Candy Shop

The other day, Meagan and I were sittinig at the table eating lunch when she looked up at me and said, "Momma, tell me what it was like when you were a kid." I asked her what she wanted to know about. "Anything. Like what did you like to do? or What was your favorite color? Oh, I know! Did you have a wii?"

I had laughed at the thought of having a wii as I thought back to or now seemingly archaic Nintendo entertainment system. But I realized that something much more important was being asked here.

I can remember sitting at my great-grandmother's side as she was well along in her years. She had been affected by strokes, so her speech was very difficult to understand, and her memory was failing her. I would ask her about the people in her photographs or what it was like when she was younger, and either she couldn't articulate, or she couldn't remember. I knew her only as I had experienced her through my childhood - the older lady who couldn't talk well but who loved to go to church and read her Bible. I didn't know anything else about her. And ultimately, when she passed away at the age of 102, her story died with her.

So when my daughter, at the age of six, asks me to begin to tell her my story, I can't ignore that. I don't want the same fate for my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren... I don't want them to only know me as the role I play in their life. I am me outside of Mommy, and I would love to share those stories with my children.

So we started talking about some of the things I could remember off-hand. But I decided in that moment to try to make a conscious effort to also document some of those stories that I can remember - big or little.

I started with the first childhood memory that came to mind - the MANY trips to the candy stores that I took with my Grandpa.


"When I think back on stand-out memories from my childhood, one thing instantly comes to mind. On our visits to West Virginia to visit my mom's parents, My grandpa whould take me on trips to the candy stores. Yes, stores, plural. They lived just over the bridge from "downtown" in the tiny little town they lived in (Matoaka). We would walk over the bridge and pass up and down the street, stopping in any little shop that looked promising for candy of any sort. As many stores as I wanted. As much candy as I wanted. Until I said enough. Every single visit. My favorites, at least that I can remember, were circus peanuts, cotton candy, bubble gum, and ring pops. I also loved bits of chocolate, and Sixlettes - these little candy-coated chocolate balls. I don't think I ever actually ate all the candy we bought. But then I guess I always knew it was never really about the candy anyway."

(Click here to view full credits).

I've decided to continue scrapping about me from time to time. I may never be able to document All About Me, but I can do Something. Something About Me. That's the plan.

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Today

I took no pictures today. I ALMOST did. We were at the splash park and I came prepared with my camera, only to find that I had left my memory stick in my computer. Oh well.

We had a good day, albeit an understated day. Nothing fancy. Lucas changed the oil, and Sebastian helped (sort of). I finished sanding the wood for the bench, and washed all of the wood down with bleach water to kill the rest of the mildew. Besides that, between Lucas and I, we mowed, finished the laundry, cooked lunch and dinner, and generally cleaned up the house. And like I said, we took the kids to the park to play for a bit. Plus, they ran through the sprinkler in the front yard.

We finally broke late this evening and turned out AC on. It was 90 degrees in our house. We had crabby kids who couldn't sleep. Why torture ourselves if we don't have to? I just always feel like I've failed somehow when we turn the AC on for the first time. I have no explanation for it... just one of those weird quirks of mine.

So it was a good weekend. A good day. A HOT day. And I'm tired. Hopefully our bedroom has cooled down by now. With all the hot laundry piled up in there, it was oven-like earlier. Either way, I'm sure I'll survive the night. And hopefully be a bit more interesting tomorrow. :)

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Catch Me If You Can

Amidst other activities today, we made some time this afternoon to take the kids fishing.


We loaded up equipment, packed a cooler of drinks and snacks (an absolute necessity when on an outing with children) and headed to the lake (seemed an obvious choice). It was pretty crowded, but we found some empty space along the bank near the spillway. Maybe not prime real estate, but the kids could not have cared less. They just wanted to get their poles in the water.

Isaac was the first to get the green light. He chose to use a rod & reel, which meant we had to re-teach him the art of casting. At first it was downright scary, but he eventually got the hang of it, and actually got quite good at it by the end of the day.



Meagan was next. This was her, feeling sorry for the worm. Nice.


