Scribner's Scribblers

Christmas Day 2011

2012-01-24T11:44:00.001-05:00

As I mentioned in our last post, Ryan got very sick on the way home from the Christmas Eve party. So our plans of church for a baby blessing, lunch at my cousin's home, and hosting dinner at our house for Chad's parents all had to be cancelled. We stayed home and kept our germs to ourselves. Of course Ryan felt fine most of the day. But he threw up again all night long.

Above is a pic of our kids waiting to come downstairs. I know it isn't a great pic of Andrew, but catching Ryan with his arm around Molly on camera was too priceless not to share. (It is a rare occurrence, unfortunately).

Andrew asked Santa for Lego Hogwarts Express...and Santa delivered. He received a "new to him" bike from Mommy and Daddy as well as the Chronicles of Narnia and the Series of Unfortunate Events collections. Ryan made him that cool treasure box. And our friends the Reeders sent our family the Krispy Kreme calendar.

Ryan asked Santa for a Leapfrog Explorer and the Ninjago movie...and again Santa managed to get them for him. We gave him a "new to him" bike and a couple of books he had asked for. We also got him a Ninjago lego bike. When he started to open it up he got very excited. "It is just what I always wanted," he said as he saw the logo. But when he opened it all the way, his face fell. "Well. actually I really wanted to jet. Not the bike." When he put it together, he was thrilled to have it. But the initial reaction was not happy. Andrew gave Ryan the book he is reading above. Andrew made a recording of himself reading it aloud. Ryan loved it!

Molly asked Santa for a Belle dress and a princess baby doll. We gave her a scooter (she calls it a cooter). She also received a large box of dress up clothes from us and spent the entire day trying on each of the costumes and accessories. Ryan spent hours decorating the jewelry box she is holding and she loved it. Andrew recorded a book for her as well. Camille the Cupcake Fairy is her new favorite bedtime story.

The children were so affectionate towards each other all morning. I loved the hugs they gave each other when they opened presents from each of their siblings. Together they received some family gifts, including magnatiles, legos, and games. As you can see, Molly decided the Legos were all hers!

We missed seeing everyone, but we still had a nice Christmas.

Christmas Eve

2012-01-12T18:25:00.000-05:00

We started the evening at Nana and Papa's new home with a yummy dinner, but I forgot to take pics of that.

Then Nana read us the book, The Littlest Angel. This has been our tradition for as long as I can remember. It is her favorite Christmas story (and mine). Ryan loved it, too and kept interrupting to ask questions throughout the entire story.

After our story, we got our costumes on for our traditional re-enactment of the Nativity story from Luke. It is always pretty silly and this year was no different. However, we had no tears this year! Molly happily put on the sheep costume this year.

Ryan wanted to be a Wiseman. He was excited to carry the gold.

Andrew has told us he wanted to be Joseph, ever since last Christmas. Emily was Mary, and our stick pony was the donkey that Mary rode to Bethlehem.

Nana was the Star of Bethlehem.

Rachel was the angel.

Papa was King Herod and Caesar. He was also our narrator. (Yes, that is a Pretty Princess crown).

Chad was a shepherd.

Things went pretty normal at first. But then...

...the sheep decided she needed to ride the "donkey."

Baby Jesus started out as a baby doll.

But then was replaced by...

Lizzie, the dog.

Then the sheep got tired of donkey riding and decided that she needed to take a nap in the angel's lap (while the angel was trying to say her one and only line, I might add).

It would not be a Krueger Christmas pageant if things were normal. :)

After the pageant, we opened presents from each other.

We packed up our wonderful gifts and headed home. Poor Ryan got very sick in the car on the 25 minute drive. He had to take a shower as soon as we got home. Then we were able to put food for the reindeer on the lawn and cookies and milk out for Santa.

Andrew's Actual Birthday

2011-12-28T21:34:00.000-05:00

Andrew got this Lego ship from us and spent all of his spare time day working on it with his dad.

We went to see the movie Arthur Christmas in the afternoon and came home to get ready for all of the grandparents and 2 cousins, 3 aunts, and 1 uncle to come over for pizza and cake.

Grandmother Stone's Christmas Party

2011-12-28T19:11:00.000-05:00

This was the year that my kids were old enough for us to stay late enough for most of the party.

This was the year our family played the tree game at Grandma Stone's for the first time.

This was the first year the boys participated in the traditional paper fight after presents have been opened.

This was the year the train came by TWICE for my little enthusiasts.

This was another wonderful year to spend time with Grandpa Bud and Great-Grandma Stone and lots of aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Cookie Party with Nana and Papa

2011-12-28T18:20:00.001-05:00

Living Nativity at Salem Baptist

2011-12-27T13:14:00.001-05:00

Our family visited Salem Baptist Church's Live Nativity this year. It was so well done. The kids loved the animals. When we were finished we got to dress up as biblical characters and drink hot cocoa in the gym,

Lego Birthday Party

2011-12-27T09:20:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Andrew's birthday with a Lego party. We loaded up our van with our two boys, one cousin, and 3 little church friends and headed on a field trip to the Lego Store in Charlotte. 6 boys... an hour and 15 minutes away...to a mall...the last Saturday shopping day before Christmas. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit nervous. But luckily, Andrew has very nice and well behaved friends. The boys were FABULOUS and we had a great time! We watched a Lego Star Wars movie that Andrew received as an early birthday present from us.

The Lego store ~~was not prepared and scrambled at the last minute to throw a party together despite the fact we called and confirmed THREE times~~ let the boys build robotic computerized Lego catapults at the birthday party. At first, it was a bit over the boys' heads, as you can tell by the looks they are giving the Lego employee in charge. (This is normally an activity they do with 10-12 year olds, NOT 7 year olds).

But eventually they all got the hang of it and had a great time! What is not to love about shooting balls at each other and knocking things over? Or making a computer across the room launch the robot you made?

After they built and launched the catapults, everyone got to make 3 minifigures to bring home.

We ate pizza and marshmallow Lego heads for lunch before we headed back to the van.

Andrew opened his birthday presents in the backseat and then we headed home!

It was a fun party. It was also kind of nice to have it somewhere other than our home. I love at home parties. I love to throw parties. But sometimes, trying to turn our basement garage into the planet Mars or a Super Hero hide out the week of Christmas, can create extra chaos and a stressed out mom and dad. Believe it or not, taking them to a mall an hour away was less stressful. I might have to see where we can encourage him to have his party next year.

Lucky Number Seven

2011-12-27T01:00:00.000-05:00

WARNING: BRAGGING and SAPPY MOM ALERT
My Andrew turned seven this week. He is such a fun and obedient boy and has been an amazing blessing in our lives. Andrew is a great big brother and a loving son. As he gets older, he becomes more and more like the stereotypical oldest child. He looks after his younger siblings, he is eager to help, and thrives on verbal affirmation. He has many responsibilities at home and takes them very seriously. He wants to make good choices and tries hard to choose friends who follow the rules. He is very tenderhearted and affectionate.He saves the lunch notes I write him each day, cries at sad parts in movies, and gives hugs to those he loves all the time.

Andrew is also always up to a challenge. The quickest way to get him to do something is to tell him it can't be done. That or offer to pay him. Not that he would spend any of his money. He is saver, not a spender. Andrew has become an avid reader, favoring books that are very challenging for him (sometimes a little too challenging). He loves to write stories and makes lists. He wants to be a writer when he grows up. He loves his karate class. His teacher says he is a very serious student.

I can't believe there is only a year until my little guy turns 8 and is baptized. He has set a goal to read the entire Book of Mormon before he turns 8. I am very proud of the young man he is becoming.

ANDREW'S FAVORITES

Food: Pepperoni and Sausage Pizza
Color: Yellow
TV Show: Phineas and Ferb
Movie: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Super Hero: He said he was his own favorite super hero. (Hmmmmm....)
Song: "We Are the Boat." (Yes, the Peter Paul and Mary song. He learned it at school).
Best Friends: Ryan, Molly, Cranford, Alex, and Masen
Books: Series of Unfortunate Events
Toy: Super Battle Droid
Sport: Baseball
Animal: Bald Eagle

Andrew weighs 44.4 pounds and is 44 inches tall. (Up 5 pounds and 3 inches from last year).
That is the 3rd percentile for height and the 13th for weight. Still the shortest one in his class...by far.

This picture was taken the night I took Andrew to see the Nutcracker for the first time. He loved it!

Yellow Belt Test and Award Ceremony

2011-12-26T20:24:00.000-05:00

All three of the guys at our house earned their yellow belts. We videotaped the tests and awards, so there aren't very many still shots. (Maybe Chad can help me figure out how to put up some clips later on). After the ceremony, the instructors surprised Andrew with a birthday cake. He got to cut it with a sword.

2011 Christmas Card Photo Shoot

2011-12-20T09:07:00.001-05:00

In the past, we have had lots of crazy shots that didn't make the final cut. Now our kids are older and (a little) more cooperative. But I thought the last two were pretty funny. I was making faces to get them to smile, and then the two youngest made faces back at me. In the last pic, Molly broke out singing, "I throw my hands up in the air some times, singing Ay-O, baby let's go." A new "holiday" favorite with the kids at our house.

Decorating Our Tree

2011-12-11T23:35:00.001-05:00

Santa

2011-12-09T15:38:00.001-05:00

The new Santa at our mall plays the banjo. Yep, the banjo.

Thankfully, he is actually very good.

He also wears a very large bejeweled belt buckle.

We happily waited in line. About 30 minutes. We talked, looked at the displays. Played a game on Daddy's phone. Then we were offered the opportunity to purchase a FAST PASS to go to the head of the line!!!!! Seriously!!!! Who does this? It annoyed me at the time, but as the week has passed, I have become increasingly angered by this concept. Santa allows people to pay money to cut in front of all the other children waiting in line? Santa wants to see children who pay extra money, more than those who are waiting to visit him for free? Seriously? That is what we want our children to believe about Santa, the kind-hearted man who unselfishly gives a toy to all the children of the world each Christmas Eve? It was offensive. I am so grateful that none of the families we were waiting in line with chose to purchase one, either. I was spared having to defend Santa's image in my children's eyes.

Molly was so excited to see Santa!

But she was NOT interested in sitting on his lap.

Andrew told Santa he wanted a Lego Harry Potter Express.

Ryan told him he wanted the Ninjago Movie and Pokemon cards.

Andrew also told him all about his Elf, Rocket who is at our house. Andrew said that he didn't seem to know anything about Rocket, so maybe he was just one of Santa's helpers and not the real Santa.

I finally convinced Molly to sit on the PURPLE chair, next to Santa.

She told him she wanted a princess.

Thanksgiving 2011 in Pinehurst

2011-12-03T18:37:00.001-05:00

We played a VERY modified version of flag football.

Well, it was a game that included a football, running, and flags.

We went on a walk to the lake with some of our cousins.

We also played a fun game called "Don't Eat Tom."

And of course we had a fun time at the kids' table.

Gryffindor

2011-10-30T23:24:00.001-04:00

Andrew Scribner as Harry Potter

Ryan Scribner as Ron Weasley

(Yes...we did dye his hair red. We actually dyed Andrew's hair "chocolate." But you can't tell. 4 applications later, and he still has blonde hair. ).

