Basketball Cake...and Tears

Somehow I closed my eyes and took a sigh and my sweet baby boy...

...turned into this five foot tall, athletic, smart, funny, and handsome young man.

All it took was ten years. A decade. I have been a Mother for a Decade.

Now I understand all those parents and grandparents who told me time and time again, "Cherish these moments." "Love him up while you can." "He'll be grown before you know it." Because at the end of these next ten years, he will be twenty. A thought that makes my throat seize and my eyes fill with tears.

And I thank God for ten years of  gigantic smiles, bright brilliant blue eyes, goofy dancing in the kitchen, cuddles, excellent debates and discussions, reading together, music, praying together, endless laughter and endless adventures.

So how do you celebrate all this? With a cake! Doesn't cake make everything better??? Even the idea that your baby isn't a baby anymore is lightened up by his excitement over Birthday Cake!

Yep. That's Louie. My Ten Year Old.

And this is his awesome Basketball Swoosh Cake! Inspired by Parenting Magazine...they always have the best birthday cake ideas RIGHT before our Birthday Season starts!

Basking in the Glow of 10 Candles!

Now...excuse me while I grab some toilet paper...I've run out of Kleenex!

Raising HER Ears!

Today is one of those Milestone Days!

Lady Sassy Pants is having her very first hair cut! Pardon me while I run and grab a tissue...

I'm all a Tizzy. Her hair is so long right now:

Dancing with Big Brother

I feel like such a weenie about making a big deal out of her "first" hair cut when she obviously has bangs! My Mom's been trimming bangs for her almost a year now. But this is her first "in the chair" cut! 

She's about 50/50 on the Hair Fixin'. Sometimes she sits there and lets me brush and braid and primp myself into Happy Mommy Land. Sometimes she fights me like a feral hog.

But, much as I love it, the tips of her hair are still that wispy find baby fluff and the length is really uneven in the back. When I braid or roll her hair there are a million sticky out bits. So we're having them trim it to shoulder length to even it out.

And I'm having all these insane irrational fears like: 

What if her hair stops growing and we can never make it long again? What if the stylist goes nuts and gives her a Pixie Cut? What if she falls in love with the idea of having her hair cut and uses her Mountain Goat Climbing Skillz to get at the scissors and goes Baldsie?

ANYWAY! 

I've been sitting around today looking at pictures of the last two years and how much her hair has grown. And I found a couple of hair clippie photos that I forgot to share with you all.

So...in the long run...today's Crazy Hair Obsession is helping me blog!

This first one was really quick and easy. I covered an alligator clip with green ribbon. Then I hot glued five small white buttons to the clip in the shape of a circle. I centered a larger yellow button and hot glued it on top of the white ones. Voila! Insta-Daisy Clippie!

The next flower clip is my favorite! Of all time!

I found the inspiration (& short and sweet tutorial) at Aly & Ash. 

How Easy Peasy can you get? I had all the supplies on hand. The only difference is I hot glued the button to the lace center and I used an alligator clip instead of a bobby pin.

Love It! I can't believe how much Lady Katy has grown...

Time to grab some more tissues!

Not So Much Fun

Hi, Everyone.

Remember me? I used to blog here...kind of regularly.

I've been MIA for a long time and I think I'm ready to share a bit why.

Here's the Warning: This isn't funny or crafty. So you can totally stop reading now if you want. My plan is to get this off my chest and come back later tonight or tomorrow back to my old self!

Here Goes.

Our oldest, Louie, just turned nine on Monday. He's currently in third grade at a Private Catholic School. This year he has been the victim of bullying. It has broken my heart.

It started back in October. His bully is a girl. I won't get into too many details. It started with verbal bullying and taking his things from his desk. Then it turned physical. The first incident was poorly mishandled by the teacher and by administration.

We love our school. We are those super crazy-active parents who volunteer for everything. We love the families we've met. We love the teachers our son has had. We had total faith that things would work out and we wouldn't have any more problems.

Three weeks later she did it again. This time was bad enough that I was taking pictures of my son's chest while we both bawled after school. We met with administration the next morning. Things seemed positive.

And they were positive with this girl. She has kept away from Louie.

Then his teacher started bullying him. Verbally and Emotionally. His teacher consistently puts him next to the girl who has hurt him. We've requested twice that he be moved from her class. We were turned down. They had Louie talk to the school counselor and together they made a list of pros and cons of him staying in her classroom. He told the counselor that, even though his teacher is crazy and says crazy things, he's used to it. He's used to it and he knows she's a liar and he doesn't have to believe what she tells him. How sad is that? My heart broke...again!

