Backyard Fun!

We've really been enjoying the nice weather here in Texas. 

The kids have been spending a lot of time outside.  We have a great backyard at this house.

The kids aren't the only ones who spend a lot of time outside!



How's the weather where you live?



Cow Appreciation Day!

Friday was Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-a. If you dressed like a cow you got a free meal! My 12 year old son LOVES chick-fil-a so it wasn't hard to talk him into this. I couldn't believe he actually did it. He's so concerned about his appearance these days.




Chick-fil-a is having a photo contest. The photo with the most votes wins free Chick-fil-a for a year! So if you'd like to vote for our photo you can go here. You vote by clicking the like button.

http://apps.facebook.com/chickfila-photo/photos/detail/375

Claire didn't want to do it. She doesn't eat their chicken (crazy, right?) so I bribed her with a fruit cup to do it and get a meal for me! That morning she raised the stakes and I had to get her ice cream too! I love this picture because it shows her tail!

Some friends joined us for lunch. Aren't these some cute cows??

Maid for a day!

Here's a funny story from our house this weekend. I made green and red jello. Each child had a bowl of each flavor. I told them they each one got 1 red and 1 green. Well, Nathan, who is 12 and has a bad habit of tuning me out, ate both green ones. When I saw him eating one the second day I asked him if it was a different color than he had the previous day. He said no. Claire was taking her bath at this time. I told him that she was going to be really mad and he would have to deal with her because he didn't listen. Well, the first thing she does when she gets out of the bath is head for her green jello in the fridge. The next few minutes went something like this:

Claire (yelling from the kitchen): Where's my green jello?

Me (pointing to Nathan): He ate it!

Claire (bending down with her hands on her hips and yelling): That was mine! Why did you eat my green jello?

Me (trying to keep her from totally exploding): I'm sorry he ate it. You can pick his punishment.

Claire (rather quickly): He can be my maid!

So, we told Nathan he had to be her maid the entire day on Sunday. Claire loved this! She woke up saying "Where's my maid?" She made him clean her room and play supermarket. Then, he had to make her more green jello. I ran to the store in the evening and when I got back she had him in the kitchen making her pancakes for dinner!


Bossing him around sure came easy to her!


We made him go along with it because he never listens anymore. I'm hoping this will help him remember to pay attention when I tell him something. I'm also guessing that he won't ever eat her jello again!

Catching up & the Zoo

Wow, its been awhile since I've posted on my blog! I've had so much going on lately. I think about posts that I want to post, but I never get the time to do it!

So, here is a brief run-down of what we've been up to... Nathan was on a Faith & History team. This is an academic contest where they answer questions over our faith and the history of the catholic church. This was his first year to do it. I was really proud of him. He and his friends did a great job. We've been meeting once a week to study and this weekend was the contest.

We also seem to have a lot of appointments this month...dentists, ortho, had Claire's 7 yr pictures taken, etc. etc. I've posted one of Claire's pictures in the margin of my blog. They turned out real cute. This week is spring break for most area kids, but we still do school. I like to get out at the end of April so I don't usually take a spring break unless we go on a trip.

We also went to the zoo the other day. Claire's girl scout troop had a field trip to the Dallas zoo. I hadn't been there in years. They have a great kids area and a nature exchange. The kids had a blast. We are going back for homeschool day in a couple of weeks.

Here are some pictures from our trip:

The big tortoises are my favorite!

This guy looks grumpy!

Nathan had a good time goofing off!

Isn't this a cool picture?


Claire loved the aviary!

Well, that's a little of what we've been up to. What have you been up to??

Happy Birthday to Claire!

Seven years ago today we were blessed with a beautiful baby girl!

I can't believe its has been 7 years!


It seems like just yesterday she was turning 1!

She loves to play,

and she loves to cook...

and dance!

She'll always be our little princess.

Always.

No matter how grown up she thinks she is!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Claire!!

Time to Wine Thursday

Well, this week hasn't been too bad. Last Friday my husband and I started a little yard project. So, we spent the weekend shoveling dirt and rock from the front yard and hauling it to the back. It was hard work and it was hot, but I'm not complaining about it because I'm glad we did it. The yard looks better now. I will post before and after pics as soon as we get the final few things done.

