Easter Treats

After seeing a commercial on tv for Rice Krispie Treats shaped like Easter Eggs we immediately decided we had to make them.

The power of marketing.

First we smooshed the krispie mixture into plastic eggs to form the proper shape.





Next we dipped one end into melted chocolate





Then we rolled the chocolate side into sprinkles







Yum







And finally I think these two were trying to conspire against me to score another :-)

$1 spray bottle = 90 minutes of fun

Oh, to be a kid with a spray bottle of water. Wouldn't it be nice if life could always be this much fun...and so simple.













I would happily spend $2 a day on new "toys" if it meant I would get a 90 min. break :-)

Golf Balls

This past weekend Pete mowed the lawn on the other side of our creek (for the first time in 4 years). Look at the collection of golf balls we ended up with...



148 to be exact!

Izzy Reads to Her Class...then gets sick

Izzy's day started out with incredible excitement - for today she was going to read to her class! I still couldn't believe that the baby/toddler who wanted nothing to do with anyone other than her mommy was willing to sit in front of her entire class and read a book. When the teacher suggested she read to the class (after Izzy proudly told her she could read) she couldn't have been more excited.

She selected "Dick and Jane: Work" to read. ...and read it she did! I guess even Drew's teacher listened to her read it. She happened to be walking down the hall and popped in when she heard what "sounded like Izzy reading to the class". How fun.

I was able to talk to Izzy's teacher at the end of the day because I had to go into her class to drop something off. When I went in to pick up the kids, Izzy told me her belly hurt. The teacher said that the kids just had snack and then were out running all over the playground so maybe that was it. I thought different, but wanted to hear about how her reading went.

I guess Izzy did a FANTASTIC job reading. I love her teachers because they are so caring and so very encouraging! They made a huge deal out of her reading and I guess she was just beaming the entire time she read. She would read the pages and then hold up the picture for the class to see. The other children sat in awe and gave her "claps and snaps" when she was done. I had tears in my eyes as the teacher said lots of great things about what a neat kid she is. ...I couldn't help but feel extra special when she also said it is a reflection of great parenting. Claps and snaps to us!

So...not more than 2 min. after getting home Izzy tossed her cookies. Thankfully she hit all hardwood floor. Immediately after she threw up she begged for food. I gave her a few crackers and then an hour later when I could take no more of the begging I let her have a jelly sandwich ...and then another half. This entire time she was running all over with Drew and acting as if she was fine - so much so that I thought maybe she did simply run too hard on the playground and chug too much water after eating snack?

I called a couple moms of other kids in her class who have had this flu (Izzy is 10/16) and they both said she would act fine then go downhill. Sure enough, two hours later she puked again and then crashed on the couch.

I gotta give the girl credit because she is a fabulous sick kid. She hits the bucket, tries to keep her hair back, and just rolls with it. She doesn't get this trait from me because I hate to throw up.

The hardest part of my day was explaining to Drew that he could not sleep with Izzy tonight. He is in the guest bed and Izzy is in my bed. ...which is where I am headed now.

Snuggling Siblings

This is what I found when I checked on the kids before bed last night...

Married with Children

It wasn't until last week that I actually questioned whether or not I have my hands full with Izzy. Last week was the "I'll miss my boyfriend when we move", watching Erik pee at school, and the infamous kiss on the lips with Carson. What happened to that innocent Izzy of 2 weeks ago?

Last night while sitting outside watching Izzy and Rylie play I overheard Izzy say the following:

..."well, I'm not gonna have babies until Carson and I have been married for 5 days."

..."Rylie, we can be in rooms next to each other at the hospital when we have our babies."

..."Carson and Benjamin can come visit us while we are at the hospital and bring us berries to eat."

Apparently each girl had a husband and was making plans for their futures together. I was happy to hear that they would both be married prior to having kids (even if it was only 5 days into the marriage - which means they were knocked up before exchanging vows) and that they still plan to be friends for so long that they will be in neighboring rooms at the hospital.

As we pulled out of the driveway for school I noticed this:



I said to Izzy that it looks like two people talking. She replied, "Mom, it is two people! That broom is the boy Rylie is going to marry and the yellow broom is Carson." Of course! She then tells me that they are "guarding the babies". Both girls had twins yesterday and are expecting another baby today. I told Izzy that I thought three babies in three days was plenty cause babies require a lot of work!

As Pete said when I told him...they grow up so quickly :-)

Backyard Fun!

