Thursday, April 28, 2011

The Deliciousness of Strawberries

We went strawberry picking last Friday for the first time this season. Since we went fairly early this year, I may try to go again. There is nothing like fresh picked strawberries, especially when eating them out in the field.

Here are Katie and Michael at the beginning of the field.



Picking strawberries





Cleaned and cut



The final product, strawberry cake

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Easter Activities

We were going to church on Sunday morning and then out to eat for Easter dinner. So we decided to do some fun Easter activities on Saturday.

Michael and Katie dyed Easter eggs in the morning. Katie actually did more dropping of the eggs than decorating but she still had fun. You could tell which eggs she did because they had a speckled look to them, due to all the cracking shells. Michael was very methodical in his decorating and carefully chose the colors for his eggs. They all turned out great.







Saturday afternoon, we had an Easter egg hunt after Katie woke up from her nap. Katie really got into it and was able to find some eggs on her own. She would spot an egg and head toward it. Then Michael would follow her to try to get the egg first. I guess he knew that she was a good hunter. Both kids enjoyed themselves, aside from a few minor incidents involving who saw the egg first! Of course, they both wanted to eat the egg that had the candy inside (the rest had change).











The kids opened their Easter baskets on Sunday morning. We only got pictures of Michael opening his as Katie got into hers before we were up. We were at my parents and she got out of bed, saw Elmo and dug in. Guess we know who was really excited!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Happy Easter!



More pics to follow tomorrow with the weekend's activities.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

With My Naked Eye

I saw a beautiful sight as I was driving home from the store tonight. The moon was full and bright and the color was like a pale peach. I couldn't wait to get home and take a picture of this lovely moon.

This is what my camera saw.



Guess some things have to be enjoyed in the moment. Either that or we need a better camera.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Get Well Soon

The past week has been filled with illness in our house. It all started last Sunday with Michael getting sick as soon as we got home from dropping Todd off at the airport. He would go almost 24 hours without vomiting before he had another incident. The last one was EARLY Tuesday morning. He was finally well enough to go to school on Wednesday, although I am not sure he felt back to normal until the next day.

On Wednesday, the little boy that I watch during the week got sick with a fever in the afternoon. He slept for the entire rest of the afternoon until his dad picked him up. He stayed at home on Thursday and Friday with his mom to get better.

Michael woke up around 5am on Saturday morning and he was burning up. I took his temperature and it was 103. It stayed pretty steady for the whole day, except when the medicine was working. He hardly got up from the couch or bed all day and even took a nap!

Sunday he seemed to be feeling better. We had a birthday party to go to but Michael and I dropped Katie and Todd off. It was a good thing that we didn't go because Michael had a fever again this morning. We were packing his bag to go to my parents' for a few days when I decided to take his temperature. It was a good thing I did that. I called the doctor and got an appointment for the afternoon.

It turns out that Michael has strep throat. At least we were able to get the antibiotic and hopefully he will be on the way to getting well. Let's just hope that it doesn't pass to anyone else in the house.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Easter Egg Hunt

Today was the Easter egg hunt for Michael's preschool class. Last year, it was at the school but this year one of the parents hosted it. I think this was a lot of fun for the kids, not only to look for eggs but to go somewhere new and exciting. Thankfully, Michael was feeling better today.

The kids had a great time searching the yard for eggs, playing on the swings and slide and just running around in general. Katie had fun following around the big kids watching them play. There was also food for the adults, as well as a cake and candy for the kids. After the hunt was over, a few of the parents headed to Chick-Fil-A with the kids for lunch. So the party just continued on.

Here are a few pictures from the morning:







Monday, April 11, 2011

Spring has sprung

In fact, it has almost skipped right to summer. After having a beautiful day last Monday, Tuesday was much cooler and rainy. This weekend was the perfect weather.

Our yard is finally showing signs of spring as well. This is the view from the front of our house. I love azaleas and wish that they would bloom more than once a year. Guess we will have to enjoy them while we can!



Sunday, April 10, 2011

I hope I make it out on the other side

of my first ever single parenting week! Todd flew out tonight for a week long training session for a product they use at his office. He will not return until Friday night.

Friday night seems so far away, even though this week will be busy with the usual stuff like school, t-ball, PT and the park. Todd and I rarely spend any nights apart so this is something new for both of us. It was actually his first time ever flying somewhere solo. The toughest part of the day is going to be the bed and bathtime routine. Todd does a good bit of this so I will have to develop a new plan for a few days.

I can't imagine being a single mom, even though I know women who do it every day. I admire them A LOT. If one week seems overwhelming, I can't imagine having to do it all the time. I am keeping a positive attitude and tell myself I can do it. Maybe if I say it enough times, it will come true.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Coffee Date

Today after we dropped Michael off at school, Katie and I ran some errands. We had to get birthday presents for parties that we are attending in the next few weeks. She waited patiently while we looked at several gifts. She also held my hand so we could do the shopping instead of running away in every store. I didn't even have to put her in the cart.

I told Katie that since she was a good listener, we would go get a special drink. She got in her carseat quickly with that promise. I think she thought we were going to Sonic for a slush. We went to Starbucks and I got us a vanilla bean frappucino. As soon as she saw it, she asked me if she could have some. Katie said, "Can I have some please, Mommy?" I handed the drink over to her and didn't get a sip until it was almost half gone. I got a picture of her drinking it on my phone too.

This girl takes after her mommy and knows what tastes good!!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Bouncing

Today I took the kids to a local indoor play area. Over the past 2 years, Michael has gone from not wanting to get in any of the bounce houses to getting upset when it's time to leave. He now will go on any slide and climb up any of the structures.

Katie is slowly learning how much fun it can be to go on these rides. The past 2 times we have gone, she won't go on there by herself but she will go on there with me. I ask her if she wants to bounce, bounce and we do! One of the structures is a basketball court with hoops at each end. Katie has fun standing at the walls and bouncing up and down on her knees. Then we stand up, holding hands and bouncing together.

Michael, Katie and I all went down the big slide in the back. It was fun to hold hands and slide down at the same time. I think that it was more fun that way because we went so fast. Katie loved it and asked to go again. Michael led the way and we went down 3 more times. The only bad part is that I have to carry Katie up to the top. I guess it's good exercise.

I love watching Katie and Michael enjoy themselves. I have to admit that it's fun to act like a kid by jumping around once in a while!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Why?

This is Katie's new favorite word over the past few days. I don't remember it starting so early with Michael. If Todd or I tell her to do something, she will often ask "why?". And it doesn't stop there, it goes on to another question and another question until one of us finally breaks and says "I don't know" or "why not?".

It's pretty funny to hear Katie asking "why" in her little voice with such expression. She is truly inquisitive and the why often precedes a full sentence. Some of her favorites are "why is Michael crying?", "why is Daddy driving", or "why is David sleeping?".

Once she starts with the "why", then the "where" follows. She also likes to ask "what happened Mommy?" It's pretty awesome to have these kind of conversations with her. And it's even more awesome to hear her engage in conversations with Michael. These are the days I have been looking forward to and it's so sweet seeing the two of them talk.