Charlotte and the girls came up with some game where they had to touch each of the pictures and jump over each of the water bottles. It kept them happy for at least 10 minutes and they were cute in the process.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Krispy Kreme
On the way home from school last week, the girls and I decided to stop at Krispy Kreme for an Easter treat. We stayed for about an hour, enjoying donuts and just being silly.
Charlotte and the girls came up with some game where they had to touch each of the pictures and jump over each of the water bottles. It kept them happy for at least 10 minutes and they were cute in the process.
Charlotte and the girls came up with some game where they had to touch each of the pictures and jump over each of the water bottles. It kept them happy for at least 10 minutes and they were cute in the process.
Monday, April 13, 2009
More Easter
Dying Easter eggs with Grandma and Grandpa on Saturday
Easter Baskets
Did you notice that Rehm's Easter basket is his Halloween candy bag? I couldn't find his real Easter basket. Oops.
Rehm left the Easter Bunny a note asking him to hide the Easter eggs instead of just putting them in the basket. The Easter Bunny had not planned to leave any eggs this year...
Easter Morning
The Easter Bunny brought new "crocs" and sunglasses for everyone along with a small chocolate bunny. Rehm, of course, was the only one whose crocs did not fit and need to be returned. Luckily, it was not as bad as his Christmas.
All dressed for church
Easter Baskets
Did you notice that Rehm's Easter basket is his Halloween candy bag? I couldn't find his real Easter basket. Oops.
Rehm left the Easter Bunny a note asking him to hide the Easter eggs instead of just putting them in the basket. The Easter Bunny had not planned to leave any eggs this year...Easter Morning
The Easter Bunny brought new "crocs" and sunglasses for everyone along with a small chocolate bunny. Rehm, of course, was the only one whose crocs did not fit and need to be returned. Luckily, it was not as bad as his Christmas.All dressed for church
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Easter Traditions
My family seems to have some weird Easter traditions. Some I grew up with, some have been developed in my married life. It is funny, knowing they are weird seems to add to their appeal to me. It gives me a sense of belonging, of having something that makes us unique - I don't know it just makes me smile.
Tradition #1 - Individual Egg Salad
This tradition comes from my childhood. I had no clue this was a strange or weird tradition until Michael visited my family for Easter. I believe the Easter visit occurred pre-marriage. My mom's family (grandparents, siblings, all the children) always had lunch at my grandparents every Sunday. Easter was no exception.
The requisite hard boiled, dyed Easter eggs were always part of the meal. Everyone got their own bowl and would peel, mash, and mix their very own egg salad right at the table as part of their lunch. We would all pass the salt, pepper, vinegar and mayo from person to person and mash and mix until we each got it just right. I did not even equate this "dish" with the term "egg salad." It was just what you did with Easter eggs. I did not know another way to eat a hard boiled egg. If you had asked me if I liked egg salad I would have said, "no."
I still do this. In fact, I did it last night. And, I helped each one of my girls make their very own egg salad, too. Yes, it would have been quicker to just make a large batch of egg salad and dish it out to everyone, but that is just not how it is done. I don't know that I could get the proportions right with more than two eggs at a time.
Now when I do this, though, I know it is weird. But you know what? I don't care. It is part of my heritage. It is who I am and where I'm from and that makes it so much better. Even when I'm 1300 miles from the rest of my family I feel connected to them because I know that they are doing the same silly thing that I am.
Tradition #2 - The Easter Meal
Ten years ago, I was pregnant with my first child. When consulted about what we should eat for Easter, I commented that I had a craving for fajitas. Everyone decided to indulge me and that is what we had. The next year was not an easy Easter. Our precious baby had died at birth and we were celebrating the resurrection with empty arms. Thus we really didn't feel the desire to celebrate in a traditional way. So we had fajitas again that year.
As most of you know, I married an Aggie. In true Aggie fashion if something occurs twice it becomes tradition and thus the reason that 10 years later we are still having fajitas for Easter.
I hope, when my children get older and realize that these traditions are not, well, traditional, they find it endearing and feel that same sense of connectedness that I do. I don't know, maybe they will just think we are weird and have scarred them for life. Either way I'm glad to have these traditions with these precious people!
So what are your traditions for this holiday?
Happy Easter.
Jenn
Tradition #1 - Individual Egg Salad
This tradition comes from my childhood. I had no clue this was a strange or weird tradition until Michael visited my family for Easter. I believe the Easter visit occurred pre-marriage. My mom's family (grandparents, siblings, all the children) always had lunch at my grandparents every Sunday. Easter was no exception.
The requisite hard boiled, dyed Easter eggs were always part of the meal. Everyone got their own bowl and would peel, mash, and mix their very own egg salad right at the table as part of their lunch. We would all pass the salt, pepper, vinegar and mayo from person to person and mash and mix until we each got it just right. I did not even equate this "dish" with the term "egg salad." It was just what you did with Easter eggs. I did not know another way to eat a hard boiled egg. If you had asked me if I liked egg salad I would have said, "no."
