A Bouquet of Flowers To Brighten Your Day

Smile!

Swiper! No Swiping!

The other day we were checking out at the grocery store; which I find is always a challenge with kids- trying to get everything out of the cart, keeping an eye on them, paying, etc. On this particular day Colby was sitting in the cart and I didn't have him buckled in so he was squirming around and reaching for things. When we got up to the checkout counter and put all of our stuff on it I noticed he was grabbing for some of the candy bars they have up on the stand, right in front of the cashier, right within his grasp. He got one and I grabbed it out of his hands, put it back and promptly buckled him in so he couldn't reach them. Or so I thought. He and the cart went on the backside of the cashier while I went on the other side to pay for the groceries. I was watching the screen and paying for everything and then I looked up as the cashier was pulling the cart the rest of the way through and there Colby is holding a mallo bar. He has it open and is shoveling it into his mouth as fast as his little fingers will go. His mouth was stuffed full of chocolate and marshmellow and he had this devious little look in his face like he knew exactly how naughty he was being and that's why he was trying to eat it so fast. That or he was just worried someone would take it away from him so he better eat fast. My mouth dropped open with shock. How did he get it? How did he get it open and have it half eaten so quickly? We really didn't have that many groceries, it hadn't taken us long to check out. I just laughed and so did the cashier. I said, "I guess I need to pay for that." Then the cashier said, "Oh, I wasn't going to worry about it." I think he must have been watching the whole incident from his vantage point. He probably could have seen it all unfold, or unwrap (haha) while I stood on the other side completely oblivious. I argued with him for a moment, I told him it was fine, not a big deal but he just told me not to worry about it. I felt kind of bad leaving without paying for it but maybe they shouldn't put candy right there within swiping range of slippery little fingers! As I pushed the cart out to the car Colby continued to shovel that thing in his mouth, he was so excited nobody had taken it away. Rex, Owen and I laughed the whole way home about how Colby stole a candy bar from the grocery store! Poor Colby, a bonafide shoplifter at the age of one! Little Swiper!

And- on another funny Colby note, he came into the family room wearing this getup. He put it on all by himself, well, everything but the shirt. Oh man, this kid is too funny. I have not had a boy yet who has tried to dress himself before the age of two but this kid likes to do everything on his own- shoes, hats, pants, bracelets, jackets, and now apparently ties. It was so stinkin' cute when he walked (or hopped really since both legs are in the same leg of the shorts) into the room. He was pretty proud of himself.

Prior to putting Rex' shorts on he had taken off his own shorts and his diaper too (he's in that phase of stripping the diaper off) so you can see that he peed in Rex' shorts, but I just had to take a picture before I put a diaper back on him! I just thought I would throw that out there so you weren't like gross it looks like he peed his pants, doesn't she ever put a diaper on that kid!

And the Band Played On! Part 2

Matthew had his end of the year concert a few weeks ago and we got way better seats than last time and I happened to pick the right side of the gym to sit on so we had a perfect shot to video him. You can actually see him play! I think the band overall is much improved. Good job, Matthew!






(I'm not sure what the kid next to him is doing, I mean, did he forget his intrument or something? Who forgets their instrument for the concert? Seriously.)

Faux Camping

Because of the absolutely perfect weather on Friday we decided (Kris' idea) to take the kids to the park to roast some hot dogs and have s'mores. This park is about two minutes from home and the setting is gorgeous. We set up right on the bank of the river, got our fire started and let the kids run around and play like a bunch of hooligans. They played at the playground, waded in the river, played catch and pretended they were in Rivendell (a fantasyland in the Lord of the Rings). We cooked our hot dogs and then we enjoyed our s'mores. Colby dumped out about 5 cans of rootbeer and 1 bottle of water, and all the kids got filthy dirty. It was wonderful- all the fun of camping without everything that I hate about camping (all the work of getting ready to go and setting up camp, not sleeping in my own bed, and no bathroom). We even came home reeking of campfire smell. It. Was. Awesome.

Deep Thoughts

This hangs by the door in my daughter's room where she can see it every time she leaves her room. Every time I see it it makes me smile and I wonder where this kid came from. If you think about it this is wise, sage advice from an 8 year old. She sets a good example for me. She doesn't worry about what other people think. She is friendly, smart, creative, imaginative and artistic. She gets along well with everyone, even hard to get along with people. Everyone likes her. I wish I was more like her. But, I'm blessed to be her mom. If I'm having a bad day or feeling sorry for myself she'll write me a little note saying how much she loves me or she'll give me a hug and tell me that I'm the best mom ever. (Even though I don't think it's true it's still nice to hear it sometimes!)