Mom as Hermione Granger

Blue Cinderella and Prince Charming

2011-10-30T23:23:00.001-04:00

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-30T23:11:00.002-04:00

Andrew and Ryan did a great job cleaning out the insides of their pumpkins, choosing a design they wanted, and outlining their designs by poking holes through the stencils. Ryan was very meticulous. Then Chad, the pumpkin carving master, carved each one out for them. Andrew chose the Harry Potter design. Ryan wanted Voldemort's snake. This is the closest we could find. Carving pumpkins was a two day process. We scooped them out one night, and then brought them down to Pinehurst and carved them out down there.

Molly was so excited to buy our pumpkins. All day long she sang, "I lova my pumpkin. Pumpkin sooo pwetty. We caw-ving da pumpkins!" Until we actually opened them up. Then she shrieked. She cried. She hid under the table. She yelled, "No like the pumpkins. They NOT pwetty! No, no pumpkins!" But when Daddy turned the yucky mess into "Blue Cinde-wella," the pumpkin was forgiven and she fell in love again.

One more pumpkin story. We went to go get our pumpkins from Aldi after school one day. Some friends had picked up very large pumpkins there for less than $3 a pumpkin. When we got to the store, Ryan refused to get out of the car. Would...not...budge. I had read an article that morning about choosing peace, so I simply loaded the other 2 back in the car and I drove him home. I told Ryan that Daddy would take Molly and Andrew that night, but that he would have to stay home. Ryan said he didn't care. While they were gone, he admitted that he did not think we should get pumpkins from Aldi, that pumpkins came from pumpkin patches and that he didn't want a "yucky Aldi pumpkin." And, ironically, when Chad took the other 2 that evening, Aldi was out of pumpkins and he had to go to another store. Ryan very smugly said to me , "See, that's why I didn't want to go to Aldi. They don't have any pumpkins there. It is not a pumpkin place!"

A-maze-ing Fall Fun!

2011-10-17T23:07:00.001-04:00

We had a great time at Clodbuster's Corn Maze and Hayride this weekend! What a fun trip! Andrew led us through the maze. He only hit one dead end. He got his dad's sense of direction. Certainly not mine.

Karate Kids

2011-10-14T19:29:00.000-04:00

The boys have started taking karate classes at a local community center once a week. The class is very small, just 6 students, and pretty low key. The Sensei is a wheelchair bound Vietnam War veteran and 8th degree black belt. They love going to class and the week now revolves around how many days it is until karate class.

Dixie Classic Fair 2011

2011-10-13T21:42:00.002-04:00

"I Wide Hawsey!"

2011-10-13T10:12:00.004-04:00

A local stable sponsored a Mother's Morning Out last week and offered free pony rides! We headed over and met lots of friends for a super fun morning! They had a bubble machine, hula hoops, and crafts to occupy the children while the moms waited in line for the kids' turns. I am grateful that I didn't have to wrestle them for that entire time, but it still amuses me what we as moms do for our children. I waited in a 40 minute line while they played, so that THEY could ride a pony.

Ryan rode the horse first. He told me on the way there and the entire 40 minutes that I waited in line that he was not riding a horse. He was not interested. Then, when it was our turn, he walked right over, put on the helmet and got on the horse. And he loved it! He didn't even complain AFTERWARDS saying that horses were boring and that coming there wasn't his choice (which is a habit that he has formed recently). He actually enjoyed himself and has asked to go again!

Molly, on the other hand, was so excited about riding a horse. She talked about it all morning long. "I wide hawsey!" Then, when we got there and the horse was white like Max in Rapunzel, her excitement could hardly be contained. "I wide Max. I Wapunzel. I so pwetty. Hawsey so pwetty." That is until we actually set her on the horse. Then she was TERRIFIED! She cried, real tears flowing down her little cheeks. I reached up to take her off the horse and she pushed my arm away and said, "NO! I wide hawsey!" She would not get off the horse, even though she was scared. She was so brave. She started out the pony ride in tears, but she did not end that way. She giggled as soon as the horse began to move. She didn't want off when the ride was over. She has asked several times a day since to "wide again."

Bird's Eye View

2011-10-13T09:42:00.000-04:00

Andrew went on a field trip to the top of a sky scraper in our city last week. It is part of a first grade multidiscipline unit on community. They learned all of the names of the city's skyscrapers. In art, they have been discussing 3-D versus 2-D perspective and are drawing pictures of the city using 3-D. They will be going to Old Salem next week to compare and contrast modern and historical architectural styles and materials. And they are reading several versions of The Three Little Pigs and comparing building materials in that story, too.

Milk and Bookies 2011

2011-10-13T09:31:00.000-04:00

My friend, Ashley, let me help out with Milk and Bookies again this year! Our family had a wonderful time.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Milk and Bookies Organization, its simple goal is to give children a chance to serve other children.

First, children selected a book to donate to a child in need.

Next, they purchased the book. (Notice anyone familiar in this pic? Yes, Nana came and helped)!

Then, they wrote a note to place inside the book.

They climbed up and placed their book in the donation bucket and rang the bell.

And of course, they got to enjoy milk and cookies.

Ariel, Officer Bill, ballerinas, a cheerleader, a vet, and a pirate all came and volunteered to read stories to our young guests. Molly's favorite were the ballerinas.

Aunt Rachel drove down from school to help out!

The Children's Museum was gracious enough to allow us to host our event there this year. We collected over 100 books that Saturday morning and received profits from the Scholastic Book Sale that allowed us to purchase even more books! The books we collected were donated to Brenner's Children's Hospital.

ABES 10th Year Celebration

2011-09-18T22:30:00.002-04:00

Andrew's school kicked off a year of celebration last weekend in honor of their 10th year in operation.

Labored

2011-09-18T17:16:00.003-04:00

is what we did on Labor Day!

Molly's Dream Come True

2011-09-18T17:03:00.004-04:00

Molly has been asking for months to have a sleepover in her brothers' room. We have let her try several times, but it always ends with her either jumping on her one of her brother's heads or running out of the room giggling. But recently, she laid down with her brother and actually went to sleep! She actually stayed until about 3am. Then she woke up and wanted her own bed. (Don't you love her princess shirt and her brother's Batman pants)?

Park Playdate

2011-09-18T16:28:00.000-04:00

I found these fun pics from the summer that I hadn't shared yet. Have I mentioned yet how fun it is to have my family in town?

Butterfly Farm

2011-08-24T00:16:00.000-04:00

This weekend we went with my parents and sisters to the All a Flutter Butterfly Farm next to the Triad Farmer's Market. All morning long Molly kept saying she was going to go see Tinkerbell's Butterflies. She was so excited.

It was a wonderful trip and I highly recommend a visit if you haven't been before! The morning we went, there was a children's author who had written a book about butterflies.

They have a little interactive presentation that is very educational and kept all 3 children's interest. Andrew was chosen out of the audience to be the moth in the play. A role he took "very seriously."

There is a large field with balls and frisbees we played with while we waited for our turn in the butterfly house.

They also have this fun mister that the children (and adults) loved.

When it was finally our turn to go see the butterflies, Andrew and Ryan enjoyed feeding them the sugar pads and having them land on their heads.

Poor Molly, who had been looking forward to meeting Tinkerbell's friends, was terrified of the butterflies. She cried and scared them all away.

We ended the field trip with a stop at the Farmer's market to eat lunch and eat ice cream!

Andrew is a First Grader

2011-08-23T21:59:00.004-04:00

My sweet Andrew headed off to First Grade last week. He was so excited and so ready! And believe it or not, I was excited for him. It wasn't like kindergarten, when I was a basket case. He had such a wonderful time last year that I felt completely relaxed sending him to school again. I miss him terribly while he is gone at school all day long, but I am happy for him. I really like his teacher a lot. (So far, she reminds me a lot of a very good friend of mine who used to teach at ABES. I have always thought that friend would be the perfect teacher for Andrew). I also really like the assistant teacher!

Before his first day of school, we asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. In kindergarten, he said a Jedi Knight. This year he wants to be a Famous Writer.

He came home from the first day of school and announced in a very serious voice, "Mom, first grade is WAY different than kindergarten! Apparently, they do math AFTER lunch." (Apparently is his new favorite word).

His teacher told me at the end of the first week that she was really enjoying Andrew. That he laughed at all her jokes and was a very attentive and well behaved kid. (The words every mother wants to hear. At least the attentive and well-behaved part. The fact that he inherited his dad's sense of humor is just an added bonus).

We have started a tradition of giving a book to the new teacher when we meet them. I asked Andrew what book he would like to give Mrs. Green. He answered, "I don't know. Do we have one called "Introducing Mrs. Green?" I googled and actually found a children's book called "Meet Mr. and Mrs. Green" so we bought that one. It is a really cute book about a married alligator couple who have fun adventures together. It is very sweet.

When we went to meet Andrew's teacher he sat politely and answered her questions, until she mentioned she had Bionicle books in her classroom library. Then he spent the rest of the time assessing the titles in her library. He was happy to discover the library was "apparently filled with tons of chapter books.... And Mom, she had checkers and Battleship in her game center." After that, he was pretty much convinced that First Grade was going to be even better than Kindergarten.

I am not sure that any year could ever be better than kindergarten, but APPARENTLY, First Grade has potential to be just as good!

Humbled and Overwhelmed

2011-08-23T21:17:00.003-04:00

I have been Missing In Action from the blogging world this summer, well from the world in general. I had tendon surgery on June 16th. Spent 2 weeks on bed rest, 4 weeks in a cast (one pink and one black one) on crutches, and so far 3 1/2 weeks in a walking boot. August 3rd I got rid of my crutches finally and August 4th was the first day I was allowed to drive since my surgery. I am in physical therapy twice a week.

Being the mom of 3 little children on crutches was more difficult than I thought. I wasn't able to do pretty much anything for them. Everyday I felt like I was in an "I Love Lucy" episode. Trying to cook on crutches, trying to carry Molly while on crutches. But luckily I have 3 wonderful helpers. They really stepped up to the challenge. I don't know what I would have done without Andrew. He made lunches, got snacks, poured drinks, carried things, and even learned how to get Molly out of her crib. He helped Molly in and out of her swing outside. He helped her on and off the trampoline. Read stories to his brother and sister. He brought me anything I needed, anytime I asked. He is such a sweet little boy.

I also don't know what I would have done without such a wonderful and supportive church family and friends. I have 2 to 3 appointments each week. Each visit I needed one friend to babysit and one friend to drive me to the appointment. I still have two friends each week watching my kids so I can go to the appointments. Ten families brought us dinner during the first three weeks! Our home teachers came and trimmed a few of our bushes. Others have done my scouting calling for me all summer. A friend from church came and cleaned my kitchen. Then 2 different young women came and volunteered to help with the children 3 hours a day for the first week Chad went back to work. A friend drove my children to swim lessons everyday for a week. Friends drove from far away to visit me, since I was stuck here. (One even all the way from Alabama). And of course my wonderful parents and sisters have been here all summer, whenever we have needed them. Folding laundry, watching kids, taking my kids fun places so they aren't cooped up indoors, and helping me take the kids places like the dentist.

Wow! Just reading that list makes me feel very loved. And very overwhelmed with gratitude. I know that this very tiny trial is nothing compared to what so many go through. It has only been 10 weeks of my life so far. Not life threatening, not permanent. But I personally have never needed this much help before. It is humbling to ask for help and even more humbling to know there is no way I can possibly pay anyone back for all they have done to help. That is hard for me. Like everyone else, I prefer to be on the giving side. I don't like receiving. I really like equality. To me, fairness has always meant equal. I am really uncomfortable knowing I can't reciprocate. It has been good for my pride.