So. Here's where we are. There are six more days of classes. Administration asked that we document our year. My report had 11 pages! Our principals have brought our complaint to the Father of our Parish. I have faith in this man. He is an educator and in the two years he's been at our church, he has made some fantastic changes to our school.

So every day I pray. I'm not sure what I should pray for, though. 

It seems wrong to pray that this woman loses her job. But I hope she does. 

It seems ridiculous that I should have to pray for the administration of a school to see what is going on under their noses and wake up! But I do. 

I pray for wisdom that my husband and I can make a decision this summer as to where we send Louie to school next year. Louie wants to stay where he is. He loves his friends. He loves all the other teachers. 

Mostly, I pray that I can be the brave Christian soldier our son seems to be, with his chin up and ready to forgive and forget.

Our Red Carpet

Last year I did a post called Oscars...Our Style.

So, it's only fitting and proper to introduce...

The Second Annual Oscars...Our Style!

The Oscar for Best Costume Design goes to:

Kat! For her work on Princess Sassy Pants.

The Oscar for Best Art Design goes to:

John! For his work on Swirly Rock Painting!

The Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film goes to:

Louie! For his portrayal of a super nervous 8 year old taking his first plunge off a diving board!

The Oscar for Best Set Design goes to:

Kat! For her work on Toddler Tornado Hits Living Room!

The Oscar for Best Make Up goes to:

Louie! For his extensive aging and paling work on Vampire Boy.

Best Actress in a Leading Role goes to:

Kat! For her work in Jurassic Two Year Old.

Best Actor in a Leading Role goes to:

John! For his role as Peter Peter Pumpkin Smoothie Eater.

Best Documentary goes to:

Louie, John & Kat! For their patriotic look at Mt. Rushmore: National Monument!

Best Visual Effects goes to:

Louie  Kat! For their work on Cosmic Mini-Golfin'!

And. Finally. The moment we've all been waiting for.

Best Picture of 2011 goes to...

(ugh. Let me just open this darn envelope.)

Goes to...

Our Trio!

Kat, Louie & John

The main problem with this...keeping their acceptance speeches under the time limit!

My Dad

Let me tell you a bit about my Dad.

He's HILARIOUS!

He's the kind of guy that wakes up laughing and falls asleep whistling.

He loves his family...esp. the Grandkids.

He's worked his hiney off his entire life...farming, meat packing, press operator and now he does maintenance work...second shift.

He'll be turning 67 soon and his cheerfulness, his activity level and his wise-cracker personality make me forget his age.

He'd also blush and say, "Cut that out!" if he heard those few praises I just sang!

So. On with my story.

Growing up in a crafty family...I got a lot of homemade gifts for Christmas, birthdays, whatever.

My Dad's Mom crocheted me a couple of afghans, lots of booties and she sewed me endless jammies.

My Dad would always tease and say, "No one's ever made ME a blanket (or whatever the gift was)!"

Now that I'm a crocheting fool, I've been whipping up scarves and hats for everyone.

If I'm working on something while my Dad's around he'll shake his head and put on his puppy-dog look and sigh, "No one's ever made me a (enter project here)."

Can you guess where I'm going with this???

For Christmas I crocheted him a scarf!

I didn't follow a pattern. 

I just crocheted back and forth and back and forth. 

Forever. My Dad towers in at six foot four!

Here's Louie "measuring" it! Floor to ceiling...I think it's long enough!

Here it is...all Sushi rolled and ready to wrap.

Do you think he liked it?

I think he did!

Before he opened it I said, "Now. You can finally quit your belly-aching!"

Now I need to start on a matching hat for his birthday!

TAG! Bloggy Style

What's that you say? It's February already???

Whoops! I kind of skipped January. But I'm baaaaaaaack (in creepy Poltergeist manner)!

And I'm back with something FUN!

A couple of weeks ago, Stevie over at Moore Babies, tagged me in a fun game "Tag! You're It".

I love these types of things, because you get to know more about these awesome bloggers and maybe find some new awesome bloggers to follow!

So, Stevie, I accept your Tag and am ready to Play!

First things First: Rules

1. You must post the rules.

2. Post 11 fun facts about yourself on your post.

3. Answer the questions the tagger asked you in their post, and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you tag.

