End of the Week Randoms

Per Jimmy's request, I made another hand-drawn picture for him to watercolor for the wall in his room.  This time, it was a butterfly -- perfect for the Spring weather that we are experiencing.

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The girls had their annual dance recital and both performed in the Tap Production.  We are SO proud of them!

It was an Elvis-song themed production and it was incredible!

This was likely Samantha's last dance recital because she has found other interests in high school to devote her time to.  While I am a little sad that she has chosen to give it up, I know that it is her choice and I am so excited to see her spread her wings.  Sophia, on the other hand, will continue with dance as she has an even bigger passion for it.

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At the end of the semester, I put together little bags for all of my students prior to their final exam to remind them that they are one "smart cookie."  They were definitely appreciated!

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Look who is missing both of his front teeth!

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Jack had a 4th Grade Spring Music Concert at school and was excited to show off all of his recorder skills.  Those pieces of yarn tied at the end?  He has received a "ribbon" for each song that he has mastered, and there are very few students (himself included) that have mastered all of the 4th grade songs and even the 5th grade songs!

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Mother's Day gifts wrapped and ready for Grammy!  I stumbled upon his cute cherry wrapping paper on sale and have been waiting to use it!

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I LOVE these papers that come home from school!  

My favorite parts of this one from Jimmy:

1.  How he spelled my name

2.  How young he thinks I am

3.  That he knows that I always tell him that I love him

4.  That he isn't sure which one of my many jobs to list, ha!

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We chose a bright and sunny day to sit out on the deck and paint camo paper for Jack's birthday gifts.

Jack was down at the park mowing, so we took advantage of his absence and set to work.  I think that the packages turned out great!

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I found this random picture on my camera roll and opted to add it here so that I never forget how much Sophia loves her Converse shoes.  They made a major comeback this year ...

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Another thing that has been a big hit in our house lately is legos.  This is not something that my kids really "got into" as they were younger, but these kits were on clearance in one of the stores that we stopped in this week, and they have LOVED working on them together.

As a mom, I love the teamwork and the quietness while they are hard at work!

The finished product is now on display in Jack's room.

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Another quiet project has been puzzles.  We normally set these up at a card table, but Jimmy found a smaller one in the closet and set to work with it right on the floor.

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Jack came home from school with this framed beauty.  When Sophia was in 4th grade, she had the same teacher that Jack does now and the teacher did this same project.  At the beginning of the school year, the kids took turns telling the teacher what they wanted to be when they grew up and Jack chose an "electrician," like his dad.  Sophia's says "Future Chef" and I still have it on display in my kitchen.

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Jack's 10th Birthday

We kicked off Jack's birthday with cinnamon rolls (and a candle!) for breakfast.  What could make it better?  If you surprise the birthday boy with a candle that is actually a sparkler!

Later in the day, I made Jack a cake in the shape of a taco.  Tacos are one of his favorite foods so I decided that it would be special to try and turn his cake into one.  Mission accomplished.  

Then, I set out his presents from us, wrapped in paper that the kids all helped paint to look like camo.  This was also the chosen theme for Jack's upcoming celebration with extended family and his friends.

Just two brothers hanging out: one anxious to watch his brother open the gift that he chose for him and the other excited to open it.

A new basketball for the hoop in the driveway, made even more special because it is ... CAMO!

The girls both have LED lights for their rooms that go around their doors and windows and now Jack has his own set.  Note: these are a great gift!  You are able to control the color and blinking speed (if you choose to have them blinking) with a remote control and they can even be programmed to set to music.

More sparkler candles to celebrate a double-digit birthday!

Easter 2023

We kicked off the Easter season this year with our annual Easter Egg Hunt down at the park.  As the kids get older, it changes more and more for us.  This year, the girls headed down early and helped to distribute all of the eggs and to hide the sacred "golden eggs," which are worth bigger prizes.

Then we met up with them for a quick picture in front of the lake before the boys took off in search of eggs to fill their baskets.

With Easter a tad bit later this year, the kids were not bundled up in their winter coats, hats and gloves (like they were in past).  It also helped that the time of the event was moved to early afternoon instead of the morning.

