Ok - here is the rub. Our desktop computer is so slow and old it is unusable (purchased in 2003...yes, 10 years ago). I get so frustrated just waiting for it to turn on that I never even make it to whatever task I was going to do. So I can't blog/load pictures/etc. from that computer. My husbands laptop is about 5 years old and also very slow. Plus, I have all our pictures, up to the last year, neatly organized on our desktop. I don't want to have pictures in two places. So I don't like to blog/unload pictures/etc. with that computer. My third option is my laptop, my work laptop. I don't really want my personal pictures stored here, but it is also the only computer with normal speed. The only one that doesn't cause me to scream in frustration. But I don't really want to blog/unload pictures/etc. with that computer.
So over the last year, our pictures have been strewn over three computers and a few USB drives. My blogging has decreased to almost never. I find this whole situation very disheartening. Our pictures are disorganized and I'm not recording our family history.
So that's the rub. Someday we'll have a new computer, I'll reorganize my photos, and start blogging again. Until then, please excuse my infrequent posts and lack of photos with each post.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
HALLOWEEN!
I love Halloween. Carson wanted to be Indiana Jones (previously called Indian John if you read my blog a year or two ago). He had a hat and a whip. He loved it. And even though he didn't ever want to carry the whip, people could tell who he was. Indiana Jones had his mom carry his whip around too, right? He was all over the Trick or Treating this year. He kept doing this pose. I tried to make him do a more Indiana Jones type pose, but he wouldn't have it.
Chloe was a cute little kitty. She got the idea pretty good. She would take the candy and put it in her little pumpkin. She would say bye at most houses (which she started saying yesterday), but it is pretty delayed so they usually wouldn't hear it. I had a really hard time getting a good picture of her, she's always on the move. Once we were back home and all bathed, I got her in her Halloween jammies and got a few pictures. The key was the stool...she loves sitting on it. So I was actually able to get her being cute. Rather than her normal blurry.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
A Little Bit of Freud (and catch up)
Well I have heard that most little boys develop a little bit of a crush on their mom. I got to experience this first hand this week. I was getting Carson ready for bed and we were just having fun talking. He said "I wish I could just marry you, Mom." I told him that I loved him and that someday he would meet a girl he wanted to marry and that he would love her even more than he loves me. He said "but I'll still miss you." He then went on to tell me his life plan. It went like this 1) get a job, 2) go to college, 3) serve a mission, and then 4) get married. I think those might be a little out of order. He then asked if he should take a Book of Mormon on his mission and I said I thought that would be a good idea. He became a little worried about that since he doesn't know how to read it yet. He then gave me a kiss goodnight and triumphantly declared "Now we're married."
The primary program was this Sunday. Beside the normal parts, Carson also sang "I'm Trying to be Like Jesus" as a trio with two other little 5 year old boys. Carson and I have sung this song A LOT over the last month. We listened to it in the car on repeat, we sang it while making dinner, etc. etc. I'm surprised he never got sick of it. It paid off. He got up there without any hesitation and boldly sang that song. It was so sweet. He asked me afterwards if it was "pretty" and if it "made me cry." To which I could reply yes and yes.
Carson had his first soccer game this Saturday. He is actually quite aggressive on the field. At the team practices his aggression made me a little uncomfortable. It is hard for me to separate the rules of life and the rules of playing sports. In life you are supposed to share and be nice, not so on the field. I never was very good at sports. Not only because I have horrible eye hand coordination, but because I was never aggressive. I would literally let the other team have the ball - just to be nice. Anyway, his aggression seemed much more appropriate during the game when the other team was crazy good and absolutely crushing them. They don't keep score though and Carson had no clue they lost. After the game he told me it was the most fun he had ever had. Highlights of the game - I caught him doing an excitement booty dance while playing defense and waiting for the ball to come his way, stopped several goals when he was goalie, scored the only point his team made that day, and looked super cute while doing it.
Chloe is finally starting to say some words. Her vocab now consists of:
Water - Wa Wa
Cracker - Ca Ca
Momma - Ma Ma
Ball - Ba
No - Na (with a really long nnnn sound before she ever gets to the a.)
...do you see a pattern? At least we have some communication going. She also knows and uses the signs for water, food, bath, milk, and dog. She likes to give high fives and has also added knuckle bumps into her repertoire.
