Maruschak Mommy

In the Digital ______?

2012-01-08T18:01:00.000-07:00

Allison and Carter remember everything they see on commericals. Remember when Allison would repeat the Snuggie commercials to me? "Mom, you can knit in the snuggie! It's the blanket with sleeves!" Then, one time, Carter came downstairs to let me know that he figured out how Nana could buy a Pillow Pet for him. "Just go to w-w-w-dot-pillow-pets-dot-com!" he told me. And once, Allison told Daddy that she knew a place where he could "name your own price" for car insurance (Progressive).

Well, the latest commercial to bring a smile to my face is the Cox cable company commercial. Their slogan is:

Cox: Your friend in the digital age

The kids have liked the Cox commericals for many years. Their mascot is the Cox Digi.

But in our house he's known as a buh-buh-buh because of this commercial. Cute little guys, aren't they?

So, one day recently, Carter was walking around the house repeating the commercial:

CARTER: Your friend in the digital age.
ME: Who is your friend in the digital age?
CARTER: Buh-buh-buh.
Your friend in the digital age.
ME: Your friend in the digital egg?
CARTER: No!
ME: Oh, that's right. It's "your friend in the digital age".
CARTER: No! Your friend in the digital H!

Digital age - Digital H...

Hahaha!
Jim and I got a good chuckle out of that one!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T11:17:00.000-07:00

Christmas Eve - Ready to go to Mass.

Christmas morning - looking to see what Santa brought.

Allison's gifts from Santa.

Carter got the helicopter that he asked Santa for!

Allison got the Pet Rock that she asked Santa for!

Allison got a Bon Jovi CD from Dad!

Christmas 2011: XBOX with Kinect

2011-12-27T11:03:00.001-07:00

Might might be psuing the limits of blogger with this post of videos...

We got an XBOX with Kinect for Christmas. The kids are having SO much fun with it!!

And this is how it's played...

Allison playing Kinectimals.

Allison playing with her African Leopard on Kinectimals.

Allison playing Rallyball on Kinect Adventures.

Carter recording a dance for a prize "statue" they "won" on Kinect Adventures.

Thanks, Nana, Pop, and Uncle Brian!!!!

We love this gift!

Peeking...

2011-12-23T22:46:00.000-07:00

We received this present in the mail and, as with any package that rattles, Carter immediately declared it to be "Lego". (In an attempt to throw Carter off, if Daddy had been home when we got this he would have declared it to be "Soap" or something equally not likely to rattle... So far, Carter's not buying it. Anything that rattles is "Lego!")

So, having decided it was Lego, Carter tried to peak into the wrapping paper seam to see if he could tell which set it was! STINKER!

I knew he wouldn't be able to see anything, so I let him look while I took these pictures.

I remember how exciting Christmas was when I was a kid... It's fun to have a 5 year old and 7 year old this year. They are both so very excited!

Carter is especially excited about all his "Lego!"

And the Winners Are....

2011-12-23T22:35:00.000-07:00

...Allison and Carter!

Back in October Allison and Carter entered an essay contest to "Name the Shrunken Head" at the Buckeye Museum. Allison won in her age group for 'best story' and Carter won is his age group for "Best Name". The Buckeye Museum kept their entries and they will become part of the permanent recods at the museum... so I can't reprint Allison's essay here, but Carter's winning name for the shrunken head was 'Little Guy'.

The big question is...

Is it a real shrunken head or a fake?

80% of shrunken heads are fakes.

It doesn't matter to us, though! The kids did a great job on their contest entries and we are very proud of them!

Carter Loves Lego

2011-12-08T12:50:00.005-07:00

CARTER: All I want to do is Lego.
I dreamed that my Lego are real.

ME: Like the TV in the Lego store that makes them look real?

Carter leans back in surprise...

CARTER: Yes! Like that!

He really loves Lego.

Sonoran Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ

2011-12-06T12:01:00.001-07:00

Below is a video of the Raptor Free Flight demonstration at the Desert Museum in Tucson. There was a "family" of 5 Harris' Hawks that were released to fly over our heads. Unbelieveably beautiful. An amazing demonstration with outstanding trainers and narrator. The birds fly so close that I was brushed on the head by their feathers twice!

Carter at Bat

2011-12-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

Another video from a while ago...

September 24, 2011

This is Carter at bat at his first t-ball game!

My Lost Boy

2011-12-06T10:58:00.002-07:00

A video from...

August 26, 2011

I just came across this video of Allison in a dress rehearsal for her summer Musical Theater class. The program was Peter Pan and she was one of the "Lost Boys".

I love this video!

This was their final rehearsal in the studio and most kids are in costume. The lighting is so much better for video taking, and I could get so much closer than when she's on stage!

Plus, she can see me as I am filming... and that brings out a couple of really cute smiles!

Allison Excited About School

2011-11-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

Allison is very excited about the sight word test she had today at school... It was a test on third grade sight words and she only missed three!

Also, at the end there's a little clip of Carter doing his preschool homework.

Allison's Birthday - Glofish Tank from Uncle Brian

2011-10-29T23:27:00.001-07:00

Uncle Brian, these videos are for you...

We have three glofish and they have already been named...

green - "Pip"

purple - "Fin"

blue - "Flipper"

(I think... I've asked her to make a name chart

for me so I won't forget which fish is named what..)

My Guys

2011-10-29T23:13:00.000-07:00

I sure love these guys!

Cross-Eyed!

Decorating Pumpkins

2011-10-29T22:54:00.000-07:00

Meet Sheesh Feesh Maruschak

2011-10-29T22:45:00.003-07:00

Please welcome the newest member of our family!

Sheesh Feesh Maruschak

Allison rescued this lovely (and large!) jaguar from

a consignment sale for only $3.

Quite a find!

Sheesh needed stitches to repair a wound to her tail...

Daddy performed the operation and Sheesh is recovering well.

