Project Life - week 42

Sunday, Oct 17 - Last night, BigBoy and Daddy did a campout on the fort.  This is what BigBoy looked like this morning.  Yes, his face and hands were COVERED with mosquito bites.  Poor guy!!

Monday, Oct 18 - BooBear loves Litt1e Gym with Mr. Joel!  So proud of our little guy for hanging out like this!

Tuesday, Oct 19 - BooBear and I visited Nennie this morning, a day before her 89th birthday.   Boo went right to her, turned around and waited for me to take his picture with her.  Smart boy!

Wednesday, Oct 20 - Nennie's 89th birthday.  Almost her entire family gathered on Saturday to celebrate, but I wanted to include the pic here on her birthday.

Thursday, 10/21 - BooBear has fun playing in the play area at Ch1ck-fil-a.

 Friday, Oct 22 - E is in DC for a few weeks, so I sent the boys to the grandparents and flew up there for an adults-only weekend!  So wonderful to have a few days off... finally!

Saturday, Oct 23 - We had so much fun visiting a few museums, having quiet meals and getting to sit the entire time, sleep in, sleep all night!!!  

BooBear at the L1ttle Gym

BooBear and Curly are both going to classes at the L1ttle Gym this semester.
BooBear and I are doing his first class and he Loves it.  Loves.  L. O. V. E. S. 
So much so that he throws a fit when we leave.  I have to pick him up and carry him out.
The stamps they get afterwards usually distract him nicely!

I took a few pics of him at class this week ....

log rolls with Mr. Joel

he loved this stretchy rope and continued to play after everyone else had moved on!

demonstrating straddle rolls with Mr. Joel

tucking his chin to do a straddle roll

hanging from the bar - he is getting so strong!

look at that smile!  

his absolute favorite thing is playing with the balls.  BooBear usually has at least 2 at a time!

collecting balls

Happy Birthday Nennie

Today is my sweet grandmother's 89th birthday.
89.  Eighty-nine.  That is a lot of years. 
I sometimes forget all the things that have changed in her lifetime.
All the things she has seen.  Wars, depression, segregation, fall of leaders, fall of countries, so many inventions - too many to even think about, births, deaths.

She has 3 kids, 9 grandkids (by birth... a lot more married in!), 11 great-grandkids (and one married in) and 2 great-great grandkids.  Almost the entire gathered on Saturday to celebrate her. 

5 generations.  33 family members.  All here because of 1 sweet lady!
There is so much that I could say about her.  But, I will keep it short and sweet.
She is the matriarch, our family's prayer warrior, the one person that holds us all together.
Strong.  Stubborn (I get it honestly!).  Precious!

Happy 89th Birthday, Nennie!

Project Life - week 41

Sunday, 10/10 - BooBear is determined to eat by himself these days.  But, the thing about this pic that makes me smile is that he is sitting with his feet crossed. 

Monday, 10/11 - "Mommy's Monster" ... so true :)

Tuesday, 10/12 - Curly painted a tie at school today. He proudly wore it around his neck the rest of the day!

Wednesday, 10/13 - I never posted a pic of the mostly-finished fort.  I am still looking for a slide that is long enough, but for now this is it.  The boys love it!

Thursday, 10/14 - A common sight in our yard - light saber fights.

Friday, 10/15 - I took Curly to the guy that cuts my hair today.  He needed a cut so badly but it is a little short for my taste.  Hoping it grows out soon!

Saturday, 10/16 -  E promised BigBoy a campout on the second story of the fort.  They made it outside until about midnight.  Stay tuned to next week to see what happened....!

Project Life - week 40

Sunday, Oct 3- After pricing play sets for the backyard, Daddy was extremely motivated to make one of our own.  He made great progress in a few hours!

Monday, Oct 4 - Daddy brought home some tree stumps from a neighbor's house to use as seating around our new firepit.  No, we don't have a firepit.  Yet.

Monday, pic2 - Daddy taught BooBear how to get down off the deck without just falling off.