My one horrible experience came when I was out getting shrubs for the yard. I took my daughter with me to the Plant Shed. We got the shrubs we needed and picked out some flowers. We were admiring all of the bees and butterflies all over the zinnias. Well, apparantly, one of the bees took a liking to Claire's pink shirt and crawled in it. Of course, we didn't know this until she got in the car and sat back to buckle up!

I was backing the car up so I could drive it over to load up our stuff. She started screaming, "My back! My back!" I thought she burned herself on a hot part of the car seat or something, but she just kept yelling. Then she said "A bee bit me!" I threw the car in park and got her out. I took of her shirt. (Which she was NOT happy about!) and shook it out. She kept saying, "It flew away, put my shirt back on!" Well, it hurt really bad. The bees were really big...not your average little honey bees. She just kept crying. I felt so bad for her. She had never been stung by anything like that before.

I have a first aid kit in the van. My minivan has a little "trunk" area in the back that I can raise up and there are 3 shallow compartments. That's where I keep the first aid kit. Of course, we had just come from Lowe's and there were heavy stepping stones and large bags of mulch sitting on it so I couldn't open it! This entire time she's crying and people are looking at us like we're crazy! I started pulling bags of mulch out and heaving stepping stones off of the trunk lid. I finally got to the first aid kit and discovered that I didn't have anything in it for insect bites! I did have an antiseptic wipe that I gave her and that made it feel better.

The up side: she's not allergic to bee stings!

To join the Thursday Tirade visit Just Add Walter

8:00 AM

At 8:00 this morning I was just about to get out of bed. (Yes, I don't get up until 8:00. That the great thing about homeschooling!) Then, I heard the neighbor dog barking and an engine. I jumped out of bed and opened the bedroom door. My daughter met me yelling the dump truck is in the driveway!!

We were expecting the truck. (Just not at 8 am!) We are giving our yard a bit of a makeover. My husband had ordered some dirt and gravel. He's taking off tomorrow to work on it. I took before pictures so I will post before and after pics when we are done.

Anyway, I threw on some clothes and stuck a headband in my hair which was falling in my face. I caught the guy before he dumped it. Good thing. My van was in the garage. He told me you better get it out the dirt will spread when I dump it. So the very nice man moved his truck and let me pull my van out. Good that I did...I would have never gotten it out with all that dirt!

So, I had to sweep up and shovel a little of it so I could pull the van onto part of the driveway when he left. I had actually worked up a sweat at 8:30 in the morning! We also had to tarp it because there is a chance of rain this afternoon. Yet another reason I like homeschooling...I had 2 extra sets of hands to help me with the tarp!

What do you get when you combine 7 cu. yards of dirt, 1 cu. yard of gravel and 2 homeschooled kids?


Recess!

Claire was helping shovel the uncovered dirt under the tarp...with her little blue shovel!!

Kids do the funniest things

This is kind of a continuation of yesterday's post. Claire has struck again!

She is studying the 5 senses in science. Today she had to fill in the blanks of a poem about summer. It went something like this...
Summer is______(a sound)
Summer is ______(a sight) etc. etc.

Well when she got to a smell she was stumped. I said, "Well what is something you can smell in summer?" She said, "Sweaty birds?" I said that we don't really smell the birds, but maybe she could think of something else sweaty that she could smell. She said, "Sweaty kids?" I said, "yea, that will work and its true! You guys can get smelly!"

Well, she sat quietly at her desk writing. Then she told me she was finished. I walked over to read her line and it said "Sweaty moms"!! Can you believe that? She was offended at my comment about sweaty kids so she changed it to moms! She cracks me up daily!

Kids say the funniest things

Claire is always saying something funny. Today during school I was standing behind her watching her do her work and she started making beeping/alarm sounds. I tried to ignore it so I wouldn't make her want to do it more, but finally she said, "You're affecting the system, back up!" So, now when I stand to close to her desk she starts beeping!

Last week we went to a local art museum. As we were driving up Claire starts yelling, "I saw a president! I saw a president!" I was helping my husband look for a parking space so I didn't pay much attention to her. Then she exclaims, "I saw a president! The one from the dollar bill! See, he's not dead!" There was an older gentleman with a head full of fluffy white hair wearing a dark sports coat. She thought he was George Washington!

Have your kids said anything funny lately?

