If you have me on FB, you already know this... About a month ago, we sent away for caterpillar larvae for Natalie's butterfly garden (Christmas gift from Oliver). All five grew (3 are guaranteed) and formed chrysalides, and all five hatched! I let Natalie's teacher know what we were doing, and even though they covered butterflies in class months ago, she finds value in letting the kids see the actual process. So, I brought the larvae to class just before they formed their chrysalides, so all the kids could see them. Once they formed their chrysalides, they could not be moved, so I took a picture and sent it in with Natalie - her teacher hung it on their board. Naturally, they all started hatching at the start of Spring Break - which had me anxious - they are only supposed to live 7-10 days after they hatch. Somehow, even the oldest one (which was 12 days old at the time of release) made it until school resumed. So, Natalie's teacher had me come in with the butterflies. Natalie and I worked on a poster about "Painted Lady Butterfly Facts", which we presented to the class. Then Natalie got to show everyone her butterflies. After that, we headed to a little park just beyond the school to release them.
Natalie was very upset when it came time to release them - she didn't want to let go. Her classmates were just wonderful with her. Many of them hugged her, or would rub her arm and assure her that she was doing the right thing by letting them go. And her little friend Kevin grabbed a tissue and was wiping away her tears. Letting them go was really cool. Her teacher found a spot with lots of clover, which they love to eat, and one-by-one, they all flew away. What was really neat was, the butterflies got visibly excited and active once we hit the outdoors - like they knew this was where they truly belonged. The last one to go kind of hung out for a bit - I suspect that was the oldest one. It finally flew off into a patch of clover, ate for a bit, then came back, flew right into Natalie's face, and brushed her nose. I told her that was a butterfly kiss, to thank her for taking such good care of them. That really lifted her spirits! Then, I shit you not, that same butterfly came back to me and Natalie two more times, circled us each time, then finally flew off. Natalie's teacher had everyone sing "Skinamarinkadink" or whatever that song is, to send them off - she leads the class in that song at dismissal each day. It was really lovely - Mrs. A didn't rush everyone back - we got to take our time and watch the butterflies go. She was very thoughtful with Natalie too - she said if we didn't want to release, that was just fine. But, I told her it would be way worse if Natalie discovered one dead in the habitat one day, and Mrs. A agreed - but wanted to make sure we knew it was up to us. She's a wonderful teacher.
We went back in, and the kids all got to do a butterfly craft - even Oliver was included! Both the teacher and aide always go out of there way to include him, so he screws around less when he's in the classroom now. He'll go right to a desk and sit down and wait for an activity. It's really sweet! Then we all had butterfly shaped cookies (dipped in chocolate - yum - found them at Fry's)!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Student of the Month, and report card
Natalie was chosen to be one of the Students of the Month at her school for March! Tomorrow is her award ceremony - the kids get called up on stage and are presented with a chain/necklace, a certificate and they get to shake the principal's hand! We are so proud of Natalie! Can't wait to see her up on stage tomorrow! On the nomination form, her teacher wrote:
"Natalie is a good student and a good friend. She always helps others and is kind to others".
We also received her third quarter report card last week. She continues to make progress! She's evenly split between being at level, and proficient, so we're quite pleased. Her teacher writes that she is a pleasure to have in class, and continues to do well.
"Natalie is a good student and a good friend. She always helps others and is kind to others".
We also received her third quarter report card last week. She continues to make progress! She's evenly split between being at level, and proficient, so we're quite pleased. Her teacher writes that she is a pleasure to have in class, and continues to do well.
Spring Break
Over a week late, but who's counting? :-P
We had a great week, but busy, busy, busy! I'll just break it down by day....
Monday - took the kids to the zoo. Had a great time! We fed the giraffes, looked at some animals, then the kids played on a huge treehouse structure they have there. Rode the carousel and went home for lunch.