She needed a few pointers... the main pointer being, "Leave the hook in the water."

She was the first one to catch a fish. She caught three in all.


Sebastian tried and tried - tried his cane pole, tried the rod and reel - but never ended up catching anything today. He was a good sport about it, and he kept trying. He even encouraged his brother and congratulated his sister. He's a sweet kid.



Little legs get tired.


Occasionally, somewhere between baiting hooks and unhooking fish Lucas got a LITTLE bit of fishing in himself. I didn't fish today... I didn't by a license today, so I just helped Meagan mostly (and gave the boys some casting lessons).



Isaac caught 2 fish today. He wouldn't try to take the fish off the hook, but he wanted to throw the fish back into the water. So Lucas would take the fish off, and then Isaac would toss the guy back.


In case you were wondering.... this...

...results in this... (muddy butt)


By the end of it all, we were getting lots of "I'm hungry" and "I'm thirsty," and we figured it was time to pack it in. Next time I will most definitely have my license with me, so that I can fish too.

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week 9: 2011

Well, I have NOT forgotten about my photo-a-day project. And I am still keeping up with the pictures. I just fell completely off the radar with the layouts. But the pictures are all that really matters for ultimately being able to pull this whole thing off.

Even though I haven't been scrapping them, I did get my first 8 weeks printed. And can I say, I didn't like them nearly as much as I wanted to. I think it's because the photos were all touching in a block with no real definition between them. Made it hard to really look at and differentiate the photos to be able to fully take in what was being represented for that day. No worries, though... just revamp. So I might have 8 weeks looking one way and 44 weeks looking another, but DONE is better than PERFECT I say. I'm good with that. IF I get time, I may go back and revamp the 1st 8 weeks (again). But for now, they're in the album, and they're staying that way. I have some catching up to do!


2-26 - The offer on our house required that we leave our washer & dryer behind. So we went on a shopping trip to find a new set.
2-27 - The kids have been playing Wizard 101 on the computer lately.
2-28 - The first real signs of any hope for a meltdown. We saw the sun, the grass, and blue skies. The kids took full advantage of it and headed out for fresh air. They got out every ball and bat and piece of sporting equipment we own. Meagan even broke out the knee pads and elbow guards to play "sports camp."


3-1 - DS party at our house
3-2 - Lucas drove by the new house to check the progres...he texted me a picture. Can't wait!
3-3 - Meagan and I spent the day together doing laundry and playing board games
3-4 - Family fun night at the school. It was the first time I've ever let the kids go off with friends on their own. Katie & Sebastian shared a balloon hat.

(Click here to view full credits of PAGE 1 and PAGE 2)

Right Now

What's going on in our lives right now?
Lots. And nothing much. How does that even work?

We’re coming up on the end of the school year. Today Meagan had her Kindy 500 – Big Wheel races! Loved that I got to go. She placed third in her heat, but still had a great time cheering for her friends, making a race car snack, and getting her face painted like a pink and purple tiger.

Besides that, the boys are wrapping up their school stuff as well. Sebastian has been invited to an end-of-school party at a GIRL’s house – swimming in the lake, and all kinds of fun for 3 hours on the last day of school. It’s getting to be that time when he starts to grow up and test the waters of gaining independence. Isaac has been pretty grumpy the past few days – maybe the prospect of change (summer break), maybe lack of sleep (tornado sirens and nights in the basement), or who-knows-what. But the suggestion of a trip to Ohio and a day at the zoo with Carrie (if we can work out the arrangements) put a guarded smile on his face.

Bike riding has worked its way nicely into our weekly activities. The bike paths around here are fantastic! I love that the kids are having fun on these rides - they're not wimpy little 'ride around the neighborhood' sort of rides. But they've been champs and have done a great job on them (although Isaac and Meagan sometimes wreck because they're so focused on racing and beating each other *lol*).


We've also discovered a way cool park in the nearby area - with a playground and a splash park. Yesterday we took a picnic lunch to the park and ate before playing for a bit. Our play time (well, her play time and my reading time mostly, although I did play with her a bit) was cut short by the super gusts of wind and the graying skies. But it was fun.


