This is just the beginning...we love spring break!
A Beautiful Day!
(slide show)
Saturday, March 12, 2011
A Lovely Thought...It's Spring Break!
This Saturday already seems so different than the rest. It's probably because I know that it's not a typical 2 day weekend...next week is time to relax with my family.
Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful evening. Immediately after school we got out the bikes and rode to a nearby park. Although there were some lingering puddles and mud, the kids had so much fun playing on the equipment. When we got home and fired up the grill we enjoyed a basic BBQ meal of hotdogs, chips, and corn. As I've mentioned before...there's nothing like the taste of something from the grill.
Taking a walk to the park
Ava riding on the horse swing
Independent Isaiah telling us over and over, "I can do it by myself." He makes Mom very nervous. But he can do it. Notice the tongue sticking out when he concentrates...just like his Daddy!
Our two friends Lindsey and Donald came over for the evening. The kids LOVE seeing them. We all played downstairs for a bit. Isaiah enjoyed singing songs to Donald and Ava wanted to show them what seemed like every single toy we had. Once the kids went to bed we played a card game called "Phase 10" for 2 1/2 hours. Even though I lost, I still loved it. Andy of course was the winner. Lindsey and Donald will be getting married in June and Ava is one of the flower girls and Isaiah is one of the ring bearers. Their wedding will be beautiful (as long as Lindsey is in charge) and we can't wait!
This morning Andy made pancakes and we added the finish touches to our Leprechaun trap. We used sticks to make the ladder. Once this is all dry, I'll take a picture of the finished product. Here are the kids using glue and sticks from outside to create the ladder with me.
Making a Leprechaun ladder
Ava and Isaiah playing library this morning before we went. Ava was checking out Isaiah's books and putting them into a sack. Then they would switch jobs. They really liked this!
After some more craft time and playing we went to the library for over an hour and the kids did puzzles, picked out a few movies, and checked out 15 books...at least! This Wednesday they have preschool hour (stories and crafts) and I'm really excited to take the kids since we don't have school.
Everyone is sound asleep right now for naps...including Andy I think...he always falls asleep with Ava. When we wake up we're off to Ames to run a few errands and to meet Grandma and Grandpa Richardson at Valentinos. When we get home the kids want to do a movie night with Pocahontas...one of our rentals from today...should be fun!
My Three Happy's:
1) Disney movies and books...I think the kids can name every single character.
2) Our clean house...let's see if we can keep it that way over break.
3) Going to Valentinos for dinner...you've gotta' love their cheeseburger pizza!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
What's Going On?
Oh my...it's been a while since I have made a post...so here are the updates:
Ava and Isaiah started their next session of Kindermusik with Miss Hollie. We love her! It is a short four week session but they look forward to singing, dancing, playing instruments, and just being silly. They always look forward to the new music and CD that we get to take home. Our CD player just can't get enough of "Mr. Sun." Ava started Kindermusik when she was 1 1/2 and Isaiah has been going since he was 1 year. We are also fortunate enough to have Hollie come to their daycare. She comes to Julie's house to do Kindermusik every other week as well.
On Wednesday nights Ava has ballet and tumbling class. The recital theme this year is Romeo and Juliet and the little ones are all fireflies. We originally started out going to class on Thursday but it was too full of kids. I felt like she wasn't getting enough one on one instruction. She has been going to Wednesday's class for a while and that class has only 5 kids with 2-3 adults helping each time. It's so nice. I love watching her. You can tell she is so proud of herself and she has learned so much!
Tonight was one of those peaceful relaxing nights with the kids. We ate a nice dinner together, the kids played pirates before being forced to take a bath (Andy pretended they were out to sea while he gave them a bath), stories were read, and everyone is fast asleep. Mr. Isaiah decided last night to get out of bed 5 times!! This was all before 9:45, but he kept coming out of his room. I don't know if reality hit him and he realized that he actually could get out or if he just became curious as to what happens when he goes to sleep. Anyway the first time he came out he was holding his little finger out at me. I said, "Boo, what are you doing out of your bed?" He replied with "Here's a booger Mommy." I said "Thanks buddy, now let's go back to bed." Well that was just the beginning. The next time he got out we heard Ava say, "Isaiah, don't come in my room. I'm trying to sleep." The next time two times we just put him back in bed and that still didn't work. The fifth time Andy told him we were going to take one of his Simbas away until he fell asleep. He was absolutely hysterical. I went upstairs, read him one more story, talked to him a bit, and then laid with him for about two minutes until he drifted off to sleep. What a battle! Tonight I had a heart to heart chat with him about getting out of bed and that for each time he got out of bed, I was going to take one of his stuffed animals. That must have worked because he went to sleep right away! What a goof!