Mommy is adjusting to the new addition and is trying not

to be creeped out when she rounds a

corner to find a stuffed jaguar staring at her.

Allison is thrilled to have yet another new stuffed toy!!

Carter Says

2011-09-27T10:31:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago at about 2 o'clock in the morning we are awakened by a little girl standing in our bedroom doorway shouting, "Daddy! I can't see!"

My first thought was, "Then go back to your own room where your night light is!" Fortunately, it takes me a moment to get my bearing when I am awakened in the middle of the night, so I didn't actually say that out loud.

Notice that she calls to Dad in the middle of the night...

She knows who's more likely to wake up.

And she usually shouts.

(I think she couldn't find fleecy, so Daddy had to go rescue it. Thanks, Daddy, for taking care of that so I could stay in bed!)

Yesterday Carter and I were in the car going through the pick up line to get Allison from school. Having had a very busy weekend, Carter was a little bit tired and dozed off for a little car snooze. Allison climbed in the car bubbling over with infomation about her school day. She was very excited because her class had gone to the Scholastic book fair and she'd gotten the two books she'd wanted from the flyer.

In her normal excited Allison voice she squeeled, "And guess what?! We went to the book fair!"

A few second later a little sleepy voice says, "Allison, you don't have to be so loud."

My sentiments exactly.

Me and My Family by Allison

2011-09-27T10:14:00.000-07:00

Carter Can Write His Name!

2011-09-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

Carter has learned to write his name!

Preschool this year is very academic... They have homework every week! And each week they learn a new letter and a new number. They get lots of practice tracing and coloring the letter and number of the week. It's made a big difference in Carter's motor skills for holding a pencil and coloring. Last week part of his homework was ro trace his name... Then he wrote his own name at the top of the page.

Take a look...

AZ Science Center

2011-07-25T22:14:00.002-07:00

Fun Day at the Arizona Science Center

Friday

July 22, 2011

Giant telescope.

Allison's eye looking into the giant telescope.

Crossing paths in the rope maze.

My three trying to figure out a floor maze.

The house that kids built!

Carter smiling through a "window."

Allison waving through a "window."

Allison seeing how many pennies her paper bridge can hold.

It held more than 50!

Carter adding pennies to his foil "boat".

His held 193! Beating the previous record of 80-some.

Then, with a little design help from Mom, Allison made a boat that held 238 pennies!

And a good time was had by all...

(...even me!)

Sunflowers & Artichokes

2011-07-25T20:04:00.001-07:00

Today I cut our sunflower who's head was droopy and full of seeds! Too cool! When we planted the sunflower, I had not idea of how the seeds were formed... but here they are:

Also, in the garden, our artichoke plant is dying of heat stroke and the artichokes are small so I haven't harvested any of the fruit. Instead we've let them bloom into these beautiful purple flowers! Really cool!

(Artichoke photos by Allison.)

Artichokes are perennials, so I wonder if this plant would come back when the Arizona heat lets up in the fall? I won't find out this year because I am going to have our weed guy treat the garden which is over-run with weeds! (see that pretty green "blanket" covering the ground?) I have plans to plant the artichoke in a different location next year where it can grow as wide as it wants.

Carter's Karate Class

2011-07-25T19:46:00.001-07:00

Here's a video of Carter doing a double center punch in karate class. He wasn't testing for a new belt - just a regular class. I think his belt testing will be next month and he'll be testing for his brown belt.

Here he is again... Check out that tiger's eyebrow!

Tiger's eyebrow means your FOCUSED!

Pretty cute, huh?

Allison's Karate Test

2011-07-23T10:19:00.001-07:00

On Thursday Allison had her first belt test in her new karate "White Belts" class. She was testing for a white belt with a black stripe. She's been practicing every day! She had to learn two forms to complete the test.

Check it out... she's really good!!

And here is my karate kid with her new belt, her karate instructor, Master Guffey, and her certificate!

Carter's Smart

2011-07-07T18:36:00.001-07:00

Jim and the kids are building a Lego dinosaur they saw in the Lego Club Jr. magazine.

CARTER: "I know that dinosaurs are really brown."

DADDY: "Really? How do you know that?"

CARTER: "Oh. I'm just really smart."

(If all goes well, there might be dinosaur pictures posted later!)

Artichokes & Corn

2011-07-02T21:21:00.001-07:00

From Our Garden!

Artichokes:

My first attempt at cooking an artichoke was a big success! We all enjoyed eating it - one leaf at a time. And we have more in the garden that will be ready to pick in another week or so. (If they survive the 110+ teamperatures...)

Corn:

We've enjoyed watching the corn grow! We picked two ears and they were a little dry. I don't think they have survived the heat very well. :-(

(Photo credit: James Maruschak)

Swimming

2011-06-28T11:53:00.000-07:00

ALLISON

Allison grew by leaps and bounds at swimming lessons today. She transformed into a fish and can swim with her head underwater! I've watched everyone else's kids do this since our first swim lesson...and finally, Allison has figured it out and is having lots of fun!

Here's a video of her swimming in our small backyard pool:

(There's a lot of splashing... but keep in mind it's a small, 18" deep pool so it's a little hard to actually swim in it.)

CARTER

So, after bragging about Allison, I have to say that Carter is...well, Carter is...that is, Carter is, um, taking swim lessons. There's not much to brag about. He's less timid around the water. That's something, right? He's cute, too.

So, here's his video:

My sweet kids!

Happy Birthday to Uncle Brian

2011-06-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

Saguaro Art by Allison

2011-06-19T21:33:00.001-07:00

A study of Saguaros in various media.

by Allison

(Done at Naira's house during her first ever sleepover!)

Saguaro with watercolor crayons.

Saguaro with pastel crayons.

Saguaro with watercolor paint.

Carter's Prayers Tonight

2011-06-19T20:55:00.000-07:00

Carter included the usual in his prayer tonight...
then he prayed for Japan...
then he prayed for a toy airplane.

