Christmas

We had a great Christmas around here with the exception of our company not being able to come. (It blizzarded and all the roads were closed.) On Christmas eve, we celebrated a birthday party in honor of Jesus's birthday. We had balloons, games, and cake with ice cream.

Christmas morning, Isaac slept in until almost 8, then insisted that I open my gifts first because he was so excited about what he had bought me. Isaac was really happy with his gifts, and is still playing with most of them a week later, so that is a good sign. Todd and I didn't buy each other that much which worked out great, nothing to put away!

Christmas break has been going well too, Isaac has been finally learning to sleep in. He has been keeping himself quite busy with projects around the house. I have really enjoyed having him home again.

Ready for Christmas?

Well it is Christmas Eve Day and I think that I am ready for Christmas. We baked cookies and made some chocolate covered party mix. I am done with the shopping and wrapping. I even had time to make a couple of gifts. Isaac is done with his school holiday program, and it went well. Sorry no photos, they were all group pics. Now I just hope that the weather will cooperate and our company will be able to come this weekend.

I have been letting Isaac open a few of his gifts this week. It has been really fun. He is at the perfect age for this. He appreciates everything so much, and it has been making my week go a lot smoother. For example, on Monday when he was nervous about his holiday program that night, I let him open a movie from his Auntie so that took his mind off of his anxiety for almost 2 hours! On Tuesday he opened the Mad Libs from me and Todd, and that was an hour or so of fun and laughing for the two of us.

Stacy's gettin' nuttin' for Christmas

Oh, Stacy’s gettin' nuttin' for Christmas
Mommy and Daddy are mad.
Stacy’s gettin' nuttin' for Christmas
'Cause she ain't been nuttin' but bad.

Destroyed a brand new Christmas wreath;
Somebody snitched on her.
Tried to knock down the Christmas tree;
Somebody snitched on her.
Did a dance on Mommy’s foot;
Ate the garbage and made a mess;
Somebody snitched on her.

Oh, Stacy’s gettin' nuttin' for Christmas
Mommy and Daddy are mad.
Stacy’s gettin' nuttin' for Christmas
'Cause she ain't been nuttin' but bad.

Weekend update

We had a very busy weekend. Well actually it started on Thursday night when I went out to the MOMS Club annual cookie exchange. the cookies were all so yummy.

Then Isaac had a Christmas program at the church on Sunday so that took up most of the weekend. Saturday morning was practice, and then on Sunday he had his regular church school in the morning (it was my turn to teach) and then the program in the afternoon.

Saturday morning Todd worked on the fireplace and attached all the rocks to the wall, now he just needs to grout around them and the fireplace will be done.

Sunday evening Todd had the coop board meeting at our house so we also had to clean the house and fix some goodies for that.

Christmas Movies

This year the Christmas season has been different from the past years in that Isaac has been remembering and asking for various things from Christmases past. I think it is so neat that our family traditions are beginning to take shape.

One tradition that I am sure most families have is watching Christmas movies. This past weekend, Isaac asked for the "Grinch" (the animated one) so I went to the video store and rented it for us. He has been watching it every day since then. Luckily we get to keep it for a week. This movie has always been a favorite of mine too so I sat down yesterday afternoon and enjoyed it with him.

Another movie that we have enjoyed every year as a family is the Polar Express. I rented that one too and plan to have a family movie night soon.

Lastly, it doesn't feel like Christmas without Ralphie. It is a must in my world to watch "A Christmas Story" at least once during the season. Isaac hasn't shown much interest in that one yet.

So that is our family, what are your favorite Christmas movies?

Weekend Update

We had a great weekend around here. We bought a new artificial Christmas tree, and put it up. Isaac was not impressed and insisted that there is nothing wrong with the old one, so we let him put it up in his room. We had to move some toys out but he didn't mind. I gave him some non-breakable ornaments to decorate it with. He did almost all the "work" himself, he was so proud of himself. I thought it was fun to sit back and watch him figure it all out. I have plans to decorate the new tree in all silver and turquoise.