One of Julie's friends has this amazing blog where she has headers for recipes, traveling, their kids, their home, her photography site, and a few others. It's really fun to read. I know that there's no way in a million years that I would have the time to be that detailed but I thought it would be nice to share a recipe or two as I come across some good ones. Most of you who read this blog are moms with kids and you're BUSY! Or, maybe you have a husband that would love a nice hot meal every now and then. Here's a quick and easy one you can try. It literally takes 5 minutes to prepare. Quick and Easy...the two magic words. Ava and Isaiah love this recipe (Aunt Jody's) and that's saying a lot because Ava is a very picky eater. Hope you like it!
Ava and Isaiah started their next session of Kindermusik with Miss Hollie. We love her! It is a short four week session but they look forward to singing, dancing, playing instruments, and just being silly. They always look forward to the new music and CD that we get to take home. Our CD player just can't get enough of "Mr. Sun." Ava started Kindermusik when she was 1 1/2 and Isaiah has been going since he was 1 year. We are also fortunate enough to have Hollie come to their daycare. She comes to Julie's house to do Kindermusik every other week as well.
On Wednesday nights Ava has ballet and tumbling class. The recital theme this year is Romeo and Juliet and the little ones are all fireflies. We originally started out going to class on Thursday but it was too full of kids. I felt like she wasn't getting enough one on one instruction. She has been going to Wednesday's class for a while and that class has only 5 kids with 2-3 adults helping each time. It's so nice. I love watching her. You can tell she is so proud of herself and she has learned so much!
Tonight was one of those peaceful relaxing nights with the kids. We ate a nice dinner together, the kids played pirates before being forced to take a bath (Andy pretended they were out to sea while he gave them a bath), stories were read, and everyone is fast asleep. Mr. Isaiah decided last night to get out of bed 5 times!! This was all before 9:45, but he kept coming out of his room. I don't know if reality hit him and he realized that he actually could get out or if he just became curious as to what happens when he goes to sleep. Anyway the first time he came out he was holding his little finger out at me. I said, "Boo, what are you doing out of your bed?" He replied with "Here's a booger Mommy." I said "Thanks buddy, now let's go back to bed." Well that was just the beginning. The next time he got out we heard Ava say, "Isaiah, don't come in my room. I'm trying to sleep." The next time two times we just put him back in bed and that still didn't work. The fifth time Andy told him we were going to take one of his Simbas away until he fell asleep. He was absolutely hysterical. I went upstairs, read him one more story, talked to him a bit, and then laid with him for about two minutes until he drifted off to sleep. What a battle! Tonight I had a heart to heart chat with him about getting out of bed and that for each time he got out of bed, I was going to take one of his stuffed animals. That must have worked because he went to sleep right away! What a goof!
One of Julie's friends has this amazing blog where she has headers for recipes, traveling, their kids, their home, her photography site, and a few others. It's really fun to read. I know that there's no way in a million years that I would have the time to be that detailed but I thought it would be nice to share a recipe or two as I come across some good ones. Most of you who read this blog are moms with kids and you're BUSY! Or, maybe you have a husband that would love a nice hot meal every now and then. Here's a quick and easy one you can try. It literally takes 5 minutes to prepare. Quick and Easy...the two magic words. Ava and Isaiah love this recipe (Aunt Jody's) and that's saying a lot because Ava is a very picky eater. Hope you like it!
Chicken Casserole
1 1/2 cups raw macaroni 1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 tsp pepper 1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup diced cheddar cheese 1 cup milk
3 cups shredded chicken
*I put frozen chicken tenders or breasts in the crock pot on low heat and leave it all day to cook. I add water to cover the chicken and sprinkle a little pepper and garlic powder. Once I get home I just take a fork to the chicken and it falls apart.
Combine all ingredients. Put into a greased 9x13 pan. Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.
With Spring Break approaching I'll be sure to take lots of pictures of all the things we do. Some upcoming events are:
1) Trip to the Science Center and celebrating my Dad's b-day
2) Little visits from the leprechaun...the trap we made is almost finished...we just need a ladder for him to climb up. I've heard leprechauns can be pretty sneaky. Ava and Isaiah are excited to look for traces of them next week.
