Summer growth spurts
The Shecklets served as my test subjects prior to taking couple and family photos at my parents’ house today. They all grew so much over the summer!
Tag: kids
Happy birthday to my dad!
My parents have had a little project going on this summer. That seems to be a theme in their lives the last several years. When they take something on, they’re all in. Their latest project is no different. They took down the deck on the back of their house earlier in the summer and have been working on the rebuild during almost every “free” moment in their schedules. My dad has put in countless hours measuring, cutting, lifting, leveling, and nailing while my mom has been a staining maniac. Together, they make quite the team. Jake and Tony have also pitched in to help, which I know has also been a huge help.
The reason I mention all of this is because my dad’s birthday was August 12th, but we just celebrated together, today. We all gathered together for dinner on Labor Day and my mom figured today was as good of a day as any to pull out the cake she had frozen along with ice cream. My dad loves German Chocolate, so the kids loaded on the candles and we sang “Happy Birthday” to the man we love to call Dad/Papa.
Someone loves shoes
Shecklet #4 loves shoes. (Actually, so does her big sister.) It’s safe to say that almost every day we find her in the mudroom trying on someone’s shoes. She’s not particular to anyone’s specific pair. The bigger, the better, because then she doesn’t have a problem slipping them on!
Ivory Soap Experiment
An experiment on Pinterest caught my eye a while back and we finally had a chance to give it a try.
I asked the kids what they thought would happen to the bar of Ivory soap when we put it in the microwave. Shecklets #2 and #3 said it would melt. Shecklet #1 said it would explode.
Turns out Shecklet #1 was correct.
After the experiment, we added a little water to the poofed up soap pile, pressed it flat and the kids used cookie cutters to make their own personal soap shapes. Good clean fun!
Just a trio
Shecklet #1 is learning about golf this week, so for three hours every day, I only have three Shecklets. Today we decided to take a bike ride. The girls were cozy in the trailer while Shecklet #2 and I rode around for an hour. The weather was perfect – sunny with a slight breeze. We stopped mid-way for a water break and I captured these smiles 🙂
Painting a chair
Four summers ago when I was pregnant with Shecklet #3, when the boys were 2 and 4, I sat in my Eddie Bauer captain’s chair in the driveway of our old house and watched them use their creativity to paint two chairs and a table that we had purchased from Ikea. It is one of the funnest projects I think they have done. Maybe I’m a bit biased, but I think they turned out awesome! And the set is still being used in a multitude of ways.
A few weeks ago, I braved Ikea with all four Shecklets and picked up two more chairs – this time for the girls to paint. Shecklet #3 had her turn today. (I’ll wait until next summer to give Shecklet #4 her opportunity 🙂 )
Happy 8th birthday, Shecklet #1!
Happy birthday, Shecklet #1!
Can you believe you’ve been around the sun 8 times?!? Your dad pointed that out this morning at breakfast. I can remember your birthday like it was yesterday. I know I say this every year, but you are growing up so fast! In the past year you’ve figured out how to ride your bike, ride your scooter, jump rope, read, add, subtract, and write in sentences. And your drawing has become so much more detailed. Your love of art and science is evident in almost everything you choose to do and you have enjoyed the Mad Science classes you’ve taken at school as extra-curricular activities.
You have a fun summer ahead! Golf camp, Play-Net, VBS, and maybe a trip to visit cousins. Lots of new memories to create! I’m excited to see what the coming year has in store for you!
XOXO
Mom
Here are the 2014 responses to the annual birthday questions:
- What is your favorite color? Red
- What is your favorite toy? iPad
- What is your favorite fruit? Apple & Blueberries
- What is your favorite TV show? Arthur (on PBS Kids)
- What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? sandwiches
- What is your favorite outfit? shorts
- What is your favorite game? Mancala
- What is your favorite snack? Cheetos
- What is your favorite animal? Giraffe
- What is your favorite song? “Ants Go Marching” (not the DMB version 🙂 )
- What is your favorite book? Geronimo Stilton books
- Who is your best friend? Max (from the bus in the afternoon)
- What is your favorite cereal? Life (It’s what you had for breakfast this morning.)
- What is your favorite thing to do outside? Jump rope
- What is your favorite drink? Lemonade
- What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
- What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Monkeys
- What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? cereal
- What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Mac-n-cheese
- What do you want to be when you grow up? Teacher
- What is your favorite movie? Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs
Easter 2014
Easter morning came early for us this year. In order to make it to mass on time (7:30 am) with all six of us dressed in our Easter finery, my alarm went off just a tad before 5:30 am. I longed to hit the snooze button just one more time (I had already pressed it 4 times) but I manged to get myself out of bed to start the day. The kids were wonderfully chipper and got ready without incident. If there’s one perk to attending the “early” mass on Easter, it’s being able to arrive at the church 10 minutes prior to mass beginning and still get a front row pew. And we had all the space we needed, which comes in handy now that Shecklet #4 is a wiggler/mover.
