Brownies

The kiddos and I mixed up some brownies this afternoon. They both sat up on the counter, helped measure and pour, and even cracked the eggs. Then they took turns mixing up the batter. Claire's favorite part of this ritual is tasting the batter before we pour it in the pan. She of course did this and then kept egging Landon on to try some (this to a boy who does not eat sweets very often). Landon finally poked his finger in, just barely, and held it up. Claire said "now lick it with your tongue, Landon". Landon held his hand near to his mouth, stuck out his tongue, but couldn't reach. Claire said "put your finger in your mouth and then lick it with your tongue". Landon did this, tentatively, and then with a huge grin on his face stated
"DEEEE-licious!!".

A night by the fire

Sounds romantic, right? Not really, it was some good 'ole family time. We ate s'mores, danced to some music and then went off to bed exhausted and happy. It was the perfect evening to just relax together, talk together and have some fun together!

It's been a long time...

Shonna, MacKenzie and Connor Jones came to visit us this week. Shonna sells Kelly's Kids clothing and I had a show so it was a good excuse for them to come visit and let the kids play while we caught up! The Jones' are from Wichita, and we all hung out a lot before we moved, so the kids, especially the girls, had lots of lost time to make up! Wednesday evening they arrived, and some of Geoff's co-workers (also Shonna's, she used to work at Coleman) came over to enjoy burgers and drinks. The kids played nonstop...they had so much fun! Then Thursday they were back for the party and another quick play time after Claire got home from school. The Jones' left to go visit their grandparents in Branson...and tears were immediate for Claire. But she soon was over it because she fell asleep! This NEVER happens, so I think she had just played herself ragged! Landon napped also. I had to wake both of them up so we could go watch Sara cheer at the football game. It was lots of fun, and I hope it won't be such a long time in between visits for the next time!

Whirlwind of Weekend!

We started our weekend off with Tailgator, a money-maker carnival for the PTO at Claire's school (the gator is the mascot of the school). There were bounce houses, an obstacle course, rock climbing wall, carnival games, ponies, hot air balloon rides, raffles, silent auctions, and much more! This was a HUGE ordeal, I have seen nothing like it! I am friends with some of the organizers...they told me 1400 people attended! For a school function! The kids had a blast bouncing, playing and eating snow cones. Daddy won the silent auction "Teacher Time" for Claire's teacher...Claire will go to Chuck E Cheese with her teacher and a friend...and Mommy got to run around keeping everyone in check (we didn't ride the hot air balloon, it was cool until the air started blowing in, and that was enough to frighten both kiddos)! Saturday we cleaned, cooked (for Sunday) and then went out to eat with some neighborhood friends and the builder of Geoff's new office building. This was a wilder group than we are used to...but most brought their kids and therefore it was a night of playing and chatting! Sunday we went to church, had lunch and then rested before going over to a friend from church's home for dinner with them and another family (who happen to be from our neighborhood). They grilled while the kids played...and then the adults relaxed while the kids played. It worked out well! But, we have had several long nights and therefore bedtime will be quite early...what time is it now?

Community Helper

Claire's class has been studying community helpers this week. Today they were asked to dress up as what they wanted to be when they grow up. Claire could not decide between a teacher or a cheerleader. Last night when we were laying out clothes, she decided on a teacher. Geoff made her a name tag and we fixed up her "care bears" clip board with a class list and off to school she went!

Spaghetti-Os

As a busy mom and wife, I do not typically take the time during the day to ponder the little things. What exactly is my son saying to me? Where is Claire's homework folder? Will Geoff be home for dinner or not? These are the kind of things I think about. Today, I realized, as I sat watching my son eat Spaghetti-O's, that maybe I should ponder more little things...What is that meatball made of? Why do I take his shirt off to paint, but not to eat? Why does one "o" slip off the spoon handle every other mouthful? How is he eating a whole bowl of that stuff? Now this is the kind of stuff I need to think about!

Just some pics...

Our family laid low last weekend, due to rain, exhaustion, and maybe just a little need for some family time. Landon finally got a haircut this weekend without screaming...Daddy took him to Sports Cuts. He watched football while the lady worked quickly and voila! Claire discovered that she can read some of the books in her closet...all by herself!
Anyway, just a few pics to share. Hope everyone is enjoying beautiful fall weather like we are!


Cowboy in training...complete with Daddy's boots!

My sweet girl, at least in the mornings before she gets home from school!
Landon is loving Sesame Street, Sprout and Noggin online...games just him!

I read somewhere that the best way to remember art projects without having to keep every one of them was to take a pic of them and then throw it away. I will NOT be throwing this $42 art project away, even after this pic! (Art by Landon)

We're Going to the Fair!

