Two is Not Always Better than One

The cows have been having babies like crazy the last few weeks. The pasture is full of calves running, kicking, and taking in this big old world!  They are all so cute! 

Yesterday, one of the cows had twins.  Cows don't really know what to do with twins and a lot of times they will take one calf and not the other.  This morning, Mamaw and J had a sad little calf to bottle feed only it wouldn't take the bottle.  J got a towel so he could lay beside the calf.  He also got his favorite Buzz Lightyear washcloth to wash the calves face.  He said the calf was a good cuddler!  I have to agree.  He was a sweet little thing!

This afternoon, the calf went missing.  We found him with his momma!  The other calf was bedded down in a different part of the farm.  I guess she didn't know how to feed them both at the same time so she was letting them take turns. 

Now Dad has to get them in the lot and give her extra food so maybe she can keep them both fed and healthy.  I hope she can do it.  She is trying to be a good momma now she just doesn't know what to do with two! 

Summer To Do List **UPDATED**

I have been seeing all of these cute summer bucket lists for kids on the internet.  Even though J isn't in school, I thought it would be fun to do something different with our summer activities.  I found some great ideas and can't wait to get busy doing everything!
My first priority this week was to let J do the crafts I planned for my vbs class.  He had the most fun making the crown.  Of course, glitter is always fun to get out!  This was a great way to review the lessons he learned last week. 

Tomorrow we are going to get started on our summer list.  I was going to write everything down on strips of paper and let J draw out a few every week but I like seeing the whole list so we can pick things that will work with our daily schedules.  I think I am going to write these down on butcher paper and hang them up on the wall so J can cross things off as we do them. 
What fun things are you doing this summer?  Have any suggestions for us?

Easy Outside Activities

Wash the Car

Play Catch

Water balloon fight

Scavenger hunt

Wade in a river

Skip a rock across water

Find constellations in the sky

Play hopscotch

Play Frisbee

Fly a kite

Get a sandbox and put it together

Easy Inside Activities

Build a Fort

Play PlayDoh

Play TicTacToe

Paint hot rocks with crayons

Make a map of the neighborhood

Do a hidden picture from the highlights website

Have a paper airplane contest

Freezer baggie ice cream

VBS crafts

Plan and create a picnic for stuffed animals

Create an obstacle course for little cars

Eat watermelon

Homemade popsicles

Have a tea party

Paint faces

Play dress up in mommy and daddy’s clothes

Make instruments for a band

Sliding contest in the hall

Put together all of the floor puzzles at one time

Make homemade bubbles

Movie marathon on a rainy day

Have a family board game night with Mamaw and Papaw

 

Activities that Need Planning

Organize Bike parade

Make cookies and take them to Granny

Plan a bake sale or lemonade stand and donate money to Children’s Homes

Tie dye t-shirts

Picnic at the park

Play a game of horseshoes

Slip n slide
Swimming lessons

Visit the farmers’ market

Horseback riding

Puppet Show

Celebrate Eric Carle’s birthday

Mid America Museum

Host an Olympics Day

Spray paint outside

Paint a t-shirt

Little Helpers and Dry Ice

We cleaned the pool house today with Mamaw.  J loves to vacuum and was more than happy to vacuum the dust off of the bathroom cabinets. 

Of course, K was the perfect little sidekick!  She stands beside the vacuum cleaner and lets the air blow her hair up.  What a silly girl!

We had some Alaskan jumbo shrimp shipped to us while we were cleaning.  The box had a bag of dry ice in it so we took advantage and did a little science experiment.   

J poured warm water over the dry ice and watched it bubble and steam.  It is SO cool!  K played on the patio while we tried to keep her from putting her hand in the bowl.  J was confused as to why something cold could burn but we didn't let him find out what we were talking about. 

He had fun anyway!  It lasted a long time and was a nice break from cleaning.

18 Months Old

Biggest Milestone of the Month...She is no longer nursing.  She made it a couple of weeks longer than her brother but quit gradually on her own.  She likes cow's milk and water.  She drinks a little juice every once in a while but loves milk!  No chocolate, no strawberry, just white milk...COLD!  She does not like room temperature milk.  Funny girl!

Acting Big...
sings in the car, pushes babies in shopping cart, climbs on tables and chair and beds and anything else that might make her taller!, picks up toys and puts them where they go, races with J, kicks her legs in the pool and swims, jumps off of the edge of the pool, winks (blinks both eyes)

Talking Big...
thank you, night night, baby, Ashley, there it is, ice cream, love you, Jules, poppity, yeah, Seth, go, Bible, Granny, Poppa, no
She talks non stop these days.  We don't understand half of what she says but she acts like we should!

I love watching her little personality blossom.  She has become quite the diva and wants everything to go her way.  She still loves her babies and carries one with her everywhere.  She giggles, grins, and acts silly with us so much now.  She even talks to people at church and knows who to go to for candy!  She is happy in her new Bible class now and goes in the room like a big girl. 
She is such a fun girl and we are so happy to have her in our lives!


**Update 06/13/12:  At her 18 month physical, K weighed 21.3 pounds and was 32 inches tall.  She is just perfect! 

To Tip or Not to Tip...

I need to gripe a little tonight.