Speaking of pride...it is really hard to have any when you get to come to church every Sunday wearing these beauties. I am quite the Fashion Diva these days.

(I will be updating the blog over the next few days with pics of summer fun the kids had. I am going to file them under the right dates, so make sure to take a look back)!

Roller Skating

2011-08-16T22:08:00.014-04:00

I spent almost every Friday night of 7th grade and 8th grade at the local skating rink. I loved to roller skate, but I must confess, I was mostly there to flirt with the boys and hang out with my best friend, Lisa. I have only been a handful of times since then. But I used to love skating. My sisters and I took my kids to skate the day before school started back. It looked exactly the same. The carpet was the same, the skates were the same, the yellow booths in the food area, even a lot of the music was the same.

What wasn't the same was the company. This time I wasn't there to flirt with the handsome 8th grader wearing an acid washed jean jacket, hoping he'd ask me to couple skate. Nope, I was there as a mom. A mom in a boot who couldn't skate. So I had time to observe my children as they tried to learn something new.

First I watched Molly. She was hesitant to put on her skates, until she saw that Andrew had them on. Then she was adamant that I put them on her right then. I did, and she LOVED them. She wanted to go around the rink over and over again. I held her up and walked around the rink in my tennis shoe and boot. ( I think it is the same floor from when I was 13, too, so they weren't too worried about me scuffing it up). When she discovered she could go all by herself on the carpet, she ran (on skates) back and forth between the rink and carpet. I had a hard time keeping up with her, so I took her skates off. She ran all over the rink in her socks dodging in and out between skaters. Now it was impossible to keep up with her. She was giddy and laughing. Skating with Molly is like anything with Molly. If Andrew will do it, she will do it. She doesn't mind letting someone help her out, but once she knows how to do something, she wants to do it herself. And if she is going to do something, she is going to smile and laugh and enjoy it.

Skating with Ryan was also like anything else we do with Ryan lately. He insisted that he didn't want to go skating. He knew he wasn't "going to like it. He declared that it wasn't his choice, it was Mommy's choice. And skating wasn't fair! (That is what he says to everything these days). But then he went out and held his aunts' hands and had a fun time. He was a very cautious skater the whole time. They played his favorite song "Dynamite" and he laughed and danced on his skates. Out of the blue, these two older girls came over and offered to skate with him and he went off and had a great time with them. Then, when it was time to go home, Ryan again declared that skating was boring and yucky and no fun had that he had not had a good time at all. Then the very next day he randomly came to me and asked if he could please take skating lessons because he really liked skating and skating was AWESOME! And that in a nutshell is my sweet Ryan for you, lately. Hesitant to try new things. Hates transitions. Makes friends with strangers, wherever he is without even trying. Kids are just drawn to him. Still he refuses to admit he enjoys something while he is doing it. I haven't really figured that out yet. It is a new behavior that has cropped up this summer. Maybe as a result of all the chaos in our house with mommy out of commission?

Andrew put on his skates and was gone. He did NOT want help from ANYONE. He was going to figure out how to skate on his own. He spent way more time on his bum then on his feet, but he very seriously brushed himself off and got back up again. He was determined to do it on his own. He acted almost offended when his aunts wanted to skate with him. Like he thought they were somehow insinuating that he needed help. (Which, by the way he did! Because he had never skated before!!!!). Andrew wants to teach himself everything. He did the same thing with bike riding and shoe tying. He pretty much told us to go away and leave him alone. And then he taught himself to tie his shoes, to ride a bike, and now to skate. Not that he is an expert at any of it. He is six. When Ryan declared his intention to take skating lessons, Andrew actually said, "I don't want lessons. I just want you to let me go skating at the same time as Ryan's lessons, and I will figure it out on my own." Let's hope by the time he is ready for driver's ed he will let someone help him. I don't think they actually let you get in a car and drive by yourself the first time.

I had a great time watching my sisters with my children. My children adore their aunts, as do I. I sure am going to miss them when they go back to college this week.

Second Annual Super Stupendous Summer Send-Off

2011-08-13T08:39:00.001-04:00

The last Saturday before school started, our family headed out the door to say good-bye to summer in a fun way doing stuff around town. Each kid got to choose a place to go.

Andrew chose to go to Toys R Us! The Kruegers met us there for some fun in the store. He Ryan were so excited to see that the Bionicles were Buy 1 get 1 Free. (Bionicles is the new favorite at our house among the boys).

Molly was in pink heaven. She didn't have enough hands to touch or carry all she fell in love with. The umbrella was a definite favorite! But in the end she came home with a Tinkerbell doll. (Tinkerbell is her newest obsession).

We headed to Sonic for lunch with our free coupons from the library summer reading. (Sorry, no pics).

Then we were off to Ryan's choice...Bounce U.

We headed next to Kimonos for dinner. (Mommy and Daddy's choice).

And we ended the day at Molly's choice. Chick-fil-a for ice cream cones. Three happy children!

Flag Ceremony

2011-08-09T21:33:00.000-04:00

My dad retired from the army this year and he and my mom have relocated to the area. He placed a flag pole in his front yard and invited us over for a flag raising ceremony. It was a very sweet occasion. I am so proud of him and his service to our country.

Short trip

2011-07-30T20:51:00.001-04:00

Chad's sister, Lara, came out to the east coast for a visit with their sister Emily at her new place. Chad and I headed up for a quick trip to say hello, while she was so close by. We left after work on Friday and came home Sunday after church. Chad's parents were able to visit, too. We had a fun time together, but it was way too short! (The picture is of Chad's mom, his sister, Lara, and of course, Chad. Emily was the photographer).

Pinterest=Highly Addictive

2011-07-17T23:49:00.000-04:00

I have tons of fun pics to share with you of the fun my kids have had without me this summer, and eventually I will get those up. But first I wanted to share with you something fun I have discovered while I have been stuck on our couch the past few weeks. Pinterest. Pinterest is a great way to visually organize online ideas you want to save. You simply grab a "pin" button for your tool bar and you are ready to go!

It is fun to play around with and to see ideas your friends are "pinning." Which is why I am blogging about it. And why I am sharing it with you before my boards are very full and exciting. I want you to start your own boards and share them with me, too! Here is the link to my boards. I have ones set up for School Hospitality Ideas I like, ideas for Mommy and Me, books I want to read, birthday ideas, and even homeschooling ideas for the future. I love having a quick (and eye-catching) way to file these away for later use. No more frantically trying to remember what search words I typed in to find the blog with the cute jedi birthday party ideas. Or running across something in July that I had meant to use at Thanksgiving but had forgotten all about.

Let me know if you join or have any questions!

Swim Lessons

2011-07-14T20:31:00.000-04:00

In July, our neighbor took Andrew and Ryan to swim lessons each day for a week. There were 3 families we knew who were taking lessons at the same time! The boys had a wonderful time!

Fourth of July

2011-07-04T20:32:00.000-04:00

We didn't host our annual Fourth of July Party and Parade. Andrew was pretty upset. He questioned me about it over and over again. I explained to him that putting on such a big party and parade is a lot of work. Work that Mommy couldn't do with her foot in a cast. He was not satisfied with that answer. Later that evening I heard him explain to Ryan, in his most exasperated voice, "We are NOT having our parade and party because APPARENTLY Mom doesn't think we are old enough to do it OURSELVES." And I didn't. But he was determined. Fourth of July morning he pulled out his bike, Ryan's scooter, and Molly's bike. He asked me to call our neighbors who graciously agreed to come over to join us. And they all went on a bike ride around the block in honor of the Fourth of July.

That evening we went to my parents' home for a cookout and ended up just watching fireworks in their neighborhood. It was a much quieter 4th than we are used to, but we still had fun!

Pink Toes

2011-06-30T20:11:00.001-04:00

Aunt Emily introduced Molly to the magic of nail polish this summer. Now she is no longer satisfied with plain boring nails. They must be Sleeping Beauty PINK! (Unless they are Rapunzel purple).

Mr. Mom

2011-06-24T13:39:00.003-04:00

While I was on bed rest, Chad took off 2 weeks of work to take care of me and our kids. He was AMAZING! Besides waiting on me hand and foot, he had to do all the stuff I normally take care of each day. He had a great time playing with our children. Here are a few pics of the fun the kids had with their daddy those two weeks he was home.

They painted with frozen paint brushes and sidewalk paint.

Made homemade play dough and a volcano with a friend at our house.

Played dress up with them. Molly's favorite is Batman!

Chad did school with them each day, too!

And even managed to keep the house clean and orderly.

I am so blessed to be married to such an amazing man. He is a great husband and dad.

Cousin Camp 2011

2011-06-18T16:26:00.001-04:00

We managed to have our 2nd Annual Cousin Camp for all the NC cousins this week. I thought we might have to cancel this year, but we were able to pull together a shortened version because everyone pitched in to help! 2 days before my surgery! We all had a great time.

The cousins made these t-shirts with Aunt Jen. They each chose a color and placed their hand prints on everyone's shirts. I think they turned out so cute! (make sure to click on each collage to get a better look).

After t-shirt making, we went on a Super Scribner Scavenger Hunt. Each clue included a fun family fact and an activity challenge. Some of these included: Jump on the trampoline 18 times, one time for every cousin. Do 10 jumping jacks, naming all the Aunts and Uncles. Move 43 M&Ms, one per year Grandma and Grandpa have been married. Do 14 push-ups, the age of our oldest cousin. Potato sack race to Utah and California, and Hold hands moving the hula hoop around the circle without letting go of each other, and more!

At the end of the scavenger hunt, the children found a prize.......Water Blasters for everyone! The cousins and Aunts had the biggest water fight ever! I think the Aunts won, but only because we cheated and pulled out buckets!

And as if we weren't wet enough, Aunt Jen made these cool water pinatas for everyone. They were a hit!

Once we were all dried off, we ate lunch and made these awesome Robots with Aunt Emily! These are so cute and clever. I love how each one turned out so different from the other.

We played Cousin Bingo, ~~learned the Cha Cha Slide,~~ jumped around having fun like silly monkeys, and played Charades for some quiet, indoor activities.

Then we headed back outside to play together some more!

We ended our camp with a birthday celebration for Madylen and Masen. Pizza, presents, and a make your own Sundae bar!

Thank you, Jen and Emily. I am so glad we didn't have to cancel. I enjoyed creating these beautiful and fun memories with you and my sweet nieces and nephews. I am so glad Grandma came, too!

Last Day of Kindergarten

2011-06-12T23:13:00.000-04:00

The last day of school at ABES is field day! Parents from each classroom run an outdoor game and the students rotate through all 16 activities. They end the morning with pizza in the classroom and then head home for the summer! Perfect ending to the school year!

Our class sponsored a game called "Rain, Rain, Pour." It is "Duck, Duck, Goose" with a cup of water. You sprinkle a little on each person until you yell "Pour" and of course dump the rest of the cup of water on their head and RUN!

