Jumpin' and Paint'n

This week, we finally had some time to do regular summer fun things! We went to a nearby indoor playground complete with tire swings, ball pits, slides, and mazes.


We also went to a paint-your-own-pottery place. Alek painted a shark, and Nora painted a plate! She added a butterfly, too! We'll go back next week to pick up the items - they will glaze and fire them for us!

To Market, To Market

In the last month, we've had the bathrooms tiled, the bedrooms carpeted, the exteriour painted, the interior painted, the garage ceiling fancied up, and the junk packed away. So, finally we're on the market! Wish us luck!

The exterior (No more RED!!!)

The living room 10 days ago while carpet was being installed.

(Yes, that's Walt in the middle of it all!)

The living room now!

Great Wolf Lodge

We spent a wonderful long weekend with my parents at Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Texas. This is a hotel with attached restaurants, arcade, Magic Quest, and..... WATERPARK! There are indoor pools, outdoor pools, indoor little kid slides and big kid slides, a wave pool, a toddler pool, outdoor slides, a lazy river, and the list goes on! Mom and Dad treated. The kids LOVED it. Nora very cooperatively wore a life jacket; Walt didn't mind his, and Alek did fine without one. Another big hit was the Magic Quest. This involved a magic wand, a game book, and clues all over the hotel (lots in the 8 stories of stairwells- ugh). We completed five of the eight quests!

Thanks Granny and Grandpa!!!!!

Our room had a cool "Kid Kamp" tent inside our room. The kids had their own bunk beds and TV.

Looking for clues on a Magic Quest!

A view of part of the indoor park. The bucket spills every so often. Only Alek and Mommy braved the downpour!

Walt wading in the Wave Pool.

Outside with Alek and Walt.

Alek and Nora under the Wolf. When it howls, water rains down!

Like this!!!

Alek on one of the little slides.

Nora playing at the splash pad area.

Alek crossing the pool on floating slices of log!

Nora riding one of the outdoor slides alone!


Nora riding waves at the wave pool!

"I'm Going to be a Character"

Nora has been watching Shirley Temple movies lately. Yesterday, she said she wanted Shirley Temple hair. Well, I figured I could do at least a good enough job to impress her. I took her to the drug store to buy curlers (they actually still sell foam curlers!), and she was beside herself with excitement. Skipping, singing, telling the entire store. She had asked why sometimes Shirley Temple is named Shirley, and sometimes Heidi, and sometimes Curly Top. We had a discussion about actors and characters. What she took from that was that if she has Shirley Temple hair, she should be called a character. "I'm going to be a character!" is what she sang while skipping around the store, house, and yard!

She sat patiently while I rolled her hair, and she kept the rollers in for about five hours while they dried! She was THRILLED with the result! Of course, this morning she shed tears and wanted her Nora hair back. It was short-lived, but it was fun!

Walter is a Big Boy

So the kids were outside for approximately 20 seconds alone this evening. When Dave stepped back out, I heard him fussing at the older two asking who had put Walt up in the play set. Both kids professed their innocence. We didn't believe them until we saw this 30 seconds later.

And when he's told he can't do this anymore...

More Photos from Photo Shoot in May

Here are several other shots. I get such a kick out of watching the little hams pose. Nora specifically brought the bear for one of the photos. We humored her. She was thrilled.

See ya, Spring! Hello, Summer!!!

So, the heat is here. Alas. The kids are really enjoying any time at all that they get to play in water. They've been playing in the sprinkers and the pool. I love that stinkin' little pool. It's always been just perfect for the kids to splash around in.

Nora has said good-bye to her 3's preschool class, and she's looking forward to her last year at preschool! Alek's last day of first grade is today, and I could tell he was a little emotional this morning as we got ready to go. Poor kid.

And now.......

Just kidding.... scanned Walt's ultrasounds this week for safe-keeping. I'm funny, aren't I?

Photo Shoot

Wanted to get some pics of Alek before that hole in his mouth fills up!

Bean Stalks

Today in the car Nora was listening to Alek and I talk about the holiday weekend. She got very excited and asked me where her beanstalk was. I assumed she was referring to the bean sprout she brought home from school on Monday (you know, the bean that sprouts in a cup - every preschooler in the history of time does one of these), but she said, "no.... you know, my bean stalk." I was clueless. "My bean stalk for all the presents." Me: "What?????" Nora: "The one that hangs on the chimney for Santa to put presents in. First is the holiday and then Santa comes!" Poor Nora. Bean stalk..... stalk bean.... stocking.