On Sunday, Todd started working on the rock around the fireplace in the family room. And I wrapped some Christmas presents and decorated.

Thanksgiving

We had a nice Thanksgiving. We went up to my parent's house. My brother, his wife and son also traveled there. It was so nice to see everyone. My nephew is really cute! We had a busy house Thanksgiving day with about 15 for dinner, we all had fun visiting and playing with the boys.

The weekend also included swimming at the motel, visiting extended family that I hadnt seen for awhile, playing board games (my son discovered Battleship and absolutely loves it). My mom and I snuck away for awhile on Friday to do some shopping, we found a couple of good deals. We also made time to go and watch New Moon. We both really enjoyed it.

We came home on Saturday, which worked out well since Todd was "bored" on Sunday so he painted the last coat of paint in the family room. So that is getting closer to done.

Hoping to see this soon!

Parent Teacher Conferences

We had Isaac's conference last week. He is doing so well in school. Todd and I are so impressed and proud of him. His teachers say he is enthusiastic to be in school, and stays busy, making good use of his time. He completes every project. He is creative, often times adding his own details to the projects.

Because so much of their day is activities that don't involve a "take home part", I wasn't aware of some of the work that they were doing. Let me just say that I am impressed with the level of work that he has been doing.

Way to go, Isaac!! And a big Thank You to his two wonderful teachers!

Trust

This is from the church bulletin yesterday....

"Trust does not eliminate the bad things that may happen (in life)...Trust simply finds a new outlet for anxiety and a new grounding for confidence: God. Let God worry about the worrisome details of life, most of which are out of (our) control anyway."

Cell phone rage?

Are any of you familiar with this?


I got a call this afternoon from a really crabby sounding person asking if I just called their number. I said "no". He responded with but I just got a call from this number. "No you didnt" I say. So then he tells me a number close to mine but not exactly mine, and I say "that is not my number." He says, so what is your number? I respond with "the number you just dialed and I didn't call you," and hung up.


Idiot, if you are going to cellphone rage on someone for misdialing, maybe you should dial correctly yourself!

Updates

We have been really busy around here. We made our annual visit to the pumpkin patch....

And had a great Halloween. I didn't get any good pictures of Isaac, he dressed up like a fire fighter. My mom came down to visit that weekend too. We took in the quilt show.

Todd and Isaac baked me a cake and took me out for supper the night before my birthday too. Then Mom and I spent the morning of my birthday doing some shopping while Isaac was in school. It was a great time!

I spent the evening of my birthday with some friends. We went out to dinner and then were off to a "Diva Night" to get a little pampered and buy a new purse. It was a really fun time.

This last weekend went really well. As some of you know the weather was just gorgeous. I was outside barefoot on Saturday cleaning my windows. I have also been grilling a lot with the nice weather. Todd picked out some stone for his fireplace. Todd and Isaac got the laundry room primered and put back together.

Besides for the football withdrawal (the Vikings had a bye week), it was a good weekend.

Blue Jays

We love to watch birds at our house. Lately we have been enjoying frequent visits from Blue Jays. They like the sunflower seeds. This is a fun bird to watch because they will scream before landing to eat. That way we know when to look for it. We have all gotten accustomed to the sound so when we hear it we all automatically look out the window. I tried to take a picture but it didnt turn out very well.

Wordless Wednesday (well almost wordless)

One busy weekend.

We were so busy this weekend...it feels like we ran all weekend.

Saturday morning I met with my circle group at church. They are such a great group of ladies. I was the hostess this month so I got up early and baked some coffee cake before the meeting.

Saturday afternoon, Isaac attended an animal adventure camp at the zoo. He learned about spooky spiders and had a great time. While Isaac was there, Todd and I enjoyed a walk around the zoo. It was so nice out this weekend. And all the animals were actually awake and walking around, it was fun. Then Todd and I ran a couple of errands before going back to pick up Isaac.

Saturday night, Todd and I attended a party for some friends of ours while Isaac stayed home with a babysitter. We all had fun.

