Be a Clown!

Yesterday was "Circus Day" at Braden's school. They talked about animals and even had a real clown. He was REALLY excited about that part. I couldn't miss taking a picture of my little clown after he had his face painted. Isn't he the cutest little thing? I think so!

You wanna eat WHAT?!?!

OK, so are there any rules about not dipping anything and everything in Ketchup??? Not these days! Braden is an official dipper. So it shouldn't have surprised me when he pulled out the Sugar Snap Peas and Ketchup at lunch time today, but it did! I said "You're NOT going to eat THAT!!" And of course he insisted he would....And he did! Weird kid, I tell ya. Don't know where he gets it from!

Mmm Mmmm....Good!

Just thought this was too cute. Last night, Thomas and Braden were kicked back in the recliner in their PJs sharing a snack of Graham Crackers and Marshmallow Cream. I looked over and B was a mess. Too funny not to take pictures. He sure was enjoying every bite!

Snow Day!

Can you tell how much fun Braden had in the snow this morning?? He's been waiting for a snow like this all winter and it finally came! When he got up this morning and looked outside, he could hardly wait to get out there. SO after putting 14 or so layers of clothes on him (It WAS 25 degrees!), we went out. And after a nice play in the snow, we came in to have a cup of hot chocolate. Ahhh....To be a kid again!

Christmas baking at its best!

I always enjoy our tradition of Braden and I making cookies for Christmas, and this year was more fun than ever. He was so excited and did an awesome job of cutting the shapes and getting them to the pan in one piece. But when it came to decorating, I think he ate more M&Ms than he used! Oh well, it's about the sweets, I guess. And here is my little chef...cheesy smile and all!

Merry Christmas to us!

We got a nice little early Christmas surprise when my ultrasound was scheduled for yesterday. We had to be there at 8AM and that was no problem because I had been up since 4 excited about it all! The photo above is a profile of the baby's face...in case you couldn't tell. Those things are tricky to look at! And my instincts were right. They told me it was definitely a BOY! Of course I really wanted a girl, but I am still happy! Braden, however, is not too thrilled about it. He had his heart set on a sister and has told me he's not happy about this "brother" thing. Oh well, I suppose he'll just have to get used to it, right?

Welcome to the "Good Ship Potty!"

Oh boy.....You know how it is when your kid's been playing quietly a bit too long and you think you ought to go and check on him, but you don't? I had just mentioned to Thomas that he was being awfully quiet and he said " Oh...He's just playing in his ROOM!" No sooner had that been said, Braden comes running into the room whispering something. All I could catch was ..."Come look at what I made and DON'T TELL MOMMY!" They both go in there and Braden exclaims "IT'S MY POTTY SHIP!" Half a roll of toilet paper, I tell ya. And thank goodness it was just carefully balanced across the top and not inside. Oh yes...Quite the builder he is.
If there is ever an award for "toilet art", he's got it in the bag!

-M

The Pirate & the Princess

Well, here are my two favorite kiddos all dressed up for Halloween! We'd asked Marah to come over and trick-or-treat with Braden because we have a great neighborhood for it and they had so much fun together! Their buckets were filled to the TOP by the time they got back home. And I have heard nothing but "I WANT CANDY!" ever since!

-M

A Day at School

What an exciting day the kids had last Monday at school! A policeman AND firetruck showed up as this month's topic was Community Helpers. They really got a kick out of it all and I think they learned a lot too. Afterwards, we all went inside and I hung out there for a few minutes while Ms. Amy started class. I was glad that I did....I got a little sneak peek at what they do in there. Apparently, the "Silly Goose Game" is a favorite of theirs...And you can see why!


Amy is obviously a nut as I will use this picture for blackmail later. :-) But seriously, the kids love her. And they are really lucky to have a teacher so enthusiastic about her job. Not only does she do a great job teaching, but she knows how to get a little crazy with them too!

-M

My Abstract Artist!

Well, if you couldn't already tell, this is me....According to my soon to be 4-year-old! I just really get a kick out of his "artwork" lately. He builds things out of EVERYTHING. I mean, nothing is off limits...Blocks, paper, green peas! No matter what, he is always building. And very meticulous about it, I might add. It almost always has to be symmetrical and is usually complex. I'd like to think of it as his Pre-engineering days. I'm glad he enjoys creating so much. It might be silly, but Mommy and Daddy think it's pretty darn cool!

-M