Chloe has had 7 front teeth (4 on top, 3 on bottom) and nothing else for the longest time. It was like they all came in 6 months ago and then nothing since. The other night I was brushing her teeth and saw that she has three molars in the back. Maybe that is normal teeth development - I can't remember. But the poor thing, those have to be painful. And I didn't even know.
This 10/15 tax deadline has been my worst busy season to date. I worked more this last week than any other week in my life. I was working into the wee hours of the morning way too many nights. I think I could sleep for a week. I had a tired/emotional melt down Saturday night as I realized I wasn't going to finish and would have to work all Sunday too. I feel like everything else in my life has suffered because of it - my family, my house, my calling - you name it...I probably neglected it. I am glad it is over and I can go back to having somewhat of a normal life. I am taking PTO all next week and going absolutely no where. Ahhh...should be perfect.
And not to leave out Karl - I couldn't ask for a better husband. Even thought he is overwhelmed with what is going on in his life, he picked up the slack all week. He took everything over and never once complained. I know he is behind in his classes now but he didn't say a word about it because he knew it would add to my feelings of guilt. So now I've promised to do everything around here so he can get caught up. One of these days we'll actually be able to spend time together.
The primary program was this Sunday. Beside the normal parts, Carson also sang "I'm Trying to be Like Jesus" as a trio with two other little 5 year old boys. Carson and I have sung this song A LOT over the last month. We listened to it in the car on repeat, we sang it while making dinner, etc. etc. I'm surprised he never got sick of it. It paid off. He got up there without any hesitation and boldly sang that song. It was so sweet. He asked me afterwards if it was "pretty" and if it "made me cry." To which I could reply yes and yes.
Carson had his first soccer game this Saturday. He is actually quite aggressive on the field. At the team practices his aggression made me a little uncomfortable. It is hard for me to separate the rules of life and the rules of playing sports. In life you are supposed to share and be nice, not so on the field. I never was very good at sports. Not only because I have horrible eye hand coordination, but because I was never aggressive. I would literally let the other team have the ball - just to be nice. Anyway, his aggression seemed much more appropriate during the game when the other team was crazy good and absolutely crushing them. They don't keep score though and Carson had no clue they lost. After the game he told me it was the most fun he had ever had. Highlights of the game - I caught him doing an excitement booty dance while playing defense and waiting for the ball to come his way, stopped several goals when he was goalie, scored the only point his team made that day, and looked super cute while doing it.
Chloe is finally starting to say some words. Her vocab now consists of:
Water - Wa Wa
Cracker - Ca Ca
Momma - Ma Ma
Ball - Ba
No - Na (with a really long nnnn sound before she ever gets to the a.)
...do you see a pattern? At least we have some communication going. She also knows and uses the signs for water, food, bath, milk, and dog. She likes to give high fives and has also added knuckle bumps into her repertoire.
Chloe has had 7 front teeth (4 on top, 3 on bottom) and nothing else for the longest time. It was like they all came in 6 months ago and then nothing since. The other night I was brushing her teeth and saw that she has three molars in the back. Maybe that is normal teeth development - I can't remember. But the poor thing, those have to be painful. And I didn't even know.
This 10/15 tax deadline has been my worst busy season to date. I worked more this last week than any other week in my life. I was working into the wee hours of the morning way too many nights. I think I could sleep for a week. I had a tired/emotional melt down Saturday night as I realized I wasn't going to finish and would have to work all Sunday too. I feel like everything else in my life has suffered because of it - my family, my house, my calling - you name it...I probably neglected it. I am glad it is over and I can go back to having somewhat of a normal life. I am taking PTO all next week and going absolutely no where. Ahhh...should be perfect.
And not to leave out Karl - I couldn't ask for a better husband. Even thought he is overwhelmed with what is going on in his life, he picked up the slack all week. He took everything over and never once complained. I know he is behind in his classes now but he didn't say a word about it because he knew it would add to my feelings of guilt. So now I've promised to do everything around here so he can get caught up. One of these days we'll actually be able to spend time together.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Sibling Love
I have mentioned it before, but I LOVE watching the relationship develop between Carson and Chloe. While most of it is sweet and wonderful, there have been a few bad times too.