Here's what he prayed:

God is great,
God is good,
Thank you, God, for...
Mommy and Daddy,
And Nana & Pop,
And Grandma,
And Grandma's cat,
And the Moody's,
And Buzz,
And Uncle Brian,
And please God, help Japan feel better,
And please help Japan get enough money to fix all their houses,
And please help me or Mommy or Daddy get enough money to buy an airplane from Cracker Barrel.
Any color.
Amen.

Allison's Last Week Of Kindergarten

2011-06-15T10:26:00.000-07:00

The last week of school for Allison was jam-packed with activities! It was "Spirit Week", there was a "promotion ceremony", and then there were a few tears. (Tears from Allison! Which made Mommy cry, too.) My sweet little girl is now a first grader! It seems like just a year ago I became a Mom. Despite all I do to try to preserve these precious memories and cherish the moments, I still feel like she's growing up too fast!

Take a look:

CRAZY HAIR & CRAZY SOCK DAY

Crazy hair.

Crazy socks.

KINDERGARTEN PROMOTION

Allison and her Kindergarten teacher, Ms. Kreshak.

Allison with her promotion certificate.

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

Tears.

Allison and her best friend Naira.

Naira is moving in July and won't be at Allison's school next year. :-(

Dolphin trainer with a bucket of sardine to feed her dolphins!

Baseball

2011-06-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

Pop brought Allison and Carter baseball mitts and baseballs last time he came to visit. Check out this cute video of Pop and Carter tossing a baseball!

Carter on Deadliest Catch

2011-05-18T14:15:00.001-07:00

Carter and I are kickin' back watching Deadliest Catch today. He was really getting into it...

When a crab pot come up with only two crab in it, Carter exclaimed, "Awww!"

On another ship, when the pot came up full of crab, he said, "Yeah! They'll make a lot of money now!"

What a cutie! He makes me smile.

Poetry By Allison

2011-04-20T10:41:00.001-07:00

Allison is writing Poems to be raffled off on Easter along with some handmade potholders. All proceeds will be donated to Japan Earthquake/Tsunami Relief!

Poem #1:

Easter Love
Easter love is for easter eggs and fun!
Easter love is for fun chicks too!
The love of easter!

(Notes on the back)
This was my first poume. My naie is Allison Maruschak.
Its fun to make a poume. I maid this on April 19th 2011.

Poem #2:

One Happy Dragon
One happy dragon livd by the sea.
That dragon was happy as can be
and then it was sad as can be.

(Notes on the back)
This is why he was sad he was to happy.
That was the story.
My naie is Allison Maruschak. I maid this on April 20 2011.

Poem #3:

You Are My Easter egg
You are my easter egg!
You are full of toys!
You are all I need for easter!
That is why you are my easter egg!

(Notes on the back)
Sell pums that you maid and doenait the money to Japan. My name is Allison Maruschak. I maid this on April 20th 2011.

Poem #4:

If the Wirdlld Was full Of Fun
If the wirdlld was full of fun we wood wosh anmlls in the sink and have fun fun fun!

(Notes on the back)
Sell pums that you maid and doenait the money to Japan. My name is Allison Maruschak. I maib this on April 20th 2011.

To get your raffle tickets, contact Mom before Easter.

Bunny Allison

2011-04-19T17:08:00.000-07:00

Here's the little bunny that hopped home from school with all her Easter stuff...

Friends Over The Wall

2011-04-19T16:18:00.000-07:00

The kids have made friends with the kids next door. Their dad moved their playhouse near the wall and they started peaking over and talking to Allison and Carter. So we moved Allison and Carter's "playground" next to the wall. And now a friendship is brewing...

Today Allison went outside and stood on the playground until the neighbors came out to play. So cute! Then the neighbors asked if we have any popsicles... But, our popsicles just went into the freezer and so they aren't ready, yet. They've enjoyed popsicles with my kids on more than one occassion!

Una Sardina

2011-03-29T10:45:00.002-07:00

Allison has been learning this song in Spanish class:

UNA SARDINA

Una sardina, una sardina,
Nadando en el agua,
Una sardina, una sardina,
Glú, glú, glú
OH, NO! Fue comida por …

Un pulpito, un pulpito,
Nadando en el agua,
Un pulpito, un pulpito,
Glú, glú, glú
OH, NO! Fue comido por …

Un atún, un atún,
Nadando en el agua,
Un atún, un atún,
Glú, glú, glú
OH, NO! Fue comido por …

Un tiburón, un tiburón,
Nadando en el agua,
Un tiburón, un tiburón,
Glú, glú, glú
OH, NO! Fue comido por …

Una ballena, una ballena,
Nadando en el agua,
Una ballena, una ballena,
Glú, glú, glú

¡PERDÓNA ME!

ENGLISH VERSION

Slippery fish, slippery fish,
Sliding through the water,
(Swimming in the water)
Slippery fish, slippery fish,
Gulp gulp gulp.
OH, NO! It’s been eaten by …

Octopus, octopus,
Squiggling in the water,
(Swimming in the water)
Octopus, octopus,
Gulp gulp gulp.
OH, NO! It’s been eaten by …

Tuna fish, tuna fish,
Flashing in the water,
(Swimming in the water)
Tuna fish, tuna fish,
Gulp gulp gulp.
OH, NO! It’s been eaten by …

Great big shark, great big shark,
Lurking in the water,
(Swimming in the water)
Great big shark, great big shark,
Gulp, gulp gulp.
OH, NO! It’s been eaten by …

Humongous whale, humongous whale,
Spouting in the water,
(Swimming in the water)
Big fat whale, big fat whale,
BURP BURP BURP!

PARDON ME!

January 25, 2011

2011-03-12T19:00:00.004-07:00

This is what happens when a sick Mommy
and a sick kid go to the urgent care at the supermarket
and have to wait for prescriptions to be filled...