At the face paint station, Andrew chose to have lightsabers drawn on his cheeks. You can see he was very serious about it! His favorite by far was the potato sack races. He is begging me to make him some at home. His least favorite (at least to start with) was the 3 legged race (in case you can't tell by the look on his face). He was very distressed to have been partnered up with a G-I-R-L. (In his opinion, his girl relatives are the only acceptable female playmates, with only 3 exceptions Esther, Alanah, and Caroline). Luckily he did not verbally express his feelings to this very sweet classmate. As it turns out, once he stopped pouting, they made a great team! They were super-fast and never fell down! After the race, I think he was willing to concede that there might be room for ONE more exception. He also rocked the soggy bottom musical chairs game!

When field day was over, one of the parents brought in baby robins she had rescued at her veterinarian office. Each child got to touch one of the baby robins. I truly cannot think of a more perfect way for my bird fanatic to end his kindergarten year.

Kindergarten Celebration

2011-06-12T22:35:00.001-04:00

We have had an absolutely fabulous year! We have had the most wonderful teachers, great classmates, and awesome families we have met at Andrew's school. Thursday was Kindergarten Celebration.

The students performed for their parents a few selections from Carnival of Animals. Andrew's group had written a poem about a swan and made this cute mask to go along with the poem.

I had arranged for a babysitter, thinking that Ryan and Molly would prefer to be at home. Thursday morning, Andrew woke up very excited! "Mommy, I can't wait for Ryan to come see me at my play today and to see all the stuff I have done this year." So Ryan happily came with us. I love how serious Andrew is in this picture as he explains his classwork to Ryan.

The little friend that Andrew is posing with in the large pic above is one of Andrew's closest friends he has made this school year.

Grandpa Scribner was invited by Alex to come since his Daddy couldn't make it. Andrew was very excited and surprised that he popped in our room, too. He also stayed for our last school wide sing along of the year and went to dinner with us! It was so nice to have him there!

Random Recent Conversations with my Boys

2011-06-03T21:24:00.000-04:00

The following 2 conversations happened at bedtime tonight.

Andrew: (very serious) Mom, sometimes, my brain really hurts.
Mom: Like a headache.
Andrew: No, those are in your forehead. This one was EXACTLY where my brain is. It happened while I was at Nana and Papa's house.
Mom:Well, let me know if you get another one. I am sorry it hurt.
Andrew: (still very earnest) I think...I think my BRAIN was trying to tell me something!
Mom: Really, what?
Andrew: (exasperated with me) : Mom! I don't know! I don't speak "brain!"

(Later Nana shared that Andrew had experienced Brain Freeze at her house from drinking cold water too fast).

Ryan: (snuggling with me at bedtime, turns to me very sweetly in that adorable voice of his) Mom, don't poke your eyes out.
Mom: Why would I poke my eyes out?
Ryan: Well, there are knives and hooks and swords and and needles. Oh and there are scissors, too! They will poke your eyes out too. Make sure you watch out for those too!

And here are two conversations I had with Ryan over the past two weeks.

Ryan: I don't want to get my shots!! I don't like shots!
Mom: I know, but we get shots so that we don't get really sick.
Andrew: Yeah, you don't want to get really sick and die.
Mom: And, you have to get your shots so that you can go to kindergarten like your brother.
Ryan: (thinks a moment) Um, Mom...I think I would rather die then get shots and go to kindergarten.
Mom: I would miss you.
Ryan: (light bulb goes off and with a huge smile) You could not get your shots and you could die too and go to heaven with me!

Then last night we were reading about Baptism in the scriptures before bed.

Ryan: I am NEVER getting baptized.
Mom: Why not? I want you to be baptized so we can all be together in heaven with Heavenly Father again.
Ryan: I don't want you to get baptized either.
Mom: Why not?
Ryan: I don't want you or me to die and go live with Heavenly Father.

It makes me happy to know that Ryan wants me with him, Dead or Alive.

Myrtle Beach Trip 2011

2011-05-22T18:04:00.000-04:00

We made an impromptu visit to the beach this weekend. We knew that it would be harder to go this summer with me in a cast, so we decided to go now. We may not have been there a long time, but we fit in a lot of fun! (As always, make sure to click on the collages to see the pictures).

I always love taking pics of the kids on the beach. We managed to get ONE pic with ALL THREE children smiling and looking at the camera. I consider that a miracle!

Andrew had a wonderful time at the beach. He loved jumping in the waves, pretending to surf, searching (and finding) sharks' teeth, doing cartwheels, and resting on his Clone Wars beach towel.

Ryan loved the beach too, but preferred staying closer to the land. He had a fun time running away from the waves. He told me he was "faster than Dash" (Incredibles) and that I couldn't even "catch him with a camera."

Molly was slow to warm up to the beach, each time we went. She would be clingy and sad for the first 75% of the time we were there, and then loved it the last few moments, crying when we left. She kept throwing the shells back in the ocean and then would dig in the water for sand, and carry it up to dry land. I think she has inherited a tad bit of OCD.

Our Nana, Aunt Emily, and Aunt Rachel were all able to join us at the beach, too! The kids had so much fun with them. (And so did Chad and I)!

I brought gold pirate coins with us and made a treasure hunt complete with an "X" to mark the spot. Andrew was a little upset that the pirate treasure was fake coins and thinks that the pirates did that to trick us and that they really hid their gold somewhere else.

We stayed at the same hotel we went to last year, Compass Cove. This time we got a 3 bedroom oceanfront condo. It was so nice. The water slides and pools were such a fun places to hang out. Molly's favorite place to play were the HOT TUBS! She had no interest whatsoever in the pools. She also went down the gigantic enclosed water slides. After the 3 time, she wanted to go by herself and was very angry that we would not let her. Andrew was a fish in water this time. His swimming has really improved. He doesn't do stroke work yet, but he can safely swim anywhere he wants in the pool. We bought Ryan a float to wear. He refused to wear it the first day. He was afraid someone would laugh at him. We convinced him that no one would laugh and that he looked cool. He loved the float and wore it the rest of the weekend happily with no complaint. It gave him so much independence, something that Ryan prizes above everything else these days.

On our way out of town, we stopped by Broadway at the Beach to grab some lunch and let the kids ride some rides. Chad and the boys rode a really fast caterpillar ride. Molly rode a carousel. She jumped from animal to animal. Never settling on any one. Andrew really wanted to ride the swings. He was just tall enough. He was so excited to ride them. Ryan was not tall enough and settled for a boat ride. You can tell from his face that he was less than amused.

We had a wonderful time on our trip. We had a few hiccups, but I didn't post pics of those things here. I don't have pics of our car troubles we had or the multiple trips to car dealers and car part stores. Or pics of Chad getting food poisoning on our trip. Molly's multiple tantrums or the boys' meltdowns when the dvd player wouldn't work on the trip down when the fuses kept blowing. I don't have any pics of me. (At least none I will ever post. I am way too self conscious of all the weight I have gained while I can't work out while I wait for my tendon surgery). But I was there. We all were. And we all had a really fun time.

I love making memories with my family. I love spending time away from the normal chaos and trading it in for the vacation chaos. I don't think we will remember the unpleasant things in the years to come. Instead we will remember it as the trip , brave and independent Molly went down the water slides, Ryan ran faster than the waves, and Andrew explained to us how he and Ryan have a symbiotic relationship. Ryan makes him laugh, and Ryan gets Andrew to tell him what to do. I love my children. The smiles they share with me the moments they make me laugh, even when they aren't trying to be funny.

Happy Helpers

2011-05-15T15:40:00.000-04:00

The kiddos were real troopers yesterday and spent the whole day helping Nana and Papa move into their new home. They were happy to help (and to watch way too much tv when we ran out of jobs for them to do).

Double Date

2011-05-08T23:12:00.000-04:00

The boys went on a double date with their Aunts on Friday night! They headed to Bounce U and Pizza Hut for dinner! They had a blast!

Strawberry Picking

2011-05-08T23:07:00.000-04:00

We went strawberry picking after school Thursday so we could give strawberries to Andrew's classroom teachers and specialists. We tried a new place close to our house. The field was weedy, buggy, and muddy, but the strawberries were YUMMY!

Teacher Appreciation Candy Grams

2011-05-08T22:51:00.000-04:00

My sister and I (mostly her), made these for Teacher Appreciation Week for Andrew's teachers. I am posting them just so I have them recorded somewhere in case I want to do them again another year.

Dear (teacher),

We wanted to take a FASTBREAK and tell you what a SWEETTART you are and what you have MINT to us this year. You are the RIESEN our little RUNTS RAZZLE out of bed each morning. They have MOUNDS of fun at school learning GOOD & PLENTY about things like the MILKY WAY and WATCHAMACALITS so that they won't be AIRHEADS. We totally SKOR-ed with you as our teacher. You have been a ALMOND JOY and a LIFESAVER. We wish we could give you a WHOPPER of a PAYDAY with an EXTRA 100 GRAND, but for NOW & LATER, please accept this card. Hopefully it makes you SNICKER during this CRUNCH time.

Love,
Your Grateful Class Parents

My Parent's New Home ...In MY TOWN

2011-05-08T22:40:00.000-04:00

My parents have officially moved here to Winston-Salem! They closed on their house last week, but are still waiting on their furniture. My sisters also came home from college last week. So while we wait for the furniture to arrive it is party time at our house! It is so fun to have them near by!

Backyard Camping

2011-04-30T22:12:00.000-04:00

We chose to spend every day outside in April. (If you aren't sure what I am talking about, you can find out more here). I wanted to do something special with the kids to celebrate our month outside. We were lucky enough to make it outside every day this month, without fail, rain or shine, sickness and in health. So we decided to surprise the kids with a backyard camp-out and spend the last of April outdoors. I love backyard camping! The house is there for those of us who would like to use the restroom indoors, the kitchen is accessible for late night treats, and if we forgot anything (like a very special bedtime lovey), we can hop right back in the house and get it! Don't get me wrong, our family also loves real camping, but backyard camping is its own kind of fun.

Here is our tent all set up and waiting for us. My Mom and I set it up!

We grilled outside for dinner. Then Daddy blew bubbles with the kids while I got things cleaned up.

We played a comical family game of kickball. Comical because the children couldn't remember having ever played before and kept mixing up the rules with soccer. Andrew didn't want to touch the ball with his hands. Ryan wanted to keep kicking the ball after the initial kick. Molly wanted to pick up the bases. As you can see, eventually we got the hang of it. Kind of.

After the difficulty with kickball, we decided to stay with a game we all knew the rules to. Hide and seek!

We moved next to jumping on the trampoline. Then we laid down on the trampoline and watched the sunset together, listening to the sounds of the crickets, birds, and neighborhood dogs.

Of course we made S'mores once it got dark. How can you have a camp out without them?

We put on our jammies and read stories and sang songs together until the boys fell asleep.

I'd like to say that Molly fell asleep soon after, but that would not be truthful. Our neighbors were having a party and played loud heavy metal music until after 11pm. Molly danced and sang along with the music.

In the morning, the kids crawled in our sleeping bags for snuggles, before we had hot cocoa and breakfast. We laid there and listened to the animals outside. Andrew was very excited because we heard an owl.

Later the kids helped take down the tent, and were happy and helpful, despite the fact that they wanted to sleep outside FOREVER!

We had a wonderful time together, last night, today, and EVERY DAY this month.

Easter Weekend 2011

2011-04-24T23:10:00.000-04:00

We had a beautiful Easter weekend with our three sweet children. We attended church together this morning. Since church doesn't start until 11am, we were able to snap a few pics beforehand.