4. Tag eleven people and link to them on your post.

5. Let your eleven people know you've tagged them!

Eleven Fun Things about Moi:

1. When I was eight I took Czech lessons from the community college to surprise my Great grandmother. Unlucky for me, it wasn't conversational Czech, but a crazy grammatical class. I fared pretty well!

2. If I watch a scary movie (or see a trailer for a scary movie) I need to watch Mary Poppins in order to fall asleep. With the closet doors shut!

3. I'm a lefty. That makes me creative, right? And bad at math. Or maybe I'm bad at math because I'm ME!

4. I'm also terrible at spelling. Some of the words on my oldest's spelling list are words I continually misspell!

5. I called my maternal grandparents by their names. Rita & John. My first job was at their Print Shop. I played there a LOT growing up (Mom worked there, too and then later, my Dad). I would go on deliveries with John all the time. They put me on the payroll when I was 15. And I worked there until we shut the doors in 2000. 

6. My hubby and I were best friends for 6 years before we started dating. We dated for five months before he proposed. I would recommend marrying your best friend to anyone!

7. I never finished college. I was an elementary ed / music ed major. I've recently been thinking about going back to get a degree in Library Science.

8. I watch Phineas and Ferb when the kids are asleep. LOVE IT! I also watch Fraggle Rock on Netflix when I'm alone. Dance your cares away! Clap Clap Down at Fraggle Rock.

9. I was an early "bloomer" and I stopped growing when I was in fifth grade. I'm five foot ten inches. I was a giant!

10. My mother-in-law's name is Linda. So is my Mom's. My Dad's name is Bob. So is my father-in-law's. Creepy? Try this...my parent's anniversary is 3/5. My in-law's anniversary is 5/3. Cue Twilight Music!

11. We live about three blocks away from some train tracks. Whenever the whistle blows, my brain sings, "I hear the train a comin'." Gotta love Johnny Cash!

Stevie's Questions for Me:

1. Look back 10 years, is your life where you thought it would be?

Wow! Ten years ago I was 24. We were just getting ready to buy this house. Now that I'm in that mind frame, I'd say Yes. We knew we'd live here for awhile. We knew we wanted 2 or 3 kids. Bonus, I get to stay at home with them! We're right on track!!!

2. When do you fit blogging in?

In the evenings, mostly, while the kids are falling asleep. Sometimes during the day if they're napping or busy with their play/projects. I didn't fit ANY in last month!

3. How often do you cook dinner?

At least four nights a week. Usually more. We used to be REALLY bad at this and ate out a LOT.

4. What kind of music do you listen to?

I truly am a jumbled mix of musical tastes. I fall back on the oldies, because that's what my parents listened to while I was growing up. I've always been a bit of a rebel, and shunned pop music. But I love Lady Gaga. I also love old school country...Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings. Throw in some show tunes from Les Mis and Wicked and we've got ourselves a play list!

5. Do you have any pets?

We have a fish named Wolfie. Don't judge, a three-year-old named him! And we've started talking about the "D" word.

6. What is your favorite thing to do at the beach?

We're in Nebraska...so I'm not a beach expert. However, I love standing or walking right on the edge of the water and wiggling my toes in the wet sand.

7. If you were stuck on a desert island, what book would you bring?

Anne of Green Gables. Final answer.

8. Do you prefer going to bars or clubs?

When we go out it's usually to a bar. Where everybody knows your name. And they're always glad you came.

9. What's your ideal date night?

Dinner. Movie. 

10. Where would you go on your next vacation if money were not an issue?

Disney Cruise to Hawaii!

11. What is your favorite meal of all time?

Baked pork chops, potato dumplings and sauerkraut & peas. Iced tea to drink.

Tag 11 Bloggers:

Cheri Quite Contrary

It's Just Jennifer

Creatively Content

Mom Endeavors

Artsy Fartsy Mama

B.Cheniful

LadyCrafter 14

Crissy's Craft

delicateCONSTRUCTION

Little Wonders' Days

Inspiring Creations

My Questions to these Ladies:

1. Which blog post of yours is your favorite?

2. Which color is your least favorite?

3. What's the best way (in your opinion) to get more people to read your blog?

4. What's your guilty pleasure?

5. If you could only eat one veggie for the rest of your life, which would you choose?

6. What was your favorite toy as a child?

7. What clubs/activities were you involved in during High School?

8. What is your biggest fear?

9. What song do you find most inspiring?

10. Do you play any musical instruments?

11. Is there an interesting story or sentimental meaning to your name? Your kid's names?

Have fun! And go check out everyone's links and links of links...!

