Lily and Lola

May 30, 2009, 9:53 pm

I think Lola has met her match...



Or maybe Lily has met hers...

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Zoo Class with Lu

May 28, 2009, 10:26 am

If you read my blog you know that I'm a zoo fanatic. I love our zoo, and I encourage my family to come along often. I even dragged them to Boo at the Zoo despite cold temps and wind. Thankfully my family loves the zoo too.

I signed Lily (and me) up for zoo classes this spring. We loved the zoo classes! We learned about turtles, tortoises, parrots, giraffes, wolves, elephants, and lions. The classes included education on the animals, animal encounters, and crafts.

Lily and I got to feed giraffes baby carrots. We were just a few feet away from the elephants Sophie and Babe. We learned that the elephants can core a pineapple and love fruit (just like Lily). We learned about the red wolves which were almost extinct in the 1980's with just 18 left and now there are over 300 (with some at our zoo!) Lily loves the parrot we met, Eduardo, who is an expert at making cell phone rings and loves his mate Ruby. We visit Eduardo in the bird house every time we go to the zoo now.

We also enjoyed riding the train and carousel, feeding the animals in the petting zoo, and eating zoo treats. Lily bonded with an owl and white goat and likes to visit them each week.











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Noah's 8 Year Baseball Birthday Bash

May 26, 2009, 9:15 pm

We had an amazing Memorial Day weekend full of celebration for Noah's 8th birthday. We started on his birthday, May 22nd, by opening presents in the morning. Noah saved his allowances and any money he got over the past 7 months for a Wii but then decided on a DSI. He was very excited to get his DSI and enjoys taking and editing pictures. Thank you to family and friends for all of the gifts, cards, and money!



Nathan, Lily, and I went to Noah's school for lunch on his birthday. He sat by Tyler and Cade, and they entertained us talking about baseball (of course). Then Noah wanted Nathan to kick the soccer ball at recess (to show off his Papa's kicking abilities to his friends.) Nathan even got in trouble from one of the recess teachers for kicking the ball into the field twice.



Then we went to Noah's classroom for his birthday party. His classmates sang Happy Birthday, and we had treats. Noah left school early with us, and we went home and played outside on a beautiful sunny day. That night Noah had 5 friends (all boys) to the local baseball game (The River Bandits) and Uncle Jason arrived for the weekend! The boys had a great time playing catch in the grass by the field and watching the game.



On Saturday we went boating and then to a cookout with our friends The Swifts. Noah had never been boating before and was very excited although a little unsure when the boat took off.

On Sunday we went to Toys R Us, Niabi zoo, and the Imax theater with some friends to see Kilimanjaro. We all enjoyed the movie, and Noah would like to climb a mountain with Papa some day. Then we had the Kruses over for dinner and cake.



Monday we set out for Chicago where we went to the Brookfield zoo and saw polar bears, rhinosaurous, hippopotamus, seals, dolphins, and an adorable fennec fox. Then Nathan and Noah went to a cubs game while Lily and I went swimming at the hotel.

Happy Birthday, Noah! (This one's gonna be hard to beat!)


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Our Future Fingernail-Painter

May 23, 2009, 8:40 am

Lily graduated from Little Lambs Preschool on May 21st. She was a little put out that the caps and gowns were blue and not her favorite color pink, but we thought she looked just lovely in blue. I let Lily decide what we would do on her graduation day, so we spent a lot of time at the park. Then we got manicures for the graduation. On the way home Lily said, "I really liked getting my nails painted because I'm going to be a nail painter when I am big and I was watching them to see how they do it!"



Lily's class at their last field trip to the park:



Lily was very excited that Papa and Noah got dressed up for her graduation. She requested that we walk to the school which is just half a mile away from our house.




During the ceremony, the pastor of the church led the children in some songs. Lily turned her body all the way around, so we only saw the back of her head. Perhaps singing in front of people is not her strength.

The teachers took turns reading answers to a questionnaire to see how well the parents know their children. Here were Lily's answers:

What do you want to be when you grow up? Fingernail painter
What is your favorite food? All fruits especially strawberries
What is your favorite thing to do at preschool? Color pictures
What is your favorite thing to do at home? Color and paint pictures for my Mama and Papa

Well there was no doubt that was our Lily. Her teacher Mrs. Williams wrote us a letter about Lily's two years in preschool and commented on how much she has blossomed in the 2nd year and has shared many stories about her family with the class (oh lord).





I have to admit I got teary eyed seeing Lily graduate. I will miss having a child in preschool and Tuesdays and Thursdays with just Lily. I know Lily is ready for Kindergarten, but I'd like to keep her little for just a bit longer.



Lily was tickled to have a piece of cake with her picture of it, and she'll probably save it for at least a few years...



Congratulations Lily Starr!

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These are a Few of My Favorite Things...