Sunday morning, Isaac and I went to church school while Todd stayed home to sleep. He was not feeling well. Sunday afternoon Todd watched the football game, while Isaac and I attended a birthday party for one of Isaac's school friends. It was a lot of fun. It was at a gymnastics place and the kids got to run around and jump on all the trampolines and such. It wore them out!

Lowe's Math and Paint Colors

One day, Todd and Isaac went to Lowe's to pick up some primer to start painting the family room. While Todd was reading the primer to figure out how much to get, he told Isaac that they will need 2 gallons for one coat. So Isaac asks how many coats they were going to do. Todd responded with "2". Without even pausing to think, Isaac responds with, "well we will need 4 gallons then."

Also while there Isaac decided to pick out some paint color. Well he picked an orange that he just loves. Later at supper, we were discussing paint colors for the basement. I gently tried to tell Isaac that we may not use the color that he picked because it is up to the mom and dad to pick the color. I told him that when he got older that he and his wife could pick the colors. Todd added, "actually Isaac it is usually the girls that get to pick the colors." Of course Isaac didn't like that idea and said the he would just tell his wife "the way it goes." So I just had to ask. "really how will it go?"

Isaac then explained to me that he and his wife will have 28 rooms and they will each get to pick 14 colors. Wow that will be a big, colorful house.

Sensory Processing Disorder Conference

Yesterday a friend of mine and I attended a conference on SPD. It was very informative. So much so that it was overwhelming. I am so glad that the presenter gave us all a manual of the information so that I can go back over it. I also bought a few books.

While I learned a lot of strategies on how to handle my son's behavior, I felt the most important thing that I learned are easy to remember and understand definitions of SPD so that other people in my son's life can also begin to understand him and his behavior. The more people in his life that can understand him and his needs, the safer it will be for him to have his needs met.

One definition is as follows: Sensory processing disorder is when the brain mutes or magnifies sensory messages inappropriately.

Another thing that I learned that I would love everyone to know about sensational kids is that on the inside SPD causes chaos, so they really need constant on the outside.

Yesterday's conference is just one step in that understanding. I hope that all the social workers, teachers, occupational therapists, and parents that attended it will have more understanding next time they work with a sensational child.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

One thing I planned to do on this blog when I started it was "book reviews". I haven't done that many but it is never too late to start.

A Thousand Splendid Suns was written by Khaled Hosseini. (He also wrote Kite Runner which was also a very good read.)

I thought this book was so good that I have in fact read it twice which is not something I do often. It is not only a heart breaking story about a couple of women and their families (the things these women have to endure are just awful), it is also full of the history of Afghanistan which I personally did not know much about. After reading this book, I have a renewed fear of the Taliban and terrorists. The power that they have had (and continue to have) in Afghanistan is terrifying.

Happy Birthday, Anastasia!!

My furbaby is 7 today!

Frog Friend

One night I had a book talk meeting. When I came home I found a very sad little boy. I guess he and his Dad had found a frog friend in the yard but Dad wouldn't let Isaac keep the frog. But they did take pictures of him...here is one of them....






Anyone else thinking what I am thinking? Yeah, why was the frog on my kitchen rug? Todd said that it was too dark to take a good picture outside! LOL

All Boy

I have heard how boys can have huge appetites but I thought it didn't usually kick in until the teen years. Well the other day we went to McD's and Isaac insisted that he was hungry and wanted a double cheeseburger AND chicken nuggets. So I caved and got him both. He ate it all plus some of my french fries. Wow! Maybe he will start gaining weight this way.....

Camping weekend

We went camping last weekend, and it was so much fun. I love camping in the fall, it is cooler out, the sun goes down sooner and doesn't come up as early so we can have a campfire earlier and still get a good nights sleep.



We decided to "rough it" this weekend and went non-electrical so Isaac could be closer to the playground. He really enjoyed that. And Todd and I enjoyed being able to see the playground from our campsite.



Isaac has also become quite efficient at setting up the campfire. Both nights, he got the "fires" ready so all Todd had to do was light it. He is also very interested in stars and constellations. He can identify a couple of them.

