happy camper

The teeth are falling out of our people's heads this week, I tell ya!  Reecie lost two and then Graham lost another on top. He's so sleepy and all wrapped up in his favorite "sports" blanket that Nana made for him.  It was about 11 o'clock when that thing finally came out!  His teeth always seem to get wiggliest at the end of the day and then he has trouble going to sleep until that wiggler comes out.  I helped him twist and turn that thing in every way, and then he finished the job-so brave!

We've been busy for the last few days laundering, packing, making a list and checking it twice because Graham's going to sleep away camp!  He is so excited to go to Cedarkirk with his "home brother" Johnathon.  Graham and Johnathon have been best friends since, well- since baby-hood!  I met Jill and Craig when Johnathon was about 9 months old and I was in my last trimester with Graham.  We were fast friends.   The boys have very different personalities, but boy do they love being together.  Sometimes we laugh, because they often remind us of two little old men with their banter and interactions.  They know each other well and it's fun to watch their friendship grow as they do.  Cedarkirk is a Christian camp and conference center, and they offer sleep away camps for all ages.  At Graham's age (8) it is a 3 day, 2 night camp.

Nana came and picked Graham up on Thursday for a little lunch and shopping for camp essentials like shower flip flops and some cool camo sunglasses.   Then this afternoon, Grandma and Grandpa came by and brought Graham his very own journal, pencils and a bookmark.  We prayed together that this would be a special time for Graham to meet new friends and that God would meet him in a special way at camp.

The "just in case" allergy medicine stash

Bible, journal + pencils, sunglasses, disposable camera, hat, swimsuit, bugspray + sunscreen and each outfit /pajama set bagged  with a special note in each bag.  I saw this idea  to bag complete outfits (down to socks + underwear) on pinterest and thought it was brilliant!  Plus, it'll prevent dropping clothes on the wet shower floor, I hope!

Millie's staying behind with grandparents so that we can focus on getting Graham settled in, and Reecie's coming along for sisterly support.  :)  Dan spent many summers at Cedarkirk and so he'll be able to show D.G. the lay of the land, I'm sure.  So happy for our boy to have this special opportunity and maybe camp at Cedarkirk will be a summer tradition!

Hannah Reece's "holey" smile :)

Reecie pulled her 2nd and 3rd teeth...all by herself!  And within one day of each other!  That dern tooth fairy was somewhat delayed due to a stomach virus.  Yuck.  But word is, she's making a special double delivery tonight.  :)

While I'm thinking of our special girl, she snuggled up next to me and wanted to chat yesterday.  She wanted to tell me about all of her favorite things...

I like to play my guitar.
I like to listen to my cd player (my favorite cd is taylor swift).
I like to watch The Greening of Whitney Brown and Curious George.
I like to play with my friends.
I like to play PBS Kids on the computer.
My favorite colors are turquoise and purple
My favorite foods are beans and rice and mac and cheese.

Hannah Reece always wears a little cardigan or shrug with her tops.  Sometimes I'll tell her it's too hot for that, but she insists on being "modest".  I'm so grateful that daddy encourages modesty by taking her shopping for clothes, affirming her beauty and helping her pick out appropriate clothes.  She handles "no" to inappropriate clothing SO well and we just stay positive about it saying, "well, guess we'll just have to KEEP shopping even longer!"  And she smiles.  May the LORD be glorified in you, as you honor HIM with your modest beauty.  May your beautiful heart and godly character SHINE, Hannah Reece.  I think you are positively radiant.

Last week Hannah Reece expressed that she wanted to have a special mommy-daughter date.  I just happened to have a coupon for a free brownie sundae burning a hole in my pocket!  So we headed over to the "Chic" and shared a yummy treat with a heaping side of giggles.  Maybe it was the sugar?  We could not stop laughing.  It was the most fun I've had in a long time!  :)  I asked Reecie if she wanted to play on the playground there for a couple of minutes.  She had the whole thing to herself and momma's undivided attention.  She was a little nervous to go in the tubes alone.  I encouraged her to go on and give it a try, so she did.  I heard her shoes banging the side of that tube slide and then jumped when I heard a loud "MOOOOOOO!"  Well, I think my girl was surprised too, because she came wide-eyed FLYIN' out of that tube!  Ha!  We laughed so hard.  I love you Reecie-boo.  xoxo

Graham's dream dinner

Mom, if I could have a dream dinner for my birthday (birthdays are often a subject of discussion here) I would want to eat:
cheese quesadillas
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
chicken nuggets
bbq potato chips
cherry chillers (icee's)

tenth anniversary

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ice skating

Why on earth would we be donned in our winter gear in 90 degree weather??

ICE SKATING LESSONS!

 up and down, up and down...but not for long!  :)

sneaking in sugars and snuggles with daddy

"Mom, guess what?  Today I just fell three times.  I never want to stop skating.  I wish for skating lessons every day!"  -Hannah Reece

Before I forget...