4 packets of Uncle Ben's Ready Rice

1 Angel Food Cake

2 Animal Crackers

1 Tub of frosting

3 packages of turkey pop-up temperature sensors

2 packages of string and metal spears for closing up the turkey

1 Clearance Christmas craft

And there were a couple more items not pictured!

I intended to post this earlier...but all blogging was temporarily delayed due to a plague of viruses that descended on the Maruschak household.

Thankfully, we are all healthy
and happy at the time of this posting.

New Shoes

2011-03-12T18:44:00.001-07:00

In February I bought Allison new shoes for school:

NEW SHOES

OLD SHOES

Both pair were NEW when school started just before Labor Day.

I had no idea how hard Kindergarten would be on shoes!

Seriously... take a closer look:

Them are some worn-out shoes!

Watching TV

2011-01-27T09:38:00.000-07:00

Groceries?

2011-01-25T12:05:00.001-07:00

What happens when a very sick Mommy and a little guy go to the urgent care clinic at the local grocery store?

This:

2 clearance turkey sewing kits

3 clearance turkey pop-up timers

4 Uncle Ben's Ready Rice

2 bags Animal Crackers

1 clearance Christmas craft kit

1 Angel Food cake

1 tub frosting

1 rotisserie chicken (not pictured)

Not pictured because they were eaten before we got home...

1 loaf of french bread,

1 lollipop,

and 2 donuts

We waited for the urgent care to open.
    Then we waited for the pharmacy to open.
         Then we waited for the prescriptions to be filled...
              Then we waited for a Rotisserie chicken...
         And finally, we left.
             ...with prescriptions for Mommy,
                 a chicken for dinner,
and a whole lot of other things we didn't technically "need".

Kids Art

2011-01-14T10:38:00.003-07:00

Love these pictures that the kids colored at school!!

Giraffe, Elephant, and Snake by Allison

This is a picture of something you might see in Africa.

Colorful Snowman by Carter

I LOVE all the colors he is using. A few months ago, he'd

put one scribble on a page and say he was done.

So, this is great progress!

She's Toothless!

2011-01-11T16:32:00.000-07:00

Allison lost her first tooth today! Woo-hoo!

She was at school when it happened (during "rest time") and everyone in the class wanted to see. When I picked her up, she was smiling at me with her mouth closed...until I got close and then she grinned a big toothless grin!

In true Mommy fashion, I got tears in my eyes. I am so proud!

I'd like to send out a big thank-you to God for blessing me with two beautiful kids who add so much sparkle to my life!

Allison's 1st Loose Tooth

2011-01-07T21:37:00.001-07:00

Allison's first loose tooth is almost as exciting as when it first came in!

She's been spending a lot of time wiggling it with her tongue and is hoping that it comes out soon!

Take a look...

It's her bottom right tooth... the crooked one on the left in this picture.

Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle...

Karate Group Picture

2010-12-23T15:19:00.001-07:00

Here's a group picture of the kids karate school, CG Martial Arts. Master Guffy, their instructor, is in the back row next to his wife (who is also an instructor!) and my Lil Dragons are in the front.

This was taken Tuesday at their annual Christmas potluck!

First Needle Point

2010-12-04T09:22:00.001-07:00

I bought this little needle point project for Allison... I knew she'd like the horse picture, but I wasn't sure if she would have the patience to do it. But she did! And she was very focused! She started it in the car last Saturday and worked on it all day Sunday until it was completed. And now, she can't wait to do another one!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

2010-12-04T09:10:00.001-07:00

All the Advent calendars are out and ready to coutdown the days until Christmas!

Our Nativity countdown calendar.

Our Hallmark Christmas Tree countdown calendar.

A new addition this year... A felt Advent banner with Advent candles to "light".

Our Advent candles. This is our third year having Advent Candles. I buy simple white candles and tie purple and pink robbons around them. So much easier than trying to find purple and pink candles!

The Jesse Tree. Our second year doing this. It's a small tree that we will hang handmade ornaments on. The ornaments are based on stories from scripture of the lineage and life of Jesus. The first ornament is about how God made the world... then, Adam and Eve, Noah's Ark, Abraham... etc. The kids love it!

A bed for baby Jesus... For each "sacrifice" or "good deed" that the kids do, they get to put a piece of wool yarn in Baby Jesus' basket. The goal is to fill it with lots of strings to make a soft bed for Him to lay on on Christmas Eve.

Angels and a paper chain.

Paper chain decorations on the stairs!

I have worked really hard this year to get a lot of the christma prep done BEFORE Thanksgiving...so we can really enjoy Christmas as a family this year. I surprised myself when I remembered to get our Christmas CDs in the car the day after Thanksgiving... And the Advent calendars were all out the day before Advent started. (Well, all except one... But we'll just have to play "catch-up" with that one!) I am looking forward to making chex mix and decorating cookies... And also putting up our Christmas tree! (We never put it up early... I can't imagine having it up the day after Thanksgiving. I like to wait a little longer. This year we are going to put it up the weekend of the 18th.)

I hope everyone has time this year to enjoy some Christmas traditions with their families!!

Train Park Birthday

2010-12-04T09:01:00.000-07:00

We had such a good time at the train park for Carter's birthday! It's the same park we went to last year for his birthday. We think it might become an after Thanksgiving tradition...

The train ride...

The animals...I mean kids...can ride in the boxcar!

Two dragons one top of the Jail playground.

A carousel ride...

Mommy and Allison on the train.

Daddy and Carter on the train.

Walking on the tracks...

(Don't worry that train in the distance is parked!)

Homemade Pizza

2010-11-20T10:35:00.001-07:00

The nearly perfect pizza crust...

The...well... the other pizza crust...

Two Little "Army Guys" for Halloween

2010-11-20T10:30:00.001-07:00

Here are my "Army Guys"!