Thumbs UP!

I'm a sucker for hand print art & foot print art & a new favorite...

Thumb Print Art!

And, speaking of thumbs, as soon as I typed that I couldn't get THIS...

...Outta my head. LOVED this book when I was little. And now I must buy it for the kids!

Rings on my Fingers. Rings on my Thumbs. Somethin Somethin Somethin...daa daa DRUM!

Don't quote me on that. It's been a long time since I've read it. And I'm a little hopped up on Benadryl and last minute Christmas projects. And Rolos.

ANYWAY!

Here is Ornament #22!

Who doesn't love some Thumby Reindeers???

My inspiration came from Little Bit Funky. She does a great tutorial with amazing photos...you must take a peek at the shot of her kiddos reflected in the ornaments.

Completely fun and fast and great for last minute gifts!

Jolly Holly

First...a little Jolly.

A Jolly Hair Pretty for Miss Kat that I whipped up in no time.

This is just a regular alligator clip with sparkly pom poms hot glued on. My Model wasn't so cooperative, but it really is a simple way to glam up a Girlie's Do!

And now...some Holly!

Literally!

I had mentioned on my personal facebook page that it was time to "Deck our Halls". My Aunt who lives in Washington decided to snip us some "Boughs of Holly" from her Holly bush and send them to us.

I was totally surprised and delighted!

Warning...the berries are poisonous. And the leaves are sharp little suckers! So I put some in a jar on my kitchen shelf where the kiddos can't reach them.

I'm loving how festive it looks!

Sassy Monkey!

No. The Sassy Monkey isn't some new dance craze!

Let me tell you about it. 

Not so very long ago, I was reading one of my favorite blogs, It's Just Jennifer. I've never met this lady before, but at times it seems she is living in my brain! And she's a Rock Star Crocheter!!!

So. It was her birthday and she decided to share the love and do a giveaway.

Drum Roll.

I ended up winning!!!

It was muy exciting! I'd never won a giveaway before!

But the SUPER exciting part was the Giveaway Item.

Shall I let my photos do the talking???

Here's Kat with the package. She was mad because it wasn't her turn to go down and get the mail from the box. 

Big Brother is helping her through the tears. Are you seeing the Giveaway Cuteness?

Hmmmmm...it FITS!

And we have achieved Sassy Monkey!!!

Although it is not a dance...Kat enjoys, "Shaking my bum bummmmm!" while wearing it!

I want to send a Woot! Woot! at Jennifer, for making such an adorable hat and then being sweet enough to share it with someone (us!)!

Angels We Have Heard on High!

Today's Ornaments are so Angelic!!!

Just like this:

This is my third grader before his school Christmas program. The 8 & 9 year old boys were overjoyed to be dressed like Angels (hint of sarcasm), but they looked so sweet and the program was great!

I got the inspiration and instructions for these angel ornaments at Sycamore Stirrings. The tutorial there is great and easy to follow. I loved her advice about using something to hold the bead head while you paint the face! I used some extra paint brushes and I thought they looked funny!

Now. You'll note the blond angel AND the brunette angel. Louie has a friend (that's a girl) that he would like to give a Christmas gift to. This cute little brown haired angel is the gift we decided on.

So here's our sweet little Angel, watching over the tree.

And here's Louie's friend (that's a girl. yikes!). Waiting to be wrapped.

This whole friend (that's a girl) thing can be a bit daunting! Just so you all know that I'm not encouraging my 8 year old into teen behavior or letting him play fast & easy...here's how our conversation went when he told me he liked her.

Me: So. What does that mean? You like her?

Louie: Yeah. I like her.

Me: Well. What is it you like about her?

Louie: Well. She's really funny and I make her laugh. She's the best singer in our class. She's not weird like the other girls are.

Me: So. Do you, like, want to hold her hand and kiss her?

Louie: No WAY! That's totally NOT what I want to do. I'm not ready to get married!

 Me (silently in my heart of hearts): Thank you, God!

Then he asked about getting her a gift. I re-asked the kissing part. He rolled his eyes and looked like he was going to barf. I said, "Sure! What should we make her?"

Paper Heart Ornament

Today's Ornament...I don't even know what number I'm on...is it the 14th???

Louie was home sick today with whatever stomach bug is going around. It was a total stay in our jams and chill sort of day. Then I hurried up, got dressed, ran and picked up John from pre-school, came home and hurried right back into my jams!

Ahhhhhhh.