Play Date Funny

Isaac had a friend over today for a playdate. They were playing "pretend" and this is the conversation that followed.

Isaac: I am a turtle, here is my shell. What are you?
Friend: I am a fox. This is my house. I am going to take a nap in my house.
Isaac, the turtle, also found a house.
Friend: I am coming out of my house now to find something to eat.
Me: What do foxes eat?
Friend: Turtles.

We all cracked up at that!!

Labor day weekend

I know I am way behind on this but I had to recooperate...hee hee...

We spent Labor Day weekend at my Aunt and Uncle's cabin. It was a blast! They have a great place, with plenty of room to park our camper. My parents brought their camper too. We did some jet ski riding, boat riding, four wheeling, walking, watching movies, and lots and lots of eating! We even had a couple of camp fires. It was a lot of fun!

Here is Isaac on the Jet Ski with my cousin....He just loves her...(no, they are not really crabby, they are cold, and were putting the jet ski on the trailer when I took the picture.)

Stacy's tricks.

Stacy has always known a lot of tricks, but it is just recently that Isaac has been able to get her to do them. Here is one of the harder ones to get her to do....I know it is hard to see Stacy by the blue chair but Isaac is putting a piece of dog food on her nose and she has to wait until he says ok to eat it.

Painting

Isaac enjoys painting wooden things. Here he is hard at work...

the finished product....

2nd Tooth Gone!

Our lunch conversation yesterday:

Me: Isaac, where is your front tooth?

Isaac: what do you mean, mom?

Me: Umm, it is gone. Did you lose it at school today?

Isaac: I don't know, maybe. I think I did outside, but I was running too much to notice where it landed.

First Day of School

Isaac started kindergarten today. He was very nervous about starting a new school. But the first day went great! His teacher said that he is a good listener.

As a side note, the school started a fundraiser of selling candy bars and Isaac insisted on going around the neighborhood tonight. He sold 40 candy bars already!

Wordless Wednesday

Isaac funny

Yesterday, Isaac was playing "superhero". He tells me "watch out...here comes the invisible flying Isaac."

ok, I just HAD to say it..."how can I 'watch out' if you are invisible?"

Wonderful Weekend

Last weekend, Todd and Isaac went down to visit Todd's family on the farm. They had a great time. Isaac even got to "drive" two tractors. They shot bow and arrows. And Isaac even discovered what a record player is.

In the meantime....

Sarah stayed home and had a crafting weekend with her mother. We had a wonderful time. It has been years since the two of us have been able to spend time together like this.

Speech Progress!

In May, I posted about Isaac's Speech Therapy Progress. At that time, Isaac tested at 23 errors, and 19th percentile. Then we set some goals and worked very hard this summer on CH, SH, and a little TH. On Monday, Isaac was retested and recieved only 13 errors!! That put him at the 31 percentile. With this level of progress, we have decided to have him "graduate" from this speech therapist and only see one this school year.

Way to go, Isaac! We are so proud of you and your hard work!

And Thank You so much to this great speech therapist and the wonderful program that she works with. Without them, Isaac would not have been able to recieve the therapy that he needed! Isaac totally loved going there, and was in tears today when he heard that he would be "done" now.

Isaac lost his First Tooth

After three weeks of wiggling....



...Isaac has finally lost his first tooth!! Woohoo!

Harvest time

Todd and Isaac have been starting to pick some vegetables out of their garden. We have had rhubarb, peas, onions, and carrots. And yes, I have actually cooked with some of the onions. Isaac loves them, so I thought I would just for him.

Amusement Park

Last weekend, we took Isaac to the local amusement park. Here he is riding the go carts for the first time. Last summer, he was too short. And just as a side note, this child will not be getting a driver's license until he is like 30. He is a crazy driver!


Here is mom and Isaac having some fun on the bumper cars.


Going for a swing ride...