Indian Girl

2010-11-20T09:59:00.001-07:00

This is Allison's Indian hat from school...

All this week they learned about why Native American's are called "Indians" (...because when Columbus arrived in America he thought he was in India) and they learned about some of the different tribes and also about the first Thanksgiving!

Isn't Kindergarten cool?

Allison's "Happy Day"

2010-11-20T09:54:00.001-07:00

Lego writing by Allison:

What Happens When You Can't Sit Nicely

2010-11-11T17:06:00.001-07:00

MOMMY'S NOTE: These pictures are from back in August...and Allison will probably cringe when she sees this someday. But I am going to post it anyway!!

This is what happens when you can't sit nicely on the furniture...

...your chair gets taken away and you get to stand for dinner.

...and you hide your face in shame.

...and you put on your grumpy face.

...and the next day you sit nicely on the furniture.

Carter On His Nap

2010-11-11T15:07:00.003-07:00

Carter doesn't nap anymore. I try and try to get him to SLEEP at nap time! But what really happens is him hanging out in his room for 45 minutes while playing and poking his head out every 10 minutes to see if I'll let him "get up", yet.

Everyday he claims that he has slept during nap time...
     But he's 3, so what does he know?

Everyday I bribe him...
     "If you sleep today - and I mean really sleep - you can go to bed second tonight."

Everyday I hope for a 2 hour nap...
     So Mommy can enjoy the peace and quiet!

And then today...
     Today he actually slept at nap time.
          Quiet and still.
     A good, peaceful, 45 minute nap!

And so after nap he makes this announcement:

Here's my problem... Allison napped, too. And she's still napping! How will I ever get her to go to sleep first tonight?!

Lil' Dragons Karate Belt Testing

2010-11-06T16:44:00.000-07:00

On October 21, the kids tested for their next belt in their Lil' Dragons Karate class. Carter was testing for his 3rd belt - a Red belt. And Allison was testing for her 5th belt - a half Brown & half Black belt.

Next step for Allison...

Lil' Dragons BLACK BELT testing on November 20th!

ART by Carter

2010-11-04T20:05:00.000-07:00

X's and O's! For the whole family!

-Carter

Kindergarten Independence

2010-10-31T19:53:00.002-07:00

At the very end of August,
my little tag-a-long...

my side kick...

my darling little girl...

suddenly "grew up" overnight when she started Kindergarten.

I was excited for for her! So much fun was to come with friends, learning, and growing.

This is one of my favorite pictures from her first day of school...

Photo credit to Daddy. Great shot, My Love!

We were walking to school for the first time...

and she just marched in front of us, ready to go!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also exciting from the first week was this flower that Allison brought home the second or third day of school.

And the story went something like this:

ALLISON: Maverick gave me a flower.

ME: Maverick gave you a flower?

Meanwhile I am thinking...that was quick.

This week her first day of school.

Next week, her first date!

Then what? Marriage a month from now...??!

ALLISON: Yes! And I have to take it home and take care of it, then bring it back to show him!

ME: Oh, so you are going to bring it home, then take it back to show him tomorrow?

ALLISON: Yes!

ME: Can I see it?

... She shows it to me and it's a silk flower with a felt back.

Possibly lost from someones barrette or headband?

ALLISON: We found it on the playground!

Ah-ha!

How cute!

For the first month or so of school I frequently heard about Maverick, as well as her other classmates. Then, the report came home, via Allison, that Maverick was "stepped on by a horse" and out of school... then I heard that his Mom transferred him to a school that was more convenient for them (so he wouldn't be late for class every day!).

Now, I miss hearing about Maverick.

Thank-you Maverick

for being the first school boy to give Allison a flower!

Soccer Class

2010-10-31T18:15:00.002-07:00

Both Allison and Carter took a Soccer Class --Indoor Soccer Skills-- over the summer. Here are a few pictures from the last class of the session (on August 28, 2010)...

ART by Carter

2010-10-31T16:19:00.001-07:00

A Circle Painting from Preschool

A Sticker Picture from Preschool

Allison Eats A Fried Egg!

2010-10-31T16:12:00.003-07:00

For most the eating of a fried egg would not be a notable occasion, but for Allison, this was her FIRST fried egg! This was taken back in August after a negative skin test for egg and getting the official go-ahead from her allergist.

She tasted the crispy edge, the soft white part, and some of the yolk before declaring that she was done. She wanted to try it all, but I don't think she liked it very much!

(But she does like CAKE made with eggs!)

Photo taken August 25, 2010.

Giant Cucumber

2010-10-31T15:48:00.003-07:00

DISCLAIMER: I am catching up on getting some pictures up on the blog! So, the next few posts are likely to be out of order... Enjoy them anyway!!

This is a GIANT pickle cucumber that we picked from our garden (a couple months ago). It was hiding amongst the overgrown cherry tomato plant so we didn't know it was there until it was huge!

The taste testers claimed it tasted pretty normal... but I am skeptical!

Photos taken August 2010.

Socks!

2010-10-18T11:11:00.001-07:00

Allison loves her crazy socks!

She got these for her birthday from Grandma...

Carter wanted a picture of his socks, too.

Poems by Allison

2010-10-16T11:05:00.002-07:00

LITTLE SHARK

Little shark swam into the cave.
Ate some fish.
And swam out of the cave.

LITTLE DOLPHIN

Little dolphin swam into a cave.
Ate some fish.
And swam out of the cave.

Boogers

2010-10-14T22:30:00.004-07:00

We were awakened a couple mornings ago by Allison and Carter coming into our room to have us settle a dispute... about boogers.

     ALLISON: Carter says his teacher told him that if you eat boogers you'll get worms in your tummy! That's not true! Is that true?!

She stands there with her hands on her hips and a look of defiance on her face waiting for an answer...