After mass, the kids searched for their Easter baskets and were treated to some new duds, flip-flops, gum, Holy Heroes cd’s and a few chalk activities for the driveway.
A little while later, we packed up and headed to Jake’s grandparents’ house to have brunch with family and friends. The weather was gorgeous – we couldn’t have asked for a nicer day.
Once we returned home, we let the older kids break out the sidewalk chalk paint. (We have yet to bust open the new box of chalk. I don’t know who is more excited – me or the kids!)
I was hoping to snap a few more photos today, but instead chose to just enjoy the moment and conversations taking place around me. I did capture a few pictures of relatives we don’t get to see very often as well as one of Lincoln with Uncle Mark. They were sporting similar hair styles 🙂
Little #2 turns 6!
Happy birthday to our Little #2!
You have to use 2 hands to show how old you are now! Your dad and I are so proud of the young boy you have become. Your laugh is contagious, your wit is quick, and your love for your siblings makes my heart so thankful for the opportunity to see you interact with them.
Kindergarten is an adventure you have met head-on. I am impressed with your ability to grasp concepts and master skills in math and reading. Keep up the hard work and never stop learning.
Some of your favorite books include The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Geronimo Stilton Scholastic books, and any Lego Scholastic book. You like to ride your bike, shoot Nerf guns, play an occasional video game, cook with me in the kitchen, and give your baby sister hugs. (You are so sweet to her!)
For your birthday, you asked for a castle cake (and wanted me to copy Cackleford Castle from one of the Geronimo Stilton books we read. I gave it my best shot and you were very excited. Your second cake (yes, you had two birthday cakes for your party) was a two-tiered, tye-die cake that turned out amazingly well. You helped frost that one and topped it off with about three inches of green spray frosting. Needless to say, you had quite the sugar high after your party!
We had friends and family join us for cake and ice cream (and presents) before heading to the Brunswick Zone. You wanted to play laser tag, but when the party goers got there, the laser tag room was closed due to someone getting sick. Bowling and arcade games were the replacement activities and everyone had a good time.
You rated your birthday a “10” on a scale of 1-10, so I think you had a great day!
We love you to the moon and back, buddy!
Mom & Dad
Here are your responses to the questions I ask you each year on your birthday:
- What is your favorite color? Green
- What is your favorite toy? Spy Gear (birthday gift from us, which included spy goggles, darts, noise distraction balls, and motion sensors)
- What is your favorite fruit? Peaches
- What is your favorite TV show? Electric Company
- What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Pizza and Mac-n-cheese
- What is your favorite outfit? Shorts
- What is your favorite game? Jenga
- What is your favorite snack? Fruit by the Foot
- What is your favorite animal? Snake, Stingray, Lion, Cheetah
- What is your favorite song? Monster (by Eminem/Rhianna) And then you broke into song, “I’m friends with a monster that’s under my bed.” You’re super interested in monsters, and the difference between good/evil. That said, it’s not surprising that you’ve picked up on the refrain of this song as we’ve flipped through the radio stations in the car.
- What is your favorite book? The Hobbit
- Who is your best friend? Jack & Isaac (from school)
- What is your favorite cereal? Cap’n Crunch – the peanut butter kind
- What is your favorite thing to do outside? Shoot the pretend bow & arrow that Grandma has.
- What is your favorite drink? OJ and soda pop & Sierra Mist (I don’t think you know that Sierra Mist is soda pop 🙂
- What is your favorite holiday? Christmas & Halloween
- What do you like to take to bed with you at night? “Myself 🙂 and my monkey”
- What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Pancakes, waffles & Cap’n Crunch (we rarely buy Cap’n Crunch, so it’s a treat for you when we do.)
- What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Pizza
- What do you want to be when you grow up? “An ice cream man so I can eat all of the ice cream!”
- What is your favorite movie? The Lego Movie
My “little” brother’s birthday
Tony’s wife, Kristin, planned a surprise birthday party for him this year. We gathered a week earlier than his actual birthday and filled their townhouse with 11 adults, 8 kids, and 1 dog. The kids had a blast decorating the place and practicing using their noise makers before Kristin’s brother brought Tony to the party. We had homemade soup, an assortment of breads and fruit, and cake, cupcakes and ice cream for dessert. It was a fun excuse to get the entire family together to celebrate my favorite brother!
