I guess that could be confusing...

Sam: Mom, what are these cookies for?

Me: I'm taking them to Mrs. Marie's baby shower.

Sam: So you're going to put them in the tub for the babies to eat?

Happenings of the Week

This last week has been long! I should have lots to share here, but my husband has (very wisely) forbid me to blog about puke and poop, so um yeah... that doesn't leave me with too many options. I think there are only two little stories from the week aren't in those categories!

1.) I was heading out the door to visit with a friend who's been in Europe all summer and of course the kids wanted to come. Jeremy explained that all we would be doing was talking and it would be boring. Sam's response: "Mom, can I go boring with you next time?"

2.) Earlier in the week Sam crawled into bed with us at 6:30am and had a suggestion: "Maybe Dad can ride his bike to work today and we can go to Starbucks?!" I thought it was a brilliant idea, but am a little concerned that at four he's already a fan of Buckies!

Lake Day!

Guess what we did this morning?!












What a fabulous time at the lake! AND, in case you were wondering, I was there!... and even though I don't have pictures that prove it, I do have a sunburn that does!

Happy 4th Birthday Sam!

We had a great time celebrating Sam with a Go Diego Go party.

The first party I remember was my fourth and my mom did a fishing pond so I wanted to do the same for Sam. When the little kids saw the M&M's in the bucket they wanted to fish with their hands, but for the most part it went over really well.



The fishing pond was right before opening presents and all the kids were so preoccupied with their candy that they weren't all crowding around Sam trying to "help" him open his gifts. (That was my idea... Strategic planning at its finest!)



Go Diego Go cupcakes... the internet is a life-saver when it comes to themed birthday parties!



Gramma and Sam - sitting in the shade waiting for the guests to arrive.



Swinging - Maarti's favorite pastime.



So I thought I would start a tradition and interview the kids on their birthdays. It will be fun to look back at this in a few years. So here goes:

Favorite color: Orange and Blue
Favorite show: Go Diego Go
Favorite song: Kumbaya
Favorite Bible Story: Jesus gives food to everybody
Favorite Food: Hot dogs & meat & ketchup & fish
Favorite thing to do: eat candy
Favorite Game: Wii
Favorite car: Hot Wheels
Best place to play: The park
If you had a pet what would it be? Cat
What would you name your cat? Mustard
What do you want to be when you grow up? A roller skater in a parade.
What is the best place to holiday? Papa and Grandma's house

Blueberry Season

There is nothing better than blueberry picking with the kids on a nice summer day. Maarti is crazy about blueberries so I'm sure way more went in her mouth than what went in her bucket!



It was so fun to have Cousin Anna join us at the berry farm... she was super excited about all the blueberries that were in reach!



I worked really hard at getting a picture of Sam, but everytime I told him to look at me he said "I'm too busy!". He was really serious about filling his bucket... he picked about 4 lbs. all by himself!



Finally! His bucket is full and he can take a minute to give me a smile!

How to Beat the Heat (Slip 'n Slide Edition)

The other day the kids encountered a slip 'n slide for the first time. When I was a kid I think we just went for it, but now I see there are a few different ways to enjoy it:

1. The Cautious Approach (aka "Do Not Let Go of Gramma's Hand Under Any Circumstance")



2. The Common Baseball Slide



3. The Huge Splash



4. Forget Sliding... just sit in the cool puddle at the bottom! (Please note that this method is extremely annoying to older brothers who are waiting at the top of the slide!)



However you decide to use your slip 'n slide just make sure you stay well hydrated!

Nostalgia

I've said it before... watching the kids experience all their "firsts" makes me think of some of my "firsts"... Like my first concert in the mid-eighties (I guess I didn't need to say that... the era is pretty evident once you watch the video!). Silverwind. As kids we were BIG fans so my parents graciously loaded us all up in the station wagon (gold with a classy wood panel down the side) and we drove an hour and a half away for my very first concert! They thought it was too loud. I loved it!

It was good of Mom and Dad to go to a concert that wasn't quite in the "Bill and Gloria Gaither" category. I wonder what kinds of concerts we'll have to go to with our kids... Whatever it is, it will probably be too loud for me!