Feels Like Summer

This week felt so much like summer at our house. Ok, not the weather...that was kind of cold. I mean with our schedules. We didnt have anything that we HAD to do this week. No speech all week, no OT, no swimming lessons, nothing. And it was soooo awesome! We slept in until like 8 every morning. We stayed home two days this week. And the other days we did fun things like a playdate with friends that we haven't seen for a while, and took a trip to the heritage center. Isaac loves it there, but we hardly get there. Next week, we jump back into a packed schedule.

A fun day!

Isaac and I had a great day yesterday. We started out at Urban Harvest and enjoyed a puppet show, story time, mini donuts, and chatting with lots of friends. Some I havent seen for a very long time. One not since college!

In the afternoon, Isaac got some fun playing time with the neighbor. They flew kites until the kites were either tangled up or on the roof...and then headed to each of our back yards for a while and then into the neighbors house since it was getting hot out. So I got a little bit of quiet time, even though it feels odd to be able to let him just go and play in the neighborhood on his own (with a couple of rules, of course.) However, it is completely awesome to live in a neighborhood like ours.

In the evening, I had a great and much needed moms night out. We did a scavenger hunt and then had ice cream. It was a blast even though my team didn't win.

Picture this

...A weird moment that happened today....

I was listening to my Blondie CD and doing the dishes, Isaac was dancing around the living room. As I was singing along with a song, it hit me...I have known the words to these songs since I was Isaac's age now. Hmmmm...

A purchase....

...that I am sure that I will regret. Yes, it is an R.C. Tarantula! But it was on sale! And actually, Todd has wanted one for a long time. I tried to take a video but it turned out too dark, sorry.

The Tooth Fairy

Isaac has two loose teeth but doesn't really want them to fall out. So I have been trying to motivate him to get them out with rewards of the tooth fairy coming. But with my literal child, it is just too complicated. Here is the conversation from this morning.


Me: Isaac, you should wiggle that tooth. If you get it out, the tooth fairy will come and leave you money.


Isaac: Or maybe a new monster truck? (he is all into the hotwheels monster trucks)


Me: I don't think the tooth fairy drives a monster truck. Besides how would she get home, if she left her monster truck here? (Sometimes, I can't resist teasing him.)


Isaac: Mom, she doesnt have to drive it, she could just drop it off. She is too big to drive it anyway. It is just a toy.


Me: I bet she could drive it, she is small enough. I think she is the size of Tinkerbell or something.


Isaac: Really? I want to know what she looks like, show me a picture.


Me: I don't have any pictures. I haven't really seen her. I am just guessing.


Isaac: You really don't have a picture? Maybe the internet has one? I know, when I loose this tooth, I will hide and take a picture of her.


Me: I don't think she will come if you are awake, kind of like Santa Claus.


Isaac: Then I will sneak-attack her and take a picture. Or a video.

Fourth of July

We had a great Fourth of July. My mother came down for the weekend. We ate out alot so I didnt have to cook, yeah! The boys had fun with snaps, smoke bombs and sparklers. Todd bought a couple of bigger fireworks too. But we didnt need to buy many since my neighborhood turns into a "war zone" with all the fireworks going off. It was great fun to sit and watch our neighbors.

Vacation

Hi, we are back from our fun-filled vacation. We started out in Minneapolis and then went over to Duluth. Then up the shore of Lake Superior staying in Silver Bay and Lutsen. It was great! Here are some pictures...

Isaac loved the Science Museum in Minneapolis. Here he is using the steam engine machine.

Here he is finding the USA on the world map at the Science Museum.

Isaac at the Minnesota Zoo in the butterfly garden.

Sarah and Isaac in Duluth watching a 1,000 foot cargo ship head out into the lake. There is a bridge there that has to raised up to let the ship out.

Isaac and Todd waving good bye to the cargo ship as it heads out into Lake Superior.

Here is Isaac at the wheel of a huge ship that we took a tour of. Lots of ladder type steps on it...Isaac did fantastic.

Sarah and Isaac walking over a bridge by High Falls.

Sarah and Isaac at the top of the Split Rock Light house.

The whole family at Gooseberry Falls.

Isaac chilling in the hammock at our hotel in Silver Bay.

Todd and Isaac on a canoe ride near Lutsen.

