Glass Blowing and Pizza

Last Wednesday was the field trip Davis has been waiting "ALL YEAR" for...his class visited a glass blowing company (AMAZING!) and Papa John's Pizza. Seriously, I don't know if he or I had more fun. He was so full of questions and says that his favorite part of the glass shop was when they gave each of the kids a piece of colored glass. I thought it was amazing that he kept his hands in his pockets almost the entire time as instructed. He is such a busy boy, but now I have proof that he can be very focused. At the pizza store he said that he liked making and eating his pizza! I liked being with him and witnessing him learning and growing (oh, and I liked the pizza too!). I love field trips and hands on learning...you'd think I have a degree in Recreation or something. :)

Gracie Jeanne

Jed and I have both commented that Gracie is really starting to come into her own lately. She is really such a funny little creature who constantly cracks us up! As with many youngest children she is late in talking and up until now has really only said (or yelled depending on the moment) "This", "Mom" and "Dad". Just in the past two days we have now added "Ball" and "Up" to her vocabulary. I have a feeling she is now going to be adding new words daily. Something tells me that it won't be long and we will be hearing an earful from her. She is an observant little girl (no longer a baby--boo, hoo) with lots of ideas behind those twinkling eyes.

Two more things that I want to note for myself are that Gracie continues to twirl her hair anytime she is drinking anything (she used to twirl my hair before she grew her long enough) and it is really a cute little habit. Also, Jed told her the other day that if she is sad and needs to cry about something (she was in the middle of a tantrum) that that is fine, but that she needed to go in her room and shut her door until she could stop crying. Now (over a week later) whenever she is upset (not hurt/upset, but mad/upset) she runs to her room crying, shuts the door, cries for a minute and comes out totally over it. It is an amazing sight to see....ah, that she would always be so obedient.

Jed's Birthday Part 2

All Jed wanted for his birthday this year was to spend a little time with our family at the coast. We always talk about making trips there, but it has been a couple of years since we have done it...shameful, I know, since we only live a short distance away. I am so grateful that this was his birthday wish...It was a perfect weekend!

Kite Flying...playing in the sand, falling in the water (Owen and Davis), climbing rocks, looking for signs of sea life...
...playing games, eating cookies, introducing the kids to "The Princess Bride", reading books...
Perfection!

Why?

Can somebody please tell me why my preschoolers (Owen and Davis have done this same thing) sign their name to the graffiti that they leave on my furniture?
On another note...Kate's artwork (and ability to write her name) have really come a long way in the past two months. Below is one of the first pictures that she drew that actually made sense to someone other than herself. I think this was a picture of me or Jed originally, but today she told me that it is a bug...wow, even her ability to interpret her own art is changing. It is fascinating watching children grow.

Two Peas in a Pod

I love this picture of the girls wrapped up in their bath towels. I wish I could freeze them like this.

Two things that make Kate happy...

These days there are two things that are sure to make Kate smile...french braids and dance class..I kinda think they are adorable when combined. Don't you think?

Valentines Day

As they do every year, the kids loved Valentine's Day this year. Owen loved his school party and all of the cards and candy that came out of it. Davis loves his Valentine's box that he made at preschool and enjoyed all of the treasures that were left inside it. Kate enjoyed giving Valentine's out to her friends at dance class. Gracie loved our traditional heart shaped pizza....A fun day for all!

Jed's Birthday Part 1

As we are getting older (our kids included), life seems to be speeding up. Seriously. Jed's birthday this year fell on a Thursday. He seemed to have a good day at work, lunch with the staff, etc. Let's face it though, celebrating with the kids is really half of the fun. Okay, so I guess I am speaking for myself, but I think Jed would agree. :) They were SO excited for Daddy's birthday. They spent days wrapping gifts (like their toys and drawing they had done for him--priceless treasures), decorating the house and helping me plan his breakfast and dinner. They were so excited about his cake (Not as excited as us, however. This cake is made at a local bakery and it is nothing short of a little piece of heaven...and I am NOT just being dramatic. It is to die for! Jed didn't eat any treats for days and days to save up for this cake and I would agree it is worth the calories!)--YUM! Jed requested no presents, but wanted to take the family for a quick get-away to the coast, something we always talk about and never do...so without further ado, Happy birthday Jed...please pass the cake!

Happy Groundhog Day!

I was the parent helper at Davis' school today for Groundhog Day! I love spending that "one on one" time with him when it is my turn to help. Here he is going through the "groundhog tunnel". I thought it was a fun way to end the day...and I think he did too.