Back to the Drawing Board

When Lauren discovered all of her Scooby gang was present and accounted for in Minnesota except Velma, there was only one way to solve the mystery.... draw one herself!

 

Inspired by Amanda's graduation and a cute little graduation card, Lauren came up with this drawing today.  

It's even blue!  Hats off to you, Lauren, you clever little girl.

Mini Golf & the Rollar Rink

When Abby found out she'd be attending her friend Megan's birthday party at Skateworld she was thrilled, but a bit intimidated when she heard me utter my concern over her lack of skating skills.  I enlisted Geoff to be the party parent for this one.  Lauren and I went to neighboring Indian Trails where we hit the links miniature style.

It was a great way to wrap up a busy family weekend.

{Megan Helping Abby Skate}

{Holy Orange Golf Ball, Lauren}

{Queen Inside the Mountain}

{Sk8er Gurl}

{On the Move}

Ten on Tuesday

1. Virtually every lip balm I have strategically placed in my high-traffic areas has run dry at the same time. Grrrrrrr.

2. The Wizard of Oz has a lasting appeal that has remained a classic spanning generations.  So why am I struggling to get through Wicked?!

3. Thanks to Facebook, I learned last week that 4 May is Star Wars Day.  May the fourth be with you.  Yep, that's what I said.

4. Lauren loves to play doctor.  Yesterday she was checking in my daughter and rattled off a long list of inquiries, including if my daughter has any allergies.  Specifically she was curious if she was allergic to diarrhea.  What do I even say to that?!

5. I believe I have my fine-haired German ancestors to thank for my impossibly horrible bed head.  The older I get the worse it gets.  Though, Abby's is pretty bad too I have to admit.  Sorry, Abigail.

6. So I guess Bin Laden wasn't hiding in that gigantic hole Lizzie dug in our back yard when we were living at Hanscom AFB.  I'm sure he could have been quite cozy, but he probably wouldn't have been happy with the service he got from Comcast there any more than we were. LoL. And I'm sure Comcast would not have cared about him any more than the rest of us on base. Yep, still bitter.

7. Move over Miss Lisa.  Today Lauren and I went to Abby's school to volunteer for a character workshop on being a good citizen.  Lauren loved it, and was especially grateful to be a part of a kindergarten class for the afternoon.  She decided to make Abby's teacher a thank you card when we got home, along with a special note.  The "ILMDL" means, I love Miss Duling.  Just in case you're wondering, the "ILUD" means I love your dad.  Oh, Lauren!



{The Special Note}

8. How long does it take the mail-order pharmacy to get our prescriptions together.  Thank God we've got what we need to get us through.  Still.  Geez!

9. There are two things I want right now: an ice pack and a nap.

10. Just for fun I Googled, "Chocolate Chip Cookies".  The first on the list was, of course, NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE's recipe for their famous cookies.  This is the recipe that appeared fourth on the list, and stakes claim at being the best: www.allrecipes.com/Recipe/best-chocolate-chip-cookies/Detail.aspx.  Happy National Chocolate Chip Day on May 15th!

Mother's Day.... Like Riding a Bike

Mother's Day 2011 was all that it should be....

• Geoff was the first one out of bed, then headed off to the store for breakfast must haves. Easy for me!
• Lauren climbed into bed with me, providing endless love, snuggles & kisses. I can never get enough of these!
• My Mother's Day gifts included a bounty of cards, drawings, a picture frame, chocolate-covered strawberries & flowers. Yumm!

• Enjoyed homemade waffles.  Thanks, Daddy!
• I made a new friend.... Alyssa Klein.  A childhood friend of Geoff's, we're excited to have another Minnesotan living here in Ohio!  Thanks for spending the weekend with us, Alyssa!

• We visited the Air Force Museum.

• Went out for dinner at my favorite chicken wing joint.  Fricker's!
• Took a nap on the couch with my girls. Enjoying this while it lasts!
• Took a walk with the dog. Thank you, Lizzie, for pooping in the vacant field so I didn't have to pick it up!
• Played outside. No rain!
• And....

Took off Abby's training wheels!  Yippee!

{Waiting With the Wrench}

• Took off Lauren's training wheels....

But this is about as far as she got. Next time!

It was the BEST Mother's Day a girl could ask for.  No work.  All play.  Just being a mom.

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms.

Thank You Thursday

1. I'm thankful for the kid in Geoff.  More often than I know he replays the winning goal that made the Bulldogs national champions for the first time in men's division I hockey.  It's safe to say I'm thankful the Bulldogs finally pulled that off, too!