Tuesday - Natalie had her yearly allergy appointment. Nuts and tree nuts still an issue - it took over ten days for her skin to heal where the peanut and walnut oils were applied. She is also highly allergic to basically the entire AZ outdoors. 7 weeds, 8 trees, 2 grasses (Bermuda mix and Rye), cats and dogs. She has mild, developing asthma, which we can treat with nebulized Albuterol on an as/if needed basis, and Singulair daily (mainly for the allergy symptoms - her asthma presents as allergic response) - so far no daily asthma meds or rescue inhalers are required. She is at high risk for developing severe asthma, and sometime within the next year or so will be required to start an allergy shot regimen - a shot once or twice a week for 3 months, then a shot a month for 3-5 years - this will greatly reduce the risk of her developing severe asthma. I'm starting to talk it up now, because she is very shot phobic, but we are going to have to do this, because the risks otherwise are too great. Her friend Trinity came over and played the rest of the afternoon.
Wednesday (St. Patrick's Day) - took the kids to get Easter and Oliver's birthday pictures. That went shockingly well - especially since Jon was OOT and I had to go solo with them. Then her friend Kevin from school came over to play - very sweet boy! Later that night, we had breakfast for dinner - green eggs for the kids (blech) was on the menu. So foul, but Natalie loved them!
Thursday - headed for the mountains in the afternoon! It was close to 80 in Mesa, but in Overgaard, there was still quite a bit of snow on the ground! Just got settled in that evening.
Friday - took the kids out for a bit in the morning, but it was 40 and raining off and on, so we didn't last too long outside. Ran a couple of errands, went back to the condo, had lunch. Once Oliver went down for his nap, Natalie and I went to a local tea place in town and had afternoon tea. Tea and an English muffin for me, tea and 3 enormous pancakes for Natalie. I am not a fan of pancakes at all, but these were amazing. Big, thick, fluffy and slightly sweet. They smelled kind of like cakes. Had dinner at the condo. Then the kids and I locked ourselves in one of the bedrooms, and I colored all over them with washable marker, (including "Hi Daddy" on Oliver's butt, lol) - and of course the kids got in on the action too! Oliver was so funny - he was so serious about coloring on himself. The look on Jon's face when we came out was priceless. The bathwater was unreal. Mad props to Crayola though - their washable markers come right off, with a minimum of scrubbing!
Saturday - Jon took the kids out to play while I got ready. Another cold morning, but clear. Then we all putzed around a bit - went to a local food store in town and ugh - they had hotdogs that expired in January. Came back, had lunch. Got Oliver down, then Natalie and I went over to the hot tub for a bit. After we got changed, she and I went to the coffee shop on the property and got hot chocolate for her, a Mexican (real sugar!) Coke for me, and a huge cinnamon bun. Went back to the condo to share with Jon and Oliver, but they had taken off somewhere. I intended to just eat a bite of bun and save the rest for Oliver, but it was too good. Little man had no idea what he missed. Walked around a bit, found the guys, visited some of the shop owners on the property - we've gotten to know several of them really well! Had dinner. Drew on the kids again.
Sunday - left for home.
We had a great week, but busy, busy, busy! I'll just break it down by day....
Monday - took the kids to the zoo. Had a great time! We fed the giraffes, looked at some animals, then the kids played on a huge treehouse structure they have there. Rode the carousel and went home for lunch.
Tuesday - Natalie had her yearly allergy appointment. Nuts and tree nuts still an issue - it took over ten days for her skin to heal where the peanut and walnut oils were applied. She is also highly allergic to basically the entire AZ outdoors. 7 weeds, 8 trees, 2 grasses (Bermuda mix and Rye), cats and dogs. She has mild, developing asthma, which we can treat with nebulized Albuterol on an as/if needed basis, and Singulair daily (mainly for the allergy symptoms - her asthma presents as allergic response) - so far no daily asthma meds or rescue inhalers are required. She is at high risk for developing severe asthma, and sometime within the next year or so will be required to start an allergy shot regimen - a shot once or twice a week for 3 months, then a shot a month for 3-5 years - this will greatly reduce the risk of her developing severe asthma. I'm starting to talk it up now, because she is very shot phobic, but we are going to have to do this, because the risks otherwise are too great. Her friend Trinity came over and played the rest of the afternoon.