So. Today's Ornament is sort of chill. 

Just a cute little paper heart. Chillin' at the bottom of the tree!

You can find a great tutorial at Reese Dixon. I'm running a little low on Holiday themed paper, so I used two patterns instead of four...mine having a plain color on the backside.

It's a cute and quick decoration. I'm having Visions of Valentine's Day dancing in my head...

Come February you all may be deja vu-ing!

On a sad note...

Mr. Colorful Polka Dot Ornie fell to his death.

With all the new ornies going up on the tree...it made me think of the Lion King (cue Circle of Life music!).

This is an ornament I gave my Grandma Rita 20ish years ago. When she moved in with my folks a few years back, she started giving me a lot of her Christmas stuff. 

It's Louie's 9th Christmas (he was crawling that first year...so it counts!) and this is the first time we had ornament breakage!

However. It took about a nano-second before fingers were being shot all around. Louie is blaming John. John is blaming Louie. Kat is looking at me and shrugging, saying, "It wasn't ME, Mama."

Here's the scoop. My kids had built a "fort" in the living room. They are obsessed with all of the pillows and blankets of the house being in the living room. All of the time. Some how...no one is sure...maybe ghosts??? Some how the "fort" ended up right next to the tree. Louie was the catapult (remember. he's the sick one.). The cushion of the couch was the boulder. John was the invisible force that carried the boulder from the catapult to the other side of the "fort". Hey, at least they didn't just throw the cushion! Anywho, as John was "Oh. So. Carefully. Mom. I was Oh. So. Careful." stepping around the "fort" wall, the pillow he was carrying whammed into the tree. 

And that was the end of Mr. Polka Dot Ornie.

I'm sure he is twinkling in the Heaven's tonight...just like Mufasa. (to be said in funny hyena voice.)

I'm a Supah-Star!

This totally encompasses how I feel right now!

Source

TOTALLY!

I'll tell you why. And then you'll realize what a complete nerd I am. But I hope you'll still read my rambling and follow me towards insanity.

Okay.

I'm perusing along Pinterest knee deep in felt ornament ideas. You've been there. I've been there. We've all been there. So much felt. So little time.

Then it happens. I'm checking out a ladies board. I don't follow her. She doesn't follow me. She's not my mom (heeheehee)...and I notice she's got this ornament pinned. "Oh." I think to myself. "I made one that looked like that last year." Then I look again. It IS the one I made last year. That's my gift wrap! And there's my blog name as the source! TOOT TOOT! This marvelous woman with impeccable taste pinned one of my ornaments!

GOD BLESS YOU, whoever you are! You made my day!!!

So am I a SuperStar? You bet your sweet booty I am!

At least in the little world that revolves inside my brain.

Dear Granny Squares,

Dear Granny Squares,

This is the hardest letter I've had to write. I want to emphasize how much fun we've had together this past month. You've taught me new things about myself, new skills that I never would have tried without you. You are so beautiful, colorful, cuddly. But...I'm afraid we have to break up.

It's not you. It's ME. I'm just no good for you, Granny Square. I thought we could settle down. Finish off the challenge. Be happy and cozy all Winter long, watching black & white movies, sipping hot chocolate... But the commitment was such a weight on my hands (er, chest?). I started to rebel. To push back. To ignore you. I even started looking at other crafts...

Granny Square, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I have to quit you. I still love you. With all my heart! But we need some "space". Maybe it will work later. Maybe we can come back together and finish what we started. I hope so!

Love,

Amy

Or...in other words...Amy's Granny Square Challenge is officially STALLED!

I couldn't do it! Too much Granny. I'm dreaming Granny. I'm seeing Granny everywhere! Granny is stalking me!!!

God Bless those people out there that do this sort of challenge and complete it. I admire you!

At first I was in denial. No way. I can finish it. I just need to crochet 11 more and I'll be caught up.

Yeah. Not going to happen.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE a Granny Square! I was just starting to feel burdened by the whole thing, when it was supposed to be fun. Then (in the weird ticking of how my brain works) I started getting resentful about the whole thing. Not cool.

And I do hope to pick it back up. Maybe after Christmas.

This is a gleaming example of why...my sink is always full of dishes, I have a closet full of half-done projects, I have a ton of weight to lose (but I'm eating a cookie right now), and Mt. Laundry is taking over the basement.

I can admit it, though, and isn't that the first step???