Day at Six Flags

Yesterday I took the kids to Six Flags. They had such a good time! My son brought along a friend so he really enjoyed getting to go on the big rides he doesn't normally get to go on when its just me and the kids.

Bugs and the gang...

Here is Claire with that Six Flags guy from their commercials. They have a mask that he wears and it is really creepy! The eyes look human but they never move or blink. Its like they are just staring at you. I can't believe Claire wanted to take a picture of him. I think he would freak most kids out!

This is the Mr. Freeze Ride. My son had never been on it before. You go through loops, then they bring you straight up and drop you backwards through the loops! This sounds just awful to me, but my son loved it! He and his friend rode it 3 times! That's all he could talk about yesterday when we got home! (A close up picture of the ride is my new header picture.)

Claire loves to take pictures with all the characters! Its funny, at Disney there are always lines to meet the characters. At six flags the poor things just wander around until someone like Claire comes up and asks to take a picture with them!

On the log ride...

Whee! Claire is the one with her hands up in the air!

I don't really like Six Flags. I only go because the kids to a reading club every year in which they (and me since I'm the teacher) get free tickets. They have fun though. Yesterday it was really empty for a theme park in summertime. There was hardly a wait for anything. I guess its the economy? I'm not sure, but I couldn't believe how few people were there.

Child Training Tuesday

Today Elizabeth at Family Life With the Babler Family asked about chores and payment for the kids.

Here is what we do...

Both kids are expected to pick up after themselves...make their beds, clean their rooms, put their clothes away, etc. I do help Claire with some since she is only 6. They do not get paid for these things. We consider them part of being in a family and doing your part.

My son (11) clears the table after dinner. He also mows the lawn. He gets $5 each time he mows, but is not paid for other chores around the house. He is saving his money for a laptop so he mows without complaining because he wants the money!

My daughter (6) is suppose to set the table for dinner. Most days she does. She does not get paid for this. However, during the year, she does certain chores to earn her monthly dues for girl scouts. We made a sticker chart and when she got 10 stickers in a month she got $1, which was her dues for the month. The chores on the chart were simple things like picking up after the cat, dust mopping the floor, carrying in groceries, etc. Since we have started paying her brother to mow she wants to make money too, so I think this year I will give her $2 for getting 10 stickers. That way she can keep one and pay her dues with the other.

My kids have often asked for an allowance and we've always said no. Partially because we pretty much buy them whatever they need anyway. Partially because we think they should learn to be part of a family/community and do things because they should be done, not because they are getting paid to do them.

Since mowing the lawn is a bigger chore and a service that people actually pay for we are paying our son. Its not much, but the yard is small and he just mows...no edging or anything. If he starts doing it all we'll probably pay him more.

Great question, Elizabeth! I can't wait to see what others say.

No more "I'm Bored"!

Have your kids been chanting the summer chorus of "I'm bored"? Mine have. The other day I got an idea. My car was a mess so I told them the next one to say I'm bored has to clean it out. Wow, that worked great! It's been days since I've heard it.

Nathan slipped up today though so I got my car cleaned out!! :)

Of course little sister, Miss I want to do everything he does, wanted to "help". I told her no, to stay inside. It's over 100 degrees outside! Of course she went out anyway. She got in trouble and I sent her back in....or so I thought. My son came in, closed the garage door, and then the doorbell rings. Guess who stuck off to the other side of the house when she was told to go inside? Needless to say, she's in big trouble!

Anyway, the I'm Bored chore seems to work. Next chore...scrubbing the sticky hairspray residue off of my bathroom floor!

VBS

This week is a busy one...VBS. I am head of crafts. Lots of planning goes into crafts, but the actual week you can kind of sit back and just let the kids do the work! Today went by really fast and I have great helpers...both adult and teen.

Check out the sign I made for our station.

Cute, huh? I would like to take credit for drawing the little crawfish, but alas, I cannot tell a lie! I printed out a coloring page from the internet and kinda traced it on.

My daugher loves VBS! She was so excited today. She really likes the fact that she gets a shirt every year. This year its yellow. She was happy because she's never gotten a yellow one before! Girls! Always focused on the clothes!

My son is a volunteer. I'm very proud of him. This is his 2nd year to volunteer. Since he is homeschooled and is a year ahead he started volunteering when most others his age were still participating. He's always very helpful and responsible. Now, if I could just get him to be like that at home!