     ME: Well, teachers are pretty smart.
    ALLISON: But Carter says that if you eat your boogers you will get worms in you tummy and that's not true!
     ME: Well, sometimes teachers aren't exactly right, but you shouldn't eat your boogers. Anyway, It doesn't matter if you don't eat your boogers.

Long pause.

     ME:   Have you been eating your boogers?

Longer pause... and finally a shoulder shrug. We burst out laughing and Allison demands clarification...

     ALLISON: But it's not true that you will get worms in your tummy, is it?
     ME: Just don't eat your boogers.

My Beautiful Daughter

2010-10-13T18:11:00.001-07:00

This evening, while playing outside, Allison comes to the door:

     ALLISON: Daddy! We found meteors!
     DADDY: You found meteors?
     ALLISON: Yes! Slow meteors.
     DADDY: Let me come see.

And they both head back outside looking up at the western sky...

The official report after the investigation:

     DADDY: They were just slow moving jets leaving contrails.

Guess she lured him into her game, though.

Still, she's so smart. It just makes me smile.

Not-A-Box

2010-10-01T19:41:00.001-07:00

We recently got a wonderfully fun book called Not a Boxby Anoinette Portis. My amazingly literary husband picked it out - and I marvel at his ability to always choose the good ones!

This simple story is about a bunny, a box, and imagination. The bunny insists that the box is Not a Box!

So, when we happened to get a box this week that was the perfect size for a little guy, we declared it a Not a Boxand lots of fun ensued! Carter knew just what to do with it... Has sat down and drove it like a racecar, then he colored it and added some dot paints. Finally, we cut some doors in the sides and our Not a Boxwas ready to provide hours - days, actually - of fun!!

A bus.

A robot.

Another robot.

A race car.

A flying race car (flapping the "door wings").

A place to sleep.

Carter in a broken down box.

But don't tell him!

He thinks it's Not a Box!!

Allison Says - "Ask Mom"

2010-10-01T10:32:00.001-07:00

Two night ago, James was tucking Allison in at bedtime...

     ALLISON: Ask Mom if I can have Tylenol.

     DAD: Why don't you as Dad if you can have Tylenol?

     ALLISON: Dad, will you ask Mom if I can have some Tylenol?

Guess she knows who's boss, huh?

Carter Wonders...

2010-09-28T12:29:00.001-07:00

"Mom, do you really fall when you 'fall in love'?"

"I Forgive You"

2010-09-27T20:53:00.001-07:00

My unruly children were sent outside to play...since they couldn't play quietly inside. (Gosh...I sound like my mother!) They were not out there 5 minutes when Allison starts crying and comes to stand by the sliding glass door for sympathy.

Jim goes to investigate the situation and here's what they say...

     ALLISON: Carter broke this!

Trying his best to ward-off punishment for the alleged distruction...
     CARTER: I forgive you.

Smiling at Carter's mistake...
     DADDY: Did you hear Carter? I think he's been paying attention in church.

And here's the broken toy that was worth crying over...

I Can Tie My Shoes!

2010-08-29T13:49:00.001-07:00

Lace-up atheletic shoes are a requirement for Kindergarten... because they have P.E. everyday. Allison has been trying every now and then to tie her shoes for the past few weeks. She's gotten it once or twice and almost gets it most of the time...

Until today!

Here are her new school shoes that she tied

all by herself!

Unicorn Info

2010-08-18T20:10:00.003-07:00

Allison is teaching Daddy all about unicorns...

     After about 10 minutes of her talking about unicorns...
          DADDY: Wow! I've learned a lot about unicorns tonight.
     Without the slightest hesitation she continues...
          ALLISON: There's more!

Good News

2010-08-17T22:09:00.003-07:00

Look carefully...

Do you see anything different?

How about now?

You may not see it, but this little girl is

officially no longer allergic to eggs!

About 3 hours in the allergist's office this morning

confirmed that she is still allergic to milk...

:-(

but a return visit after lunch confirmed that she is

NOT allergic to egg!

And that is good news!

Thanks Grandma!

2010-08-17T21:58:00.001-07:00

Carter LOVES his Lift-the-Flap Construction Vehicles book! And did you know that there is a bunny on each page?! It was the perfect gift.

How To Sleep During A Thunderstorm

2010-08-17T21:56:00.001-07:00

He was exhausted and resisted sleeping as long as he could. But, alas, snuggled up on Mommy's lap, he finally fell asleep.

Triops Update

2010-08-17T21:54:00.002-07:00

I sadly share the news that our sole-surviving Triops

- affectionately known as "Topsy" -

is no longer surviving.

We look forward to hatching some more soon!

Triops

2010-08-08T22:39:00.002-07:00

My sweet husband is so excited about our latest "pet" that he has regressed to boyhood. We bought Triops at Hobby Lobby last week. What are Triops, you ask? Prehistoric fish. Creepy looking ones with three "eyes". They truly lived during the time of the dinosaurs! They look like a fish version of a horseshoe crab. And my husband checks the Triops bowl between 18 and 53 times a day to see how many have hatched from their "larvae" and what they are doing now. He's obsessed! And funny. And I don't know who is more excited about the Triops - Jim or the kids!!

The Triops Habitat

Here's their bowl. With a few rocks, a slice of carrot (because the instructions claim they grow "faster and bigger" if you ad a slice of carrot. And a tea bag of what I call "pond scum". --Apparently it is some icky natural stuff that helps condition the water properly for the delicate prehistoric creatures.

Seriously? These guys survived from the time of dinosaurs, they can be dry and dormant for 25 years, but they need a spring water, a carrot, and a bag of pond scum to hatch in a bowl?

But hey, we follow directions in this house! So it's all in there.

The Larvae

So, after buying the right water for these creatures, setting up the bowl and properly conditioning the water for 24 hours, we dumped in the "larvae" (the official term for the eggs that were only as big as a grain of salt).