So! I'm excited about blogging all the stuff I jammed in between crocheting squares!!! Tomorrow is a new day...with no mistakes in it...yet!

p.s.The cookie is totally calorie free since it is a "break up" cookie.

Please Stand By...

Due to Equipment Malfunction:

1. My children getting into my yarn and having a FIELD DAY

2. My overly optimistic choosing of Grannies Beyond My Skill Level

3. A slew of problems with my camera

My Granny Challenge has been delayed.

I think we're about re-grouped and should be back with your Regularly Scheduled Granny soon.

Seriously. It took me about 9 hours to de-knot and roll my beautiful skeins of yarn into yarn balls. 9 hours.

If my camera was working, I would have taken pictures. Ugh.

ABC a'la ME!

I was sitting here catching up on my Blog Reads when I found this fun idea over at

artsy-fartsy mama!

It reminded me of my Old School MySpace days. I know. How 2003 of me.

Anywho...I had to play along!!!

ENJOY!

A. age: 34 or (as I like to say) mid-30's. Ever since I turned 30, I've been confused because the numbers all mash up. 31, 35, 33, 38...is there a difference? At any rate, I was born in '77.

B. bed: We've got a king. It ate our bedroom, but it's comfy and we all can fit on it during a thunderstorm.

C. chore you hate: Doing the dishes. You wash them, put them away and in a mili-second my family has gotten them all dirty again. It never ends.

D. dogs: Not currently. We had a Papillion named Maverick. Our house/yard isn't Dog Friendly, but if we ever move we're getting a cocker spaniel!

E. essential start of the day: Going #1! Sorry to be blunt...but I'm not one to wake up overnight to go...so come morning I gotta GO!

F. favorite color: GREEN

G. gold or silver: Silver

H. height: 5 foot 10. I'm a giant!

I. instruments you play: Piano, Flute & Trumpet. I hadn't played the trumpet since senior year jazz band, but I was able to belt out Taps for my Cub Den at a Flag Ceremony so I'm owning it!

J. job title: I like to call myself Queen Bee of the Pooh Pahs. But really, I'm a SAHM, so I pretty much do everything.

K. kids: Three. Eight, four & two. Boy, boy & girl.

L. live: In the great state of Nebraska! The Good Life...

M. maiden name: Lochman (Lock Man)

N. nickname: AIM, Ames, Mimi Tay

O. overnight hospital stays: Three. Their names are Louie, John & Kat.

P. pet peeves: Impatient Drivers. Really? Your time is so much more important than the rest of ours? You have to run that red light? You have to honk at me if I stop at a red light? You have to cut us off to race to the next red light? Grrrrr...

Q. quotes: "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind, don't matter and those who matter, don't mind." Dr. Seuss

R. righty or leftie: LEFTIE!!! Does this still count as an "R"? 

S. siblings: ZERO. I'm an only.

T. time you wake up: 6:50. Ugh.

U. university attended: University of NE at Omaha.

V. veggies you dislike: Brussel Sprouts & Lima Beans. Peee-Ewww.

W. what makes you late: We are those annoying people who are always 15 to 20 minutes EARLY! However, a couple of times we have cut it close to being late and it's been because of Poop-Tastrophes. You can imagine.

X. x-rays you've had: Teeth, Wrist (broken), Ankle (bone chip)

Y. yummy food: Ice Cream, Strawberries, Mexican Food, Italian Food, Potato Dumplings, Celery w/ Peanut Butter, Nutella, Cheese...

Z. zoo animal favorite: Penguins! All the way. They crack me up and yet they're so beautiful and graceful in the water.

Summer Bucket List Final Stats...

Now that we've got a couple weeks of school under our belts, I think we can safely say that Summer is over. Sigh.

I wanted to go back and visit the Summer Bucket List we started way back last May.

We didn't get everything done, but we certainly had FUN! And it was really all about having something to do. A reason to not stay in our jammies all day (although, we had a few of those days, too!).

Here's a little tour of our Summer:

Playing Some Putt Putt

Scavenger Hunts around the Neighborhood

WATER table, guns, balloons...whatever!

Exploring a New Park...Storybook Island in Cedar Rapids, SD

We didn't make Giant Bubbles, but these dollar bin water guns were amazing!

Outside the Omaha Children's Museum

Lots of Swimming at the Pool

The boys made some DIY Moon Sand

Rock Painting...this one is Kat's masterpiece

Planted herbs in mini-pots

Checking out a new Spray Park

These are just some of the things we accomplished! As for the stuff we didn't get to...that's what next Summer is for!!!