Edible Bracelet

Today I had Phoebe make a little bracelet she could eat. I made them with my Sunday School class on Sunday, and the little ones loved it. We just used a pipe cleaner and some Apple Jacks (you could use Fruit Loops too), and threaded the cereal onto the pipe cleaner. When it's full, just put it on their wrist and twist the ends. A handy snack, and it's good way for improving hand eye cordination and fine motor skills.







Phoebe also took a dragon ride today. Here she is in her dragon. Okay, it's her wagon, but she calls it a dragon. Danny says maybe it's because you do drag it along and she thinks that is a better name for it. Molly tried to get in on the fun too.







Speaking of Molly, this is what she did to a Polly Pocket today.

I just love these three!

It's often hard to get a picture of the kids all three smiling and looking at the camera, or not doing something crazy. I hate when I get a pic that I love of one or two of them, and then the other one isn't cooperating or something. So I was happy to get this pic on the first try! I just love 'em to bits!

Mama's got a new pair of shoes

I got these Eastland shoes yesterday, and I'm loving them. I wore them with a skirt for church this morning, and I can wear them with capris, jeans, and dress pants too I think. I love shoes, they fit even when my clothes don't.

Country Poodle

Molly got her first hair cut yesterday. Aunt Bea took Chloe and Owen to have it done, bless her heart. Her friend does it and she also has a poodle that Chloe loves. Molly looks so different. I miss her little puffball baby look, but she looks like a real poodle now. I found it hilarious that the name of the cut she got is Country Poodle. Very fitting, since that is exactly what she is.

Sleep Eating

Phoebe has been getting up early since school started. So, she eats lunch earlier and takes an earlier nap. Today she was having lunch about 11:30, and then she asked for vanilla pudding. While she was eating it, she was drifting off to sleep. She did this one other time when Owen was home and he said "Is she sleep eating????". I guess so, if you walk when you're asleep, I guess you can eat when you're asleep. She just kept putting the pudding in her mouth, so she's pretty good at sleep eating.

Spoiled much?

Today Phoebe and I went to the mall with Mom and Dad. I had to go pick up Phoebe's birthday pictures at Sears and they wanted to go too. We had fun shopping and eating at the Olive Garden (well, we girls enjoyed the Olive Garden, it's not Dad's favorite).

Guess what Dad bought for Owen at Target? The Republic Gunship. (See below under If You Give a Mouse Some Money.) That's right, $120 just because he wanted to make Owen happy. It worked. Owen was so excited. I'm going to be daaaaays putting that together. We started this evening. It has over 1000 pieces. Owen was mad because I didn't get it finished this evening. Chloe helped me sort all the pieces by color, and she said she didn't know why it didn't come put together. It's Legos, that's the whole point. ;)

Dad also bought the kids a Wii for Christmas, plus extra controllers that came with games, and Mario Kart. That all racked up to $450. That'll be a blast for all of us.

I guess it's a grandparents job to spoil their grandchildren, right? And smother them with love. <3

Ghost Toast

Here's a cute "recipe" for kids this time of year. You make some toast and then using a ghost cookie cutter, cut a ghost out of the toast. Then spread cream cheese on it (I use the whipped kind), and make eyes with raisins, mini chocolate chips, or mini m&ms.




You can eat the scraps (which I do and spread cream cheese and strawberry jam on, yum!), or save them, and the next day melt some butter in a pan, and put in the scrap of bread with the ghost cut out of the center. Then crack an egg in the center and fry it. Flip it only once after the egg is good and set. Chloe loves it this way.

If you give a mouse some money

Last week in Kindergarten, Owen's class studied the letter M. They read the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie book (which we've always loved), and they made a mouse book of their own. They colored the pictures and finished the sentences (the teacher wrote what they said).

Owen's was, If You Give a Mouse:

... some mittens, he will put them on.
...a map, he will read it.
... a mask, he will play with it.
... a muffin, he will eat it.
... some money, he will get the Republic Gunship.

Guess what Owen is dying for?? The Republic Gunship (a lego toy, of course, that happens to cost $120).

Just like Mommy

We were outside playing this morning and Phoebe was riding in her little car. She went inside and got her dress up shoes and her purse. She came back and got in the car. She told me she'd be back. I asked where she was going and she said Target. Here are a couple pics of her and a video.

Fun family evening

Saturday evening Danny worked, so the kids and I were on our own again. We had movie night and watched Speed Racer while they had popcorn and laid in their sleeping bags. We all went to bed early. A pleasant evening, but not the same without Danny.
Yesterday evening Danny was home and it was a fun evening. Chloe wanted to go eat Mexican at a restaurant she likes. We had dinner there and the kids were all well behaved and had fun. Afterward we tried to go to the park but there was a birthday party there. We had to go to the grocery store and then Owen wanted to stop at a new place for ice cream. They have 32 flavors so it was hard to chose. Owen and Chloe got play-doh flavored. We took the ice cream to a tiny park behind the library to eat. It's just a slide and some swings but they had fun. Danny and I sat on the bench and talked and ate our ice cream. We said how great it is to just watch our kids be kids and enjoy the little things so much.
A great family evening!

Darn deer

Yesterday this was a big, full pot of pink impatiens. Today, this is what is left.



When I told Phoebe I thought deer had eaten our flowers, she gave me a shocked face. This is a reenactment, and not nearly as genuine as the first look of outrage.



This is her just being cute beside of the offended pot.

And this is a video of her describing the crime (and then getting bored with the interrogation). (Stop the music from playing on my playlist so you can hear the cuteness.)

Here She Is...

Chloe wants to be Miss America for Halloween. We were looking online this evening for a red dress for her to wear (she says it has to be red), and she asked me what Miss America does anyway. Then she said "Walk around and look pretty?". I said pretty much, yes. Then Chloe said "I'm good at that".

Birthday Pictures!

Phoebe and I went to the mall today and had her pictures taken at Sears. She did great. We had fun shopping and having a day just the two of us.

Happy 2nd Birthday Phoebe!

Today our baby girl turned two. She had a wonderful day and really seemed to enjoy every moment. We went to church this morning, then when we came home we gave her the play kitchen we got for her. She loves it. (Chloe and Owen do too. We had to put it in Owen's room, so they all enjoy it.) She had lunch and a nap before the party at 4:00. Her party was a P party, where everything started with P for Phoebe. We had pizza, popcorn, pringles, pretzels, pickles, peanuts, pasta salad, pop, punch, pineapple upside down cake, pink cupcakes in the shape of a P, and popsicles. We played pass the present and pin the tail on the pig, and had a pinata. All the goody bag favors started with P. She liked all her presents and had fun playing with everything this evening. The only bad thing was the wind. It was at least 35 mph. It was blowing everything around and wasn't very pleasant.


Ready for church this morning:



With her kitchen:



In her party outfit:



With her cupcake:



Eating a popsicle:



With the cupcakes:



Opening her Bitty Baby:



More presents:



My sister Betsy got these Snuggle Cabbage Patches for her. I don't know who loves them more, Phoebe or me!



Princess Phoebe:



With the pinata:







On the trampoline:



It was a sweet day with Phoebe, and it's been a sweet two years. She's a special girl and as Danny said when we were putting her to sleep, "I'm glad we have her. Aren't you?". I'm so glad. And thankful. And blessed. Happy Birthday, Phoebs!