Good Times:
Carson takes pride in his little sister and I can tell he secretly loves when she sits by him or wants to play with him. A few times she has sat herself down on his lap. He just wraps his arms around her and beams. The other day, she had just woken up and was feeling a little touchy. She likes to be held by Karl or I (and usually doesn't have a preference). I was holding her and talking to Carson who was laying on the floor. All the sudden, she reached out her arms for Carson. I was really surprised and kind of took a minute to make sure she was indicating that she was wanting Carson. I said "I think she wants you" to Carson. He got excited and reached out his arms and said "Come here Chloe." I set her down on the ground. She made herself comfortable on top of Carson's torso and hummed happily to herself. She just needed a little Carson comfort. I loved it so much...and so did Carson.
Bad Times (side note - for some reason I love these too. They are getting the brother/sister experience.)
Unfortunately, Chloe is a little biter. Sometimes she does it randomly with a little devilish grin and sometimes she does it out of frustration. Luckily, it isn't hard and Carson usually finds it funny. The other day, they were "fighting" over a toy and I could really see the frustration in her. She reached up both hands and gently put them on Carson's face. I think it was supposed to be a hit, but she didn't have any power behind it. Then she started to look for something to bite...her mouth open wide like a fish looking for food. Carson is quick to solve the problem by just moving.
Second side note - them fighting over a toy means Carson was trying to do something structured and Chloe kept grabbing it, breaking it, etc. etc.
Carson will sometimes take away her toys. He usually says something sweet while doing it, like "Oh, thank you Chloe." But really she is on the ground crying because he just took whatever she was playing with. Every time he does this I think "just you wait, Carson. Very soon she will be able to fight back."
But the good times definitely outweigh the bad...and they are all kind of fun. Chloe is lucky to have such a sweet, patient older brother.
Good Times:
Carson takes pride in his little sister and I can tell he secretly loves when she sits by him or wants to play with him. A few times she has sat herself down on his lap. He just wraps his arms around her and beams. The other day, she had just woken up and was feeling a little touchy. She likes to be held by Karl or I (and usually doesn't have a preference). I was holding her and talking to Carson who was laying on the floor. All the sudden, she reached out her arms for Carson. I was really surprised and kind of took a minute to make sure she was indicating that she was wanting Carson. I said "I think she wants you" to Carson. He got excited and reached out his arms and said "Come here Chloe." I set her down on the ground. She made herself comfortable on top of Carson's torso and hummed happily to herself. She just needed a little Carson comfort. I loved it so much...and so did Carson.
Bad Times (side note - for some reason I love these too. They are getting the brother/sister experience.)
Unfortunately, Chloe is a little biter. Sometimes she does it randomly with a little devilish grin and sometimes she does it out of frustration. Luckily, it isn't hard and Carson usually finds it funny. The other day, they were "fighting" over a toy and I could really see the frustration in her. She reached up both hands and gently put them on Carson's face. I think it was supposed to be a hit, but she didn't have any power behind it. Then she started to look for something to bite...her mouth open wide like a fish looking for food. Carson is quick to solve the problem by just moving.
Second side note - them fighting over a toy means Carson was trying to do something structured and Chloe kept grabbing it, breaking it, etc. etc.
Carson will sometimes take away her toys. He usually says something sweet while doing it, like "Oh, thank you Chloe." But really she is on the ground crying because he just took whatever she was playing with. Every time he does this I think "just you wait, Carson. Very soon she will be able to fight back."
But the good times definitely outweigh the bad...and they are all kind of fun. Chloe is lucky to have such a sweet, patient older brother.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
KINDERGARTEN!!!
Carson started Kindergarten this week! I was more nervous for the big day than he was. He acted very nonchalant about it...you know, no big deal. I could learn a thing or two from him.
I was able to experience school supply shopping for the first time. Crowded Walmart is pretty much one of my worst nightmares. I tried crowded Target first, but they were cleaned out. I also wasn't sure how to back to school clothes shop here in Arizona. Kids will still be wearing their summer shorts through October...usually into November. So do I buy him new shorts for school - that seemed silly. But buying a bunch of pants and sweaters when it is 115 degrees also seemed really silly. So we decided to just round out his summer wardrobe (a few more basics to mix and match, new shoes, etc.) and call it good. I'll worry about the warm clothes when they are actually needed.
The night before, Karl gave Carson a blessing. He asked Carson if there was anything he was worried about. Carson told him "learning math." Carson was super reverent during the blessing. He kept his arms folded and his eyes closed the entire time (I was peeking). This was surprising because he's been having a hard time being reverent during prayers lately. It's like he's finally figured out that everyone has their eyes closed and so he thinks it's funny to move spots or belch or pretend to fall asleep and snore or who knows what. I was glad he took the blessing seriously though.