I still do this. In fact, I did it last night. And, I helped each one of my girls make their very own egg salad, too. Yes, it would have been quicker to just make a large batch of egg salad and dish it out to everyone, but that is just not how it is done. I don't know that I could get the proportions right with more than two eggs at a time.
Now when I do this, though, I know it is weird. But you know what? I don't care. It is part of my heritage. It is who I am and where I'm from and that makes it so much better. Even when I'm 1300 miles from the rest of my family I feel connected to them because I know that they are doing the same silly thing that I am.
Tradition #2 - The Easter Meal
Ten years ago, I was pregnant with my first child. When consulted about what we should eat for Easter, I commented that I had a craving for fajitas. Everyone decided to indulge me and that is what we had. The next year was not an easy Easter. Our precious baby had died at birth and we were celebrating the resurrection with empty arms. Thus we really didn't feel the desire to celebrate in a traditional way. So we had fajitas again that year.
As most of you know, I married an Aggie. In true Aggie fashion if something occurs twice it becomes tradition and thus the reason that 10 years later we are still having fajitas for Easter.
I hope, when my children get older and realize that these traditions are not, well, traditional, they find it endearing and feel that same sense of connectedness that I do. I don't know, maybe they will just think we are weird and have scarred them for life. Either way I'm glad to have these traditions with these precious people!
So what are your traditions for this holiday?
Happy Easter.
Jenn
Happy Easter
From the Mayhem Mania Monsters - complete with shades from the Easter Bunny.
More to come later.
More to come later.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Good Friday and Krabby Patties...
("Guest" post by Michael :) )
So, I was reading Rehm's Bible story tonight and we skipped out of order (there's a daily reading guide in the back that we normally do) so that we could read Luke 23, since it is Good Friday. (Actually, when I opened to it, we backed up and started at Luke 22:54 since that is part that makes me feel the conviction of Good Friday the most, but that's beside the point).
After we were done, he asked where the part about breaking Jesus' legs was. I said it was in a different book, maybe Matthew (wrong- he was thinking of this part in John). Why wasn't it in Luke? I told him, "I guess Luke didn't think it was important."
He said, "Well, of course it was important. Hellooooo? The PROPHECY! You know what?"
"What?"
Then there was a pause...
...and I was waiting for something profound to come out of his mouth...
...and out came..."Like the prophecy in SpongeBob, that was above King Krabs, aka Mr. Krabby,'s head, and" and he went on to recap the entire SpongeBob episode.
So, I was reading Rehm's Bible story tonight and we skipped out of order (there's a daily reading guide in the back that we normally do) so that we could read Luke 23, since it is Good Friday. (Actually, when I opened to it, we backed up and started at Luke 22:54 since that is part that makes me feel the conviction of Good Friday the most, but that's beside the point).
After we were done, he asked where the part about breaking Jesus' legs was. I said it was in a different book, maybe Matthew (wrong- he was thinking of this part in John). Why wasn't it in Luke? I told him, "I guess Luke didn't think it was important."
He said, "Well, of course it was important. Hellooooo? The PROPHECY! You know what?"
"What?"
Then there was a pause...
...and I was waiting for something profound to come out of his mouth...
...and out came..."Like the prophecy in SpongeBob, that was above King Krabs, aka Mr. Krabby,'s head, and" and he went on to recap the entire SpongeBob episode.
More Girl Hair Dos
My first attempt at french braiding. I definitely need more practice.
Star in Eliza Claire's hair. She really liked this and asks for it frequently.
Front
Back
Easter design trial.
Front
Back
The star and the Easter design are both from A Story of a Princess and her Hair.
Star in Eliza Claire's hair. She really liked this and asks for it frequently.
Front
Back
Easter design trial.
Front
BackThursday, April 09, 2009
Posies
This is the second time Rehm has picked flowers for me on his way home from school. I guess he doesn't thing I'm a mean mother after all. Or, maybe he is trying to butter me up for something...I think it might be working.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Rehm Birthday Recap
The Birthday Boy before leaving for school
Gift from Mom and Dad. He was very concerned when it was only an envelope.
Rehm had a great eight birthday. On his actual birthday, he opened gifts from us and Cici and Papa before going to school.
We took pokeball themed cake pops to share with his class. Eliza Claire, Ruby and I went to have lunch with him to celebrate the special day.
Doesn't he look thrilled that we joined him for lunch?After school he got to open the rest of his presents from his sisters and Grandma and Grandpa. He got to chose dinner for the evening too. And no it did not include take out.
For his birthday party he invited his friends Lael and Will over for movie watching, pizza making and Wii playing and cookie cake eating. They had a great time.