(For optimal viewing, click on each of the collages).

Molly was more than happy to let us take pics of her in her dress, but not happy about putting it on. I bought this dress for her two years ago, before she was born. She was VERY upset this morning that her dress was not pink!

Ryan was very happy to get dressed this morning, because his clothes were almost identical to Andrew's. Whether or not his outfit looks like Andrew's is the number one most important factor in Ryan's clothing choice each day. To the point of refusing to get dressed if it does not. He also refused to pose for any pictures this morning WITHOUT his brother. So, all of my pics of them are together. You would never know from these pictures that Ryan was having a meltdown 2 minutes previous, because I was trying to take a pic of him alone. Nothing makes Ryan happier than having Andrew by his side! Not that I blame him. Andrew is pretty cool!

We went to my cousin's house to be with my Mom's side of the family for an Easter Egg hunt and dinner after church. We hid over 600 eggs! It was so much fun!

My 90 year old Nanie LOVES egg hunts. She didn't want to wait for a basket, so she made one out of her shirt while someone ran to grab one for her!

The Easter Bunny came to our house in the morning and brought the children way too much! Molly loved her little yellow duck AND her candy. She insisted that we open the candy. I was very surprised when she chose to feed it to her duck BEFORE she ate any. For breakfast we made Resurrection Rolls. We read the story of the Savior's Resurrection in Luke together.

On Saturday, we spent the entire day preparing for Easter. We painted Easter Eggs together outside.

We also made this Resurrection Terrarium. I had seen the idea on a website called Impress Your Kids. We made a garden scene of the tomb with the stone in front of it. The kids were excited to see it this morning refreshed with flowers and with the stone moved. And of course, the tomb was empty.

We ended the morning by hiding 12 Easter Eggs in the backyard yesterday that were filled with symbols of the Easter story. We came inside and opened them up. We used the symbols and Gospel Art Kit pictures to retell the miracle of Easter. (click on the link for the symbols and the pictures we used).

After the lesson, Ryan asked me if Jesus had died for his sins. I told him yes, that Jesus loved him and had died for him. That He would have sacrificed His life, even if Ryan was the only person on Earth. Then Ryan proceeded to ask me if he had died for the sins of each and every person that he knows, naming them by name, one by one. "Did he die for Andrew? Did he die for Molly? Daddy? Mommy? Grandma Stone? Grandpa Bud? Nana, Papa? Grandma, Grandpa? Did he die for Uncle Ben? Alex? Emily? Rachel?" He continued and listed names until he could think of no one else. (Ryan knows a lot of people)! It is hard to put into words the sweet and overwhelming feeling I had when I replied "Yes!" to each and every name of those people that I love so dearly, as well. Tears were in my eyes, but a smile was on my face. With each and every yes, we became happier and all started to even laugh. Yes, my sweet Ryan. Our Heavenly Father sent His Only Begotten Perfect Son to earth to suffer and die for us, to pay the price for all of our sins. He did this so that we might live with Him again someday. He loves us, each of us, as individuals. He came and showed us the way to return. He paid the price for our sins. This is the joyous news of Easter! I love these short, simple moments in my life as a mom. Moments when my children truly begin to understand, when the Spirit is present in our home. The moment was brief. We moved on to lunch and naps. But it is a memory I will always cherish and want to write down so I never forget.

Molly's Teddy Bear Picnic 2nd Birthday Party

2011-04-23T00:12:00.001-04:00

My sweet little girl is two! We celebrated with a Teddy Bear Picnic on her birthday with her family and a couple of little friends.

We had peanut butter and honey teddy bear sandwiches for the children, chicken salad croissants for the grown-ups. We had fruit, cheese, lemonade, gummy bears, and teddy bear shaped crackers, made from tortillas. Each of the guests received a bag of teddy grahams tied with a teddy bear and pink ribbon. They also brought home their egg baskets and bubbles.

Molly loved her pink cake pops I made for her birthday! Thanks for teaching me how, Aenea! Molly loves to sing Happy Birthday and was very excited to have everyone sing it to her! She added the Cha-cha-cha part herself.

We had a "Bear Hunt" in the woods. We hid eggs filled with candy and teddy bear stickers and teddy bear gummies.

Molly loved sharing with the Teddy Bears at her picnic!

She received lots of nice gifts from her family and friends. Thank you for coming and sharing our special day. Thank you Grandpa and Courtney for the great pics!

We gave Molly this little table and chairs for her birthday. She plays with it all day!

Oh, how I love my sweet Molly! Molly loves to sing, dance, climb, and play pretend. To say that her favorite color is pink, is an understatement. EVERY morning when we go to get Molly out of her bed, the first thing she says is "PINK!" Every single morning, without fail for the past few months. She also wants to only wear pink clothes. Molly is a nurturer. Any time anyone is hurt, Molly is there to give hugs and kisses. Molly loves her brothers. She wants to be wherever they are and do whatever they do. She plays Star Wars and trains and cars with them. They play with her dollhouse with her. She loves spaghetti and all fruits. Her favorite movies are Tangled and Elmo's Potty. Her favorite books are "My Pink ABCs" and "Snuggle Puppy." She loves all things princess.

Molly is spunky with her own opinions. She is beginning to speak more clearly and is putting a few words together. She communicates her wants and needs clearly, just not always with words. She loves to say the prayer and to sing songs. She can sing any tune she hears and we can often hear her singing the Star Wars theme over the baby monitor. She also "sings" the ABCs and "Happy Birthday." She loves to play outside. She follows multiple step directions. She loves puzzles and to color. She loves to sort and to play in the water table.

Molly brings so much joy to our family. She is happy and fun to be with. Happy Birthday, my sweet little princess.

Ryan's Silly Monkey 4th Birthday Party

2011-04-17T22:12:00.001-04:00

Ryan loves Monkey Joes. He really, really wanted to have his birthday party at Monkey Joe's. Ryan also loves his cousins and Mommy and Me friends. And he really, really wanted to have his cousins and Mommy and Me friends at his party. But alas, the closest Monkey Joe's is over an hour away, and we don't own a bus to transport them all there. So his Mommy helped him decide that a party at our gymnastics place with inflatables and monkey cupcakes would work! So we had a Silly Monkey birthday party! Ryan got very excited about this theme. He told everyone he met that he was going to be four and have a silly/crazy monkey party. We had such a fun time. I made these little monkey cupcakes and we had chocolate covered frozen bananas, too! (I love the little tiny silly monkeys we found to put on the cupcakes. Each one is making a different face). We gave each guest a hanging monkey as a party favor.

At the beginning of the party, the children had a blast jumping into the foam pit! I think they would have been happy to do that the entire hour!

Ryan loved dancing to the music and stomping the bubbles. At the end, we all climbed inside the parachute tent and sang Happy Birthday to Ryan. Even Molly joined in at the "Cha-Cha-Chas!"

The last activity was the inflatable climbing wall and slide, which was of course, why we were there...and Ryan's favorite part. Molly opted to hang on these bars. She does not like inflatables at all! (I think the noise scares her). When the games were complete, each child received a gold medal. We then ate treats and opened presents. We all had a great time!

In the Kitchen with Molly

2011-04-17T21:04:00.000-04:00

Molly has a new favorite place to play...IN her kitchen.

The Wizard of Oz

2011-04-15T13:35:00.002-04:00

Our school held its annual Spring Fling in April. One of the children's grandfathers (who is also our family friend) graciously agreed to come and play the part of the Wizard of Oz and perform magic tricks for the students! The kids unanimously agreed that his show was the best part of the whole event! Thank you!

Ryan's 4th Birthday at Home

2011-04-10T21:37:00.000-04:00

Ryan will have a party with his cousins and a few friends later in the week, but today was spent at church and home with just those of us who live at our house. Ryan decided he wanted a monkey party, so Chad and I made him this cake. (without a monkey pan...on our own...I was pretty excited)!

Molly helped clean up the frosting.

We read Ryan's favorite book outside after church. Dr. Seuss's Happy Birthday To You. Which, by the way, is not my favorite. It takes close to 30 minutes to read. But Ryan LOVES it! He asks for it all the time, everyday! He wanted to have hotdogs on a string for lunch today because of that book. Not sure where you buy those. He had to settle for regular hotdogs.

So, I know this post is about Ryan's birthday, there is nothing HOTTER than a dad reading to his kids. I love this man!

Ryan was very eager to read his cards and open presents after dinner. (Dinner was his favorite...spaghetti).

He received a lot of nice gifts including this cool parachute toy. (from Nana and Papa).

And the only thing he asked for his Mommy and Daddy to get him was a Buzz Light Year with a helmet that opens and closes.

Happy 4th Birthday, my "funny and cool" guy! (which is what you always want me to call you).

Happy 4th Birthday, Ryan!

2011-04-10T20:22:00.000-04:00

Ryan's Birth

First Birthday

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday

Today on his 4th Birthday (being his normal silly self)

My sweet, loveable, silly Ryan turns 4 today! I can't believe he has been part of our family for so long. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father sent him to our home. Ryan is so eager to please. So happy most of the time, so loving. He has the sweetest voice. Andrew remains the center of his universe, but he is beginning to recognize Molly as a viable playmate and is very sweet to her. (As long as she isn't wanting to sit in Mommy's lap or play with HIS toys). Ryan loves all things Star Wars, Super Heroes, Buzz Lightyear, sharks, and monkeys! Ryan is beginning to read a very few sight words. He can write his name, loves puzzles, and colors beautifully! He is a good friend and plays well with everyone. He is developing a very cute and quirky sense of humor and is very silly and goofy. He has also recently decided that he is NOT shy and is very outgoing in public. He walks right up to adults and children and introduces himself and our family. "Hi, I am Ryan. I am 4. This is my mommy. And my sister. She is one, but she will be two soon. Andrew is at school. He goes to ABES. He is 6. Andrew likes Star Wars and birds. But yeah, he is at school. I am in Mommy and Me. I am going to have a monkey birthday party." And on and on he goes. Until the person walks away or asks an appropriate question. It just surprises me so much. Until recently he shied away from any contact with others. I guess my little boy is growing up!

Ryan's Four Year Old Favorites

Favorite Colors: Orange, Blue, Pink, and Purple, oh...and Silver, too
Favorite TV Show: Jake and the Neverland Pirates
Favorite Movie: Cars
Favorite Toy: Robin (from Batman and Robin)
Favorite Food: Cake
Favorite Candy: Lollipop
Favorite Song: Batman
Favorite Places to Go: the park, the beach and Monkey Joe's
Favorite Game: Lego Star Wars
Best Friend: Andrew

Grandpa Bud Came to Visit

2011-03-31T22:36:00.000-04:00

Grandpa Bud came to visit over Spring Break! We had such a fun time with him while he was here. He went with us to the Natural Science Museum in Greensboro. We got to see the new baby wolf cubs.

We also just had fun running in between the exhibits there.

We went to Reynolda Gardens one day after school. We ate a snack together and took a hike.

The last day we got to spend together, we headed to Sciworks. When we were done we headed home and celebrated Ryan and Molly's birthdays with Grandpa Bud. We miss him already!!!!

Spring Break in Charlotte

2011-03-28T21:58:00.000-04:00

We headed to Charlotte for a few days over Spring Break. We had a great time with our friends, the Reshetars who graciously hosted us while we visited. We took the kids to the Lego Store, the Discovery Place Museum, and Monkey Joes while we were there! It was such a fun trip!