Today we're stuck inside due to more rain rain rain. We put Meagan's fake nails on her (she got them for her birthday). They lasted for about ten minutes before one popped off and got lost. Oh well. Nine fake nails will work too.


Now we're watching Tangled. It's going to be a chillin' out kind of day I think... with a few chores mixed in.

Besides all this, I've got a project going right now. I’m working on refinishing the bench that sits on the back deck. I’ve disassembled it, painted the metal blue, and I’m almost finished sanding the wood slats. Hopefully I can finish sanding, get them stained, and reassemble this weekend.

The bench before (flipped upside down so I could photograph the way it's assembled... for help reassembling)...


And here's the color I've repainted the metal...


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Five

Five layouts to share, that is. I know, it's not the birthday pictures you've been waiting for. But it's what I have time for at the moment. See, Meagan and I discovered a great park yesterday, so today we packed a picnic lunch and headed over there again for a little while. And now I've got to start dinner so that it's ready early enough for the kids to eat a little bit before gymnastics tonight. So I just don't have time for photo editing and all that mumbo jumbo. The birthday pictures are gonna have to wait.

In the mean time...

Concentrate

"When it comes to Legos this kid is all about it. When he gets started on a new kit, he goes and goes until it's done. I love to watch him work. His face is so full of concentration."
(Click here to view full credits)

Tale of Two Toads

"Between the kids & Shane, they caught 2 toads - a big one & a little one. They put them in the bug barn and took them to the park. After playing with them for a bit, they took them to the creek and set them free.
They named the toads Dow Dow & Bee Bee. It was a tough choice to let them go."
(Click here to view full credits)

I. Am. AWESOME!

"I. Am. AWESOME! This bike riding stuff is so easy! I don't see what the big deal is!!"
(Click here to view full credits)

Dandelion Picking

(Click here to view full credits)

Room to Fly

"At Haleigh's birthday party, you caught a butterfly in your hand. You were so enchanted with it - how delicate and beautiful it was. You finally decided to put it on a flower to set it free. i was proud of you for making the decision. It's hard to let go of what we love."
(Click here to view full credits)

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Monday, Crabby Monday

Monday.

I'm not usually the 'it's Monday' gloomy kind of person. But today. Oh today. For some reason I am in a funk. Just a bit crabby. And tired. Very tired. At one point after school I actually said to Isaac, "I'm tired and crabby so stay away from me so I'm not mean to you." Yeah, like THAT wasn't mean! Sheesh.

*****
This past Friday Meagan turned 6. I took pictures. I'll post them. Eventually. Too crabby right now *lol*

*****

Today I spent the ENTIRE 2 1/2 hours that I have to myself in the morning cutting and organizing coupons. Blech.

When I picked Meagan up from school, we had lunch and then headed to the store to get flowers to plant.

We got flowers. And 2 chairs for the back porch. And a cushion for the bench. Which naturally led to disassembling the bench and spray painting it. Blue. Very blue. We'll see how it looks when it's done. If it's too ugly, I'll just go get more spray paint and paint over it. Brown shoudl cover blue nicely, if needed.

I didn't actually get the flowers planted. I couldn't find the shovel.

Then tonight after dinner I went to the grocery. So at least my coupon work got turned out to be useful. That's a small measure of satisfaction. Small. I love the two hours of quiet time at the grocery. I don't have to talk. To anyone. It's nice. I can make decisions, uninterrupted. It's the little things, ya know. These two hour grocery trips are little treasures disguised as chores.

But I forgot to buy contact solution, and I really need it. So I'll be going back tomorrow. It shouldn't take me 2 hours though. If it does, there's an issue.

*****
I've reached the end of my random rambling. I'm done. Later.

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Love Little Lego People

I confess. I have a crush on little Lego people. Especially the specific characters... you know, Captain Jack, Harry Potter, Yoda, Dobby. Adorable!

And Isaac has an infatuation with collecting Harry Potter Legos. We don't yet have them all, but we're working on it. He has all of the less expensive ones. We still need the Burrow, the Hogwarts Express, and Hogwarts Castle. But for Easter he got a few of the kits from us, and Grandma & Grandpa H. got him the Hogwarts board game... FUN! It's a great strategy game, and the little people are SO cute!