2. I'm grateful for Lauren.

This is the bag she made to gift my Mother's Day mug & flower.  She wrote Happy Mother's Day, because Miss Lisa told her to.... her words. She also drew a picture of the Easter Bunny with some eggs.... nice touch.  The "ILMLI" means, I love Miss Lisa.... do you think she loves her teacher?!  But my favorite is her depiction of me.  That's me on the bottom of the bag, pregnant with her.... where does she come up with this stuff?!

3. I'm thankful for the random guy who told me I look like I just won the lotto.  Really?  I honestly thought I looked like a scrub as I strolled to Subway with a book in my hands, waiting for my oil to get changed.  Maybe it was the sunshine, or the prospect of finally getting new wheels, all of which I am also thankful for.  Thank you random guy.

4. I'm thankful for such a great mother-in-law.  I couldn't ask for a better one, and the girls are equally as lucky to have her as their grandma.  If only we could travel like the speed of light and see her more often!

5. I'm thankful for nudging friends.  Sometimes that's all I need.

Thank You Thursday

1. Thank you, Grandma & Papa, for introducing the girls to Tangled.  This cute, yet creepily animated movie has been the inspiration for questions from Abby like, "Are you my real mom or did you take me from someone else?"  It has also inspired some classic illustrations from Lauren....

2. I'm thankful I didn't order any of Abby's end of the year pictures.  Seriously! It's not the world's worst picture ever, but the tree is horrible and her smile isn't close to real.  The rash that plagued her that day is almost undetectable.  Still, I'm hoping by the time next fall rolls around she will have her regular smile back.  Or better yet, by the time we get our family pictures taken in a couple of weeks!

3. I'm thankful for some sunshine.  And a cool day.  I just wish people would stop complaining about how chilly it is.  It's April!  We are not meant to using air conditioners this early.

4. A good night at gymnastics for both of the girls.  And the smiles they evoke with the innocence of their movements.

5. A shower. And new episodes of my shows tonight. Even though I should be early to bed for my early to rise as I have an invitation to the royal wedding.... from my couch!  {If only I was with you to lounge and view, Shawnie!}

Ten on Tuesday

1. "Mom, what are your shoulders for?  Mom, what is your face made out of?"  Just a couple of questions from my dear Abby during our morning beauty session.

2. I inadvertently typed mourning in the last statement.... how funny & ironic, as it certainly feels like mourning for the girls and I.  We sure miss Grandma, Papa, and our (hockey) brother Marco already!  In fact, I found Lauren in the bathroom with her head buried into the towel crying. {sad}

3. Abby came home from school today with a picture she drew to make me feel better. She did it in my favorite color, and added some extra names of some of her friends.  I love that girl.

4. I'm starting to believe that hard days are the ones we endure to become better people.

5. My dad. The best!

6. I'm a sucker for chocolate covered raisins.

7. Spring is my least favorite season.

8. It was an even match-up at 11 eggs a piece in our morning Easter Egg hunt....

9. It was the girls' first garage hair cut.  It was also their first hair cut in Ohio.  In a pinch, it works.

10. I read that to sleep better you should eat a handful of cherries before going to bed.  No wonder I sleep so well when we go to Washington in the summer.  I can't wait to get my hands on those cherries in June!

Practice Makes Perfect

It's what they do....

{Abby's Bridge}

{Abby's Handstand}

{Lauren's Letters & Illustration}

Ten on Tuesday

1. Wow, talk about a heart-stopper. I just saw the head stone of a little girl who was born a few weeks after Abby, and died just a few months later.  I think about all of that life Abby has had in that time that this little lady never got a chance to enjoy. Talk about perspective.

2. Abby is quite focused on Utah these days.  I have no idea why. Her teacher has no idea why.  Other girls at school like unicorns and have fairy friends; Abby is bummed about Utah not getting one of the Space Shuttles.  Just for the record, she's upset Ohio and Minnesota were also passed up.

3. Big step.  I bought Abby's summer slumber attire here in Ohio.  I was forced to, really.  No spring break trip home means I had to suck it up and pay the tax on clothes.  The next thing you know I'll be sporting an Ohio driver's license.  God help me.