We also discovered a new family favorite restaurant. Pei Wei Asian Diner. They are a take out version of PF Changs. Molly ate this entire bowl of noodles with the chopsticks! It was so cute!

Not So Clueless

2011-03-27T22:31:00.000-04:00

A couple of years ago I wrote a post entitled Clueless. I talked about how Andrew didn't know anything about guns, and how he found lots of creative uses for them at a friend's home. He pretended they were a hair dryer, gas pump, and broom.

Fast forward 2 and a half years and 2 kids later. I walk in the living room this morning to get 23 month old Molly and bring her upstairs to get ready for church. She is wearing her new pink princess pajamas. In her little fist she was grasping a lego clone trooper's hand that was holding a gun. She started to chase her brother as she pointed the centimeter long gun at him. "DIE!" she yelled. "DIE! DIE! DIE!"

Her brothers think she is the coolest little sister ever. I am thinking perhaps she could use a little sister.

Can You Come Outside to Play?

2011-03-23T07:27:00.001-04:00

I am hosting a 30 Day Come Out and Play Challenge in the month of April for parents. Basically, we as parents promise to play outside at least 30 minutes with our little ones EVERY DAY. Rain Or Shine! I would love to have you join us! I have set up a separate blog, so that this one can stay about our family.    And invite your friends. Details on how to join are found below. But please click through and comment on the other blog to join the challenge. If you already go outside with your kiddos everyday, join our group any way and share the fun things you do together! Inspire us!

*If you would like to accept the challenge to play outside EVERY DAY in the month of April, please comment on the Can You Come Outside to Play? blog post and become a follower of that blog.   Also share your FAVORITE place to play outside as a child. At the end of April I will ask you to post again if you met the challenge. There will be a drawing for an Amazon Gift Card.

*We will share ideas throughout the month of April on how to reach this goal. We will include books and blogs about the benefits of outdoor play. If you have a book or blog you think we should highlight, please message me at daniellescribner at juno.com.

*Each week I will also host a "Weekly Virtual Play Date." Something that we all do in our separate locations. On Sundays, I will add a link-up where you can share pictures and blog posts about your outdoor play that previous week, if you wish. This isn't required.

*For it to count, I think the playtime should be at least 30 minutes total that day. (Although much more would be ideal). At the end of the month you and your child(ren) will have been outdoors at least 900 minutes together!

*We will be reading books about outside for our Mommy and Me Book Club in April! Hope you enjoy!

St. Patrick's Day 2011

2011-03-20T16:51:00.000-04:00

St. Patrick's Day Learning Fun

Sorting Rainbow Pom Poms, Sensory Box, Rainbow Rice Bottles, Mommy and Me

Leprechaun Trap

The boys worked so hard making their trap for the Leprechauns.

Andrew thought it would be tricky to tell them it was their home.

Leprechauns Are Mischievous

Those sneaky guys turned our playroom upside down, opened our Lucky Charms, and even left a message for us with our toys! The trap didn't work, but they left a note and some Rolos and 6 Gold Dollars. Andrew tried to convince me that 4 of them were his, and that 1 was Ryan's and 1 was Molly's dollar.

Leprechauns at School

The Leprechauns ended up at Andrew's school while they were outside on the playground.

I was "lucky" enough to be there at the same time and got to see the kindergartners cute reactions!

Fun With Food

We ate Lucky Charms for breakfast with green milk. I packed Andrew a green lunch with a rainbow salad (we ate the same thing a home). My sweet visiting teacher brought me yummy Irish bread that we enjoyed with green butter, green pesto pasta, salad, and green beans. For dessert, Ryan and Molly helped me make a 6 layer rainbow cake. It was so much fun! Molly kept pointing to the cake and saying "My Pink Coc, Pink Coc."

(Almost) Two Year Olds Are Also Mischievous

I had planned another fun activity for St. Patrick's Day with Ryan and Molly. We were going to sort and graph the marshmallows in the remainder of the Lucky Charms cereal. I went upstairs for a moment and when I returned I found Molly with a lot of Luckies and NO CHARMS all over the kitchen counter. Not that I blame her, the marshmallows are the very best part of the cereal. But I was amazed at how quickly she had accomplished this feat!

Before I forget

2011-03-13T23:13:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to jot down a couple of funny things the kiddos said/did this week before I forget.

First, Molly. She found a box of 86 crayons this week that an older brother had left out in the middle of the playroom floor. When I found her, she was sitting with her back to me gently lifting one crayon out at a time, and then placing it back in. I watched her do this 20-30 times. Finally, she seemed to find the one she wanted. She jumped up, ran over to me and declared "PINK!" as she waved the crayon in the air, grinning ear to ear. She grabbed my hand and pulled me to the kitchen. "PAPER?" She sat happily and colored with her pink crayon for as long as an almost two year old does anything. (She is also attempting to refuse to wear any clothes or bibs that are not pink).

Ryan has also put a smile on my face this week. Actually many times. He is at the fun stage where so much of what comes out of his mouth is accidentally hilarious. Here is part of our conversation we had this week about what to tell a policeman if you get lost.

Me-What is your Mommy's name?
Ryan-Aunt Danielle

Me-What is your Daddy's name?
Ryan-Chad Scribner

Me-Where do you live?
Ryan-North America. That's where Alex and Masen live, too. And Molly.

And last of all Andrew. Andrew is out of the stage where he mixes words up on a daily basis, but he is still pretty cute in his own right. This morning he was playing with his super hero toys. He was pretending to be a bad guy. In his most threatening voice he demanded that the other bad guy do what he said, or else he would "Get NOTHING for CHRISTMAS but GIRLY TOYS, and that is ALL!" I love that getting girly toys for Christmas was the worst possible punishment someone could receive.

Molly Climbs...well, EVERYTHING!

2011-03-06T20:52:00.005-05:00

Molly is quite the little adventurer. She loves to climb on tables, counters, into sinks, and into tubs. Doors must stayed closed at all times, chairs must be kept on top of the table, and stools kept out of her reach. On a daily basis I find her somewhere she is not supposed to be. Like fully clothed squealing with delight in her brother's running shower, on the kitchen counter reaching for the knives in the cupboard, or outside in the middle of the trampoline. Every time I think I have Molly-proofed a room, she discovers new areas of her world to explore. Last week, we were nervous when we realized we had not heard Molly for a few minutes. This is what we discovered. She had pulled her chair over and was trying to climb into her bed herself. That is the kind of adventure I can whole heartedly support.

Family Photos

2011-02-25T17:45:00.002-05:00

Our fabulous friend and babysitter, Courtney, took these pics of our family as part of a class project. I realized today that I hadn't really posted very many of them and wanted to share. She is getting her masters in photography.

Valentine Fun 2011

2011-02-25T08:54:00.000-05:00

This year was a fun whirlwind of celebration, as usual. You know how much I love Valentine's Day!

We started the festivities with a fun Love themed Mommy and Me class with Ryan.

The Sunday before Valentine's (aka Valentine's Eve), we wore red to church. It looks a little more like Fourth of July though, when they are all together. I tried to get a picture of all 3 of them, and Molly thought we were were trying to play ring around the rosies. So we did.

That afternoon, we heart attacked our door. This is our family tradition ever since the first Valentine's Chad and I were dating. For those of you unfamiliar with the story, I heart attacked his apartment and accidentally discovered the engagement ring he planned on giving me the next day. (Make sure to note the boys' awesome fashion sense in the picture below).

The next day we ate yummy heart shaped waffles with strawberries for breakfast, and Andrew headed off to school. Ryan, Molly and I joined him at snack time for a heart healthy treat. Andrew's school chose to celebrate their own hearts on Valentine's Day. They looked at models of real hearts, learned how the heart works and what it does, and talked about how to keep your heart healthy. They did not allow any sweets to be sent in. Only cards. I wasn't sure how I felt about that at first, but it was AWESOME! We had plenty of yummy stuff at home, and he really cared about each of the cards he received. And the yummy fruit, whole grain muffins, and baked tortilla chips made a delicious snack!

The littlest ones and I met Chad and went out to eat for lunch.

For dinner we had heartshaped pizzas and sparkling cider.

We played our traditional Conversation Heart Stacking Game. Papa won, with 23 hearts.

We decorated our living room, opened cards and gifts from each other. Chad gave me 3 dozen red roses. They were gorgeous! We gave each of the children a book. The tradition in Spain is to call Valentine's Day the day of books and flowers. I love that! So that is our tradition with the kiddos.

After gifts we held our family dance party and we ended our night with yummy fondue. I love having traditions with my children. I love the happy memories we are creating together.

Look Mom! No Training Wheels!

2011-02-20T22:39:00.001-05:00

We headed to the park yesterday with one objective: TEACH ANDREW TO RIDE HIS BIKE! Chad helped him get started a few times, and then Andrew was able to do it all by himself. So in less than an hour, Andrew went from "kid who can't ride a bike," to stunt man. Check out the last few seconds of the video.

Now we just have to master "little" things like hills, braking, and steering.

A Jedi's Dilemma

2011-02-06T19:17:00.000-05:00

This is a portion of an email I just received from Ryan's Sunbeam teacher at church.

"Our lesson today was "Heavenly Father and Jesus love me". We were talking about the people who love us, and Eliza very sincerely told Ryan "I love you." Ryan immediately told her "Eeewww" and then explained that Jedi cannot love and because he was a Jedi he couldn't love anyone. Garrett must have thought this was very sad, and told Ryan that he didn't want to be a Jedi if Jedi couldn't love. This was a pretty serious conversation, and I literally had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing."

For those of you unfamiliar with Sunbeams, all of the children involved in this story are 3 years old. :) Ryan has never even seen Star Wars, but his brother has told him ALL about it. Including the Jedi Code. I am thinking we will need to have a conversation about this in the morning. Then again, maybe not. I am really okay if my boys live by the Jedi Code until they get home from their missions at 21. Sorry, girls.

Peters and the Wolves (and Ducks)

2011-01-30T16:47:00.000-05:00

Andrew performed in the play Peter and the Wolf at his school last week. The production is part of cooperative relationship that his school has with the University of the North Carolina School of the Arts.

The Narrator for the play was the emeritus director of the Winston-Salem Symphony. He is also one of the founding members of the school. The children were accompanied by a string quintet from UNCSA. As part of a senior project, students from the dance school choreograph the production and perform with the children.

The dancers were amazing ! They choreographed a "kinder, gentler" Peter and the Wolf. The Wolf in the end is taken to the zoo. And since he had swallowed the duck whole, ended up throwing him up in the end. Even the hunters were given a makeover. Instead of traditional hunters in plaid with guns, they were NINJA Hunters dressed in black! They were cool. One funny story about the lead Ninja Hunter. He covered his face during the performance to make himself look more Ninja like. That night at home Andrew said to me, "Mom, I know why the Ninja covered up his face? Because he had S-N-O-T coming out and no tissues." The "S-N-O-T" that he was referring to so discreetly by spelling, was actually a NOSE RING! I guess he had never seen one before.

The children each got to choose which part they wanted to play. Andrew chose to be the Duck ("Because a duck is a bird and I love birds!"). I asked him why he didn't choose to be the bird. ("Umm, Mom, Caroline says that the bird is a GIRL")! I guess he never noticed that the lead ducks in this performance were girls, themselves. His cousin, Alex, chose to be Peter.

