Let's get it started!!!

Well Ab was talking about a friends birthday party for weeks. She had it all planed there we were having pink cake and pink candles and pink, pink, pink. I was trying to get a theme going so i could think of games and decorations, but all i was getting was "a pink party". So I invited the list of friends she rambled off, still not sure what we would do. "Play, sing Happy Birthday, blow out candles." was the starting point Ab gave me. Just 3 things to accomplish. So it was Wednesday night and we make a trip to Zurchers for some inspiration. Hoping that I will see something pink :) I find something and go with it, and walking to the checkout we go down the character isle and Ab says, "mom, how about we have a _____ party?" naming off everyone that we go by. Dora, Strawberry shortcake, Elmo, Barbie, Princess, Abby Cadabby. I could have gone with the last one, but what we had in the cart was going to be good...

Thursday night, JB helped me until about 12:30 in the morning getting everything ready.

Friday morning, I took it slow and what ever didn't get done, just didn't get done. I didn't want to stress over my daughters 3 year old birthday party. But then again, it was her first, and there in laid the stress...

Sarah, Caden, Jenna, Keoni, and Charlyie came a 12:30. I had a table set up where they got to make maraccas out of easter eggs with a wide popcycle stick glued to the bottom, rice, and stickers. And pick out a tamborine. I bought mostly pink, and was suprised when the other colors got snatched up. I put together a CD of Music and Movement songs, and the party began! We sat in a circle making music, skipped around the living room, tossed bean bags, did the limbo, and "went to the zoo". Item #1 on the list - check!

Then we moved over to the table for item #2. Sing Happy Birthday. I got it on video, and I think Ab is the only kid singing with the adults :) She got embarassed or something for item #3, blowing out her candles, but got the job done. I borrowed a funest ice cream sandwich mold from Whit, which I made the yummiest treats! And cute too if I don't say so myself. Of course, pink ice cream and pink cupcakes!!

Ab was a sweet girl and let her friends help her open the presents, which were totally fun. Twist up crayon, and huge coloring book, some garden supplies, light up flip flops[which haven't been taken off for more than a few hours], a beach towel, sand buckets and shovels, a LITE BRITE, and a memory card matching game.

Everyone got to take their instruments home, and a copy of the Music and Movement CD I put together. ~this morning when I was distracting Ab to get her in a good mood I told her it was going to be her birthday tomorrow. "Again?!"

Wordless Wednesday - Put a smile on your face

Happy Earth Day!!

I've been getting stuff together for this project, and thanks to the donations from family and friends , we finally did it with Ab today. I read about it in the Family Fun magazine. Mini greenhouses. I thought that it would be fun for her to plant the seeds and be able to water and watch them grow. I set up a table in the dining room and finally found enough containers the other day that we were able to play in the dirt today. She was excited to help pick what to plant, and liked poking her finger in the soil to make a spot for the seeds. We planted zucchini, summer squash, mini pumpkins, peas, 2 kinds of zinnia's, cantaloupe, and Abby's favorite-cucumbers. All through the rest of the day, I'd find her trying to water things around the house with the watering can. :)

I love the way it looks. I found myself checking it every couple of hours to see if anything was happening :) I forgot about tomatos... we'll have to add another tray!

couch potato

Every once and a while, Ab remembers that it's fun to pull the cushions off the couch and build forts and jump on them and lay on the couch. D likes it too, because he can pull himself up on the couch. She got brave last time and built a tower and climbed up on her own. She wouldn't jump off though. Just slowly sat back down and climbed down. She added a 4th cushion, and when she tried to climb up it toppled over. She didn't think it was very funny even though I was laughing :)

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*note: loves this Dora shirt. trys to wear it everyday, and doesn't like when I say I'm going to wash it.

GEOCACHING!!!!

Our new family fun time past time! I read about it here. Brief explanation: "Geocachers use GPS (global positioning system) technology to locate more than 430,000 caches, or treasure boxes, hidden in nearly every country in the world, from busy downtown areas to underwater caves. These caches contain treasure, usually toys or other little trinkets." It also usually has a little log page that you can sign. So when I read about it MONTHS ago, I totally knew it was something that our family would enjoy. Plus, JB could get a couple of GPS units for "me", but use them during hunting season :) So when the GPS came, I logged onto geocaching.com and downloaded about 15 caches that were within 5 miles of our house. On our first try we went to one that was hidden in a nearby park, that on the night we went, was packed with the first night of little league practice. We explained it to Ab that we were going treasure hunting. We didn't find it. Ab was bummed and so then we had to explaing that we don't always find it on the first try. So a couple of nights later, and a different cache we set out.

The GPS only gets you so far, and then you have to start turning over rocks and looks in trees and under stuff. JB only had one good hand, and Ab wasn't sure what we were looking for, and I was holding Dax. Hummmm..... :) It was a little hard. So then I found one that told us exactly where to look on a bridge to find the cache.

HOORAY!! It was a hide-a-key container so all that was in it was the log page, but still fun! We let Ab "write" our name and I put it right back where it was hidden. "Mom, we found the treasure!!!!!!" I downloaded a couple that are hidden out by Intial Point, so when the weather gets warm, JB has 2 hands, and Dax gets some shoes, we'll be tracking down the treasure!