Sarah and Isaac in a tram going up to Moose Mountain in Lutsen.

Sarah and Isaac getting a good look at Lake Superior from the top of Moose Mountain.

Swimming lessons update!

Isaac passed Level 1! Next time we sign up for Level 2. Way to go, Isaac!

Stay at Home Day!

We are having a "stay at home" day! And it is great!

When school was on, Tuesdays were always stay at home days. But since school got out we have only had one stay at home day! And that was 10 days ago...so when Isaac was asking for a stay at home day earlier this week, I got out the calendar and scheduled one right away! Good idea, Buddy!

Swimming Lessons

Isaac is doing swimming lessons this week and next. He has to do Level 1 again and he doesnt like it. I had to explain to him for three days that he was in Level 1 again and why, before he understood that it will be Level 1 for the whole 8 sessions. He thought he should be in Level 2 the second night.

I think his biggest problem may be sensory related, and I am not sure there is much he can do about it. He is trying so hard, staying focused on the teacher and practicing when it is not his turn with the teachers instead of splashing and goofing off like last year. I hope he gets passed to Level 2 next week. But just in case, I have been praising him up for his hard work and focus!

I've been tagged

Megan over at Life with the Rostens tagged me...so here goes...

things I am looking forward to
1. a vacation to Minnesota
2. Seeing my nephew on the above vacation
3. To be chosen by a birthmother
4. Todd finishing the family room
5. Going camping again
6. MNO next week


things that I did yesterday
1. Read books to Isaac.
2. Brought Isaac to Speech
3. Talked on the phone to my sister
4. Brought Isaac to Swimming lessons
5. Cleaned up the yard
6. Played outside in the yard
7. Read a book on the deck.
8. Planned out some of our vacation

things that I wish I could do
1. International Adoption
2. Win the lottery to fund #1
3. Get my house more organized
4. Work as a teacher again


8 shows I watch
1. Law and order
2. Law and order:SVU
3. How I met your Mother
4. Rules of engagement
5. Desperate housewives
6. The office
7. Chuck
8. Two and 1/2 men

I know I didnt do 8 for each category, but oh well...And I am not going to tag anyone else since I dont know that many that Megan didnt already tag.

First Camping Trip

If you are a camper, you know that the first few times out for the summer,you realize you forgot all kinds of things. With that in mind, I am going to do this post in the "not me" style that I have seen on some other blogs.


The idea was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.


First off, I did not pack only one bag of potato chips for 4 days of camping. I mean that is only 8 meals. And of course, my husband did not eat most of that before mentioned bag of chips in our first meal.


Being a super mom, I most definitely did not forget the antibacterial wipes and did not use a mushy paper towel to wipe up the skinned knees that are inevitable while camping.


Of course, I did not forget 1/2 of our blankets. And I would never dream of getting up in the middle of the night to steal a blanket from my sweet, innocent sleeping child. (Hey, if he was sleeping, he didnt need it, right?)


I definitely did not teach my son a "Dead Milkmen" song around the campfire. (If you love somebody, set them on fire...")


Of course, I would never encourage Todd and Isaac to take a tour of the nearby power plant just so I could get some uninterupted nap time.


Being married to Todd, I would never, never dream of smuggling a portable DVD player into the camper. I did not let my son watch movies.


And finally, I did not give in and let my son bring home some flies that he had caught and put in his "bug box". Yuck, flies? why couldn't they catch less dirty bugs?



Actually, when it was all done, I think the trip went very well, and we all had a great time!

The Weaver

This is a poem that is in a book that I started reading this week. I think it says a lot about life's disappointments.

The Weaver
By Grant Colfax Tuller

My life is but a weaving
Between my Lord and me,
I cannot choose the colors
He worketh steadily.
Oft times He weaveth sorrow,
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper
And I, the underside.
Not ‘til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Will God unroll the canvas
And reveal the reason why.
For the dark threads are as needful
In the Weaver's skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.
He knows, He loves, He cares;
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives the very best to those
Who choose to walk with Him.

Isaac's song

Here is the song that Isaac sang for his graduation program.