The night before I got as much done as possible. I laid out his outfit. I put his back pack together. I made sure all forms were filled out. I put his name on everything. I planned the lunch I would make in the morning.
We woke up in the morning and it was all excitement and happiness for ten minutes. Chloe started crying so we went to get her up too. When we went in there, it smelled way too foul. She had a gross diarrhea explosion (sorry if that is too graphic). It was everywhere. So then we spent fifteen minutes cleaning her and cleaning poop out of clothes, blankets, etc. We finally got back to the morning and had breakfast. We were all going to go get dressed and then Chloe threw up all over the carpet...a ton. So then we spent 15 minutes cleaning up throw up.
At this point, I was starting to get nervous. I had worked so hard to make sure this would be a nice, smooth morning for Carson and it had completely been turned upside down. Luckily we pulled it together and got out the door on time (good thing I did all that prep). Here he is before we left.
I walked Carson into the playground and found his teacher. Then they led the whole group into his classroom. I let the kids go first and followed a little behind (snapping pictures). After 5 minutes or so, Carson saw me and said "Mom, you're still here? What are you doing here?" It made me laugh. We hadn't said bye or anything and he was totally okay with going it alone. In this way, he is totally opposite of me as a child...much more like Karl. I was a Nervous Nelly my first day school.
We walked into his classroom and found his backpack hook. I helped him find his desk. Then I just kind of stood on the side and watched him as everyone got settled. He didn't seem nervous or apprehensive, just taking it all in.
We all said the pledge of allegiance and then the teacher told them to say goodbye to their parents. He smiled and waved. I gave him a kiss and a little hug as I walked past. I paused just outside the door and I saw him turn around once and look for me. He saw me and waved again. I got pretty teary at this point. Seeing his smiling face wave bye as I left him at Kindergarten was a little emotional. I wasn't worried about him, but I stayed out in the hall for a few minutes and peeked in a few times...just to watch him.
I wondered what he was doing a few times during the day. We picked him up and he was all smiles. I kept asking questions and I found out they had singing time, that he enjoyed lunch time, that he made two friends (names unknown..."but one had a yellow shirt and one had a blue jacket"), they learned rules, he liked his teachers (meaning the teacher and the aid), and that he was a good listener (according to him). He asked me if this was his real kindergarten and was very pleased when I said yes. I think preschool and summer camp had him confused.
I'd say it was a success.
I was able to experience school supply shopping for the first time. Crowded Walmart is pretty much one of my worst nightmares. I tried crowded Target first, but they were cleaned out. I also wasn't sure how to back to school clothes shop here in Arizona. Kids will still be wearing their summer shorts through October...usually into November. So do I buy him new shorts for school - that seemed silly. But buying a bunch of pants and sweaters when it is 115 degrees also seemed really silly. So we decided to just round out his summer wardrobe (a few more basics to mix and match, new shoes, etc.) and call it good. I'll worry about the warm clothes when they are actually needed.
The night before, Karl gave Carson a blessing. He asked Carson if there was anything he was worried about. Carson told him "learning math." Carson was super reverent during the blessing. He kept his arms folded and his eyes closed the entire time (I was peeking). This was surprising because he's been having a hard time being reverent during prayers lately. It's like he's finally figured out that everyone has their eyes closed and so he thinks it's funny to move spots or belch or pretend to fall asleep and snore or who knows what. I was glad he took the blessing seriously though.
The night before I got as much done as possible. I laid out his outfit. I put his back pack together. I made sure all forms were filled out. I put his name on everything. I planned the lunch I would make in the morning.
We woke up in the morning and it was all excitement and happiness for ten minutes. Chloe started crying so we went to get her up too. When we went in there, it smelled way too foul. She had a gross diarrhea explosion (sorry if that is too graphic). It was everywhere. So then we spent fifteen minutes cleaning her and cleaning poop out of clothes, blankets, etc. We finally got back to the morning and had breakfast. We were all going to go get dressed and then Chloe threw up all over the carpet...a ton. So then we spent 15 minutes cleaning up throw up.
At this point, I was starting to get nervous. I had worked so hard to make sure this would be a nice, smooth morning for Carson and it had completely been turned upside down. Luckily we pulled it together and got out the door on time (good thing I did all that prep). Here he is before we left.
