lets get pinning!

You know how you go through blogs (and sometimes get going on blog to blog to blog link)! and you see all these cool things but you are thinking to yourself, I cant bookmark the world! and I will probably not remember this when it comes time to needing it! well.....your answer is pinterest!
I love it! check it out!! sign up!! its so cool! and easy! and you will be hooked in no time! I need to work on my page bc I just started! I have found that its also a good way to search for cool things- let others do the hunting! Like when I needed a teacher gift the week of and saw this super cute idea, stole it, and threw it together, like wow! :)


and just a quick note, this is a follow up on the previous summer learning post....this is another site that found and like- www.makinglearningfun.com Just sharing in case you wanted to know :) I like the magnet sheets. They go with the alphabet or books. Really easy to find what you want. Seems to be a ton of good stuff!

and yes I went to Florida last weekend and yes I will be posting about it and yes my child turned three and yes I will be posting about it! :) all in good time, all in good time

Barnyard Birthday Bash for Two!

We were lucky enough to help celebrate Madison turning three and lil bro Tyler turning 1 recently. (hopefully I can still say recently since I am WAY behind on blogging) Well, Miss Shelby outdid herself with a backyard farm themed party (check it out) like out of a magazine...complete with petting zoo, bouncy house, bubbles, and tables and decorations cuter than a...I dont know, a pig in mud?

Alex really LOVED the petting zoo. Normally he isn't quite into them but this one was really good (which Shelby knew and was why she booked them). They have mostly babies... bunnies, goats, chickens, and even the cutest lil piggie! Alex was so intrigued.

chasing the piggie

getting a close look at those bunnies. he may or may not have been poking them in the eye. lets hope and pray not.

cant believe I let him do this considering its milk. didnt think twice at the time. but all was fine and he loved helping!
Ellie was scared and clung tight to daddy. but did like to point at the bunny. she has been in to pointing at oh, only, everything.

all the "babies", couldn't believe how well this one went!

The girls ganging up on Evan ;) too funny

Happy Birthday sweet friends!
I want to add this because it was a big deal- after the party I hit 35 up to Dallas to celebrate my sweet long time friend Vaughanie's 30th Birthday with a girls night! It was my first night away from miss Ellie! We BOTH did great and I am so glad that I went! Ellie was a champ for Daddy and even slept through the night. I got to see some very special girls and get in some all important mommy girl talk into the wee hours of the night. I didn't take any pictures but here is one I stole that I love.
Vaughanie you are so beautiful and getting more beautiful with every year. It was SO fun to celebrate with you!

what to do today?

that is the question I am often asking myself when I have put Eliana down for nap in the morning and I look at the crazy guy who is running in circles in the living room. I decided I needed some help coming up with some ideas. He is NOT into art at all so I would have to get creative. I came across this blog and I have loved it! She has boys and at similar ages. She home pre-schools them so she has way more ideas than I need right now, but its good to pick and choose. I really like the fine motor skills activities. We have tried tweezers (that I found at the dollar store in a bug kit, they also have "toaster tongs" at a kitchen store that are a good size, and IKEA has a real good kid tong in the child kitchen tools set), dot paint letters (I just made some quickly in Word so let me know if you want the files), sticker pictures, hammering in golf tees in the dirt, sidewalk chalk obstacle course, car colors, and marbles (decorative from the dollar store). The marbles have been a HUGE hit. I mean, he asks to play with them everyday! I told him they are just for him and only when Ellie is napping and I think that he likes that even more. I gave him an old wrapping paper tube and he loves shooting them down like a ramp. I also gave lots of different sized spoons to work on transferring them. It's been great! But really, ALL the activites I have tried so far have been hits! It makes me excited like a teacher again. I think I will have to step it up here for the summer since he will home all week- yikes!

so a big thanks to this lady! all props to her! check her out- Little Hands Big Work

any other sites I need to know about? any other good ideas? please share! :)

these are the days, hot days

I love these early summer days (don't ask me in July when I am dying of heat)

in the backyard

(showing off her big girl teeth!)

getting wet to stay cool

living in swimsuits, or less :)

sharing snacks

getting Popsicle all over ya

with no agenda. just fun. I wouldn't trade it!

slip n slide

this was one of the first water days of the season (back a month ago)...in my opinion it was still way to cold, but I am the official weenie when it comes to cold water.

Alex wasn't getting the concept of Slip n Slide until Daddy showed him how its done.
I just warned him that he is not as young as he once was ;) and how sad would it be to get hurt doing this

Ellie was a good cheerleader. Yay Daddy!

Alex had too much fun even though he has a lot to learn as far as slip n slide skills go.

Easter

So it started with an egg hunt at school on Thursday. Alex was totally not into it because he had an allergic reaction to something (? dont know but maybe just pollen) like RIGHT before the hunt. His face and eye was totally swollen and itchy. Poor guy. But he totally didn't get the whole picking up eggs thing. People had to give us eggs at the end to make it fair. Alex didn't seem to mind. He was stoked about the candy "O"- lifesaver- he found in one of the eggs. Saturday we headed out to Honey and Grandpa Steves neighborhood egg hunt "extravaganza". It was a really great event!
Ellie spotted those eggs and had to have em! I had to hold her back!

waiting so patiently

So, the fire truck comes to blow the siren to start the hunt....should have prepared us for that one! Alex was totally caught off guard and wouldn't go for the eggs after that and the mad rush of people going after eggs! Seriously, it was quite crazy!

Alex getting the hang of it with some help from Honey.

not bad little one. not bad.

driving the fire truck..."let me see. how do I back this thing up?"

picture with the Easter Bunny! surprisingly enough both kids where into it!

a little high five action

Ellie loved watching him!

a little petting zoo action...we we happy to stay on this side of the fence. especially miss E.

and some park action

Easter Morning
a funny tidbit- I told Alex that the Easter bunny was coming the night before and he did give me some odd looks. He ended up crying hard in the middle of the night, saying he didn't want the Easter Bunny to come to his house, and sleeping in bed with us he was so scared. oops. Maybe he was picturing the slightly weird bunny man from the park coming in his house and I can't blame him. Although, when he realized there was a basket of treats involved I think he forgot all about the drama.

a little breakfast with daddy before church

checking out the loot

and a sibling shot was not in the cards. okay.

After Church we headed to my sisters house for lunch and an egg hunt. This time Alex got it! I think he needed a less competitive environment to feel comfortable....although Kalyn gave him a run for his money. Ellie, not so much. She was content taking the eggs out of the basket that I nicely tried to put in there to help a sista out.


Kalyns playhouse is the coolest. Ellie can't get enough in and out, close the door.
he claims he likes jelly beans but don't be fooled. he sucks on them for all of 2 seconds and then spits them out making a huge mess and says he doesn't like that one....and goes in for a new color. awesome.