Water Days

Wednesday was Water Days at Nora's preschool. This is the day I dread the most of all school days. It's always hot; it's always disgustingly humid; and it's always one of the last precious "free" days for me to run errands and such before the preschool year ends. But I think I also hate it because it always makes me feel guilty.

Really, I was dreading it. But Nora was completely revved up for the event. Days ahead of time she started chattering about it. Wednesday morning she was in her swimsuit before 7 a.m. She was READY. And then her boundless joy and glee while there is incredible. This is the preschool playground and parking lot with added attractions such as a real car wash, face painting, fake shaving, the "tactile walk" consisting of tubs of marshmallows, noodles, dirt, slime, etc., a drive-thru-on-a-trike carwash, and snow cones. The kids react as though they are at the best event ever conceived by humanity. I ALWAYS end up feeling like a terrible mom for not being more enthused ahead of time. Don't get me wrong, I don't bad-mouth it to the kids or anything, but I have to work at the fake excited smile every time the subject comes up. Poor Nora.

Alas

Dude............
We lost. Up by ten going into the bottom of the 2nd inning. And then..... alas...... the tide turned. We lost 15 to 14......... a sad day. A sad, sad day.

Tonight...

Okay, so first, God Bless DVRs and Baseball. Obviously, this should be David Cook's big night. I'll have to vote from the ballgame, I guess. (Is that sad? Should I find this disturbing?)

Second, Alek is playing the Red Sox tonight. They are very good. We placed higher than they did for the season, but only because they were less experienced at coach pitch than our team comprised of many coach pitch veterans. They've now figured out how to hit the ball. If we beat the Red Sox, we get to play the Cardinals on Saturday. The Cardinals are first place to our second... BUT the only game the Cardinals lost was the one they played against us. I'm a little nervous. I'm VERY excited. (This is a little disturbing.) Alek, other than being fixated on gum and gatorade flavor choices is oblivious. I'm glad he's not nervous (as I do recognize, despite the appearance of this blog post, that we are talking about 7 year olds playing little league), but I wish he understood the enormous gravity of this situation. I mean, like, if they, like, lose, like, it will be the end of, like, the season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Well, except for the tournament at the end of the month.)

Sporky Little Walt

Walter is getting pretty darn good at using his spork. He is very proud. And it's ironic. I have a seven year old who seems barely willing to use utensils for things like mashed potatoes or roast, but we can't convince Walt not to use his little spork on an M&M cookie. It took him an extraordinarily long time to eat this cookie. Try with the spork. Give up and pick it up for a bite. Try again with the spork. Give up and take another bite. Over and over and over. During dinner we thought his utensil prowess to be quite impressive. During dessert we were a little concerned.

Lazy Days and Inappropriate Parenting

This evening Alek and Nora played "Indiana Jones" in the back yard for a couple of hours. This is just more evidence of questionable parenting choices. First, obviously, they've been allowed to watch a movie in which dozens of people melt and/or explode in the final scenes (well, I hid Nora under a blanket the first time and called her into the kitchen the second time). Second, David and I actually sat, watched, and filmed them hanging from the playset and swinging on tree branches. Third, I've apparently chosen to broadcast this via my blog. But you know, when they are actually interacting without trying to draw blood from one another, we kinda let them go. What would you do???

Dance Recital Video

Here's the video. I've chopped it up quite a bit to make it smaller, but you at least get an idea. Camera work is awful, but this is, after all, a bootlegged video as all taping was forbidden. I used my regular camera!

Alek Gets a Hit

This was taken last Thursday at Alek's baseball game. They're doing well in the playoffs, having won two of the three games so far. Game four is tonight!

Monkey 3

Poor Walt. While at some friends' home, he kept circling and circling and circling the wading pool. He'd lean way over and pull things out or toss things in. Eight adults were sitting watching and waiting for the inevitable. And then it happened. He reached too far in, lost his balance, and SPLASH. And, well, why rescue a kid when you can take a picture of him instead?

Nora, during her liquids, solids, and speech strike, even refused a Lifesavers Popsicle. Walt's no fool. He stepped in and saved this one from going to waste! It was his first popsicle.

The Big Recital

On May 3rd, Nora had her very first dance recital. Her class danced to "I Want to Hold Your Hand." It was a big event! Grandparents, flowers, make-up. BIG EVENT. She always seems so big to me, but seeing her up on stage, she seemed so little! They all did a great job. LOVED the whole thing. Alek loved it, too. He was very attentive and was interested in all the age groups. I think he'd really enjoy taking the hip hop class.