Charlie's Safari

The boys had a blast at Charlie's Safari. There were several bounce houses and toddler play area all for only $4. They don't charge for the parents, so we thought $8 for 3 hours of A/C sounded like a bargain.

Here are some pics of the kids. I have video, but can't get them to upload right now.

Oh, and Gabe is getting a new molar...you can feel the little ridges under the gums. You know it hurts when he is opening his mouth wide for the orajel. We are now at an hour past bed and he is still crying. Poor thing.

Heat Wave

Here are some pics of us strawberry picking yesterday morning. It was already hot at 10 when we got there. I think Anthony ate more strawberries than he put in the basket. But, that is why wego to the pesticide free place. This was the first time any of my boys ever picked strawberries...including Rob. It was great to watch the boys having so much fun together. Oh, and we drove there in the mustang with the top down.

Strawberry Fields Forever...

Yesterday it was 92 and today is supposed to be hotter. Now remember, we don't have a/c. So by the end of the day it is in the mid-80s in the house.

Of course, Gabe woke up with a fever of 103 (I think it is just teething...but that just may be my wishful thinking). We are planning to go to Charlie's Safari (and indoor play arena that has a/c) this afternoon to get us out of the house. After we will go out to dinner because even the crock pot is just too much heat.

The Dinosaurs are Real

When we were at the market on Sat, Anthony got a balloon dinosaur. Here he is with his "not tend" dinosaur.

Here are a few pictures of my beautiful, well manicured house. Given that it started as nothing but a bug infested, dandilion and moss covered mess, I think we have done quite well.

Oh, and we finally have strawberries at Spooner Farm...mmmmm!! Anthony and Dad (ok, and me too) ate approx 20 in the 5 min drive home.

Finally Summer

So this will be the 3rd day in a row that the kids will actually wake up and be able to put on shorts. I am so glad to have a little summer and nice weather. We really needed it.

On Friday we played at the park with some friends. I love this park. The playground is actually shaded with a ton of old growth trees. Additionally, the park is totally toddler friendly. There are 5 swings with the infant swing seats. The play structure is easily accesible with a ramp to the slides, and there is the rubber mattng stuff (not bark or pea gravel) underneath.

This seems to be the only way I can get either to drink water

On Sat, we played at home then went to the Farmer's Market. I love our Farmer's Market. They are so great there and the produce is amazing. We were hoping for strawberries, but the cold Jun has delayed their arrival at the market. Maybe next week.

The boys spent the morning playing upstairs while Rob cleaned the fishtanks. Anthony decided his feet were cold and put on socks. When he was in the NICU, we joked he looked like a little old man. I guess he still does. Gabe loves reading on Anthony's bed.

After nap, Anthony played in the sprinklers. Gabe did not. He freaked out over the whole episode of the the water hitting him.

But alas, every day does not end like a fairytale. Rob and I were doing some house maintenance after the boys went to bed. I thought our shower was draining a little slow so I pulled the drain screen. Apparently it is not doing its job. Yes, that is all hair...yuck!

Fried Brain Sandwich

So, I took my GMAT today. I was super worried about this. I hate the computer adaptive test because it does not allow you to back and review your answers...basically once you answer and hit return it is in the system forever. I needed a total of 550 on the 3 sections (writing, quatitative...math, and qualitative...reading/writing). My unofficial score is a 610...60 points to spare. YEAH!!!

Rob is the super husband of the day. He took off work to take care of the kids. Additionally, he just took them on a second errand so I could get a little time at home alone. The deal was I had to make dinner. However, we had already put a premade lasagna in and the fresh bread was already cooking. I think I just have to heat up a few veggies for the side. I think I definitely got the better end of this deal.

Our Daily Activities

So, today Rob had to work in the morning and the kids and I had fun trying to find things to do. Gabe choose to read.

Yes, he is reading the world is flat by thomas friedman.

Anthony choose to color.

Imaginary Dragons

I never thought I would have indepth discussions with imaginary dragons. But they have a surprising amount to say.

Anthony now sees imaginary dragons everywhere...both good and bad ones. I have to be careful about judging his reaction so I don't let in the bad dragons or keep the good ones out.

Today we had a nice family of dragons join us for breakfast. They were from Alaska. It was a mommy, a daddy, a baby and a baby sister. They do not like pancakes, only french toast...good thing because we were not having pancakes this morning, only french toast. Hopefully all of our dragons will be that accomodating.

Worth Every Penny

A friend sent this to me and I love it.

The Price of Children

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition. But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month, or
* $171.08 a week
* That's a mere $24.24 a day! Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be "rich." Actually, it is just the opposite. What do you get for your $160,140?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last names!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold usually covered with Jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, play softball.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs, and
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watching Saturday morning cartoons,
* going to Disney movies, and
* wishing on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts and flowers under refrigerator magnets, and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs,
* and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream or pizza regardless.

