Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Best Friends

Jacob has a friend named Drew who lives down the street. The boys spent the school year playing together on a weekly basis, one day at our house and one day at his, which was a great opportunity for both boys to learn cooperation, taking turns, (and about Angry Birds, Legos, and Starwars), and, in general, have a blast together. It's been so wonderful that Jake and Drew have become such good friends.




Random Monkey Business

I can't say I always like it, but life is surely never boring at our house. And whoever said, "Silence is golden" didn't have young children. I tend to worry when I can't hear Jake and Makenna fighting playing sweetly together. A few random examples caught on camera tell the truth, the whole some-day-I'll-blackmail-you truth. :)
Mischevious Makenna has gotten into a bottle of conditioner and rubbed it all over her head and face (at least she knows where it goes, right?)

"Mommy, I think your high heels would look great with my new hair-do."
I don't know what he's up to, but it can't be good. 
Red pants, blue pants, yellow pants, Oops! (Have you ever read the book "Blue hat, green hat" by Sandra Boynton?)
 
"Are you going to send me away to Auntie Kristen's house?"
Here's a random showing of how my children play. Jake loves to line his cars up (always has!) and Makenna pushes everything but her baby doll around in the strollers!


Wednesday, May 22, 2013

The Graduate

Jacob celebrated the end of his year at preschool with a graduation ceremony, complete with tassled caps and marching in to "Pomp and Circumstance." Preschool has been such an awesome experience for him this year, and I am soooo grateful for the phone call we received last July extending him the opportunity to be a part of Ms. Rachel's preschool. Jake has grown leaps and bounds academically, made so many good friends, and proven time and again that he knows how to listen and follow directions. (At least I can count on him to behave when he's away from home. We're still working on that skill at home...sigh). Congrats, little buddy! On to Kindergarten!


 Pre-K class of 2013
 It's official! On to kindergarten!
 The proud parents with our little graduate.
Jake with his beloved teacher, Ms. Rachel.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Happy Mother's Day

Jake's preschool class had a Mother's Day brunch this morning. My favorite part of the whole shebang was a questionnaire that each of the kids had answered about their mom. And, of course, Miss Rachel (Jake's beloved teacher) read each one aloud for all to hear. I had to preserve this for posterity, and its too funny not to share.
My mom is as pretty as...a flower (awww)
She is as sweet as...a flower (awww)
She is as smart as...a fan (say what?)
But most of all, she is as special as...filling our marble jar!
What is your mom really good at?...cooking (not a chance, I hate cooking right now)
What does your mom do to relax?...she lays with us (and as soon as I lay down, they crawl all over me!)
Where does your mom like to shop?...at the market
How old is your mom?...36 (spot on with this one...no wonder he'd been asking me! The youngest mom was "8" and the oldest mom was "83.")
What do you love most about your mom?...she plays with me
If you could buy your mom anything, what would it be?...quesadillas (bwahaha!)
What does your mom do while you're at school?...she goes to Kid's Club
The best thing mom cooks is...quesadillas (I think he might have been hungry when this was filled out!)
Her favorite food is...hot dogs
We like to...do crafts...together.
She is really good at...helping me play angry birds.
As you can see, my mom is special because...she cooks the bestest! (His favorite expression at dinner most every night is, "Eww! Gross! I don't like this!")

Monday, May 6, 2013

Makenna Turns 2!

Two years old. Seriously, where does the time go? Seems like only yesterday...but I digress. The little miss is surely no longer a baby. She runs, she jumps, she climbs and swings and slides. She loves the park and balloons and balls and her baby dolls. She loves to play with, tease, and torment her big brother. I heard a friend once describe her toddler as "fabulous and feisty." If that description doesn't fit my daughter to a "T" I don't know what does! Makenna is my snugglebug, mostly when she's sleepy. She loves books, and will sit on my lap to have them read over and over again. She hates to be confined, especially in the car. "Out" is an oft heard word, usually about two minutes after we've left the driveway. She is fiercely independent ("I do it!"--even when she can't), wants to "help" with everything from making cookies to putting the clothes in the washer/dryer. She loves to color...on the walls, in books, on dining room chairs (sigh). Makenna is also learning new words every day. Today's word was "happy" and she all day long she could be heard saying, "happy, happy, happy." She is a ray of sunshine and we love her so very much!
 
 Licking the cake batter off the beater.
 
 Messy face (i.e. the whole point of giving her the beater!)
 
 Teasing Daddy with it...Wanna lick? Wanna lick?
  Not a chance, Pops!

 The girl loves birds. Hence, the owl cake.
 She loves this book, so Daddy had to read it right after it was unwrapped.
 A tricycle!
 "Ha to you! Ha to you!" (Makenna speak for "Happy Birthday to You!")
Happy 2nd Birthday, Miss Makenna!

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Playtime at the Park

Jake has been asking when Spring is going to be here. We're all a bit tired of the weather being a constant tease; cold and snowy for few days and then warm sunshine for a few more. I don't know when Spring will be here to stay, but we try to take advantage of the time we can to play outdoors.
This particular morning at the park included playtime with our beloved Daddy, a picnic lunch, an attempt at flying a very cool helicopter kite (not really enough wind for more than a moment or two of flying time), and ice cream (!) before heading home. A fun family outing, if I do say so myself!







Siblings

I caught Jake and Makenna playing so contentedly together in the sandbox the other day, and I wanted to capture the moment without disturbing them. (Thank goodness for a long zoom on my camera.) After Kenna was born, Jake sorely resented having someone take up a lot of his time with Mom and Dad. I'm pretty sure he took pleasure in making his sister cry, which was as often as I turned my back on the two of them. It's been steady improvement between them over the last two years, and I love seeing the small moments where my children play happily together & show their love for one another. There are even times when Makenna is upset with Mommy and runs to her brother for a comforting hug. They definitely still have many a scuffle, and big brother doesn't always win (and yes, the little sister in me is silently smirking when Makenna is winning the battle). I have siblings, too, so I know the bickering will continue as they get older; I can only hope that the friendship will grow and deepen as well.