Wednesday (St. Patrick's Day) - took the kids to get Easter and Oliver's birthday pictures. That went shockingly well - especially since Jon was OOT and I had to go solo with them. Then her friend Kevin from school came over to play - very sweet boy! Later that night, we had breakfast for dinner - green eggs for the kids (blech) was on the menu. So foul, but Natalie loved them!
Thursday - headed for the mountains in the afternoon! It was close to 80 in Mesa, but in Overgaard, there was still quite a bit of snow on the ground! Just got settled in that evening.
Friday - took the kids out for a bit in the morning, but it was 40 and raining off and on, so we didn't last too long outside. Ran a couple of errands, went back to the condo, had lunch. Once Oliver went down for his nap, Natalie and I went to a local tea place in town and had afternoon tea. Tea and an English muffin for me, tea and 3 enormous pancakes for Natalie. I am not a fan of pancakes at all, but these were amazing. Big, thick, fluffy and slightly sweet. They smelled kind of like cakes. Had dinner at the condo. Then the kids and I locked ourselves in one of the bedrooms, and I colored all over them with washable marker, (including "Hi Daddy" on Oliver's butt, lol) - and of course the kids got in on the action too! Oliver was so funny - he was so serious about coloring on himself. The look on Jon's face when we came out was priceless. The bathwater was unreal. Mad props to Crayola though - their washable markers come right off, with a minimum of scrubbing!
Saturday - Jon took the kids out to play while I got ready. Another cold morning, but clear. Then we all putzed around a bit - went to a local food store in town and ugh - they had hotdogs that expired in January. Came back, had lunch. Got Oliver down, then Natalie and I went over to the hot tub for a bit. After we got changed, she and I went to the coffee shop on the property and got hot chocolate for her, a Mexican (real sugar!) Coke for me, and a huge cinnamon bun. Went back to the condo to share with Jon and Oliver, but they had taken off somewhere. I intended to just eat a bite of bun and save the rest for Oliver, but it was too good. Little man had no idea what he missed. Walked around a bit, found the guys, visited some of the shop owners on the property - we've gotten to know several of them really well! Had dinner. Drew on the kids again.
Sunday - left for home.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Had a nice day! The kids had Easter and Oliver's birthday pictures taken today. Picked up some Irish Soda Bread from Wildflower Bread Co. (sucked, BTW. That is NOT soda bread). Natalie had one of her friends from school come over to play in the afternoon. Then I made the kids dark green eggs (blech. I had mine without dye), bacon and cinnamon rolls for dinner. Healthy. lol.
Anyway... Here are the little leprechauns! Had to include a shot of the back of O's shirt - it makes me giggle every time I see it. He loved it too!
Anyway... Here are the little leprechauns! Had to include a shot of the back of O's shirt - it makes me giggle every time I see it. He loved it too!
Kid sweetness
Natalie has declared one day last week "Loving Brother Day. Hugs and kisses and kissing hands for little brother day". Kissing hands are part of her good-bye and good-night rituals - you kiss the other person's palms, who then presses their palms to their face to save kisses for later. It's from The Kissing Hand book.
She made Oliver a card, all by herself, that says "I love you Oliver, love, Natalie" and dug through all of her stickers, and decorated it with stickers that she knows he likes best, as well as drawings of him and her. And we had to have brownies and ice cream for dessert to celebrate Loving Brother Day.
And that day she got out really early - end of third quarter - so Oliver was awake when she got off the bus. As soon as the bus doors opened, he started shouting "Na na Na na", and she barreled off the bus, scooped him up, big hugs, kisses, spun him around, then introduced him to the kids who ride the bus in the afternoon - some of them only ride in the PM, so they don't see Oliver in the mornings at drop-off.
And Oliver has started demanding hugs. He throws his arms wide, big grin, yells "HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUG" and waits for his hug. When Jon's gone, I give them story time together - when she leaves his room to wait for me to get her in bed (he goes first), he does the HUUUUUUUUUUUUG routine I don't know how many times in a row. Both of them laughing like loons. As soon as she gets to the door, he calls her back for a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUG.
She made Oliver a card, all by herself, that says "I love you Oliver, love, Natalie" and dug through all of her stickers, and decorated it with stickers that she knows he likes best, as well as drawings of him and her. And we had to have brownies and ice cream for dessert to celebrate Loving Brother Day.