The performance is the culmination of an entire unit on Peter and the Wolf. In music class, the children study the music and instruments from Peter and the Wolf. In art, they draw the animals using various mediums. In literature, they read several versions of the story.

They also expand the study to research wolves in other stories (where they are usually portrayed as aggressive and villainous) and compare the fictional wolves to the wolves they study in nonfiction books. The teachers use this as a platform to talk about stereotypes during class meeting. They write their own wolf stories in writing class, and in math they make graphs and compare and contrast the animals. (legs, colors, fur, feathers).

I was so impressed (as I usually am at ABES) with how developmentally appropriate the program was for kindergartners. The school really does a great job of putting the children's needs first. The performance was during the school day. Each child was allowed to choose the part he wanted. The dance moves were fun and easy enough for each child to perform. They performed in the same place they had practiced. There were no "stars" of the show. All of the kids had an equal opportunity to be on stage. The children shadowed the lead dancers in a sort of "follow the leader" fashion. There were 2 big ducks with 6 little ducks waddling behind.

When the performance was over, we had a little cast party in the classroom. Andrew had so much fun showing Ryan his classroom and playing with him. They really are best friends. I love how close they are to one another.

Happy 40th Birthday, Daddy!

2011-01-20T08:14:00.001-05:00

Here are 40 answers (to 20 questions) in honor of our Daddy's 40th Birthday!

We love you, Daddy! (even if we can only answer about half of these correctly)

A=Andrew, R=Ryan (They were asked these questions separately, so that Ryan wouldn't copy everything Andrew said. I was surprised still how similar their answers were).

1-How old is Daddy? 40 (A), 4 (R)
2-What does Daddy weigh? 46 pounds (A), 13 pounds (R)
3-What is Daddy's favorite food? cereal (A), chocolate (R)
4-What would Daddy do with a million dollars? Buy a new tv (A), "He will have to give some to us, that's actually true, and he shouldn't give the bad guys money. Nope, not to the bad guys." (R)
5-What is Daddy's favorite sport? Baseball (A), soccer (R)
6-What is Daddy's favorite thing to do with you? play anything (A), puzzles (R)
7-What is Daddy's favorite type of car? race car (A), Lightning McQueen (R)
8-What is Daddy's favorite tv show? ABC (A), Grown-up movies
9-What is Daddy's favorite movie? Ironman (A), Superman (R)
10-When Daddy was a kid he liked to: Play with his brother, Troy. (A), play with his toys, I guess (R)
11-What is Daddy's job? To go to work on Truliant (A), to go to work (R)
12-What does Daddy do at work? Make money (A), fix things, he works at work (R)
13-What are Daddy's hobbies? Be with his family (A), playing with me (R)
14-What is Daddy really good at? video games (A), driving his car (R)
15-If Daddy could go anywhere in the world, where would he go? With us (A), Monkey Joes (R)
16-If Daddy was a super hero, which one would he be? Probably Aquaman (A), uh, Ironman, of course (R)
17-Daddy's favorite color: Green (A), Gold and Black (R)
18-Where would Daddy like to go eat for his birthday? Chuck E. Cheese or Burger King (A) Chuck E. Cheese (R)
19-Where did Daddy go on his mission? Mexico (A), to church (R)

and

20-How old is old? 30 (A) 3 (R)

Serving With Little Ones

2011-01-09T21:14:00.001-05:00

Community Service has been on my heart a lot lately. Before I had children, I was constantly searching for and involved with community causes. In high school, I was president of our service club and served on a community teen council. In college, I started and ran a summer program for homeless children at a local shelter. As a young teacher, I helped begin a free after school tutorial program for our ESL students and an outreach program for their parents. I loved serving others, especially children. Before I had children, I imagined that I would continue to serve in the community, serving soup to the hungry with a baby on my back. Tutoring in inner city schools while my toddler sat next to me in a stroller. I thought that when I didn't have to go to work each day, I would fill my days with service to others.

I am not sure what happened. I am not devaluing the service I render each day to my children. I know it is the most important work I can be doing right now and I love every minute of it. I wake up every morning overwhelmed with gratitude that this is my life. That I get to be here in this home, with this man, with these children. I love my life. Which makes it even harder to understand how I allowed 6 years to go by without helping anyone outside the walls of our own home or church community. I truly believe that "Because I have been given much, I too must give." I want my children to learn to follow the Savior's example of healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and comforting the lonely. And I want them to learn it by serving side by side with me and their dad. I want to be a family that serves the community together.

I have read a couple of books recently that were wonderful and inspired me to want to do more. I highly recommend both.

52 Weeks of Family Service does just what the cover says it does. It shares meaningful ways you can help others as a family. It even includes modifications for toddlers and teenagers. And Family Home Evening Lessons with every idea.

Passionaries was recommended to me by a friend. It shares the story of several people who individually felt led to fill a need that they saw in their community or in the world. And then impacted thousands of lives.

But before I go changing the world by starting my own nonprofit this week, I also found some neat, very simple ideas online on this blog that I love.

52 Weeks of Smiles

Katherine Marie is challenging her family to do one random act of kindness together each week this whole year. I love her ideas, and her kids are the exact same ages as mine! The services are very simple and age appropriate for young children.

I also have real life great examples. I have a sweet friend who does "Friendly Fridays", choosing to do a fun service each week with her children. She also recently hosted a community children's book drive for a local hospital.

My Sister in law holds a consignment sale and donates the profits to a community organization.

I am not sure what I will end up doing, yet. I am praying that my heart will be led to find a cause that my children and I can support together in meaningful ways. I want to do better. I would love to hear how you and your little ones find ways (or found ways, if they are older now) to serve in the community.

Mommy and Me Book Club

2011-01-09T20:17:00.001-05:00

Once a week I host a Mommy and Me Book Club at our home for Ryan. I have several friends who bring their little ones to join in the fun. We are a co-op. Everyone contributes each week to make it all possible. They are a wonderful and creative group of moms. I love getting to spend time with them and I love all of their kiddos. We are half way through our Mommy and Me year and I realized I haven't shared our blog yet. It has pics of our activities since September and all the fun we have had together.

Feel free to take a look and even become a follower if you want to see more of our adventures as the year progresses. I have hosted a group similar to this each year since Andrew was 2. I will hopefully start one with Molly in the fall.

Ryan is a Sunbeam (and Andrew and Molly don't want to be left out)

2011-01-02T19:32:00.000-05:00

Ryan started Sunbeams today. Sunbeams is the youngest class in primary at our church. He was sweet enough to sing me the Sunbeam song before we headed off to church.

His nursery teacher, Sister Duke, moved up with him to be his Sunbeam teacher, along with Sister McNaught, our babysitter!

Andrew listened to his little brother sing and then announced that he knew the CTR 6 song. He promised he would sing it for me if I promised to make a movie of it. I was expecting the actual class song "Choose the Right." Instead I got this original song complete with verses and a chorus. (Somehow he got idea that the CTR 6 class was the oldest in junior primary and got to sit on the back row. A faulty assumption that I was able to correct after hearing his song).

Molly heard her brothers singing and then sang her own song into her phone as well. We were quite the musical family this morning. And thanks to the new 11am start time, we had time to be.

White Christmas

2011-01-01T23:23:00.000-05:00

Christmas 2010 in Way Too Many Pics

2011-01-01T22:39:00.001-05:00

Jedi Star Wars Party

2010-12-27T22:16:00.001-05:00

Andrew celebrated his 6th birthday with a family party on his actual birthday! We usually don't do that, since it is 3 days before Christmas. We offered to throw him a party with all of his friends from church and school, but he decided he really just wanted to do Cousin Camp again, but with a Star Wars theme this time and on his ACTUAL birthday.

My family and a good friend helped me make these Jedi robes for Andrew and each of his 5 guests.

Here is our schedule for the party games.

When our young Padawans arrived we played a Star Wars Lego Bingo game. We used Star Wars gummies as our markers.

Next we played a game called Musical Masks. I placed several laminated Star Wars character masks on the floor and played Star Wars music. When the music stopped, each child had to tell the name of the character they had landed on.

We played a game called Save the Princess. We had hidden pictures of Princess Leia inside of 6 silver balloons. We showed the children the infamous "Help me Obi Wan Kenobi" scene.

Then they were challenged to use the "Force" to save the princess. Andrew tried to sit on his balloon to pop it. Then he tried to lay flat across it. Even with Chad pushing on him, it wouldn't pop. We finally had to use ~~scissors~~ a lightsaber to save her. The other balloons luckily did not prove quite so stubborn.

The young Padawans continued to practice using the force with this Restore Order to the Galaxy game. They used their hoods to blindfold themselves and tried to destroy the enemies ships.

The Scavenger Hunt game was next. I handed Andrew a Star Wars backpack. A clue was hidden in the side pocket. Each of the children took turns finding clues throughout the house. I had found lots of little Star Wars toys that opened and a few pez dispensers that I hid the clues inside of. They placed the clue and the toy in the book bag before heading to the next clue.

The Scavenger Hunt ended outside with a special ceremony where they were each awarded their own light saber. (Nerf ones we found on sale).

They were then prepared for official Jedi training with Jedi Master Uncle Chad/Daddy. They practiced their balancing skills over hot lava.

They practiced their aim with flying discs.

They practiced their Jedi jumps on the trampoline. (He took off his robe because the trampoline was wet).

They ran an obstacle course with Master Yoda on their backs.

The favorite part of the training was racing the ~~monster truck~~ Landspeeder.

When the Jedi training was completed, armed with their light sabers, the young Jedis set off to destroy Darth Vader and get candy!

We went inside for refreshments.

Nana, Papa, Grandma, Grandpa, and 4 of Andrew's Aunts were there to celebrate with us, too! We ate Padawan Pizza, Death Star Doughnuts, Light Sabers (grapes on lollipop sticks), Lava Laces (red Twizzlers), Wookie Cookies, C-Cheese-P-Os, and Yoda Soda. My sister, Emily, made this fabulous cake!

We ended by opening presents. Each cousin went home with their robe, light saber, Star Wars Silly bands, coloring books, Star Wars Lego Ships, and Star Wars stickers.

Even Molly got dressed up for the party in her brother's t-shirt.

That night, Andrew got to stay up late and watch Star Wars: A New Hope for the first time. He was so excited that he was actually speechless. For perhaps the first time in his entire life. When he finally found his voice (several minutes into the movie) his one word reply? "AWESOME!"

Andrew's 6 Year Old Favorites

2010-12-23T11:48:00.002-05:00

Food: Pepperoni, Olive, and Cheese Pizza
Color: Gold
TV Show: Cyber Chase
Movie: Star Wars (which he saw for the first time last night)
Super Hero: Spies
Song: "Revenge of the Sith" by John Williams
Best Friends: My Cousins
Book: Star Wars Epic Battles
Toy: Birdie (a stuffed bird that chirps that he bought with his own money)
Sport: Soccer

Animal: Bird

Andrew weighs 39 pounds and is 41 and 7/8ths inches tall.
That is the 4th percentile for height and the 11th for weight.

I will post a lot more about his big day soon. Just wanted to get his annual interview up before I forgot.