There are so many reason why I loathe this house. BUT one of the reasons I LOVE this house is for the lot it sits on. The property wasn't conducive to small toddlers, but it is so great for them now! If we were staying here then we would add a big swing set and playhouse to the yard. But since we aren't, we will just use what mother nature gave us.



You might notice three cute backsides in the picture - well, Miss Rylie-dylie joined us for the afternoon. Her baby brother Max wasn't feeling well, and Mama Stephanie was kind of tired so we picked up RC and brought her to our house. As soon as she got in our car and Izzy noticed her outfit, Izzy declared she wanted to change her pants (she already had on the matching sweatshirt) so they could be twins. How fun are 5 year old girls!



The plan was for the kids to have ice-cream and play while I put pine needles down in the front yard...



But, with the kids in the backyard I couldn't very well leave them unattended...



There was sand digging, "meatball" making and treks to the "island"...(the island is that pile of sand/pebbles in front of the girls in the above picture)







I can't help but smile when I look at these pictures. I LOVE that my kids love to "be kids" - love to explore, aren't afraid to get dirty, and can use their imaginations for endless fun! All that out door fun leads to some very dirty kids. The girls were shuffled up to the kids tub and Drew got to take a bath in the kitchen sink.

Look at that face


His "King Boo" face (can you say too much Mario Kart)


We asked Rylie to stay for dinner and let me tell you...those kids sure can eat! I don't know if it was the fresh air or my superb culinary skills, but they all ate and obscene amount of food including: steak, broccoli, carrots/ranch, apples, strawberries, and mac-n-cheese. The only thing they did not eat was sauteed mushrooms. This feast was followed up by a brownie and High School Musical 3. Rylie left at 7:15 and I think my kids were asleep by 7:35.

Hopefully we have a few more weeks of backyard creek play before the bugs arrive.

Izzy's First Kiss?

Breathe in...breathe out...

Was it, or wasn't it her first kiss?

You decide.

I was told by a mommy friend yesterday that she heard Izzy kissed Carson in music class. As if that wasn't shock enough, she said, "On the lips."

Breathe in, breathe out. WHAT????

Think, think. Why would Izzy not have told this to me? Wait! Pete picked her up after music class. I was getting my hair done (it looks fantastic, thanks for asking) and didn't see her until much later that day. Still...why didn't she tell me...

After I heard about this kiss, I asked Izzy. She denied any kiss ever happened. I even tried to "trick" her into slipping by asking her at "which" music class she kissed Carson to which she replied, "Ma-om! I said I didn't kiss him!" ...and then she smiled her sweet little grin.

So, did she kiss him and doesn't want to tell me? I find that really hard to believe, and so sad if it is true. OR, is Carson making false claims which make my daughter look like the class floozy?

I need to dig further ...and hopefully get to the truth.

****On a side note, we were watching High School Musical 3 the other night and at one point Izzy said to me, "Mommy, I am going to be sad when I move and have to leave my boyfriend." "I'm sure you will be Izzy...who is your boyfriend?" Izzy giggled (as if to say "silly mommy") "Mom, it's Carson!"

...so maybe she did kiss him?


***********************************************************

Izzy tells me a couple nights ago, "I watched Erik go to the bathroom at school today."

Me: Really?
Izzy: Yup.
Me: Don't the boys use the one bathroom and the girls another?
Izzy: He was in the small one between the classrooms.
Me: Oh. You know, you really should give people privacy when they are going to the bathroom.
Izzy: I just wanted to see if he sat down or stood up to pee?
Me: ...and
Izzy: (so matter of fact) he stands up.

Great.

Camping - Molly Style

Last Friday night Pete was out of town and I finally had to make do on my promise to the kids for a camp out in my room. I put it off for a couple reasons: one, I didn't think it would work - no one would actually sleep or they would expect me to go to bed with them, and two, I was afraid what Izzy envisioned by "camp out".

Thankfully, Izzy camps just like me...inside :-) All she expected was to sleep on my floor in her sleeping bag. No tent, no flashlights, no late bedtime...just my style.

Basically at 7:30 I went up to my room with the kids, read them books on the floor, and said goodnight. Poor kids - if they only knew how much better a real camp out could be...







Both kids slept just fine on my floor. Their sleeping bags/pillows were Christmas gifts from Pete's parents and they LOVE them! I felt silly because I actually worried about how much good sleep they would get, or if their backs might hurt the next day. Then I remembered...THEY ARE 3 AND 5! THEY WILL BE FINE!!!!