I took the kiddos to the county fair yesterday after school. Although it was cloudy and dreary, we did not get rained on, and therefore it was loads of fun! The biggest expectation: the petting zoo! The kids enjoyed it, just like last year. They had tiny chicks, goats, a calf and a piglet for feeling and loving. We looked at a few vendors, saw some more wildlife and checked out the tractors. We also walked through the livestock barn, watched some 4-Hers clean up their cows to show, and then headed for the rides and games. We stopped only long enough to eat some cotton candy between rides. Both Claire and Landon were quiet the whole ride home, just trying to stay awake and fight off the sugar buzz, I'm sure!

Other tidbits:

*Claire usually talks for a little while right after school about what she did that day. Generally these stories start coming full force when I'm trying to get her to do her homework. Yesterday, I had to get a little stern with her so she would finish writing her numbers (she kept telling me things and would have to start over every time). Claire looked at me and said "Mom, I can't help it I can't talk and write at the same time, you know how it is!". I must have the same problem!

*Landon had Gymboree and then a playdate yesterday afterwards at Chickfila with some of his classmates. He is so funny to watch...after the boys were done eating, he gathered up his buddies, an arm around each and says "Let's go play, boys!". Then as we were leaving to go try out a different class at Gymboree, Landon tells me in the car "I'm going to go try out this sports class...lets do it, mom!" (arm movement included).

Hanging Out

Since school has started, we really have not had the playdates, or social events that we were getting used to over the summer. It's been nice, but now that we are in a schedule and getting used to the sleeping routine, our family has ventured out a little more. We've attended some birthday parties, a football game and a couple playdates. Dance has started for Claire, and Landon does Gymboree and is going to Parents Day Out. But we are still enjoying just hanging out at home and playing in the evenings. These are a couple pictures of what's been going on!


Playing dress up is lots of fun when you can utilize your parent's shoes!!!


Of course, doing crafts is a weekly thing in this house. This one was a "hug" we sent to the grandparents for grandparents day!

Roughin' It

Not really! We went camping this weekend at Beaver Lake with our friends the Symons' (plus one, Sara brought her boyfriend!). The men went out first thing Saturday morning and started setting up and the rest of us followed after getting the kids up and packed. It started raining minutes after we arrived, but cleared up a little as the afternoon wore on and therefore Symons' jet skis were used quite a bit.

Claire and Landon LOVE riding on these things...and thought they were hot stuff this go around because Daddy actually let them drive. Even the Symons' dog, Rocky, got in on the action! We cooked burgers and dogs...the regular camp out fare and had s'mores for dessert. Everyone retired to cool but comfortable temperatures. During the peaceful night a thunderstorm blew in. Now, I can't speak for everyone in tents at our campsite...but I enjoy listening to rain and as you know after a previous blog I even enjoy thunderstorms. But this was NOT enjoyable. The lightening was spectacular, but the thunder was the LOUD!!!!! And my daughter was wide awake for the whole show! Once it was over, everyone slept well, though, and we awoke to fog over the mountains and a pristine lake view. The sun peeked out as we were cooking bacon and eggs and the rest of the day was beautiful! More lake time rounded out our weekend and now early bedtimes to make up for lost sleep last night. Good times with good friends!

Taking Full Advantage

Landon still does not complain much during the day while Sissy is at school. He will randomly ask when are we going to pick her up, or if she is eating lunch at school today...stuff like that. Today, I think I realized why he isn't really missing her:

He was trying on jewelry, and taking things out of Claire's toy chest that she typically has a hard time sharing. Now, I'm not sure how long this little covert action has been happening, because as soon as I spotted him he started putting things away (which is more than I can usually say about his toy habit)! But I do think that the art and science of the whole thing was masterminded a while back, and he's been doing this in the short times that I'm not trying to keep him busy! He let me take just a couple pictures, and then very quickly went to his room, where he is now playing trains and trucks. Oh, how those little minds work!

A weekend well spent

After a long week of school and work, my family was ready to take it easy this weekend. Claire was pumped that she was getting an extra day to relax, and Landon was excited that she would be around longer to play with. Geoff, on the other hand, wasn't exactly excited...he was on hurricane watch pretty much the entire weekend (plus VT lost...). Friday and Saturday evenings we got together with our favorite neighbors, the Symons', for dinner and catching up. Saturday morning we went to a birthday party, and then Sunday after church we all went to the lake! We of course met the Symons' there, where hanging out on the water and eating some burgers were the only things on the agenda! Yesterday, we tried to just lay low in order to get the kiddos back on their regular schedule. It was a nice weekend, and I'll only ever remember it in my brain because I didn't take any pics!