And that day she got out really early - end of third quarter - so Oliver was awake when she got off the bus. As soon as the bus doors opened, he started shouting "Na na Na na", and she barreled off the bus, scooped him up, big hugs, kisses, spun him around, then introduced him to the kids who ride the bus in the afternoon - some of them only ride in the PM, so they don't see Oliver in the mornings at drop-off.
And Oliver has started demanding hugs. He throws his arms wide, big grin, yells "HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUG" and waits for his hug. When Jon's gone, I give them story time together - when she leaves his room to wait for me to get her in bed (he goes first), he does the HUUUUUUUUUUUUG routine I don't know how many times in a row. Both of them laughing like loons. As soon as she gets to the door, he calls her back for a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUG.
Monday, March 8, 2010
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MITZ!!
This past Saturday, 6 weeks of planning came to a head as we threw a surprise party to celebrate the 31st anniversary of Mitz's 29th birthday. :-)
Somehow we managed to pull off a complete surprise party - she had no idea! It probably helped that I woke up with a raging sinus infection the morning of - so bad all I could do was cry - no way did she think a party was in the works with me being in that shape. As a matter of fact, once she walked in the house she asked me if I was really sick - I assured her I was, and that she was to remember that when making out her will. :-P All kidding aside, it really was a lovely party. So many people came to celebrate my wonderful mother's birthday - some people we haven't seen in a long time! My brother and SIL were even able to attend - they flew in from Baltimore the Thursday before - kept them hidden from Mom until the party. I haven't lied to mother this much since I was a teenager!
So many people helped pull this off - we couldn't have done it without them!
Pops was my partner in crime - he did everything he could to keep her off the scent and get her out of their house and over to mine. He also pretty much let me run with whatever ideas I had, and was so supportive through the whole process.
Jon did a phenomenal job decorating the house for the party - he was up past midnight the night before. And of course the usual child-wrangling to free up my time for party prep.
Jim's cousin Joan came over early the day of the party to help with last-minute details/wrangle the kids.
My SIL Christy did a lot of food prep and cleaning the day/night before. She and Rich also drove me to the Minute Clinic the day of (my doctor's office was of course closed on Saturday) and wrangled the kids in the afternoon.
Jamie came over early to help prep/occupy the kids.
Our friend Amy was involved from the start - helping me with the guestlist, as well as distributing invitations to people at Safeway (she works at Safeway too). She also took Mom to tea at the Ritz to get her out of the house, then we had an elaborate ruse to get her over to mine - which we pulled off! And of course helping with details leading up to and during the party. She even got treated to bitching from Mom and me (separately, but I guess now she knows just how far this apple didn't fall from its tree!) about tea times. Long story. Poor Amy.
Our friend Sylvia was also involved from the start. Guestlist, details, chasing down RSVPs... The night before the party she came by to drop off dishes she was lending me for the party, and to pick up some of the food that I made ahead because I didn't have enough room in my fridge. She has a hellacious commute, long day, and still was willing to stop by on her way home to help out. She was supposed to come earlyish on Saturday to help, but once she found out how out of commission I was, she came by even earlier and took on some extra tasks. I didn't find out until later that she wasn't feeling well herself. And during the party she was all over getting the food out and ready, making sure the guestbook was signed (Jamie did that too - thanks guys - that made such a nice keepsake for Mom).
Another friend of ours, Alison, came up from Tucson and spent the night so she wouldn't have to drive. Once everyone left, she got right to work helping get the house back to rights - which was completely unnecessary, but so much appreciated!
And our friend Cindy helped keep the food flowing, and with getting dinner heated up and placed on the table, as well as hanging out with Oliver - they are wrapped around each other's little fingers. :-)
Ack! Missed a thank you! Aunt Lois put together a bunch of favors when she and Uncle Don visited the weekend before!