3) Imagination Movers Live (This is one of the shows on the Disney channel if you're not familiar.)
4) St. Patrick's Day feast at Grandma and Grandpa Richardson's on Sunday. Yum..who doesn't love a good reuben!
Have a Happy Friday...well it's almost Friday!
My Three Happy's:
1) One more day until Spring Break!
2) Knowing there is a week ahead with no school and no planning...just relaxing time with my family!
3) Did I say Spring Break? :-)
Sunday, March 6, 2011
The Letter D
D is for Date Night...Andy and I ventured out on our own last night for dinner and shopping. Aunt Jody volunteered to come watch the kids. They made homemade pizza, played, and watched a movie. Ava and Isaiah love when Aunt Jody comes to visit. Andy and I went to Ankeny and ate at Old Chicago. The rest of the night was spent shopping...pretty low key...I know...but it's something we don't do often and it's a bit more relaxing when it's just the two of us. We went to Pier One, Kohls, TJ-Max, Menards, and Target. We didn't come home with much but the wheels have started to turn in our heads with possible summer projects...updating the kitchen. Well at least that's what I want to do.
Here's a picture before our "big date."
D is for Dining Room...I can't tell you when the last time some of you have been over to our house. It's been a while so I thought I'd take a few pictures to show you a few rooms in our house. The following pictures are of the dining room with the table we got this summer. I love it and it's just what I'd been looking for. It reminds me of a barnwood table. Of course those cost almost $3000.00 so I found one that reminded me of that at a fraction of the cost.
If you're wondering what that "thing" is in the middle of the table...it's just Easter eggs hanging off of some fake sticks from Hobby Lobby.
It came with two additional sections you can put in (we only use those if we have company), 6 chairs, and a bench that matches the wood on the table. I call it my "dream table."
D is for Downstairs...how sad that I haven't posted any pictures of our basement that we finished this summer. I know that many of you "out of towners" haven't seen this. Here are a few snapshots of the family room. I'm afraid to pound nails or drill anything into the walls yet...so they're pretty plain right now. We didn't buy any new furniture but just used bits and pieces of what we had...nothing fancy.
That's the door to the laundry/utility room.
Along this wall by the stairs we will be putting a computer table...haven't found one that I like yet. The first door by the wall is the bathroom and the second one is the laundry room.
View into the toy room.
The kid's toy room. Andy organized this before I took the picture...usually it's totally trashed!
Another view of the toy room. This door leads into a big storage closet. It goes back the whole length of the wall.
View from the toy room into the family room.
This is the new bathroom downstairs. It's actually pretty big. Andy put in laminate floors that are a dark chocolate brown color. To the left of the sink is a storage area under the stairs...this is where Andy stores my holiday decorations. He says once it's full that's it...I'm sure I can find room somewhere else.
This is the view as you come in the door.
I'm really starting to love "old" things incorporated into new. This is a milk crate that Andy found in his Grandpa Knaphus's chicken shed out on his farm. If you've ever seen American Pickers...that's what I'm looking forward to doing on his farm someday. He has so many undiscovered treasures. I thought this was a neat piece to use for rolled up towels.
D is for Daring Disney Imaginative Play...the kids were "walking the plank" like Wendy does in the Peter Pan movie. Andy moved all the furniture and made a "plank" that the kids were taking turns walking across.
Isaiah trying to get me with one of his Imaginext toys.
Ava and Isaiah were pretending that they were riding on "The Haunted Mansion" ride. Andy was rocking them back and forth and spinning them around.
Here they were pretending to defeat Zerg on the "Buzz Lighyear" ride. They were taking turns using Isaiah's lazer gun he got when we were at Disney.
Pillow fights with Daddy!
Get him Isaiah!
...and there you have it. Have a good week!
My Three Happy's:
1) "Date Night" with Andy...for those of you who are parents of small children you know that it's hard to get out and do something together.
2) My two loves...everyday is an adventure with you!
3) Big...and I mean big snowflakes. I know I want spring to come but we had a 30 minute or so snowfall today with these huge beautiful flakes. This must be God's way of still showing us bits and pieces of how pretty winter can be.
Love to you all!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Oh, For the Love of Cooking!
