I went to bed really early, and woke up at 5:30, at which point I was able to finally get back on top of household work. Between 5:30 and 10:30, which was when I went to pick up the kids, I did bookkeeping and paid all of the bills that had piled up, finished about 5 loads of laundry, vacuumed the whole main level of the house, mopped all hard surfaces on the main level of the house, did the dishes... you get the idea. Very productive and necessary to getting tidy again after the holidays, the trip, etc. This overnight at the farm might become a regular feature! (Though I must admit I paid for it the next day because no one slept particularly well while there, and everyone was pretty cranky.)

Saturday, after getting another early-to-bed-early-to-rise night, I went to 7:00am (yes, you heard me correctly!) yoga, which was great, though it left me very sore. My usual class is 60 minutes, and this was 90. And the first time I've practiced yoga in about a month. Sore. That's all I'm saying.
Miss G, Little Mister and I then sped off to ballet (one of these days we'll make it on time!), where I captured this image of little brother watching "Sissy" in her class:
I don't know why I like this picture so much. I think it's just because he's so intent, peeking around the corner. He's been quite the charmer lately. He loves to run around after his big sister, playing whatever game she wants to play. You can tell he really wants to be "big". The other morning while I was changing his clothes, he was taking a moment to run around in his diaper, and he stopped, looked at me, and dropped to the floor in the spot where Daddyman does his pushups in the morning, obviously trying to do a pushup, as well. I couldn't stop laughing. Then this morning, Daddyman called to me while getting ready for work, and when I went in, Little Mister had dragged a stool to my sink, and was standing there, imitating Daddy at his sink brushing his teeth. He had turned the water on, and was pretending to spit in the sink, and was just very pleased with himself. Don't think he wants to be like Daddy or anything, do you?

Since the bathroom is finally done, I thought I'd post a couple of quick pictures of the final product. (Now we just have to get the bedroom carpet replaced, and we'll be all done with the master suite!)

Finally, Saturday evening, we had tickets for a Celine Dion concert in Kansas City. It was originally scheduled for November, but she had a virus, and it had to be rescheduled. I have to say, it was pretty outstanding. While I think she has an amazing voice, I'm not a huge Celine fan, personally, but Daddyman really loves her (he saw her Vegas show all by himself when he was there on business last year!). It was a really entertaining show. Her voice is really beautiful, and the production value was lots of fun. She had about 6 costume changes, each more entertaining and outrageous than the last. She was pretty charming, too, when she spoke to the audience. Super Celine, to the rescue!

Okay, the last one isn't outrageous, in fact it was kind of pretty. It was for her final encore of the Titanic song. Anyway, a very fun evening, and really, how many women get to say that they were dragged to a Celine Dion concert by their husbands???

Epcot... the home stretch

2008-12-31T13:59:00.000-08:00

Saturday was, shall we say, a bit busier than Friday in the parks! LONG lines! There were a few things we just couldn't do because the lines were really long, but it was still a really fun day. Daddy and Big Guy spent LOTS of time at Mission: Space, and Miss G and I had loads of fun at the The Seas with the Nemo ride and marine observatory, and also at the imagination Pavilion.

Look at my handsome man:

These "water snakes" may consistently be one of our favorite things to do at Epcot... kind of crazy!

Goodbye, Disney!

Hollywood Disney and Magic Kingdom, Part Two

2008-12-31T08:49:00.000-08:00

We had a fairly (okay, VERY) long wait at the Boardwalk for the ferry to Hollywood Disney. Big Guy "directed" the reactions of the family to the wait:

We rode the Great Movie ride, which Miss G liked except for the scary bits. We did the Muppet Movie 3-D show, and a few other things. We had dinner reservations at the Sci-Fi Drive-In Diner, and the park closed by the time dinner was over, so we only had a couple of short hours to do attractions at this park, but it ended up being just right; a pleasant and relaxing end to our day.

