A Treat

We always look forward to parent/teacher conferences. We get a chance to observe the kids at work in their classroom, and always have a wonderful snack served to us :)

ALS Awareness and a little ice

Earlier this week, I was nominated by my brother for the ALS ice bucket challenge, and I made a donation to alsa.org in memory of our grandmother. However, the kids were disappointed to learn that I did not partake in the whole ice bucket thing :) So they were promptly nominated, and here we go.

First Day of School

Kindergarten and Second Grade, bring it on!

Busted

One afternoon, a few weeks ago, I was baking with the kids. We had to wait for one of the cookie sheets to be done in the oven before loading it up again with another batch of dough. So I told the kids to go play, and we'd meet back up again 7 minutes.

We reconvened, and I noticed Cole was chewing something. I asked what it was, and he said it was nothing. I asked again, and Lauren, apparently developing a conscience, said "we have to tell the truth".

After a little more questioning, Cole finally confessed to taking some chewy fruit snack packets from the pantry and eating them - in his closet. I went there to find around 10 empty packets, carefully concealed beneath some clothes on the floor. He'd apparently eaten 8 packets earlier in the morning, and just shared the final 2 with Lauren. Sneaky, sneaky.....

Right Now | Jul 2014

Lauren (age 7): Has a wiggly tooth. Is working on the breaststroke. Can't stop reading. Takes lunch orders as her evening chore. Has a new interest in drawing. Is collecting yogurt containers to build a castle. Enjoys singing.

Cole (age 5): Can count to 100 by twos. Loves to bake. Has discovered potty humor. Is enjoying his first season of basketball. Is quite the jokester - always saying 'tricked ya'. Practicing cursive. Always says 'thank-you' when receiving a compliment.

In the Garden and Around the Yard

Prepping and planting of the seeds for a fall/winter garden.

Lauren cutting some burlap to protect our cactus from the blazing sun.

Oops, too late. And yes, a cactus can actually die.

But never fear, a replacement has arrived.

One of our garden visitors, a tomato hornworm.

And a visitor in waiting - look closely.

Right Now | Aug 2013

Lauren (age 6): Prefers cartwheels over walking. Is a tad feisty. Earned a yellow belt in Karate. Loves a long shower. Is addicted to reading. Likes avocados, and apples.

Cole (age 4): Loves to swim. Can tie his shoelace. Enjoys singing 'God Bless the USA'. Is learning to read. Always asks "Where's Lauren?" Still loves cars, trucks, and trains....

In the Kitchen

Tried 2 new recipes plus one old favorite this weekend. Cole was my sous chef for the baking activities; he did all right :)

First up was the old favorite, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, based on this EF recipe with substitutions to make dairy and egg-free. They were a tad on the crispy side (maybe because of the substitutions?), so need to make a note to decrease the baking time.

Next was the first attempt to recreate Pita Jungle's hummus :) I used this recipe, adding cilantro to half of the batch (yum!). It was very tasty, and pretty straight-forward. Although I think I'll aim for a little thinner consistency next time.

And finally, tried a new vegan banana bread recipe - it smells delicious, but we won't have our first taste until breakfast tomorrow.

Nature Walk

We've been taking a few evening 'nature walks', while the weather is still cool enough. Lauren likes to look for interesting items to pick up - flower petals, seeds, etc. Cole wants to walk up everyone's driveway....

Sunday Fun

The kids have been asking to go swimming at the YCMA, and we finally went. It was a little chilly (83F) but no matter. They had a blast tossing and diving for the assortment of diving sticks, rings, and toy boats.

In the afternoon we redeemed the kids' free bowling game coupons that we received at Lauren's party. The cashier even waived the fee for Stew and my shoe rentals :)

'You're It!'

The cousins (and Stew) starting up a game of freeze tag, on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

Santa Visit

We still don't know what's up with Cole's pouty face... he was pretty set on not smiling I guess. Ah, it will make for humorous memories one day. Otherwise, we had lots of fun time at the annual Winter Wonderland at work.

Cole really enjoyed the trains.

Lauren's favorite activity was icing (and eating) a sugar cookie.

Contentment

Cole could literally sit and watch the Frosty Train circle the tree for hours.... Also note the sole ornament hung thus far - Lauren's newly acquired 'Rapunzel' which she purchased with her Disney Store gift card.

Mid-Sabbatical Crisis

Only 4 weeks left, and I'm actually starting to feel a bit of panic set in. So much to do, so little time. Our biggest projects - remodeling our backyard, and decorating our master bedroom - are still in the early stages, but we've been doing a lot of research. In any case, here's a look back at our 6 weeks so far. We've....

Traveled.

Explored.

And explored some more.

Indulged.

Nursed a sick cat back to health.

Tried new recipes.

And modified some of the kids' favorites.

Shopped.

Played.

Exercised.

Baked.

Encouraged.

And relaxed.

Q & A

There is many a moment, when I ask the question 'Cole, do you have to go to the bathroom?' I usually ask when he's either 1) quite still, yet a little bit wriggly, or 2) hopping around like he's got ants in his pants. Here are some of the answers he's given me over the last couple months...

Q: Cole, do you have to go to the bathroom?

A: No, I'm just resting.
A: No, I'm just sliding.
A: No, I'm just dancing.
A: No, I'm just yawning.

And my personal favorite....

A: No, Mommy, I'm just smiling at you - that's not my poo-poo face.

Quotables

Overheard on Fri morning, Cole to Lauren: "I don't like you telling on me, I'm telling on you!" Gotta love those baby monitors, they provide some good entertainment :)

Soccer Time

Cole and Lauren are both trying soccer this summer, through the indoor league at the YCMA. Cole and I kicked around the ball last night in the back yard, he was in heaven.

Right Now | May 2012

Lauren (age 5): Reads her own bed-time stories. Enjoys jumping rope. Loves to hug. Is learning freestyle. Offers Cole some of her snack when he has finished his.

Cole (age 3): Loves to throw anything. Sleeps without covers. Is obsessed with sun butter. Can name over 10 types of trucks. Always asks "what are we going to do next?"

School Pics

School photos are back. They crack me up, every time.... 2011 pictures are on the left for reference.

Two years in a row? I had to purchase at least one sheet, because how can you pass up that face? :)

Lauren's turned out pretty good, I was pleasantly surprised.

But this is actually how I sent her to school. Notice the new hairdo in the school pic - a ponytail mysteriously sprouted...

A Long Day

Day 2 of my vacation week started out well - a good mix of productivity and fun: eye doctor appt, Starbuck's coffee stop, grocery shopping, lunch with Stew at the newly opened My Big Fat Greek Restaurant, and off to see a matinee of The Hunger Games. But not 2 (!) minutes into the movie, I got a phone call from Cole's teacher saying that he'd woken up from his nap, and had thrown up - and needed to be picked up. And the (not so) funny thing, was that Stew had taken off the afternoon so we could go see a movie. So we left.

Poor timing, and poor Cole... He's definitely got some stomach bug or something because he's got a fever, and there were a few more vomiting episodes, including one in Stew's car (Stew is really glad he decided to take the afternoon 'off'). After a bath for Cole, and following me around the house for a short while, he told me he wanted to do a [hula-hoop] contest, and next thing I know he's asleep in the middle of the purple hula-hoop. Poor Cole :(

Alas, lunch was tasty (assuming I didn't ruin that for you with my talk above) - they have a $5 lunch special, with your choice of pita (I had chicken souvlaki), and fries or salad. Will definitely be back, hopefully on a less eventful day.