Tomorrow we get to do VBS and Claire's gymnastics. I'm going to try the amazing feat of being 2 places at once! Just kidding, I'm really just going to be a little late to VBS!

Kids are funny

Today we went to the store and there was a bag blowing in the parking lot. Nathan kicked it under a car and said "I bet it won't be there when we come out." {no one bet him} Then he added, "it just blew away! I win!" Claire said "No you don't, no one was competioning!"

We had a good laugh before I explained that the word is competing, not competioning!

New Glasses!

Claire had to get glasses. She was so excited! She picked out the frames herself...after much careful consideration! She tried some on and said "too rectangly" or "too round". She was so cute. When they came in she begged me to go get them that day!

I'm so happy she likes them. My husband said when he got glasses as a kid he didn't want to wear them. I think Claire likes them because they are just another cute accessory!



Claire is that child of ours that always has something. When she was a baby she had to have part of her esophagus removed. It was almost grown shut in one place...just some weird thing she was born with. She also has a peanut allergy, has had colon polyps, has dry skin/eczema, seasonal allergies, and she will never be able to throw up (thanks to the surgery when she was a baby). You should see the stack of buisness cards I have for all of her doctors! She has a pediatrician, dentist, allergist, dermatologist, gastrointerologist, and now, an optometrist. With all of that, she is suprisingly easy going and has never been scared of doctors or anything. She went right into the eye exam by herself. She even had her eyes dialated. She never complained at all! Sometimes she just amazes me!

Girls Night Out

Last night my husband and son went to the Rangers double header so it was just Claire and I at home. I told her I'd take her out to dinner. We went to Mimi's Cafe. She is such a prim and proper little girl when she wants to be! She has excellent manners in a restaurant. She wants to do everything the proper way. She ordered spaghetti last night and twisted each bite onto her fork before she ate it! She's better at twirling spaghetti than most adults! It was such a nice little mom and daughter outing!

Nathan not allowed!

Since summer has started Nathan's new favorite past time is aggravating Claire. This is the sign she made for her door yesterday. I think it just about sums up what she thinks of her brother annoying her!

My kids are so sweet!

Yesterday my husband and I watched a movie in our bedroom. (We always watch anything PG13 or R in there so that the kids won't hear the language on it.) Anyway, half way through the movie I hear my oven timer go off. I got up to see what was going on and I found Nathan pulling a pan of chocolate chip cookies out of the oven! He turned around and said, Happy Anniversary, I made you cookies! How sweet was that?

I had recently found a really good deal on boxes of Duncan Hines Chocolate Chip Cookie mix and bought several. Nathan can mix them up pretty easily. Chris told me to buy more of those so he'll keep making us cookies!

And while Nathan was making the cookies, Claire made us each one an anniversary card! They are such sweet kids when they want to be!

Nathan's dinner last night

We go out for lunch every Sunday after church. Since we are usually full for the rest of the day we eat very little for dinner...a bowl of cereal, a sandwich, etc. And since everyone gets hungry at a different time we all just go get what we want when we want.

Well, last night my 11 yr. old son went in the kitchen to get something. I just assumed he was making a sandwich or something. I sat down to watch tv with my husband and forgot all about it. I thought he had finished and gone upstairs. NOPE! My husband went into the kitchen and I hear, "Come here, you've got to see this!" This is what I found...

Nathan's explanation: "I came in here to eat a bowl of cereal. After I did that, I found the chips, pretzels, and goldfish in the pantry so I ate those. Then, I thought this is NOT healthy! So, I got some yogurt and peanuts."

(The peanuts were honey roasted too, so I'm not sure how healthy that really was!)

I must say, I like his reasoning...pig out on a bunch of junk food and then to counter the unhealthiness of it, just eat some yogurt and peanuts!! Oh, if only that really worked!!

Chef Nathan

Last night at dinner Nathan proclaimed he was hungry for a big chocolate chip cookie. My husband and I both said, "well, make one!" So after dinner I gave him a recipe and told him to go to work. Of course, Claire wanted to help. They pretty much did everything on their own. The cookies were very yummy too! We had them warm out of the oven with chocolate chip ice cream on top. (Blue Bell, of course!) Here are some pics of the kids hard at work. Nathan decided he liked eating cookies much more than making them! (I think he gets that from his dad!!)