May 19, 2009, 9:57 am

Sunshine and zoo trips
Walks by the river
Days off from school
Birthdays and vacations
Dogs chewing sticks
Lily on Papa's lap
Mowing the lawn
Baseball games
Sunflower seeds
Noah's tree fort
Kids in the yard
Green beans at It's
Sitting by the river
Parks and swimming pools
Watering the garden
Colorful flowers
Filthy kids
Early morning jogs
Late sunsets


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It's Good to be the Mama

May 13, 2009, 7:57 am

Let's face it, Mother's Day rocks. It's the spring birthday I've always wanted. The night before Mother's Day Lily whispered to me, "Tomorrow is your Birthday! I mean Mother's Day!"

The kids had gifts hidden both inside and outside of the house. Lily told me her gifts started with a "K" "L" and "P." Turns out she got me a Card, Lily, and Picture. Noah and Lily were especially excited about the gifts they made at school which are always my favorites. Noah bought me Rolos which luckily the kids could enjoy as well.

Of course my wish every birthday, Christmas, and Mother's Day is simply for Noah and Lily to get along. They did pretty well on Mother's Day and even dressed up for me (I think Noah's face stayed clean until dinnertime).

Noah and Lily playing together:



My girls Lily and Lola:



My furry children (Lola is still trying to figure out what that rectangular thing is that I always hold up):



Morning lovin':



We love to dance (especially to Jason Mraz's song I'm Yours.) I'm Yours came on the radio while we were driving in the car, and Lily said, "I'm dancing with you in my head, Mom!" Doesn't get better than that...

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Almost 8

May 8, 2009, 12:20 pm

I finally figured out what being a Mom really means. I absolutely adore Noah even though he stinks most of the time, has a snaggle tooth that won't fall out, and always has food on his face. What he lacks in personal hygiene he makes up for in his kindness and sweet demeanor.

This week Noah's class took a field trip to the post office and park. He came home last week and announced that I am "very lucky" because I was chosen to be the chaperone on the field trip (and even got to ride on the bus with the kids). I talked to Noah's teacher, Mrs. Sanchez, while at the park, and she told me that Noah is her most conscientious student. He listens very carefully and makes sure he follows directions exactly. That evening when I put Noah to bed, he hugged me and thanked me for coming on his field trip. What more could a Mom ask for? (Besides maybe some better teeth-brushing).

Noah on the field trip with buddy Cade:



Noah and Emmalyn:



Noah in the mail truck:



A few nights ago Noah informed me that kids talk about s-e-x on the bus. He looked very embarrassed, and I asked him if he knows what that means. He told me he doesn't know, so I asked if he wanted me to explain it to him. He quickly said, "No!" I told him that he could ask me anything if he wonders what something means. Noah said he did have a few questions (and I got a little nervous at this point). I said, "Alright, what do you want to know?"

Noah's asked, "What does I-n-c period mean?" (Inc.) I told him Incorporated. He said that his friend told him it means incident. So we got on the computer and looked it up, and he was happy with the explanation. I was very relieved that this was his question.

Then he asked his 2nd question: "How do you pronounce Ankylosaurus?" Again I had to go to the computer, and we figured out the pronunciation. I have to say after the s-e-x comment I was very happy that his questions related to non-sexual topics. I can handle abbreviations and dinosaur questions with the help of google.

Noah and Lola (notice snaggle tooth and food on face):



Noah absolutely loves our new dog, Lola. Instead of watching television in the morning, he plays with Lola. I catch him snuggling with her often. If I ask him to let her out or feed her, he jumps up right away to help. I am so overjoyed to see Noah loving on a dog who is so similar to Sammy. Lola is so sweet and a perfect dog for a young boy.

I told Noah that when he goes off to college Lola will be heartbroken. He got a smile on his face and gave her a big hug...

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When I was a little (pink) boy

May 4, 2009, 7:13 pm

Nathan went on a trip and came back very tan. I kept commenting on how tan he was, so Lily asked what “tan” meant. After hearing my explanation, she thought for a while and then said, “Oh, so Papa and Noah get tan and we get pink, right?” So true…

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day, and Nathan got to work tilling the garden. Noah wanted to help him, and he ran outside and took off his shirt (just like his Papa). Before too long Lily ran out there to help the boys (and took her shirt off as well). She encouraged me to take my shirt off, but I assured her that wasn’t appropriate or anything the neighbors would want to see. She seemed pretty disappointed. I told her to enjoy being a 4 year old girl who can get away with being topless outside.

After Lily took off her shirt she declared, “I’m working on my pink! Papa and Noah are working on their tan!”



Reminds me of some lyrics from a Dar Williams song:

I was a kid that you would like, just a small boy on her bike
Riding topless, yeah, I never cared who saw
My neighbor come outside to say, "Get your shirt," I said "No way
It's the last time I'm not breaking any law."

Lily asked Papa to lower her in a hole he dug for a fence post. Our sweet Pinky...

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Oh Heavenly Day

May 2, 2009, 9:21 am

We're thinking about our buddy Kevin on this beautiful May 2nd. Hard to believe it's been a year. Lily still talks about him every day. Here's to you, K-fed.


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