I walked Carson into the playground and found his teacher. Then they led the whole group into his classroom. I let the kids go first and followed a little behind (snapping pictures). After 5 minutes or so, Carson saw me and said "Mom, you're still here? What are you doing here?" It made me laugh. We hadn't said bye or anything and he was totally okay with going it alone. In this way, he is totally opposite of me as a child...much more like Karl. I was a Nervous Nelly my first day school.
We walked into his classroom and found his backpack hook. I helped him find his desk. Then I just kind of stood on the side and watched him as everyone got settled. He didn't seem nervous or apprehensive, just taking it all in.
I could look at this pic all day. He is way too cute.
I wondered what he was doing a few times during the day. We picked him up and he was all smiles. I kept asking questions and I found out they had singing time, that he enjoyed lunch time, that he made two friends (names unknown..."but one had a yellow shirt and one had a blue jacket"), they learned rules, he liked his teachers (meaning the teacher and the aid), and that he was a good listener (according to him). He asked me if this was his real kindergarten and was very pleased when I said yes. I think preschool and summer camp had him confused.
I'd say it was a success.
Chloe's First Birthday!
While on our vacation, Chloe turned one. We celebrated up in Spokane with my family. Unfortunately, my camera battery died about 5 seconds into the celebration. So while my mom took a billion pics, I don't have them yet.
Chloe will rest her head on my shoulder when she is tired or wants a little cuddle (I eat this up).
Whenever she is handed a stuffed animal she hugs it close and cuddles it for a minute.
She is getting pretty attached to her blanket and bear. When she is feeling a little tired or first waking up, she gets upset if she can't hold on to one of them for a little bit. Give her 5 min though and then it's left on the floor and I can go throw it back in her crib.
She gets really excited about dolls/animals at the store. She was basically hyperventilating the first time we walked past the cabbage patch kids.
She isn't talking yet - just lots of cute gibberish sounds.
She loves to make a few sounds (1) hitting her hand against her mouth...that o, o, o sound and (2) moving her tongue side to side in her mouth. You can see her doing this one in the very first picture.
She is getting pretty good at walking...still a little wobbly.
Loves books - they hold her attention the longest.
Likes to give high fives (very gently high fives).
Gets excited for real animals too. She'll stop everything to watch a cat or a dog.
Doesn't like being strapped in a car for two days - who would have thought.
Is starting to do a lot more communicating through the use of points and head shakes. She can shake her head "no" really good now. She'll do this when I hand her the wrong thing. She is trying to nod it yes as well, but this one needs a little work. It is pretty cute though - she does it when she gets excited.
Hopefully we are not giving in too easy and she'll still be motivated to talk soon.
When we were shopping for her birthday she really wanted this teddy bear and she was just so cute that we bought it for her (it was her birthday). She was literally laughing as we handed it to her. She has been cuddling him ever since (see her laying on him in the sleep picture above). Unfortunately, he got pooped on last night (diaper explosion) so he was sitting on top of the washer until I decided what to do with him (run him through the washer? just throw it out and buy a new one? Spot cleaning doesn't seem good enough.). She saw him up there and stood by the washer for 5 minutes trying to reach for him and talking real important gibberish to me so that I would get him. I finally had to carry her out of that room and she got real sad. Luckily, she has a sweet older brother who brought her his teddy bear...a loaner for the night. That was an acceptable substitute to her.
She is such a joy and I love having my sweet baby girl. I love watching the relationship that is forming between Carson and her (hopefully it stays that way). I love watching Karl with her and hearing him call her sweet little pet names. Happy Birthday to my little Chloe.
BUT...
We did a second celebration when we got back in Arizona. I do have pics from that one. The first party I did a traditional chocolate cupcake. This time I did one that sounded good to me (Lemon Pound Cake Cup Cakes with Blackberry and Raspberry frosting). They were delicious. Chloe seemed to like it better too. She really dug in. Unfortunately, the pink frosting looks a little creepy all over her face - like crazy lipstick or something.
I finally got a picture of her sleeping. She is a light sleeper so I never dared, but I risked it because she was just too darn cute.
Chloe absolutely adores Carson. I see her looking at him like this all the time. She'll smile and laugh whenever he pulls faces or dances around (and he loves the audience).
Chloe will rest her head on my shoulder when she is tired or wants a little cuddle (I eat this up).
Whenever she is handed a stuffed animal she hugs it close and cuddles it for a minute.