*note: JB's cast. None of his jackets had big enough sleeves to fit the cast through, so he had to wear this nice one that was in the closet. Not sure where I got it.

*note: anyone that wants to come out with us is more than welcome!! The more treasure hunters the better!!!

Loving spring weather!

Saturday, we had a great day. It was the Holland spring home show, so we checked out a couple of houses, had lunch down by BSU, came home for lots of naps, and played outside while JB got a flat tire on the skid steer. We went to the back yard, and Ab poured water on all the rocks with the watering can while Dax explored the water fall :)

Watched a movie(which I partially watched because I was getting Dax ready for bed), and after I got him laid down, I went for a walk around the neighborhood. I came back and grabbed Ab away from the movie, wrapped up in a blanket and went and laid down in the front yard for some star gazing. Any time I pointed out a constellation and told her what it was, she would say "uh-huh". Do you see those 3 stars in a line over there? "uh-huh". that's Orion. "uh-huh". it was pretty cute. a great day.

Letter of the week

Since Ab wants to learn to read, I've started a "letter of the week" project. We are only on the 3rd week, but it's going good. On Wednesday night we take a piece of newsprint paper, and write the letter. Then fill in the page with words, and pictures of the words, that start with that letter. Then it goes up on the wall and we reference it during the week, and at the library we pick out books that have that letter on it.
She had trouble with "C" this last week. She wouldn't repeat it back, and days later, still couldn't tell me the name of the letter the way she did with "A" and "B". Then yesterday, a light bulb goes off, or is it on?...., in my head. The letter "C" is also a word. See. We hung up the poster the first week and said,"See, Abby. This is the letter "A"." Then the next week,"See Abby. This is the letter "B"." Then this week, "See Abby. This is the letter "C"." And probably in her head, she's been waiting for us to tell her what letter it is!!!! "What is it mom?!" It's the letter C. What is it Abby? "What is it mom?!?" It wasn't clicking for either of us. But now I get it! We'll have to come back to that one later :)
We pulled into the Albertsons parking lot last night and she says, "Are we going in there? The one with the "A"?" :) One step closer.

*note: the children's books at the library have a sticker on the binding of the book that says "ABC reading". So the the past 3 weeks, EVERY book had an "A","B", and "C" on it because of the sticker! :)

On the go!

He's got it down! If he falls over, he can get himself back up right there. Then he takes off with his hand up by his shoulders , in a little ape walk. I remember Ab walking like that too :)

Wordless Wednesday - "like daddy wears it"

vvvrrrrroooooommmmm!

(I took some pictures of the kids this evening, and plugged the camera into the computer just now to get the pics, and there were pictures from 3 weeks ago!! was I really slacking that much on posting??? I guess so. There will be some major catch up. Too cute not to post. )

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Dax had his first 4 wheeler ride today!! Ab wanted to go out and play this evening, and so JB started up the 4 wheeler. He gave Ab a ride first while D just watched on with envy. He reached right up when JB went to get him. He gave him a ride around and then me and Ab hoped on the back too. "Dad! We're behind you! We're all riding!" D definitely has a thing for noise makers and wheels already. He was reaching for the handlebars and just soaking it in on the ride. Motocrosser in training! Daddy will have him on a bike before I get one.

Abby wanted to chase them,

but when they turned around she went running.

They both love the trampoline. Tonight Dax went over to the edge and was pushing his face against the netting. It looked like a face smooshed in pantyhose. :) Ab was bouncing around making up a song. She'll sing about anything and everything, just making up words and a tune to go along with it. ( like right now she came in and started sing "my bum is cold, my bum is cold")

bad blogger

Well, I've been slacking. We are trying to get into a schedule, and bedtime routine, that works for us and works with JB's trading. Both the kids are now going to bed at the same time. 9pm. 8:45 we need to be getting into pj's, going potty/change diaper, brush teeth, and off to bed. JB takes Ab and a couple of stories, and I do pick up/put down with D. A few weeks ago I stopped nursing in the night, and it's getting better. Then yesterday evening a thought pops into my head. How do I know if D won't take a bottle if I don't give him one? So I give him one, and he downs it! I refill and he downs that one too!!! He slept until about 2:30am, waking with a wet diaper. He went back to sleep within 10 minutes. He woke up again at 6 and I nursed him to get a couple more hours out of him. JB got up to trade and helped Ab and I slept in until 9:30!!!!!!!!!!!!!! D woke up a couple minutes later and I offered him a bottle and all day he took it. COLD TURKEY WEAN!! WWWWOOOOOOOHHHHOOOOO! except for the ENGORGEMENT--- it's great! I gave him a bottle right before bed, and it took about 5 minutes in his room and he was down.

So, I've totally been in denial about my 10 month old walking. I know kids have done it, and done it sooner than 10 months, but it's just weird seeing my little bald guy...

All day he loved to just roam around drinking from the bottle. He's using an old pink one of Abby's. I'll probably get him a new one- maybe blue? :)