Michael and I really tried to steer gift giving toward things he needed or had a real interest in and tried to keep the celebration cost in check. He loved his present from us - a note. It was a claim check for all the supplies and fish needed to reset up his 5 gallon aquarium. He and I went to pick all of it out together. He helped with all the tank set up and picked the fish, guppies, to go in the tank. We still owe him one fish. I wanted to start with two and see how they did before adding the third. So far they've done well. Rehm is really enjoying taking care of his new pets.
Other gifts included a bionic eyeclops, two board games, sea monkeys, a backpack, a lunch box, pokemon cards, a Clone Wars movie, two Wii games and some pokemon cards.
Definitely a good birthday.
Jenn
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Mean Mommy Strikes Again
Charlotte is enamored with tape. Of course that means she goes through it very quickly. Recently she asked for more tape for her desk in her room. I would not let her have mine from the junk drawer. However, when I went to the store the next day I was nice enough to pick up a roll of tape. The next day when she saw it, I told her it could be hers for the low price of $1.35. She happily skipped up to her room and came back with "one of the paper ones, a large silver coin and a small silver coin." Then she returned to her room for an hour of taping to her heart's content.
Charlotte receives $1.25 in allowance. Out of that $.12 goes to tithe, leaving her with $1.13 per week. I charged her more than a week's allowance for the tape. I charged her exactly what I paid for it. I did not charge her for delivery. Luckily, Charlotte doesn't spend her allowance often and has about $15 saved up so she can have all the tape she wants for now. I think I could have charged her $10 for the roll of tape and she would have happily paid it. That is how much she loves tape, or how clueless she is about the value of money...But I'm not that mean.
If you are wondering, Rehm hasn't asked for Propel in a long time, I guess it just isn't worth the cost.
Told you I was mean:)
Charlotte receives $1.25 in allowance. Out of that $.12 goes to tithe, leaving her with $1.13 per week. I charged her more than a week's allowance for the tape. I charged her exactly what I paid for it. I did not charge her for delivery. Luckily, Charlotte doesn't spend her allowance often and has about $15 saved up so she can have all the tape she wants for now. I think I could have charged her $10 for the roll of tape and she would have happily paid it. That is how much she loves tape, or how clueless she is about the value of money...But I'm not that mean.
If you are wondering, Rehm hasn't asked for Propel in a long time, I guess it just isn't worth the cost.
Told you I was mean:)
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Angels
The big kids were both singing in church this morning. We took Ruby and Eliza Claire to hear them at the 11:00 service. Before the service started Eliza Claire said she wanted to see the angels. Me, being a bad mom and bad Christian, told her there were no angels to see today.
I know better than to tell my small children absolutes about religion, but of course knew no one would be dressed up like an angel since it wasn't a musical or Christmas event. I know they are many times much more in tune with what God wants to share with us than the adults around them are. Today of course was no exception. She stood up on my lap, pointed at the sanctuary choir and said, "I see the angels, Mommy. They are right there."
When the organist started the first hymn Eliza Claire looked at me and said, "it's Away in the Manger, Mommy!" It wasn't, it was "Hosanna, Lord, Hosanna" or something like that. I recognized the tune but not the words.
When the children's choirs were finished with their song, Eliza Claire looked at me and said, "That was a very pretty song!" Rehm and Charlotte both did great. Though Charlotte did sing a couple of extra Hosanna's during what was supposed to be a musical interlude. She truly loves to sing and you can just see the joy of it on her face.
Apparently Eliza Claire would like it if we took her to worship more frequently than just Christmas.
I know better than to tell my small children absolutes about religion, but of course knew no one would be dressed up like an angel since it wasn't a musical or Christmas event. I know they are many times much more in tune with what God wants to share with us than the adults around them are. Today of course was no exception. She stood up on my lap, pointed at the sanctuary choir and said, "I see the angels, Mommy. They are right there."
When the organist started the first hymn Eliza Claire looked at me and said, "it's Away in the Manger, Mommy!" It wasn't, it was "Hosanna, Lord, Hosanna" or something like that. I recognized the tune but not the words.
When the children's choirs were finished with their song, Eliza Claire looked at me and said, "That was a very pretty song!" Rehm and Charlotte both did great. Though Charlotte did sing a couple of extra Hosanna's during what was supposed to be a musical interlude. She truly loves to sing and you can just see the joy of it on her face.
Apparently Eliza Claire would like it if we took her to worship more frequently than just Christmas.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Spring Break
We had a great week for Spring Break. It was so nice to have everyone home and not have 50 million different places we needed to be. Of course, I had grand ideas of getting some spring cleaning done and getting caught up on many things around the house. At the end of the break, I was more behind than ever and none of the special projects got done.
So what did we actually do for Spring Break?
We visited Daddy at work.
We had a couple of play dates at the beginning of the week.
I worked all day Wednesday.