Then we went back to the hotel, slept the sleep of the very, very tired, and got up to do it all again! This time, Big Guy and I headed off to the dark, scary and nausea-inducing stuff, and Daddy and Miss G spent some time together in Fantasyland. The boy managed to get me on Thunder Mountain Railroad rollercoaster, which is a miracle. I. am. not. a. rollercoaster. person. But it actually wasn't horrible. Kind of fun, even. (Shhh, don't tell him, or he'll never let me live it down!)

Once was enough for me, however, so I enjoyed the morning sunshine while he rode again (that's him in the second row):

I punished him for convincing me to go on Thunder Mountain:

And we met Daddy and our princess at Cinderella's Castle for brunch:

This is a new version of a photo of Daddy and Big Guy we took inside Cinderella's castle when we came to Disney when he was five years old. I'll try to find a digital copy of it so I can post them side by side later.

Our princess was a little nervous to go up to Cinderella by herself, so I came along!

This is one small representative of the 30,000 photos Miss G asked me to take while we were riding the Small World ride. She was somewhat resistant to going on the ride (the entrance was similar to the Snow White ride, which scared her), but ended up really enjoying it, especially after she got to order me and my camera around! Meanwhile, the boys were riding the Buzz Lightyear ride again and figuring out how to beat the system and score as many points as the ride will allow!

We say goodbye to the Magic Kingdom...

And hello to Epcot, in our final marathon post, to be published later!

Magic Kingdom, Part One

2008-12-31T06:22:00.000-08:00

A confession: we left Little Mister with Gamma and Grampa. And boy, every time I walked by a family with a fussy, squirmy, tired two year old, I thanked my lucky stars (and my Mom!) for having the good sense NOT to bring the toddler with us. But anyway, on with the photos...

Before the sun rose on Boxing Day (26 Dec), we made our way to Orlando, checked into the Boardwalk Inn in the Epcot area (which I highly recommend... lovely, and only a short walk to Epcot and a slightly longer one to Disney Hollywood!), and made our way to the Magic Kingdom. We went straight to Tomorrowland and Buzz Lightyear's ride, which Miss G found a little loud, dark and scary (perhaps we should have done it later in the day for her, to ease her in to Disney-style rides!). Then we jumped on the Tomorrowland train:

We went to the Monsters Inc comedy show, which was a good giggle. The boys then went one way, to do all manner of scary, dark and/or nausea-inducing rides, and after trying Stitch's Great Escape (which neither or Miss G and I really enjoyed... he spit on us... ewwww!) we went to Fantasyland. This is her first real experience with Disney style lines, while we waited for the Dumbo ride:

But the wait was worth it:

Then we were able to walk right onto Cinderella's carousel:

Then came our VERY FAVORITE ride, Mad Hatter's Teacups:

We met up with the boys again and tried to all go in the Haunted House, but little miss was thwarted by the spooky sound effects outside the building, so she and I went back to Fantasyland for a little while and rode the Teacups again. Then we met up with the boys and headed for Adventureland, where I waited while Big Guy rode Thunder Mountain (which, sadly, we will revisit later!), Daddy and Miss G went to the Bears Jamboree, then we spent some time at the shooting range, and headed up the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse:

Then off to Aladdin's Magic Carpet ride:

Big Guy goes for the gusto:

We went to the Tiki Room (which Miss G says, "was freaking me out!" with the storm, then to Pirates of the Caribbean. Shockingly, Daddy worked some voodoo magic on little miss and she wasn't scared there, but just thought it was all good fun. We went on the Jungle Cruise, which we have always enjoyed. Miss G enjoyed it, except when we headed into the dark caves:

But then all was sunshine again:

We headed back to the hotel at this point, pausing on Main Street Disney:

And Daddy bought Miss G a balloon the size of Rhode Island:

Then we headed back to the hotel for a brief rest and swim. VERY cool water slide at the pool, which little miss was thrilled to ride, though she flailed a bit at the bottom before we could reach her. With many instructions to Daddy to "wait right at the bottom" she was back on it in a flash!

Later, we headed to Hollywood Disney for the evening, which will be part of the next post!