Maybe for the next camp out we will make s'mores...in the microwave :-)

My Boys

If Drew had his way then this is what he would do ALL DAY LONG!











Last week Drew was addicted to Mario Kart. This week it is Super Mario Brothers. Well, I was threatening Drew with not being able to play Mario Kart if he didn't listen. The little stinker wasn't phased at all and said, "Oh. Oh. Dat's okay Mom cause I don't want to pway Mario Kart. I want to pway Mario Brothers!"

Some days the Wii "mysteriously overheats" and we aren't able to play it...and thankfully after a 10 minute meltdown Drew is able to find something else to occupy his time.

Drew

Drew: I've got good news and bad news.
Me: Ummm, okay, tell me the bad news.

Drew: (long pause) Uh, act-chew-wee, I've just got good news.
Me: Oh great! Tell me the good news.

Drew: (another long pause) Uh, I can't tell you cause it's a secret!

...and then he ran away from me laughing.

That kid is funny :-)

Lookin' GOOD Sister!

Izzy dressed herself for school today...


She is a bit under the weather and I thought I had a better picture of this fine ensemble, but I guess I was wrong. Regardless, you can see just how good this chick looked heading into her class. (I suggested a skirt over the leggings, but she said she liked her outfit just the way it was).



Pickin my battles...and I was completely fine with her looking this way. Honest. In fact, I rather like to see the outfits she puts together. And today, she was feelin sassy - struttin her bad self into school!

************************************************

We have spent the last 48 hours with RC and family. Both dads were gone so we made the most of our time. We did haircuts, ice-cream, library, dinner (2x), baths, lunch, more playtime, ...you get the picture. Basically they left last night to go home to sleep and came back today once my kids got home from school.

We introduced Stephanie to the Wii...Mario Kart to be exact. After one race she declared, "I'm going to get one of these tonight!"



I don't know if I would survive Pete's travel schedule without Stephanie. Thanks friend!

Bed Buddies

Lots of folks have had questions regarding the kids and their new sleeping arrangement. I thought I would take a couple minutes to answer some ...

~I take both kids up to bed about 7:15 and read two books. Then I sing two songs and hug/kisses goodnight. I leave the room and tell them if they talk it must be done in a whisper. It is a 50/50 toss up as to whether Izzy will read another book to Drew or just roll over and go to sleep. While Izzy has always been my quick to sleep child, Drew will sing/talk/read for 45 minutes before passing out. HOWEVER I think he is beginning to follow Izzy's lead and go to sleep faster these days.

~Drew comes down within 5 min. of me leaving the room to tell me he has to go to the bathroom. He goes to the bathroom downstairs and then walks himself back up to bed. It is at this point that Izzy is usually asleep and then I don't hear from Drew again.

~6/7 days they wake up at the same time. If Drew wakes up and Izzy is not in the room then he cries out, "I'M ALL ALONE! I'M ALL ALONE! I NEED SOMEBODY-EEEEEEEE!!!!"

~No one has gotten out of bed in the middle of the night, but I have been called into the room a few times. Typically it is Izzy who calls for me and it is because Drew has invaded her space. I move him over and everyone goes right back to sleep.

~Izzy no longer sleeps with me when Pete travels because she would rather sleep with Drew.

~When we move each will have their own room, but Drew will be getting two twin beds and Izzy a full bed so they are welcome to bunk together anytime. (Although Izzy has designed a room in the new house for them to share which incorporates all their most favorite colors.)

~I am not bothered that they are opposite gender and sharing a bed -AT ALL! I rather like it and think that it has made the two of them even closer than they were before - which is saying something if you knew how close they already were!

~The second night was the hardest, but since then it really has been incredibly easy.

~They wake up between 7:15 and 8:00.







I am beginning to think that if I am going to continue to photograph the kids sleeping together in the guest room...well, I might just have to actually decorate the guest room.

Teeny Tiny Tea Set

I bought a few of these tea sets (on clearance) to give away as gifts, but on a recent stuck in the house and needing something to do kind of day I decided to let Izzy paint one. I tried to interest Drew in another paint project, but he insisted on painting a tea set like his "sissy".







The scene of the crime...


Make sure to take special note of Drew and the intense look of concentration he has going on...and the large amount of paint he gets on his hands!

















I really need to stop buying clearance items with the thought of giving them away as gifts because chances are my kids end up with them in the end.