Thursday we went to Sea World. Sea World was very crowded. In fact, the most crowed I've ever seen it, including past spring breaks. It seemed like the whole day was spent waiting in line to do things we could have done at home, like eating and going to the bathroom. I swear it is not fair that I have to take three girls to the restroom while Michael only takes one boy. I bet I spent over an hour Thursday standing in line to go to the bathroom or actually in the bathroom helping children take care of business! We did finally see some shows - Sesame Street, Believe (Shamu) and Viva (Belugas and pacific white sided dolphins with divers and the silly man). We also got to see the diver feed the fish in the Coral Reef exhibit. And that is about it.
Michael and the big kids stood in line for a couple of rides but the lines were just too long and they never rode anything. Rehm was very excited to be tall enough to ride all the rides at Sea World now and very sad to not ride a single one while we were there.
There was one very magical moment while seeing Shamu. Shamu did a big backwards flip and Ruby was so awed by it that she gasped and put both hands to her face in Home Alone fashion. Unfortunately she was sitting on my lap and I could not snap her picture. But it was wonderful to see her so engaged and amazed by what she was seeing.
Friday our friends the Wevodaus came for a visit and stayed until Sunday. While they were here we went out to Sweet Berry Farm to pick strawberries and feed the goats and horses. I forgot my camera and only pictures I got were with my phone. What was I thinking?
Then it was back to business as usual.
So what did we actually do for Spring Break?
We visited Daddy at work.
We had a couple of play dates at the beginning of the week.
I worked all day Wednesday.
Thursday we went to Sea World. Sea World was very crowded. In fact, the most crowed I've ever seen it, including past spring breaks. It seemed like the whole day was spent waiting in line to do things we could have done at home, like eating and going to the bathroom. I swear it is not fair that I have to take three girls to the restroom while Michael only takes one boy. I bet I spent over an hour Thursday standing in line to go to the bathroom or actually in the bathroom helping children take care of business! We did finally see some shows - Sesame Street, Believe (Shamu) and Viva (Belugas and pacific white sided dolphins with divers and the silly man). We also got to see the diver feed the fish in the Coral Reef exhibit. And that is about it.
Michael and the big kids stood in line for a couple of rides but the lines were just too long and they never rode anything. Rehm was very excited to be tall enough to ride all the rides at Sea World now and very sad to not ride a single one while we were there.
There was one very magical moment while seeing Shamu. Shamu did a big backwards flip and Ruby was so awed by it that she gasped and put both hands to her face in Home Alone fashion. Unfortunately she was sitting on my lap and I could not snap her picture. But it was wonderful to see her so engaged and amazed by what she was seeing.
Friday our friends the Wevodaus came for a visit and stayed until Sunday. While they were here we went out to Sweet Berry Farm to pick strawberries and feed the goats and horses. I forgot my camera and only pictures I got were with my phone. What was I thinking?
Then it was back to business as usual.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Box Sliding
The things twins will think up that singletons don't...
Can you tell this is not my first child? If I were a first time mom and saw a two year old doing this I would have run in and insisted this activity stop as the child might fall and get hurt. But for numbers three and four I was thrilled they had found a creative way to entertain themselves. When I first discovered them, whoever wasn't sliding would hide in the box while the other child slid. It was much cuter then. But this was still pretty cute.
Can you tell this is not my first child? If I were a first time mom and saw a two year old doing this I would have run in and insisted this activity stop as the child might fall and get hurt. But for numbers three and four I was thrilled they had found a creative way to entertain themselves. When I first discovered them, whoever wasn't sliding would hide in the box while the other child slid. It was much cuter then. But this was still pretty cute.
Cake Pops and Cake Balls
My friend Keri first told me about these delectable treats, then I found Bakerella. I decided I must try these. I happened to have all the ingredients on hand and made these over spring break.
They were so yummy we decided to make some decorated like Pokeballs for Rehm's class at school and for party favors for his actual birthday party.
Then I also agreed to make them for the cake walk fundraiser for the baseball/softball league.
They are super yummy but they are also time consuming. And I still have a ways to go to get them to look as good as I want them to. While I won't be making them all the time, I'm sure I'll have to whip some up a couple of times a year.
They were so yummy we decided to make some decorated like Pokeballs for Rehm's class at school and for party favors for his actual birthday party.
Then I also agreed to make them for the cake walk fundraiser for the baseball/softball league.
They are super yummy but they are also time consuming. And I still have a ways to go to get them to look as good as I want them to. While I won't be making them all the time, I'm sure I'll have to whip some up a couple of times a year.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Sponge Bob
Ruby and Eliza Claire were insistent on getting Rehm something Sponge Bob for his birthday. The final three choices were Sponge Bob Sorry, Monopoly and Operation. Monopoly won. Obviously, Rehm didn't like it one bit.
Jenn
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