Afterwards, we came back to our house to color Easter eggs.

The girls were very meticulous with their designs ...

... while the boys aimed for simplicity.

I say this every year: I hope that the kids come home from college to partake in some of these traditions that I love so much.

Even our neighbor joined in on the fun!

Such a fun afternoon!

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That evening, the boys worked on a plate of veggies for the Bunny to snack on upon his anticipated arrival.  Steve supervised the cutting of the radishes.

All set up and ready to go!

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The next morning, the kids awoke to a note on the table and missing Easter baskets.

The Easter Bunny likes to 'mix things up' each year and this Easter was no exception.  

The (stuffed) plastic eggs -- a designated color for each kid -- were hidden outside.  Not only was there a piece of candy (or money) in each of their hidden eggs, but there was also a paper egg with a scratch-off yolk in each egg.

This picture was taken the night before during the stuffing process:

All ready to search for their designated color of eggs.  They know the rules: if they see an egg that belongs to someone else, do not tell!

It was a tad bit chilly, but this boy was ready!

Why does Samantha always seem to have the hardest time finding her eggs?

Sophia's eggs are always pink!  And she grabbed a matching bag this year.

Can you ever have too much camo?  Apparently not.

The kids were instructed to bring their hunted eggs back inside and use the provided quarters left on the table to scratch off the eggs.  One of the eggs told them where their Easter basket was hidden.  It was pure luck if the first egg that they scratched told them where their basket was hidden ... or the last egg.  Spoiler alert: it was the very last egg that Samantha scratched off that told her where her basked was located.  

Jack's scratch-off egg told him that his basket was in the "hall closet."

Jimmy's basket was in in the" dining room cabinet."

A Buffalo Bills hat and a deck of Mandalorian playing cards were among Jack's favorite things.

This girl loves a her bath bombs.  The bigger, the better.

Sam has a couple of these t-shirts but this one is my favorite: "Whatever floats your goat."

I predict that we will have a lot of football games being this season in our front yard.  Flag Football season is almost here!

Later, we had family over to eat, hang out and take advantage of the nicer weather.  I put out some snacks to enjoy ahead of time and while this picture is missing some of the items, I turned my famous cheeseball into a carrot for the holiday and made a bunny out of bread.  Later, I put a bowl of veggie dip inside the carved-out belly and we enjoyed those items along with Stan's world-class deviled eggs.

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Beginning of the Week Randoms

Just two crazy boys that love the snow but missing riding their bikes:

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We had family over to celebrate the February birthday kids and because it is hard to combine the "basketball" and "Mardi Gras" themes, I opted to serve basketball cupcakes and a Mardi Gras (yellow, green, purple) cake.

Nailed it!

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On Sophia's "real" birthday, we celebrated at home with pizza and breadsticks and lots of gifts:

And of course, our traditional cinnamon rolls in the morning:

She is one loved (and lucky!) 12-year old:

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When your sister has all of her friends over, you find a quiet place to sit and enjoy the popcorn:

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Just a random day when I decided to make a quick chocolate pudding pie for dessert and the kids were SO excited about it:

Note to self: I need to do this more often.

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Celebrating Steve's birthday (the BIG 49!) with some angel food cake, strawberries and a candle:

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Middle School Science Fair where Sophia studied which vitamin was most effective at preventing oxidation (the turning brown) of apples:

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Have you ever seen a bigger Connect Four game?  Steve was inspired to purchase this online and surprised the kids with it.  We have plans to set it up in the yard (as an outside game) when the weather gets a little warmer.

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This has become one of my most favorite things ever ... When Jimmy was in preschool, every once in a while, I would draw an animal on a sheet of paper and he would set to work painting it.  We would name each of the animals after they were painted and then hang them on the wall in his room.  He now has about 20 hanging up -- and we just added Skippy the Squirrel.

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Sam just got her braces off!  This picture was taken before we headed out the door to get them taken off:

And this is the after:

She has such a beautiful smile and has promised me that she will wear her retainer regularly ... until she is 30.

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