Isaac's Preschool Graduation

Isaac graduated from Preschool on Wedsnesday morning. The class did a cute program about going camping. They all had their own song to sing. And even used a microphone to sing it. Surprisingly only one child was upset about singing by himself. Isaac loved it. But of course he likes to be loud. Here is a picture of Isaac at the microphone.




At the end of the show, they sang a song about being a big star now, so of course,they had their shades on.



Here is Isaac in line to get his diploma. He went across the stage too fast to get a picture of him actually getting it.

Isaac did such a good job. And I only cried a little bit.

After the graduation, we took him out to his choice of lunch, so we went to Kroll's to get some knoephla soup.

Speech Progress

As most of you know, Isaac has been going to speech therapy for almost 2 years. Well this year we stepped it up to two different therapists for a total of three days each week. Isaac is done with one of those therapists for the summer.

Today at the other speech therapist, she decided to retest him to check his progress. He has gone up from 51 errors to only 23! That is a jump from the 3rd percentile to the 19th percentile! Wow! Way to go, Isaac!

So we set some goals for a couple of more sounds and then maybe Isaac can be discharged from this speech therapy in the fall!

A boy and his dog.

Today Isaac decided that he really wanted to go outside despite the wind and cold. So I said he could if he brought Stacy with him and stayed in the back yard. So he gets his shoes and coat on and says to the dog, "Come, Girl, we are off to see the world!"

Umm, ok, just stay in the backyard....

Ugh

It is raining today. It has been raining, thunderstorming, even snowing, and very windy all week! yuck-o!

I really hope we get some good camping weather sometime this summer.

Isaac's Ferris Wheel

Isaac just loves k'nex. Here is a ferris wheel that he made the other day (with the help of the directions and his dad). He was so proud of himself. Way to go, buddy!

Moms Night Out

Yes, we all need one every now and again. I went out with some friends tonight and had a great time! We went to Creative Clay, and painted some clay. It was a lot of fun. I will have to let you know how my bowl turns out. Then we went out to eat, I was going to have a dessert but I was so hungry after all that creativity, that I just went for a whole entree. It was yummy!

Thank you so much, ladies!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy mother's day to all my "mommy" friends! I hope you have a great day.

Things a 5 year old can do

Isaac has been commenting a lot lately about things he can do now that he is 5. Here are a few...


He can drink out of a "glass" glass instead of a plastic one.

Write his name small "like a grown-up"

Brush his teeth all by himself.

He can listen to his mom at the zoo and not run off. (which was a very, very difficult thing at 4)

He is not too scared to go on the "spin-y" thing at the playground.


And now that he is 5, he doesnt need to run around the room and yell when mom vacuums. This is a very big thing with his sensory defensiveness. I was totally shocked by it....


I must say that Isaac has come so far in the last year. He is so much more mature and "grown up". This is not to say that the 3-year old version doesn't visit every once in awhile!

Awesome Saturday!

We have all been so tired lately that we went to bed last night with the hopes of sleeping in today. Well we accomplished that goal plus some....I woke up about 8 but went back to sleep until after 9, but didnt get out of bed until almost 10. At that point, I was beginning to wonder where Isaac was. So I went to check on him. He was still asleep! He didn't get out of bed until 10:30!



After we had some breakfast, the boys headed out to shop for garden stuff and I went down to my craft room. Well, my boys take a long time to shop so I was able to get some scrapbook pages done, some cards cut out for Isaac to stamp, and a bracelet made before they were back again.



Then they went outside to do some gardening. I went out for a little while but the wind sent me back inside to read a book.



I feel like I have had a vacation!

Happy Birthday to Isaac

Isaac turned 5 yesterday. He said it was the best birthday ever. Here are the pics....



Isaac wanted chocolate cupcakes. He brought some to school too.

Wooden models from Uncle Curt....

The movie "Bolt" and a new cap from Auntie Heidi....

K'nex and a baseball set from Nana Sue and Papa Ronnie...

Front-end loader from Mom and Dad....

And a bike from Mom and Dad...