Sounds like a good time was had by all - I know I had a great time! Couldn't have been more pleased! Oliver was in his element. At one point, he pulled up a DR chair and parked himself by the chips and pretzels. Then he decided the salsa needed some doctoring - so he threw a bunch of cherry tomatoes in it. And held court at the kitchen island and breakfast table - just cracking himself and everyone else up. Natalie had a blast playing with her cousins, running around with balloons. She asked me if she could have a rockstar soda - meaning a can of Pepsi (super sale, I still love you more, Coke). I said "why not". So she caught Jon's eye, lifted the can, and nodded at him with a shit-eating grin. LOL Jamie caught Oliver as he pulled up a chair to the kitchen counter, stuck his fingers in the cake, licked them while saying "mmmmmmmmmmmmm". Stinker!
Happy Birthday, Mitz! We love you!
Thanks to everyone who helped pull this together, and who was there to help celebrate a special birthday for a very special lady!
Somehow we managed to pull off a complete surprise party - she had no idea! It probably helped that I woke up with a raging sinus infection the morning of - so bad all I could do was cry - no way did she think a party was in the works with me being in that shape. As a matter of fact, once she walked in the house she asked me if I was really sick - I assured her I was, and that she was to remember that when making out her will. :-P All kidding aside, it really was a lovely party. So many people came to celebrate my wonderful mother's birthday - some people we haven't seen in a long time! My brother and SIL were even able to attend - they flew in from Baltimore the Thursday before - kept them hidden from Mom until the party. I haven't lied to mother this much since I was a teenager!
So many people helped pull this off - we couldn't have done it without them!
Pops was my partner in crime - he did everything he could to keep her off the scent and get her out of their house and over to mine. He also pretty much let me run with whatever ideas I had, and was so supportive through the whole process.
Jon did a phenomenal job decorating the house for the party - he was up past midnight the night before. And of course the usual child-wrangling to free up my time for party prep.
Jim's cousin Joan came over early the day of the party to help with last-minute details/wrangle the kids.
My SIL Christy did a lot of food prep and cleaning the day/night before. She and Rich also drove me to the Minute Clinic the day of (my doctor's office was of course closed on Saturday) and wrangled the kids in the afternoon.
Jamie came over early to help prep/occupy the kids.
Our friend Amy was involved from the start - helping me with the guestlist, as well as distributing invitations to people at Safeway (she works at Safeway too). She also took Mom to tea at the Ritz to get her out of the house, then we had an elaborate ruse to get her over to mine - which we pulled off! And of course helping with details leading up to and during the party. She even got treated to bitching from Mom and me (separately, but I guess now she knows just how far this apple didn't fall from its tree!) about tea times. Long story. Poor Amy.
Our friend Sylvia was also involved from the start. Guestlist, details, chasing down RSVPs... The night before the party she came by to drop off dishes she was lending me for the party, and to pick up some of the food that I made ahead because I didn't have enough room in my fridge. She has a hellacious commute, long day, and still was willing to stop by on her way home to help out. She was supposed to come earlyish on Saturday to help, but once she found out how out of commission I was, she came by even earlier and took on some extra tasks. I didn't find out until later that she wasn't feeling well herself. And during the party she was all over getting the food out and ready, making sure the guestbook was signed (Jamie did that too - thanks guys - that made such a nice keepsake for Mom).
Another friend of ours, Alison, came up from Tucson and spent the night so she wouldn't have to drive. Once everyone left, she got right to work helping get the house back to rights - which was completely unnecessary, but so much appreciated!
And our friend Cindy helped keep the food flowing, and with getting dinner heated up and placed on the table, as well as hanging out with Oliver - they are wrapped around each other's little fingers. :-)
Ack! Missed a thank you! Aunt Lois put together a bunch of favors when she and Uncle Don visited the weekend before!
Sounds like a good time was had by all - I know I had a great time! Couldn't have been more pleased! Oliver was in his element. At one point, he pulled up a DR chair and parked himself by the chips and pretzels. Then he decided the salsa needed some doctoring - so he threw a bunch of cherry tomatoes in it. And held court at the kitchen island and breakfast table - just cracking himself and everyone else up. Natalie had a blast playing with her cousins, running around with balloons. She asked me if she could have a rockstar soda - meaning a can of Pepsi (super sale, I still love you more, Coke). I said "why not". So she caught Jon's eye, lifted the can, and nodded at him with a shit-eating grin. LOL Jamie caught Oliver as he pulled up a chair to the kitchen counter, stuck his fingers in the cake, licked them while saying "mmmmmmmmmmmmm". Stinker!
