Family Fun Night

Last Friday night Graham's school, Choices in Learning, had a Family Fun Night. The Kindergarten and 1st grade classes had a little demonstration of what they do in gym class with the parachute. (I remember I always loved playing with these in elementary.)


Graham (in the navy shirt) getting ready.


Graham super excited about something!!


The kids making a "mushroom." It must have been so loud underneath there. We could hear them all squealing and laughing, it was very funny.


Abbie hugging her daddy.

After the parachuting, we (and I mean the kids and Marty) ate some hotdogs. They also had some cotton candy, popcorn and chips, you know the well rounded meal (I will eat these just not hotdogs). The funny thing with the cotton candy was that it was windy so it was blowing all over the people making it. Graham's teacher was helping make some and she didn't want to get it in her hair so she put a plastic bag, I think it was a hotdog bun bag, over her hair. Graham thought it was hilarious. Then the kids got their faces painted. I somehow didn't get a picture of Abbie getting her face painted, but she loved it and did great.

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Molly wasn't exactly sure what to think. She just kept scrunching her neck over when the person put the brush on her cheek. She sat there though with this blank look on her face while the lady painted her cheek, but smiled big when she saw her flower in the mirror!


Graham was telling her that he didn't want to have his face painted at first because he thought it would feel weird but that he doesn't think it feels weird now:) This is so Graham's personality, he is cautious about new things but usually once he tries it he likes it!


I have decided to just use the group pictures that turn out aweful that way when my kids are older they will know that I at least tried to get a picture of them all together:)


Molly's purple flower.


Abbie's pink flower, her favorite color. Her hair just kept sticking to the flower.


Graham got a lightning bolt on each cheek.

After we face painted, the kids played on the playground. I now understand why Graham has a huge pile of sand in his shoes and clothes everyday:) The kids were so dirty afterwords but had a blast. (I didn't think about the playground either so the girls were wearing sandals)


This picture actually barely shows all the dirt on Molly's feet. They were almost black they were so so dirty!! (The picture does show all the use we have gotten out of this carseat we have had since Graham was about 6 or 7 months old (almost 6 years ago). I believe, it has been used consistently since then.)

St. Patrick's Day

This is the lunch Molly had for St. Patrick's Day:


Green apple, kiwi, string cheese (in a green package), PB&J with green peanut butter and some green juice (it is kiwi, guava, strawberry-so yummy!)

Graham only eats peanut butter on his sandwich. He wouldn't eat his sandwich with the green peanut butter. He said it just looked too gross and he couldn't eat with his eyes closed, like I suggested:)

Abbie ate every bite of her sandwich, which surprised me. She is usually the one that won't try new things.

I again attempted a picture of all three kids, here are a few:


Not one is looking at the camera!


Maybe if I cover my mouth or look at someone else.


Molly is done with this and I was done trying.

I believe that my kids win the award for worst picture taking ability. When I try to take a group picture they act as if they have no idea what taking their picture means or like they can't understand what look at the camera means, wow it is frustrating!

I did get a few other cute pics though.


Graham swinging


I love that Molly's hair is getting long enough to put it up in a ponytail.


Daddy with his girls!

Also, Molly has been having a hard time taking her afternoon naps since she moved into her big girl bed. On St. Patrick's Day she finally fell asleep, just not in the right place!


She is up against her door. I could open her door just enough to stick my arm in and get a picture:)

Our kids love him

Our kids love our dog, Bean. Marty and I, it depends on the moment:) The kids were coloring pictures and decided that they each wanted to draw a picture for Bean. Later on this is what I noticed:




(He looks a little scared. I think the flash scared him)

To give the kids credit, they did ask Marty if they could hang the pictures up in Bean's house. Not many dogs have pictures hanging up for them next to their beds I bet!

My arms

I usually make it a point not to complain about my weight, because I want my kids to learn how to be healthy not just not be overweight. Well, I made the mistake of commenting how my arms are "jiggly" like an old lady.


This is definitely not my arm but I found this picture and just couldn't resist posting it. Wow, is all I can say!

Abbie thought that was so funny and asked if she could jiggle them! Well, of course, then Graham thought that was so funny and wanted to be a part also. What??
Then this morning Abbie randomly asked me about jiggling my arms again! What did I do?
So now I just need to find some good exercises to slim my arms so my kids stop making fun of them. I would say lesson learned, no more negative comments about my body.

Dirty Moons and Chasing Cars

Last night we went to watch the airing of Wheel of Fortune that our friends Brandi and Brittani were on. I was able to go to the taping but had a huge pole in front of me so I couldn't really see them on stage. They won every single quick solve puzzle (not sure what they are called). They did great!

On our way home it was late and the moon was out. It was a full moon and was especially low and big. Graham saw the moon and said how cool it was and that it was huge. Molly kept commenting that it was dark outside and then said "wow moon." Abbie looked at the moon and says "the moon is dirty." She was right it did look kind of yellow and dirty.


Here's a picture of the moon last night, with the shuttle that was supposed to launch last night.

As we were continuing to drive home the kids kept looking for the moon when we turned or when the road curved. Then Abbie looked out the back window again and said (in her oh no what are we going to do voice) "there's a car following us!" Marty and I just looked at each other and laughed. What are you supposed to say to that?

Daddy Daughter Dance

On Friday night Abbie and Marty went to the "Daddy Daughter Dance" at Northland. They went last year and it has definitely become a tradition to go. Next year Molly will probably go also.
Abbie was so excited to get to have time with only her and her daddy. This year she got all dressed up and was so excited to go! I asked her right before this picture "Abbie are you excited to go to the dance?"

This was her super excited "yes" response.




She loves to spin in this dress.


Abbie and her daddy all ready to go.


Kisses!


Gracie and Abbie thought it was so fun that they had almost the same dress on. Molly wanted to put on her matching dress also.


Daddy giving Abbie her pink flowers!


Abbie, Marty, Greg and Gracie leaving for the dance.


They had a great time. They got there pictures taken at the dance that we can get next week. They got to eat some cotton candy and color and make a cute tissue paper flower. Then Pastor Joel spoke for a short time and they played a video with pictures from the night. Abbie got a goodie bag with a flower pot, seeds, candy and a few other little things. I don't think that they actually even danced at the dance but they had a blast getting all dressed up and just being together!

Screaming Girls

On Friday Abbie and Molly were playing outside. I found this in one of their toy buckets:



I showed it to them and I think it scared Molly at first so she then thought is was so funny and kept running away screaming pretending to be scared of the gecko. She would run away and immediately run right back and ask to see the lizard.



They probably did this 20 times! They just thought it was so funny. You just never know what silly thing they are going to do!
This was actually the only time that they ran into each other:)

Graham's cards

Graham loves to bring home cards and pictures for his daddy that he made at school. Graham absolutely loves his daddy and loves spending time with him. When we have gotten stickers, like at the doctor or Payless (we did just the other day), he always asks for an extra one for his daddy. He is so great at making notes telling his daddy how much he loves him.

All of this made it even sweeter that the other day he brought this home from school - for me!!


I love the "XO" on the envelope.



A while after I told him how much I loved it, he came back and was asking me about specific things he drew and if I liked them. It was so fun to listen to how much thought he put into it. He also told me that it took him almost his entire center time. He really wanted me to know how much time and thought he put into it!
I love my boy and his special bond with his daddy. I also love that he thinks I am "the best mommy in the world (to me)."