I took the kids out to Longhorn Steakhouse tonight for dinner.  It was early so we didn't have to wait for a table...there were plenty available.  Of course, we get seated right next to the bathrooms.  There was only one other couple sitting next to us.  Our waiter came to take our drink order.  He brought our drinks and took our dinner order.  We didn't see him again until our food was ready.  No bread.  No can I get you any more water.  J was mad about the bread.  He loves his bread!  He checked on us once during the meal then brought the ticket.  He wasn't rude just obviously aggrevated that he got the mom with two kids who is drinking tea.   
Now I'm a good tipper.  Great tipper actually!  Just because I'm alone with two kids and not having alcohol doesn't mean that I'm going to skimp on the tip.  I VERY STRONGLY DISLIKE being pushed aside at a restaurant because I have kids.  This happens all of the time.  I can go out with friends (no drinking involved) and the friendliness level goes from a one to a ten.  Why? 
My kids are good too.  We eat out enough that they know how to sit and eat.  They aren't overly loud or cry the entire meal.  They sit, eat, and let others enjoy their meals as well.  J even orders on his own politely and says thank you often. 
I still tipped the guy.  I think I wanted to prove him wrong.  And maybe he's just a bad server in general.  But I want my kids to learn how to eat in public and use manners away from our table at home.  It would be nice if they were treated nicely and acknowledged by the server. 
What do you do when this happen?  Am I the only one bothered by this? 

VBS Days 4 and 5

The last two lessons were about Jesus.  Yesterday, we talked about the paralyzed man.  It was really hard to come up with a craft to go along with this lesson.  I finally decided on woven Mexican place mats.  They could be blankets for the paralyzed man!  The kids did a great job making them.  This was kind of hard but I love the way they turned out.

Today we talked about Jesus, Mary, and Martha.  We didn't do a craft today because we had a little picnic instead.  I was glad I didn't have to think of a craft for this lesson!  We had cookies, hot dogs, and chips.  Karrie got all of the kids bubble wands and they had a blast running around making giant bubbles.  The weather was perfect this morning so we all enjoyed being outside for a while.

J's class had a picnic in their classroom.  They got to go to the bounce house too!  He had such a great week and came home with all kinds of goodies from his teachers.  He made all sorts of new friends and enjoyed learning all of the stories this week. 

Now it's over and we can sleep again!  Yay!

VBS Days 2 and 3

Yesterday we talked about Daniel being thrown into the lions' den.  This is another favorite of the kids.  We made lions for our craft and they turned out very cute!  I did the curling after they had dried but other than that it was a very easy craft.  J made one while I was baking yesterday. 

Today, our story was about Esther and how she saved the Jews.  I love Esther!  Everyone got to make a crown.  The boys made scepters and the girls made beaded necklaces.  We even broke out the glitter today!  It was a hit and they had glitter everywhere.  I loved it!

J is having the best week!  He is making new friends and loves his teachers.  He has been a little disappointed about not getting the rooster again but he loves to sing Booster!  I think he sings louder than anyone in his class. 

Two more days and the exhaustion can take over.  Maybe I will get a nap this weekend!

Not the Same but Still Good

Every summer for as long as I can remember, our family had a garden.  It was actually Poppa's garden but others helped water, weed, plant, and pick.  Purple hull peas and corn were always the biggest crops.  When they were ready to pick, the corn was done mostly in one day.  The men would rise early and pick corn by the truckload.  We would all go to Granny and Poppa's back yard where we would shuck, silk, wash, and cut off the corn.  It was a huge family affair.  Silking corn was a nightmare.  We painstakingly washed and looked to make sure each piece was perfect before sending it the the cutting board.  But every one of us has happy memories from those July days of putting up corn.
Last summer, Poppa said "this is my last garden."  Unfortunately, those words proved to be true when he left us in October. 
Today, Daddy bought five bushels of corn.  Rather than truckloads for a family of nearly fifty, we had five bags for a family of nine.  Rather than twenty adults in worn out lawn chairs and endless chatter, four adults did all of the work.  No baseball games with a dozen kids or three cups of green worms for the little ones but two little muddy buddies entertaining themselves. 
It was different.  But while I remember the hot corn days at Granny's, a tradition that I imagined would never change, I realized that we are now creating new traditions for my children.  My sweet babies will have memories of playing in the mud, swimming in the corn buckets, and chewing on empty cobs. 

This summer is one to build something new, to do things a little different.  And although it may be hard on some of us as we remember the past, it will still be good. 

VBS Day 1

We started our vacation Bible school today.  I am teaching kindergarten and we had nine kids.  They were great and I am looking forward to the rest of the week!

Our theme this year is "All Aboard the Kingdom Express."  We have five totally non related lessons so I decided to make a train with box cars to decorate the room.  I have pictures for each lesson that are inside the box cars.  Today's lesson was about the fiery furnace.  We made a really cute craft.  I found the idea HERE.

J was so excited about VBS this year!  His teachers have been talking it up for a couple of weeks and he has been watching me get ready as well.  His class was the biggest, as expected!  They got Booster the Rooster today for having the most people in their class...16 kids and 4 teachers.  He is going to have a fun week!

K isn't going this year.  Mom offered to keep her at home because she is still a little young for such a long time in class.  I think she is keeping Mamaw busy!

Sunday Sampler

I have no great recipes for you this week.  I have been busy getting ready for vacation Bible school so I haven't tried anything new.  However, I have plans this week to try a new cupcake recipe as well as a new cookie recipe!  I hope they turn out good because they look delicious. 
Here is our menu for this week.  Happy cooking!

Monday

Sausage, eggs, biscuits with chocolate gravy

Tuesday

Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, peas and corn, biscuits with gravy

Wednesday

Eat out or have leftovers

Thursday

Homemade pizza, strawberry jello salad

Friday

Italian baked chicken, macaroni and cheese, corn on the cob