Happy Birthday, Mitz! We love you!
Thanks to everyone who helped pull this together, and who was there to help celebrate a special birthday for a very special lady!
Aunt Lois and Uncle Don
Came to visit us last week! It was so good to see them - and the kids just adored their time with them. Lois and Don bring a lot of love and laughter with them wherever they go, and we always thoroughly enjoy their company. Oliver was immediately Uncle Don's #1 fan/mini stalker, and Natalie attached herself to Aunt Lois. They arrived last Friday, left Monday morning for Sedona, then came back Tuesday to spend one more night before they left.
Friday was pretty low-key - had dinner then watched the Olympics.
The men hung out on Saturday, while the ladies went shopping and had lunch. It was such a nice day out - Natalie had a great time shopping with us at San Tan, and playing in the children's area there. After Lois and Don went to Mass Saturday afternoon, we all went out to dinner. Came back, got the kids to bed, then Olympics again.
Sunday, Lois and Don went to church with us. Did my usual grocery shop, and Jon made an excellent dinner (almost as good as the dinner I made on Friday. :-P).
When they got back on Tuesday, Lois and Don watched the kids so I could attend a PTO meeting at Natalie's school (thank you guys! You had a long day!).
Said good-bye on Wednesday - we were sad to see them go! Natalie is anxious to see them again - I'm sure Oliver is too, but he can't quite express that yet. :-)
Way behind on pictures. Will work on them this week.
Friday was pretty low-key - had dinner then watched the Olympics.
The men hung out on Saturday, while the ladies went shopping and had lunch. It was such a nice day out - Natalie had a great time shopping with us at San Tan, and playing in the children's area there. After Lois and Don went to Mass Saturday afternoon, we all went out to dinner. Came back, got the kids to bed, then Olympics again.
Sunday, Lois and Don went to church with us. Did my usual grocery shop, and Jon made an excellent dinner (almost as good as the dinner I made on Friday. :-P).
When they got back on Tuesday, Lois and Don watched the kids so I could attend a PTO meeting at Natalie's school (thank you guys! You had a long day!).
Said good-bye on Wednesday - we were sad to see them go! Natalie is anxious to see them again - I'm sure Oliver is too, but he can't quite express that yet. :-)
Way behind on pictures. Will work on them this week.
Mr. Fix-it
This happened a couple of weeks ago -it's been crazy around here and I haven't had time to sit down and blog!
I was talking to my brother on the phone one afternoon, when I heard Natalie start yelling. Oliver took one of their wooden chairs flipped it over, and had one leg removed, and the middle support pieces dismantled as well.
Not two hours later, I ran upstairs to start their bath (takes forever for the water to heat up thanks to the water heater being on the opposite end of the house, and on the lower level to boot), and I heard her yelling again. I was gone maybe two minutes? Ran downstairs to find Oliver sitting in my desk chair, which had been flipped over on its back. He was riding it like a rocket ship. And had reached under, and by HAND, completely unscrewed and removed one of the bolts that attach the wheeled legs to the seat.
Stinker! I guess he got a good dose of the engineer gene from Jon's dad and my maternal grandfather!
I was talking to my brother on the phone one afternoon, when I heard Natalie start yelling. Oliver took one of their wooden chairs flipped it over, and had one leg removed, and the middle support pieces dismantled as well.
Not two hours later, I ran upstairs to start their bath (takes forever for the water to heat up thanks to the water heater being on the opposite end of the house, and on the lower level to boot), and I heard her yelling again. I was gone maybe two minutes? Ran downstairs to find Oliver sitting in my desk chair, which had been flipped over on its back. He was riding it like a rocket ship. And had reached under, and by HAND, completely unscrewed and removed one of the bolts that attach the wheeled legs to the seat.
Stinker! I guess he got a good dose of the engineer gene from Jon's dad and my maternal grandfather!
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