Preschool Party Favors

Mia's teachers are really pushing the healthy treats this year, so check out the adorable, easy treats she helped me make yesterday :)

Pumpkin Patch Pictures

Words

Sick week for the McBs. Croup, ear infections, colds and coughing, ugh. Finally today we are feeling a little better and hope to get out and enjoy this gorgeous weather.


I haven't touched my camera in a while (I've barely moved from the prone position if I can help it) but I do want to share a few things that were said this week.

• Mia loves to look at our old photo albums. She calls them "A long time ago books" and she always asks if she was in my belly if she's not in the photos. I still don't have a great answer for this.
• Last night at dinner Mia said that her "taste bugs" liked the taste of her food. This is so cute but it makes me wonder what she envisions living on her tongue? :)
• Ellie started saying "I love you" back to us this week, but she pronounces it "Yuh yoo". Makes me melt every time.

And I just want to copy an email that Mia's preschool teacher sent last week. It was so sweet and it just made me smile and want to go hug all of the great teachers in the world. Here it is:


Dear parents,




I want to share with you something that occurred on the playground on Thursday. No worries – it’s all good. Following a discussion about rakes and shovels being tools to use with buckets (and NOT weapons), one enterprising child turned his bucket upside down and began using his shovel as a drum stick. A few more joined in, and before we knew it the whole class became part of the concert. Singing was added in, as well. It was totally spontaneous and everyone was smiling and laughing. Wish I had been able to videotape the whole thing – it truly was like a flash mob. As they performed for their delighted audience, their teachers clapped and cheered. It was sheer magic! I am always struck by how little children need to make their own fun, even in this high tech world we live in. Who needs video games, TV, and computers when a simple bucket and shovel can provide so much joy? They have so much to teach us.




Have a nice weekend.

Love this too

Soccer Practice

Mia's "Little Kickers" Soccer league is super adorable. Most of the kids don't really seem to get the concept of trying to get the ball away from another kid, and kick it by themselves. It makes sense when you think about it, since we have been drilling "share with your friends and be gentle" in their heads from birth :)

But Sean and I have to bite our competitive tongues a little bit when Mia just stands there while another kid takes the ball and when Mia asks to come out because she saw Ellie have a snack on the sidelines and she wants to have one too. Oh well, like I said, it is really darn cute.

Love this

M and E updates

Blogging/Facebook etc. are funny things. You portray your lives in whatever manner you want, in whatever mood you happen to be in at the moment. Sometimes I think that I portray our lives overly "rainbowy" when in reality, we just have normal, sometimes boring, sometimes exciting, sometimes stressful, sad and serious lives, just like everyone else.

I am a worrier (always have been) and the list of things I worry about on a daily basis is long and ever-changing. Right at this moment I am worrying about: the car in the shop, when I will go to the grocery store without a kid so I can buy lunch supplies, what to serve for lunch when Mia's friend comes over tomorrow, class size in public schools, the fact that I compare Ellie to Mia too much, health of family members, and the weird noise our A/C seems to be making.

These are just the first few things that popped into my head. So anyway, I don't really want to blog about that stuff--this is supposed to be a place where I record family memories and cute things the kids do. But, I just wanted to get that other stuff off of my chest a little bit.

So, onto the cute kids :)

 Mia started soccer last week. Most adorable thing ever. Stay tuned for great pictures. At yesterday's practice/game, Mia did impromptu jumping jacks during the game, and ran around lifting her shirt up. Hmmm. not boding well for future college scholarships. :)

We had many, many rainy days recently. When the 4 year old is driving you crazy, let her make pizza. Worked like a charm.

Elliebean is talking up a storm lately. Lots of her words sound the same though. Book, Milk, Sock, Look all sound exactly like "gook". Lots of guessing going on, but we make it work :)

She's definitely enjoying the one-on-one time with mommy. I'm really glad for it!

Just some pictures

Busy week, settling into new routine, adding more activities to our lives and attempting to organize. A few recent pictures...

 Mia's bday card to me. I love it. Sean drew the cat and present and words :)

 She is a much more fashionable mommy than I am :)

End of Summer, Beginning of School!

Lovely long weekend with one last beach visit, pool trip, BBQ and marshmellow roast! Mia started pre-k today and I'm so excited about her class and teachers this year. I love, love, love this time of year. I always feel more motivated to organize and clean in September than in Spring. I love back-to-school supplies and opening windows and the hint of leaves changing and crisp air.

Swamp Fires, Earthquakes and Hurricanes, Oh My!

The weather last week was interesting, to say the least. Thankfully we made it through with just a lot of yard cleanup to do. We know others who are still without power and that have trees where their roof once was, so I'm counting my blessings.

We did spend a ton of time inside and got a little stir crazy though. Yes, Ellie spent a lot of time in her diaper, trying on various hats and shoes. 

 each of them are wearing our mismatched shoes :)

finally getting outside again with some buddies!



tree down at the park :(

A day in the life of an (almost) 18 mth old

0dark30: Wake up yelling/babbling/screeching non-stop until Daddy comes in for rescue.

0dark30 - mid morning: Screech, take diaper off, eat cat food, spill cat water, climb on top of older sister's booster seat, swipe older sister's leftover cereal, spill cereal on floor, fall in spilt milk, cry. repeat.

Mid-morning-lunch: Tag along with mom, sister, friends for various outings; climb anything and everything possible, screech, attempt to take off diaper, eat dirt/mulch/small bugs/crumbs stuck deep down in stroller; hug strangers, cry when strangers remark on how cute that was, screech.

Lunch: spill, throw food, shove entire banana in mouth, choke on banana, smear mushed banana in hair, laugh at mom and dad's facial expressions, screech

After lunch: NAP. allow mom to catch breath momentarily.

Mid afternoon-dinner: teeter on edge of baby pool trying to reach dead bug and put in mouth. screech when mom removes from edge of baby pool. drink pool water. screech when mom says no. repeat "no, no, no" for half hour at top of lungs. put fingers up nose. attempt to remove swim diaper.

Dinner/post dinner: consume massive quantities of food. must have enough energy for tomorrow's escapades. jump on furniture. climb on exhausted parents. copy everything big sister does. attempt adorable dance moves. one more valiant effort at removing diaper. screech for good measure. give adorable good night hugs and kisses. throw books around room. sleep.... ahhh