Andrew's Birthday Celebration at School

2010-12-20T08:19:00.000-05:00

Since Andrew's birthday is over Christmas Break, they celebrated his birthday on the last day before break. We brought in popcorn, Fruitables juice boxes, and bird whistles to share with his classmates.

His classmates each made birthday cards with pictures of cake that they colored for him as their response to the question of the day. They each shared what kind of cake they made for him. Most of the kids named a specific flavor (chocolate, lemonade, strawberry). Except for the girl he says he is going to marry. She said she made him a Star Wars cake.

We had a two hour delay the last day of school, due to icy roads, so we combined his birthday snack with lunch.

It's the Most Scientific Time of the Year

2010-12-12T23:55:00.000-05:00

Christmas is a magical time in a child's life. A time of wonder and excitement. A time to believe and a time to anticipate. And at our house, a time to estimate. Yes, Andrew has learned all about making charts at school with two columns. One with your estimation of what something might be and a second with the actual result. At school, I think they are estimating beans and counters. Somehow Andrew has decided that this would work really well with Christmas presents. So this morning I found him next to the Christmas tree, paper and pencil in hand, investigating each of his own presents. "I'm feeling textures and shapes, Mommy. I need to make a good estimate of what I think might be in here. I will keep this list next to the tree and when it is Christmas morning, I can see if I am right." He has even gone as far as comparing the sounds of other toys in our home with his presents to see if the sounds match. As you can see from his face, Andrew is taking this very seriously.

In a related story, Daddy has created a new rule in our house. "No one may touch any more presents until Christmas." (Because Andrew has successfully guessed ~~at least one~~ almost all of them).

Lazy 5 Ranch

2010-12-12T23:45:00.002-05:00

I am not a very spontaneous person. I am a planner. I have every moment of each day planned. I am a mother of 3 small children, so my plans are flexible. Which really means I have five or six back up plans in case things don't go well. I had planned to take my bird obsessed children to the Raptor Museum on Friday. But when we found out late Thursday night that the Raptor Museum did not have live bird shows on weekdays, I needed a backup plan quick. I googled "fun things to do with kids in Charlotte" and found the Lazy 5 Ranch. I copied the address and we headed there instead.

I am so glad we went! It was an amazing day. The Lazy 5 Ranch is a privately owned zoo. They allow you to drive your van through a 3 and a half mile safari trail, roll your windows down, and feed the animals from your van. I thought that perhaps the animals would be behind gates and would reach their heads over to get the food. Nope. They are allowed to roam free on the reservation and block your car and knock on your windows until you feed them. Seriously. We laughed and we laughed, especially Molly, as the animals surrounded our car refusing to let us move forward. If we forced our way, they chased our car.

We saw giraffes, rhino, emus, llamas, rheas, pigs, cattle, deer, zebras, elk, camels, swans, and OSTRICHES! I have to admit, the ostriches were a little too intense for me. And I think all of their other animal friends felt the same way. Every time we tried to feed an animal that was not an ostrich, they ran up and pecked the other animals out of the way. And they were very messy eaters who spilled food all inside our car. (Unlike the very polite rheas who ate neatly and shared with the llamas). What a neat experience it was. At one point Chad was nipped by an ostrich. I jokingly commented, "How many people can say they have been bitten by an ostrich?" Andrew piped up, in complete dead pan, "How many people can say they have been bitten by an ostrich...I can say that, that is really easy." A few more years till this one gets sarcasm, I think.

After the safari, we parked our car and headed into the gift shop. The boys each picked out a stuffed animal bird toy that chirps and peacock feathers as souvenirs. Molly really wanted this purple hat, but for $13, we decided a picture of it would suffice.

In addition to the safari you can drive through, there is also a petting zoo. We spent over 2 hours walking through and looking at all of the animals. Not once did the kids complain or say they were tired or hungry. In addition to your normal petting zoo animals, there were dozens of different kinds of birds (which made my novice bird enthusiasts delighted). There was even an awesome Noah's Ark playground to play on.

I imagine that it is even better in the spring, with all of the new baby animals and the wagon rides and all of the animals on display (some were inside due to the cold temperatures). We will definitely visit again this spring. Though I can't imagine enjoying ourselves more than we did on Friday. It is so rare to find an activity that ALL 5 of us have a good time at, even the baby. Although, if I visit again, we will do the wagon ride instead. Our car needs to be detailed badly now. (yeah...no more llama slobber inside my car).

When it was time to go, we hopped in our van to go get some lunch. (It was 3pm and we had only had snacks since breakfast). However, our van wouldn't start. So while Chad called and arranged for a tow truck and rental car, the hungry kids and I went and spent another hour exploring the petting zoo.

I think that all of the fun we had that day together made the fact that our car broke down easier to handle. Even though we were stranded and hungry, seriously, no one complained. Not once. We didn't want to break the spell of our fun day. We laughed, and were grateful that it broke down in a parking lot instead of in the middle of the animal safari with the scary ostriches (the tow truck operator said he has towed several cars out of there over the years) or on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere in the cold. We were grateful for great friends who covered for us and our responsibilities at the ward party that night. We hopped into one rental car, drove to the car rental place, changed it for a second, went to the repair shop, and then finally got something to eat around 6pm. I am so proud of my kiddos. They were real troopers. And I am grateful for fun backup plans!

First Snow of the Year

2010-12-12T23:17:00.001-05:00

When I was a little girl, my mom and I didn't have a lot of money. She was a single mom and we lived in a small mobile home together. Despite our lack of worldly riches, my wonderful mother worked really hard to make Christmas magical for me. We decorated the entire house for Christmas. We tried to do lots of fun things that didn't cost any money. I remember one night she took me for a drive through a neighborhood with large beautiful homes, all adorned for Christmas. I loved all of the bright lights and sparkly decorations. I can vividly remember one yellow house that had no Christmas lights, just simple wreaths with red bows hanging on each window. I thought is was lovelier than any of the other houses covered with flashy light displays. I imagined that when I was a grownup, I would buy a yellow house, and when it was Christmas, I would hang wreaths on every window. I have lived in my little yellow "house of dreams" for 7 years now, but this is the first that we have managed to get my wreaths up. I think the little girl I used to be would love it!

Santa at the Library

2010-12-12T22:54:00.000-05:00

Our local library had a Christmas party this week, complete with a visit from Santa. They made Christmas ornaments and ate Christmas cookies. Santa read The Night Before Christmas to the children. Then he allowed the children to come and share Christmas wishes. Andrew asked for $60, Ryan asked for a Toy Story Train, and Molly asked to get down.

90th Birthday Party

2010-11-28T23:27:00.002-05:00

My Nanie Julia celebrated her 90th birthday on Thanksgiving Day! We had a lovely time honoring her at a special party with family at my cousin's beautiful home.

Nanie is a remarkable woman. She is a survivor, and a beautiful example of strength. She is the mother of 7 children, grandmother of 18, and great grandmother of 23 (and counting). She is a lover of clothes, shoes, and Elvis. She still lives in her own home and drives a car. She attends church and her missionary meetings. She reads her bible, daily. She even has a special "friend." I am so grateful that she is healthy and that she is part of my children's lives.

At her party, we feasted (it was Thanksgiving, after all), ate cake, and played a version of "This is Your Life." Friends and family wrote in stories about her. We took turns reading the memories, and she tried to guess who wrote each one. And of course, we DANCED! If you have never seen a 90 year old woman doing the Twist, make sure to watch the short video! It was such a fun and happy day, as we enjoyed honoring the life of this woman who loves and is loved by so many.

***My cousin took pictures of the birthday girl and individual families with her fantastic camera. I am sure they are much better than mine, so I will share those too, when I get them.

Thanks and Giving Tree 2010

2010-11-28T21:39:00.000-05:00

Each November, our family creates a Thanks and Giving Tree in our kitchen. After dinner each night, we write down one thing we are thankful for on a paper leaf. On the opposite side of the leaf, we write down one good deed we did that day. We display the side with our gratitude and hide our good works.

Here are our boys' lists for 2010 written in random order. (Molly was a little too young to tell us what she was grateful for, and Chad and I don't think anyone really cares too much about ours. But please know, if you are reading this, you are one of the people we are grateful for).

Ryan

Molly
Playing at the park
Doughnuts
Candy
Milk
Cousins (2 times)
Snow
Cereal
My kitty toy
My toys
Cups
Books
These Leaves
Macaroni and Cheese
My toy superman
Clifford Books
peanut butter
Mommy
Our Baby Sister

Andrew

My family
Birds
My school
My Karate Gi
Legos
Cool Babysitters
Dad's video games
Friends
My mommy
Food
Heavenly Father
Jesus Christ
The Holy Ghost
Aunts and Uncles
Books
My brother
Winter and cold stuff
Fruits and Vegetables
My WHOLE family(He said there were too many to list).

Molly's 18th Month

2010-11-21T20:14:00.001-05:00

Molly was a busy little girl during her 18th month. She learned to talk, loves to be a helper, sings, follows simple directions, folds her arms during prayer, and climbs into the bathroom sinks. She has never met an obstacle she couldn't climb. At the beginning of the month, Molly was saying about 7 words fairly clearly. By the end she was up to 38 and counting. Complete language explosion. She loves dolls and is quite the little nurturer. Her brother was feeling sick this week and she kept stroking his head and giving him kisses and saying, "Bubba." She loves all things pink and princess. Besides a language explosion, she has also had a growth explosion! She went from 4 teeth to 10, and is now also cutting molars. Her hair grew longer. She went from comfortably wearing 6-12 month clothes to wearing 12-18 month clothes with little to no room to spare in height. (completely skipped 12 month sizes). That being said, she was in the 7th percentile for height (21 inches), 5th for weight (19 pounds), and 50th for head at her appointment. The doctor predicts she will be about 5 foot 3 as an adult. She also said Molly had a little bit of torsion in her right foot which should correct itself.

***Molly's words (give or take a few) at the end of 18 months.
Bird, cat, dog, that, ball, bubbles, tank-you, Da-da, Bubba, hi, uh-oh, bath, down, baby, woof, quack, please, Puh-Boo(peek a boo), car, Shh, Shh, Shh (Wheels on the Bus), Nana, Papa, thirsty, book, more, yeah, shoe, wa-wa (water), cheese, Jesus, temple, this, hot, pancake, wafa (waffle), and MAMA!

(My friend, Courtney, took these awesome pics of Molly).

Army or War Person

2010-11-14T22:27:00.001-05:00

My mom and dad came up to visit us on Veterans Day and came to Andrew's class as surprise guests. (Andrew had no idea and was so excited. His jaw dropped open when they walked in). They ate lunch with him first.

After lunch my dad read the class a book I had written a couple of years ago about my dad's service in the military, and shared a few fun facts. He also patiently listened to tons of stories from the children in Andrew's class about the every branch of the military, hunting deer, and family dramas which included a little TMI.

At the end of the visit he gave each of the children a flag to take home and they all held their flags and said the Pledge of Allegiance. (Thank you so much for visiting our school! It was so much fun)!

The teacher posts a question of the day each morning for the children to answer. On Veterans Day she posted the following question.

Andrew filled out both sides of his card. On the first he wrote, "My Papa is in the Army." and drew a picture of my dad in camo with a gun.

This is his second side of the card that he wrote.

Translated: "My cousin is in Karate." -Andrew (Therefore making him a "war" person, he explained to the class). I LOVE LOVE LOVE how he spelled "Cor-o-TAY!"