Journaling: "I think it started with the Harry Potter basket that his 2nd grade class put together, but Isaac has gotten hooked on Harry Potter... and Harry Potter Legos in particular. He wants to collect all of them. For Easter, Grandma & Grandpa H. got him the board game. The little people are so cute, and the game is fun!"

(Click here to view full credits).

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She's a Rock Star

Yet another LAST milestone has been breeched. Our LAST set of training wheels have come and gone. Gone. Like the wind. Gone. Totally unneeded anymore.

She's a rock star. Rides her bike like a pro. Sebastian even said, "Meagan, you ride your bike like you've been doing it for a decade." That's funny. But pretty true. Not a single fall. Not one. Just cruising. Everywhere. She's awesome.

What is not awesome is that this is just another in-my-face reminder that my babies growing up WAY too fast! In fact, today Lucas and I went birthday present shopping for Meagan, who will be six in a few days. And he looked at me and said, "You're baby will be sixteen in a few days." I know he was kidding, but I couldn't help but recognize the truth behind his words. *sigh*

Enough of that. On to the good stuff. Pictures of her awesomeness (sorry that my child always looks like a shaggy dog. She really needs a hair cut, but I'm waiting on her bangs to grow out just a bit more... therefore, it is always in her face *shrug*).

Step 1: Some pointers from Daddy.


Step 2: Get your peddals and feet all situated.


Step 3: Look for cars and GO.

And Go.

And go until you have to come back because you've gone as far as you can.


She's a rock star. A happy rock star!


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I Had a Blast (no pun intended)

This weekend Shane came to visit. We love to have visitors. We love Shane. Great combination.

For Lucas' birthday, Shane dug out an old model rocket that Lucas had when he was a kid and Shane rebuilt it for him. Naturally then, we HAD to go launch rockets yesterday. The park nearby has a ball field next to an empty corn field. Lots of wide open space. Perfect... we hoped. Worth a try.

Turns out, it turned out perfectly!


Plus the kids caught 2 toads that they took with them in the old bug barn.

They played with them for a while, then walked them over to the creek and set them free.


So here's Lucas' old childhood rocket birthday present...


We also launched an old space ship... very fun.

One of our fondest memories revolves around the spaceship actually. On one of its launches, it got caught in the wind and took a turn, straight back for us. It landed right where Lucas had been standing... until he ran for his life and trampled me in the process *lol*. Good stuff right there! We laughed and laughed - I don't know what made me laugh harder, seeing Lucas back pedal for his life or me rolling on the ground holding my bum crying "My butt!" in the midst of all the laughing. Good times. Good times.

We had another little mishap with Lucas' rocket as well. It launched and then took a hard turn, flew WAY over our heads, behind us, over the ball field, over the creek, and into the more populated area of the park. Thankfully it didn't land on anyone...or anyone's cars. Close, though. Where we finally found it was only about 20 yards away from a parked car. Yikes.







And Shane launched his monster of a rocket.


Of all of the rockets, this one launched the best. Straight up... way up... and right back down, almost perfection.

Birthday Wish List

Meagan has quite the birthday wish list this year! Check this out... (prepare yourself for quite a few pictures)

A few Tangled things:
The tower.

This doll.

The boat.



And this doll... of course, both are needed, because they have different dresses. *sigh*


And the house.

And the wig. Who DOESN'T need a wig, really?


And science goodies:
A volcano maker.

And a rock digging set.

And a butterfly garden.

(after my experience with the praying mantises, I'm not super sure how excited I am about the butterfly garden... but she wants one anyway)

Legos:







Barbie:





And some tea sets... unbreakable ones:


And these guys:



Polly Pockets:

Clothes, because a lot of hers have gotten lost or broken over the past few years.



Ponies... her latest infatuation:


Pet Shops:




And a few random others:

(The DUCK pillow pet)


So there you have it. For those of you who have already, or who soon would be calling or emailing me asking what Meagan would like for her birthday, you now have a visual aid to work with.

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