Today was another beautiful day. I didn't have recess duty so I was pretty much trapped indoors all day. When Andy and I left school to pick up the kids the thermometer in the car said 52 degrees. We are lovin' this weather!
Last night Ava told us that her ear was hurting. She woke up numerous times in pain...and that is not like her. This afternoon we ran her to the doctor for a quick check and sure enough, she has an ear infection. I think this is her 5th one so far...not bad for being a four year old. Anyway they prescribed an antibiotic and she will hopefully feel better in no time. Ava LOVES the doctor and I really mean that. Everything about it! Shots don't bother her either. She just smiles away...getting a lollipop at the end helps too I'm sure.
While we were waiting for her prescription to be filled we went to a nearby park. Andy told me I could run into Blumsters across the street (a little specialty gift shop). I came out with 5 new Christmas ornaments that were on clearance. I admit that I do have a problem with Christmas decorations. A girl can never have enough holiday decorations.
Isaiah and Ava had fun climbing around and going down the slides! It was truly a perfect afternoon.
Not to change the subject but I just let Jackson outside to go to the bathroom and I heard thunder and saw lightening bolts. Yeah...another sign of spring. I love thunderstorms!
When we got home I started dinner and Andy took the kids for a bike ride around town. Ava rode her bike and Isaiah rode his big wheel. Tonight was one of those extremely rare nights that I actually cooked a nice dinner. Cooking and trying new recipes used to be one of my hobbies until I had kids. On a typical night we usually come home and whip something up quick while we play with the kids. Since Andy had taken the kids on a walk, I thought I'd make a nice dinner. Here is a picture of what I made...notice the Micky Mouse plate...it came from Target. They are really cute.
1) Alfredo pasta with marinated salmon
2) Sweet potatoes with melted butter and brown sugar
3) rolls
4) Broccoli with cheese
5) ...and let's not leave out the Girl Scout cookies for desert
You may wonder...do your kids actually eat that stuff? The answer is sort of. Isaiah will eat everything on that plate...although he wasn't a huge fan of the sweet potato...but at least he tried it. Ava on the other had is my picky eater. I made a few pieces of chicken for her because I know she doesn't like salmon. She won't eat broccoli either so she had pickles. I'm hoping her taste buds will change over the years.
Ah...the joys of cooking again. I know someday this hobby will resurface but as for now, I will just enjoy these special meals every now and then.
My Three Happy's:
1) Cooking dinner tonight...of course that one had to be a "Happy"
2) Beautiful days!
3) It's 8:15...the kids are in bed...and Andy and I have the rest of the night to enjoy together!
As Isaiah says, "Sleep tight...don't let the bed bugs bite."
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
It's Almost Spring... so Smile!
What an amazing Tuesday. When school let out it was 52 degrees. That seems so warm for this time of year. When we got home we didn't go inside until supper. It was so gorgeous out! The kids put on their rain boots and we headed out back to trek through the mud. Since we've had this play set it's been so hard for the grass to grow that part of the yard has become a mud pit. Andy and I will be mulching around this once the snow has stopped...it's the only way to make our yard manageable and look decent. Ava and Isaiah enjoyed playing pirates on the structure and being pushed on the swings.
If you've never seen the play set, here is a picture I took. We got a really good deal on it last summer. I think we only payed $200.00 for it. The family we bought it from took it apart and hauled it to our house. Andy spent many hours tearing it apart even farther so he could fit it piece by piece into the backyard to rebuild...and here you have it. Some parts are hard to see. There is one slide right now and a place for another if we want. There is a little "rock wall" to climb and a rope with stepping pieces to get to the first level. Now that the kids are getting older they can pretty much do everything on their own. Isaiah needs a boost here and there, but can do almost everything by himself.
Tomorrow is Dr. Seuss Day! My class will be doing lots of fun things and I always like to do some of the activities at home with Ava and Isaiah. Here are the kids wearing their Cat in the Hat creations. I held the paper steady, but Isaiah did everything by himself. He's pretty good with scissors.
Ava said, 'I don't want to do it like that...I want to make my own design."
Ava and Isaiah got along so well tonight and had so much fun.
My Three Happy's:
1) Hearing about my sister's upcoming trip to Disney...I'm so excited for them...and yes I'll admit I'm a little jealous!
2) Mud...kids are automatically drawn to it. I wish you all could have seen them jumping around!
3) Seeing the lilies starting to come up through the ground...another sign that it's almost spring!
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