(Jim had just come in from mowing the lawn in 105+ degree heat... he's a little sweaty, but still took time to do this for himself...uh, I mean, for the kids...right?)

Checking out the eggs.

First Baby Picture

So, after 36 hours of waiting, Mommy's eagle eyes found the first baby Triops swimming in the bowl! It was just as small as the tiny larvae. Later on Saturday we saw baby Triops #2. And Jim managed to get him to smile for a picture!

See the tiny white spec in the middle of the picture? The one just in front of the black rock? That's our baby Triops! --Told you it was no bigger than a grain of salt!!

Jim's New Obsession

So, as I said at the beginning of this post... Jim is Obsessed. And thrilled. We've been talking abou getting Triops since we saw them at the AZ Science center almost a year ago!

Feeling guilt over all the attention he has been giving the Triops, I just heard Jim say to Carter's fish, "We still love you Super Betta."

Allison's Art

2010-08-08T12:37:00.001-07:00

After we got back from San Antonio, Allison drew this picture for Nana and Pop.

WOW! She gets all her artistic talent from her Daddy because I don't think I can draw even this well!

Cheap Entertainment

2010-08-04T15:59:00.000-07:00

Carter got a $1 "Disk Shooter" at Walmart today.

It's cool.

He loves it.

The perfect boy toy!

(And it's Mommy approved!)

Let's hope it holds up for more than one afternoon of play!!

Movie Time

2010-07-30T12:59:00.002-07:00

This is a little dark, but here is my little guy all set up and ready for the movie to start this morning.

We went to see "The Tale of Despereaux" which was part of the Summer Movie Program at Harkin Theaters. On the way home Carter declared:

"I never want to see that movie again."

I guess it was a little scary for a little guy.

Big Book

2010-07-30T12:55:00.001-07:00

At Walmart earlier this week, Carter told me:

"Daddy likes to look at this book."

Sunday Morning Wake-Up

2010-07-25T23:39:00.004-07:00

I was woken up to the sounds of a skirmish between the kids this morning. Moments later, Allison comes in to our room and declares,

    "Mom! Carter was talking when I was talking!"

Then she stood there with her hands on her hips and a frown on her face.

My initial thoughts were:

     I don't care...
     Work it out...
     Why do I need to know this at 7 a.m.?

But what I actually said was something like:

     Either watch TV or go back to your room and quit
    fighting with your brother.

Later it occured to me that it was bound to happen...
I mean, she talks all the time!

Child Labor

2010-07-25T16:23:00.001-07:00

While Jim and I take Sunday off,

the kids have gone to

"work"

in their

"offices."

Twirlers

2010-07-23T16:39:00.001-07:00

One cloudy day in Arizona, Mommy bought Allison and Carter new twirly things from the summer clearance section at JoAnns.

And oh, what a good day it was!

Finally!

2010-07-23T16:32:00.001-07:00

Finally, after...uhm...8 or 9 months? I have hung pictures on my bare family room wall!!

Woo-hoo!

My sudden inspiration was prompted by the great deal I got on those colorful stars at JoAnn's today!

Carter

2010-07-20T15:57:00.003-07:00

Here is my handsome son...

in mismatched PJs (in his defense, both top and bottom have dinosaurs on them)
with dried applesauce and a slight orange ting from Doritoes on his shirt
holding his transformer car that has been broken and reassembled more time than I can count

wearing his 99 cent "army vest" that I bought him Sunday night and since then he's only taken off when he goes to bed at night. (He slept in it at naptime today!)

with a very dirty face
and showing me his Karate "tiger's eyebrow"

ADORABLE!

I couldn't love him more.

VBS - Saddle Ridge Ranch

2010-07-20T15:41:00.000-07:00

Pictures from last Thursday when the kids were heading off to Vacation Bible School.

Off to Saddle Ridge Ranch

Rounding up questions; driving home answers!

Echolocation

2010-07-19T15:53:00.000-07:00

We met the Moody's at McDonald's today so the kids could run wild in the air conditioned playplace while Margaret and I caught up on our grown-up talk. Like good kids, all five of them ran wild and had a great time.

At some point they started playing "fruit bat" - and the purple ball Happy Meal Toy was the "fruit".

Here's what happened next...

     Allison and Melanie were standing next to each other
    at the bottom of the slide. Allison is yelling up the slide.
     ALLISON: Fruit bat, fruit bat, are you there?
     Then she turns to Melanie...
     ALLISON: I'm using echolocation.
     And she went back to yelling up the slide.

That's my smart girl. And the way she assumes tha everyone else knows as much about fruit bats as she does makes me smile, too.

Daddy's Home!

2010-07-18T11:21:00.002-07:00

I just love how Jim comes home from work and gets down to the kids level to hug them or talk about their day.

In this picture he'd just gotten home from work and was listening to Carter tell him about Vacation Bible School.

Hall-Mart

2010-07-14T18:06:00.004-07:00

Allison is full of creativity...

These creations are made from "sticker paper"

...you know, the paper that is left over
after you use the stickers.

On her shoulder is a "bat".

On her right arm is a "caterpiller".

And in her left hand is "Hop-hop's toy that is made from the Hall-Mart sticker paper".

Daddy teased, "This one is made from the sticker paper from the Hall-Mart stickers?"

"Yes." Allison replied confidently while Daddy smiled.

Vacation Bible School Craft

2010-07-14T17:17:00.001-07:00

OK, those VBS folks are hitting above the belt... They sure know how to tug at a Mommy's heart!

Not only did they take a picture (and a cute one, too!) of the kids on the first day of VBS this week, but they also traced their little hands and cut them out for this craft!

Awwwww!!! I LOVE it!

Growing

2010-06-28T16:25:00.001-07:00

Allison has grown 2 inches since her last birthday.

Carter has grown 2 1/2 inches since his last birthday!

Footloose and Fleecy Free

2010-06-28T16:16:00.003-07:00

This is Allison watching a movie....