Tuesday, Oct 5 - Daddy had a work dinner, so the boys and I went to Ch1ck-fil-a for dinner.  BooBear had his first chocolate milk. 

Wednesday, Oct 6 - I was working on my Project Life album.  I walked away for a few minutes and this is what I came back to find.  Lesson:   Never walk away from a mobile 1-year-old!

Thursday, Oct 7 - Hello?  How are you?  Bye Bye!

BooBear loves playing with my phone!

Friday, Oct 8 - At BigBoy's school carnival, he impressed us by almost making it to the top of the climbing wall.  3 times! (He is on the left, all the way at the top!)

Saturday, Oct 9 - We made a spontaneous trip to the Arboretum to see the pumpkins.  Sweet family of 5!

Book review - The Map

If you have known me for more than, oh 5 minutes, you know that I love to read.  I constantly have my nose in a book.  I always have 3, 4 or 5 books that I am reading.
Recently, I heard about this site called booksneeze.com.  You sign-up, request a book, read it, review it.  Repeat.  So, free books to feed my addiction soul.

The first book I chose to read is The Map by David Murrow.
The online review sounded great.  It promised a map hidden in the book of Matthew.  I was quickly drawn into the story as it read like The DaVinci Code or like watching a Jason Bourne movie.  Should be good stuff.
The book is split into two parts.  The first part is the story of how Mr. Murrow learns of The Map hidden in Matthew.  The second part is the description of said map.  What you learn at the start of the second part is that the first part is all a fictional tale.  The reader is led to believe that the first part is true, but really we are duped.  My initial reaction to Mr. Murrow's confession that he made up the search for the map was indignation and I actually put the book away for a while.  I was quite annoyed that we, the readers, were basically scammed.  I did eventually finish the book but it was with skepticism and annoyance.

I did not fully understand The Map and could not explain it to anyone today.  The author says that it is more meant for men, so maybe if I was a man I would understand.  The explanation was not clear, the illustrations left me confused and they did not really work together.
The other thing that bugged me about this book is that several times the author referred to his other books.  I have not read his other books and was annoyed by the references.  It left me feeling like if I went and read his other books I might understand the map, even though they had nothing to do with this book.
Confused yet?  That is exactly how I felt while reading The Map.

Conversations

Curly:  I want milk and juice in my cup.
BigBoy:  Ewwwwwwww!  Gross!  That would taste like salt water!

Yeah, I have no idea where he gets it either! :)

Another first

Chocolate milk is a treat in our house.  The boys usually get it when we go out but I rarely make it at home anymore.  (It used to be all that BigBoy would drink.)

Tonight, E had a dinner after work, so the boys and I went to our favorite, Ch1ck-fil-a.  The big boys convinced me that BooBear needed his first sip of chocolate milk.

 BooBear agreed that it was about time!  Just a hunch, but I think he liked it! :)

The boys all 3 had ice cream also.  I was just happy to have a few minutes of quiet.

 

By the way, can we all just take in the craziness that is Curly's hair?  It is looking a bit out of control in this pic.  It really is that out of control in real life too.  Good thing he has a strong personality to support that hair! :)

Project Life - week 39

Sunday, Sept 26 - BooBear already wants to color.  He did a great job on his first try!

 

Monday, Sept 27 - BooBear has started throwing a mean temper tantrum.  Usually it involves hitting his head on the floor (on purpose).  Not sure how to stop that!

Tuesday, Sept 28 - So sleepy.  I SURE do LOVE this sweet boy!  He is down to 1 nap most days.  Some days he still gets 2, but we are rarely home for 2 naps.

Wednesday, Sept 29 - We had family game night.  We played Hungry, Hungry Hippos for the first time.  The big boys loved it and BooBear even played (with his foot and some help from Daddy).

Thursday, Sept 30 - The big boys were doing a little early Christmas shopping at leg0.com.

Friday, October 1 - Mommy's little helper!  Cleanliness runs in the family :)

Saturday, October 2- BooBear is turning into such a big boy so quickly.  He wants to ride the trike already!