She is getting pretty attached to her blanket and bear. When she is feeling a little tired or first waking up, she gets upset if she can't hold on to one of them for a little bit. Give her 5 min though and then it's left on the floor and I can go throw it back in her crib.
She gets really excited about dolls/animals at the store. She was basically hyperventilating the first time we walked past the cabbage patch kids.
She isn't talking yet - just lots of cute gibberish sounds.
She loves to make a few sounds (1) hitting her hand against her mouth...that o, o, o sound and (2) moving her tongue side to side in her mouth. You can see her doing this one in the very first picture.
She is getting pretty good at walking...still a little wobbly.
Loves books - they hold her attention the longest.
Likes to give high fives (very gently high fives).
Gets excited for real animals too. She'll stop everything to watch a cat or a dog.
Doesn't like being strapped in a car for two days - who would have thought.
Is starting to do a lot more communicating through the use of points and head shakes. She can shake her head "no" really good now. She'll do this when I hand her the wrong thing. She is trying to nod it yes as well, but this one needs a little work. It is pretty cute though - she does it when she gets excited.
Hopefully we are not giving in too easy and she'll still be motivated to talk soon.
When we were shopping for her birthday she really wanted this teddy bear and she was just so cute that we bought it for her (it was her birthday). She was literally laughing as we handed it to her. She has been cuddling him ever since (see her laying on him in the sleep picture above). Unfortunately, he got pooped on last night (diaper explosion) so he was sitting on top of the washer until I decided what to do with him (run him through the washer? just throw it out and buy a new one? Spot cleaning doesn't seem good enough.). She saw him up there and stood by the washer for 5 minutes trying to reach for him and talking real important gibberish to me so that I would get him. I finally had to carry her out of that room and she got real sad. Luckily, she has a sweet older brother who brought her his teddy bear...a loaner for the night. That was an acceptable substitute to her.
She is such a joy and I love having my sweet baby girl. I love watching the relationship that is forming between Carson and her (hopefully it stays that way). I love watching Karl with her and hearing him call her sweet little pet names. Happy Birthday to my little Chloe.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Vacation to Heaven...I mean Priest Lake
This post will be a lot of pictures. We decided to drive to northern Idaho (almost Canada) since plane tickets to Spokane were a little too pricey. The two day drive was a little bit of a nightmare though. After 3 hours of me being turned around the whole time, I just moved to the back and sat between the kids. It was a two day game of how to entertain a one year old strapped in a chair. Carson did great though.
Bike ride to the river/bridge. Chloe passed out on the way back.
Carson's first time on a tube. He seemed a little nervous the whole time. He kept saying we could go faster but once it got fast he quickly changed his mind. Afterwards he said it was a lot of fun though.
Kasey on skis
Karl on skis (he is way cooler on skis than I am)
Chloe's first boat ride.
My pretty beach baby
Carson loved being in the lake. He was outside pretty much all day. Deep water still freaks him out a little, but he was swimming his heart out all over the shallow area (luckily he could touch even past the dock). Carson was so brave this vacation. He came out to the drop off with me...way out there...that dark blue line in the pictures. He went tubing (with a little coaxing). I was so proud of him.
Carson posing
Me and the kiddos in the hammock (don't mind the crazy lake hair).
Cousins - these boys are too funny.
The drive home was way worse than the drive there. We weren't headed to paradise...we were headed to 115 degrees. Toward the end of the drive Carson kept saying "I'm going super nuts." Made me laugh.
He also helped keep Chloe entertained...
Camping
I always do this - wait till I have 12 things to blog about and then do them all at once. Sorry.
We haven't gone camping in a long time - mostly because Carson always tended to never sleep (not going to bed till midnight and then waking up at 5 am), but also because it always seems to cost a pretty penny to get out the door.
We decided to brave it seeing as Carson is older now and Chloe is sleeping through the night. We spent some money to get a hitch on our car (Karl did a very good job installing it) so that we could pull our little camper. It is Karl's parent's old camper. It is literally older than I am. But it still serves its purpose. It was really nice to be able to close the door and let Chloe walk a little without getting filthy.
It seems like every time we go camping it rains. That's my only complaint. Wet camping is way less fun.
On the way there, Carson said he was tired. I told him to grab a pillow so he could fall asleep. He did fall asleep - but this isn't quite what I meant.
We haven't gone camping in a long time - mostly because Carson always tended to never sleep (not going to bed till midnight and then waking up at 5 am), but also because it always seems to cost a pretty penny to get out the door.