Do you notice what's missing?

Fleecy!

Fleecy now stays in her bed all day. She can go up and visit with fleecy anytime she wants, but it has to stay in her bed.

For several months we've talked about how fleecy was going to have to stay in her bed before she started Kindergarten. Last week, during her third or fourth frantic "fleecy search" for the day, I declared, "Starting next Monday, fleecy will have to stay in your bed! That way you will always know where it is and you won't have to look for it anymore!"

Was she ready for it?
Did she know it was inevitable?
Or did she misunderstand my deadline?

Whatever it was, she started leaving fleecy in her bed last week. And so far, so good, she doesn't seem to miss it during the day!

Downstairs is a fleece-free zone! I can WASH fleecy, now without it being an ordeal! (Not that I have actually done that yet... but it's good to know that I can!)

Woo-hoo!

Lunchtime Conversations

2010-06-26T14:08:00.002-07:00

ALLISON: I am going to have two kids when I grow up. A boy and a girl.

DADDY: Well, you never know what you are going to get.

ALLISON: I'm not going to have them come out of my tummy. I am going to go to that place where Aunt Cathy went to get her baby. Mom, where did Aunt Cathy get her baby?

ME: South Korea? You want to go to Korea to get a baby?

ALLISON: No, not that.

ME: Adoption? You want to adopt a baby?

ALLISON: Yes, that. I am going to adopt a baby when I grow up.

ME: I think that would be very nice.

CARTER: Well, I'm going to have nine cars when I get married!

DADDY: We passed by a house today that had three garage doors. Carter was enamered.

CARTER: And we saw two lizards!

Summer Bouquets

2010-06-26T09:33:00.001-07:00

Handmade by Allison

"I make things out of real things from nature."

The NEXT Karate Kid (and His Sister)

2010-06-24T17:28:00.001-07:00

Finally, Carter has his own gi for karate class!! Today is his first day to go to the Little Dragons karate class in full uniform! Way cool!

(Actually, he's wearing Allison's and Allison is wearing the one we got from a friend -who isn't taking karate anymore- and is a size bigger. But who cares about technicalities! Carter gets to wear a Gi to karate today!)

He's been waiting patiently since the beginning of June for his own gi to wear - and despite wearing only his street clothes, he's been a very good student! It's so funny to watch his clumsiness as he tries to master some of the rather complicated moves! But he tries really hard and is very good at paying attention to the instructor!

Allison is also doing very well. It's fun to see how much she has improved in her coordination since she last took karate September or October last year!

The kids are both in the same class and are looking forward to testing for a new belt sometime next month! Carter will be testing for his yellow belt and Allison is working for her brown belt!

(CARTER: Note to self... when in doubt, always look to older sister to see how it should be done.)

Meet the Inmates

2010-06-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

Duckie robbed a bank.

Hop-hop and his pal Froggie wouldn't rat out their friend Duckie, so they've been handcuffed, too.

And Abigail (the kitty) is accused of having a master named "Hop-hop".

We take the law seriously in this here neck o' the woods!

Broken Track - Again?

2010-06-21T21:33:00.002-07:00

My darling son brings me this Hot Wheels racetrack - which has been broken into pieces...

You see, it folds up. Easily. It is not designed to be taken apart into pieces. But Carter can always find a way! He brings it to me and says,

"Mom, can you fix this?"

Hah! Like I haven't heard that before!

And I'm sure I will hear it again...and again...and again...and again...and again...and again...and again... and again...

Elephant Girl

2010-06-21T21:12:00.003-07:00

Allison came crawling out of the playroom wearing this get-up... In response to my puzzled look, she announced:

"I'm an elephant!"

Uh-huh. So, she is wearing her brother's toy welding mask - backwards - and several wiki-sticks are attached to it to make the ears and a trunk. Yep. I see it now!

A Weekend Visitor

2010-06-21T20:44:00.000-07:00

This little guy hung out on our screen all weekend. Allison saw him first. He's little! I hope he found his way to the garden to eat the bugs out there!

A Very Young Praying Mantis

Vacation Bible School

2010-06-18T10:58:00.002-07:00

Here are my two little blessings ready for a morning at
Vacation Bible School!

It's a High Seas Expedition!

The Great Brownie Debate

2010-06-16T17:15:00.002-07:00

...Well, it wasn't really a debate. More of a conversation between "experts" that I overheard.

I made brownies today.

And this simple motherly activity brought about all kinds of excitement!

ALLISON: Carter, do you know why they are called "brownies"? They are brown and they are square. See? Bown-ee. Do you get it? Brownie.

CARTER: Brownies are chocolate and they come from chocolate chips.

ALLISON: Brownies are made from the kind of chocolate that I am allergic to. Some chocolate I am allergic to and some I am not allergic to.

Ahhh... The wisdom of children. No quite right on any account, but I like how they are thinkin'!

Fashionista

2010-06-12T10:27:00.001-07:00

She dressed herself...

Beautiful girl.

YIKES! We have an eggplant!

2010-06-12T10:15:00.002-07:00

Our little backyard garden has been a lot of fun. It took us a year to get things to grow to the point of yielding any fruit, but it's been a fun year, regardless! Last fall I planted several things that I got from the nursery... Cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, cauliflower, squash, and a "mystery plant" that was missing it's identifying tag. It was too late in the season for them to prosper, but most of them survived the mild winter and they are finally sprouting some fruit!

Our "mystery" plants have been a lot of fun... The nursery guessed that it was yellow squash...but it didn't look like that to me. More recently, the gardener who planted our orange tree guessed that it was eggplant. The plants are growing well with a lot of purple flowers on them...but no fruit. finally, I decided to do a little internet research - and indeed the pictures of eggplant plants look just like our "mystery" plants! Later that same day, I was out watering the garden and then I saw it...

An eggplant!

And Eggplant #2

Now, how cool is that?