Thankful for this little place on the www that is a "drop zone" for memories.  If I don't drop it here, I'll forget!  :)

***

Camille

-{This morning on the way to CBS} exclaimed, "Dee-sus live!" (with a long i) Sweet, sweet, so sweet.  (Reminds me of Psalm 8:2)
-has been wearing DRY panties for 3 days!
-is putting two and three words together this week "momma go ouside." "here I am!" "go poo-pee" "i luh voo" "daddy nukkle (snuggle) bed"
-starting to say the "s" sound here and there
-comforted by thumb and blanket
-eats her ketchup with a side of food
-had her first stomach virus this weekend.  so sad.  can't look at spaghetti and meatballs for a while.
-loves to "help" me unload the dishwasher
-can name all nine of her cousins (without a picture even!)
-thinks of "Nanny" (Nana) and mentions her name throughout the day
-names and insists each clothing item either came from Nanny or "Ta-git"
-learned how to jump with both feet off of the ground last week and can jump like a champ on the trampoline.  It is the cutest sight!
-asks for "Twinkle, Twinkle" song before falling asleep and knows the words.
-favorite book is Goodnight Moon
-takes one 2-3 hour nap after lunch and still goes to bed easily
-at age 2 wears a size 2T in clothing and a size 7 in shoes

***

Hannah Reece

-favorite show is Curious George cartoons on Netflix
-eats cream cheese on everything
-wakes up at 7:30 (on the dot), immediately makes her bed and gets dressed and is ready to begin her day
-is a planner and a natural leader (we're working on patience and gentle assertiveness)
-hair is as long as it's ever been and has some big soft curls at the end
-arts and crafts are her favorite activity
-went to the eye doctor and her prescription is almost the same as last year
-comforted by thumb and blanket
-just got her first diary (with lock and key) and is very protective of her special book
-loves to play in the back yard and learned how to swing all by herself last week!
-does a great job fixing her own hair daily...she even knows how to put it up in a ponytail and a braid!
-enjoys helping in the kitchen
-pretends to be an ice skater by sliding around the house in my fluffy socks
-loves her alone time with grandparents
-growing independence is the theme of this season
-packs her overnight bag (well!) when spending the night with grandparents
-reminds us that when she is gone she misses us a "little" but misses Charly the "most"
-at 5 1/2 wears  a size 6 in clothing and a size 13 shoe

***

Graham

-loves playing computer games, especially games on Lego.com or Disney.com
-is into anything related to Avengers (super heroes)
-favorite spot in the house is in front of the computer screen or (close second) on the trampoline
-told me after a haircut several weeks ago "my hair feels like cat fur now."
-informed Dan and I this week (with a huge grin)that "I came from mommy's tummy, God's plans, and Daddy's......(.wait for it).....PRAYERS.   :)
-loves to throw complicated words and phrases into his conversations to add interest and drama. For example, today he said "Mom, I told Daddy that you would fall into convulsions when you heard what I had for lunch today. "  Wait, maybe I am the dramatic one?  ;)
-laughs until he is hysterical when watching AFV (america's funniest home videos).  I love to watch him watch it!  :)
-is becoming quite a homebody and would sleep until 9:00am if uninterrupted
-wants to be a comic strip writer when he grows up
-dips most foods in honey mustard
-asked if he could see his "memory box" this week with lots of items from his babyhood.  He especially enjoyed his newborn outfits
-REALLY wants a baby brother (or several would be fine, too)
-at 8 yrs. + 4 months wears a size 7 in clothing and a size 2 in shoes

***

 "My children have taught me that it was more important to become what they needed than for them to become what I wanted." -Ray Kane

Currently..

Planning to make this a first-of-the-month tradition.

It is Tuesday, May 1, 2012, 10:45pm EST.

1. LISTENING to nothing but the AC running (continuously...it's almost summer.)
2. EATING carrot souffle.  Did not time out our dinner meal well tonight. It was going to be a side dish, but I forgot that it takes 1 hour to bake and my people were hungry.  So I'm eating it for dessert and promised the kids they could have some for breakfast instead.  It's that good.  :)
3.DRINKING organic green tea with honey.
4.WEARING an anniversary gift from Dan.   A knit top with this print: and a swingy, knee length black skirt. I feel cute today.  It's amazing how a shower and matching outfit can do that for me!  :)

5.FEELING tired but grateful that I might actually make it to bed before midnight.  Also,  happy that Dan and his brother are enjoying some time together at the airport before they pick up my in laws from their two weeek trip to the Holy land.
6.PLANNING to get up and finish my Community Bible Study lesson at 6 in the morning.
7.WANTING some Becky Higgins Design A Page protectors that should be restocked this Thursday on Amazon...can't wait cracking on the kids albums.
8.NEEDING to sand and paint the desk I dug out of our neighbor's moving-day trash.  I'm going to make it my scrapbooking desk.
9.THINKING about how I go to bed almost every night with a list of "wish I had time to's".  Maybe I need to make a list each evening of "glad I did's".
10.ENJOYING the quiet + this little exercise.