We decided to brave it seeing as Carson is older now and Chloe is sleeping through the night. We spent some money to get a hitch on our car (Karl did a very good job installing it) so that we could pull our little camper. It is Karl's parent's old camper. It is literally older than I am. But it still serves its purpose. It was really nice to be able to close the door and let Chloe walk a little without getting filthy.
It seems like every time we go camping it rains. That's my only complaint. Wet camping is way less fun.
On the way there, Carson said he was tired. I told him to grab a pillow so he could fall asleep. He did fall asleep - but this isn't quite what I meant.
Chloe's funny face. It cracked me up each time. It only lasted a few weeks though.
My pretty girl.
Geocaching. The kids loved the "real" treasure hunts.
Thanks Uncle HL for packing Chloe on the geocaching adventure.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Lego Party!
So here are the Lego Party details:
Now I don't claim to be a professional, but I was happy with them. Even if I have no clue how to get the frosting as smooth as Betty Crocker, you could tell what they were and the boys loved them. The idea is from the Betty Crocker website. It's a 9 x 13 cake, cut into two rectangles and two squares. The tops are marshmallows cut in half and then frosted.
Karl made these and it was super cool. He wrapped diaper boxes and soda boxes in newspaper. Then I thought to buy a swimming noodle and we cut it up and glued them on. Then he spray painted. In this pic you can also kind of see that all the balloon weights were mega blocks.
I found a real basic image of a Lego guy online. Then I cropped it and made it really big huge. I treated his body as four quadrants and printed each quadrant full size on a separate piece of paper. Then I traced the image onto colored paper and cut it out. Too bad the boys played this for like 10 seconds and then ran off playing.
I also cut out a bunch of paper Lego guys (about three inches tall) and hid them all over the house. Then we played "I Spy a Lego Guy." They enjoyed this game.
This was Carson's old train table that was sitting in the garage. We just flipped the top over so it was plain white. It worked really well and the lip kept the Legos from going all over the floor.
INVITATION
I got the image off the Lego website here: http://minifigures.lego.com/en-us/Downloads/Default.aspx#dow334343. I got the Lego font here: http://www.urbanfonts.com/fonts/Legothick.htm. I then edited the pic to add the words and just printed them off at Walmart.
PLACE CARDS
While I was at it, I picked a Lego guy character for each boy and edited the image to add their name. Got images here: http://minifigures.lego.com/en-us/Bios/Default.aspx. I then printed a few wallets to be place card holders and goody bag attachments. I let the boys take them home at the end as well. I used the same Lego guy image for their builder's pass as well (see below).
BUILDER'S PASS
The boys got these upon arrival and wore them for the party. They were excited to take them home.
LEGO CAKE
GOODY BAG
I did just cheapy bags and then put 6 green paper dots on each one to look like a Lego.
GOODY BAG CONTENTS
1) Lego Guy crayons (made with the mold). I took all Carson's broken crayons, melted them in the oven in little tins I hadn't used ever and then poured them into the mold and let them cool. They turned out really cool and were pretty easy. The mold was a few dollars at the Lego store (Arrowhead mall). I think it was $8.
2) Block candy (purchased at Fuzziwig's)
3) Lego magazine. These are free at the Lego store. The guy didn't even blink when I said I wanted 10. While I felt weird as it is a marketing ploy to get little boys to want to buy Legos, it was actually a cool mag. There were some activities and a comic strip. And then just pictures of cool Legos (no prices or anything like that).
4) Lego sugar cookies which took me hours and then I didn't take a picture. I was really proud of them though since they were icing and you use a bottle and do the edges and then fill it in (look it up if you have no clue what I'm talking about). They looked almost identical to these (almost...obviously mine weren't quite this perfect).
5) Other misc. contents: a noise maker and some Lego stickers (picture not important).
GIANT LEGO DECORATIONS
PIN THE HEAD ON THE LEGO GUY
I also cut out a bunch of paper Lego guys (about three inches tall) and hid them all over the house. Then we played "I Spy a Lego Guy." They enjoyed this game.
LEGO BUILDING STATION
RACE CAR RAMP
Now the boys did have fun with this game. They all built Lego cars and then raced them. It wasn't too structured and there were no real rules, so each boy was able to "win". One would shout "I won, mine went the farthest," while another boy would shout "I won, mine went the fastest," etc., etc.
So was it a good party?
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