You get a front row seat to history, to witness the:
* first step,
* first word,
* first smile,
* first date, and
* first time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grand children and great grand children. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits. So, one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!

Heart attack waiting to happen

Anthony has always been very cautious. I am not sure if it is born into him, but I think so. Even in the NICU he was timid. Where others would sprawl out, he slept curled up.

Gabe on the other hand is different. He is my mighty adventurer. If there is a mountain he can climb it, even if it is not in his way. Today he gave me two scares...then I realized he knew his limits and is just pushing to the line then backing off. I think that scared me more. First, he climbed on Anthony's big horse and then stood on it while holding the handles. At first I was not terribly dismayed, then I noticed he was actually checking his balance to see if he could let go. Second, he will now climb the stairs holding our banister poles until then run out...then he will crawl on his belly the rest of the way.

This is the child Rob deserves :-) Good thing he is home for it.

Two Links

So I finally added some links on the side bar of my blog.

One is to my friend Jennifer's website. It is funny how after a great deal of time and distance two people can end up with nearly the same life. Jennifer and I went to elementary school together and have had contact off and on over the years. She has 2 girls almost the same ages as my boys (I mean within months/days of each other). We both stay home. The other day when Anthony split his head, her daughter broke her arm. Just shows you how funny life can be. She is also the one who inspired me to try blogging.

Another is to Soule Mama. This is the sight you go to when you think you have it all pulled together. She will show you that you are no where close to pulled together. Glad there are people like this in the world, glad I am not one of them.

The last one is to Randy Pausch's Homepage. This is the one you go to when you think things are bad for you. He is dying of pancreatic cancer; rather than mope, he has taken his life and turned it into a beacon of hope. He has 3 young children, and I cannot imagine being that brave facing the fact that I would not see my children grow up. If you ever need something to inspire you to live your life to the fullest, download and listen to his "Last Lecture." If you make it through without crying you are stronger than I.

Gabe Ate a Fruit

Now, this may not seem like news to many people, but Gabe has always hated fruits. Literally, he would pick it up, squish it, then make this face like the fruit offended him, and toss it on the floor. Recently he started eating applesauce regularly, but today he ate an apple. Most kids would start with small chunks, no skin. Not our Gabe. Gotta be like brother.

He ate the apple whole...

and made a pretty good dent in it.

New Top

So, I finally figured out how to customize my top banner. I will keep working on the sizing and graphics, but above is the new basic layout. Yeah me!

Who Hijacked Summer?

It is really cold here...and has been for a week. It is rainy, and 50. I need some sunshine and a little warmer weather. It is bad when the weather in Fairbanks is looking better. So, if you took my summer weather, please send it back.

Today, despite the yuck, we went with the MOMS Club to Lattin's Cider Mill. The boys got to feed the animals, eat a donut and drink fresh apple cider. And no, they did not share. Here are a few pics. Enjoy.

On a personal note, today I made Major in the Air Force Reserves. And, on 1 Jul, I moe to the inactive reserves...in hopes of avoiding a 1 year deployment.

Feast of Famine

It seems that either you get no posts for a week (or more) or two in one day. Here are the pics of the garage and kitchen. The kitchen is DONE. The doors are hung with handles on every single one. All the painting, touch up, tile, laminate, cabinets....everything is done!!!! This project took nearly a year as we redid every inch of the kitchen. I will think twice before doing it again (alright, we all know that is lie).

While the tile is more brown than we thought, it looks just fine. It is hard to tell from the pictures, but the counters are more grey. When we bought the tile, it looked grey...but, we have now learned that if you buy a natural stone tile you should clean it before deciding to lay the tile. Lesson learned.

Rob also cleaned the garage. We did not take a before picture, but let me assure you it was terrible. We couldn't walk in there much less fit a car. Now there is a car and still room to work (right now Rob is selling stuff on EBAY). I am so proud of him for getting this done; it was truly a monster project that we did not want to tackle.

Gak

http://ellen.warnerbros.com/2008/02/steve_spangler_do_not_try_this.php

This video is so cool. It is about Gak and the crazy things you could do if money and time were never an option. I wonder if we could do a playgroup at the house and have everyone bring like 20 boxes of Corn Starch to make it work.

Anyways, if you don't do Gak with the kids, look up a recipe on line and try it out. Very cool.

5 Silly monkeys....

jumping on the bed. One fell off and broke his head.


So, this is not a picture of my kitchen or garage.



As we were getting the boys ready for bed...a wrestling match on a good night...Anthony insisted on jumping on his bed despite repeated warnings. He lost his footing, fell forward and cracked his head on the eyebrow. It did not need stitches, but may still leave a bit of a scar. Oh well, boys will be boys...and I know this is not the last head bump we will have.

Remember When...

Vacation used to mean you went somewhere fun and enjoyed yourself. Rob took this week for vacation so we could get the house projects done. But I am happy to say that we have a clean (squeeky clean) garage and a new backsplash in the kitchen.

I will try to post pics soon.