4. I have never been closer to nominating myself for Worst Mother of the Year Award, 2011.  Lauren's arms got sunburned playing outside on Sunday {Hello! It's April. Why would I have put sunscreen on her?!}  Abby's been collecting unthinkable punishments for unthinkable behavior {It has to be her fault for pushing me to it, right?!}  Abby broke out into a rash in my attempt at a home remedy.  Nothing like an e-mail from her teacher commenting on her scratching up a storm {How was I to know Origins was toxic to Abby?!}  Oh, and then there was Lauren's morning tantrum.  She was fit to be tied that I would not be at school all day today because I had training {For Pete's sake, can a mom have a job?!}

5. I opted to take the girls to Dairy Queen {I'm trying to score some points here!} instead of taking them to Cold Stone for an afternoon treat.  I went out of my way a bit to do so, and I'm wondering if I'm the only one.  Confession Alert: I'm really not trying to score points, I just wanted an ice cream cone!

6. I saw a sign at Dairy Queen today: "Stressed Spelled Backwards is Desserts."  Need I say more?

7. As if I really need yet another blog to follow: http://www.allthingsthrifty.com/.  Thanks, Reanna, for passing it my way.

8. UMD won their first national men's hockey title. Woohoo! I can't believe I waited until no. eight to throw that one in.

9. Someone has their eye on my Granny.  Not that little fun-loving woman who bakes cookies; my car.  That means I'm in the market for wheels.  Woohoo!  That's two woohoos in one post.... I think I've reached my limit.

10. Why do I like my husband's strangest friends?  It's always the ones that drive most people crazy that I can't get enough of.  It is kind of like an interactive play where you can actually talk to the performers.  These guys are so odd in so many ways, but they don't care.  I love 'em.

BoNuS!
I had to add this one.  Lauren's illustration this afternoon at school.  I told her I loved her flower.  She told me it was her friends on the swing.

Dirty Picture

I sat down on the couch in the living room to discover a dirty picture sketched on the back side of Lauren's easel.

The structure on the left is a rocket.  I'll let you interpret the rest....

"It Was the Park", by Abigail Zahn

Abby has been working diligently on writing stories in kindergarten.  Friday's snow day unleashed Abby's creativity.  While she was more than happy to celebrate the day in her pajamas, she was all business scribing this work of nonfiction.

It Was the Park

by Abigail Zahn

 It is at the park./I see the books.

I see books./I see Piper.

I see the playground./I am going to the cabin.

I am at the cabin with my mom.

Thank You Thursday

1. I'm thankful for my Lauren. And her handywork....

{Lauren Swimming in Her Pool}

{"I love my Scooby friends."}

2. I'm thankful for the people I surrounded myself with.

3. I'm thankful for Abby's quick recovery tonight at gymnastics. Well, relatively quick. She rejoined her class and finished the evening successfully leaving me to a few more minutes of peace.

4. I'm thankful my wallet broke before I closed my Thirty-One party. Looks like I'll be adding a wallet to my list of goodies. It's over ten years old, so it's not like I'm not overdue.

5. I'm thankful for finishing my book.  Not so sure I'm thankful for the way I felt about the way it concluded.  Maybe mulling it over will help.

A Picture For Great Grandpa

Abby drew a picture for her great grandpa.  She told me she wants to take it to Minnesota to give to him.  And then she started to weep.... How am I going to give it to him in that little box?  I told her she could take it out to the shop and hang it there, since that seems to be a common visiting station for many of us.  Then she really started to cry.  She cried about Great Grandma being alone.  She cried about Grandpa's stuff and people just taking it.  Finally she concluded that people could take his stuff, but only if Grandma says it's okay.  My Abby has a big heart.  And oh, the burdens she carries.

To My Great Grandpa

Love,

Abby

Thank You Thursday

1. I'm thankful for Bengay, and for the frame of mind to use it.

2. I'm thankful our computer is functioning again and I can get on the internet, type a document, etc.  Now if I can just get my phone back up and running.  {I am not thankful everything, including my own body, seems to be falling apart.  Grrrrr!}

3. I'm thankful for the sunshine today, and the rainbow that came peering down from the clouds.  I've never seen a vertical rainbow like that before.

4. I'm thankful for the incredible staff I am blessed to work with, and the fun evening at our CPR class.  Only this group.

5. Tonight I came home late, both girls were tucked into bed, and looking at me were two pictures ala Lauren.  I cannot say with certainty who the live subjects are, but there is no doubt that her Rock is starring in them both.  Geoff says it looks like a bunch of rowdies.  He's probably right.  I love her mind.

My Golden Girl

Abigail's golden birthday.  A big day for our little girl.  She woke up to find the house decorated in her honor.  She went to school today where she was blessed with a visit from her Grandma, Professor B, a science specialist in Washington who shared an experiment with Abby's kindergarten class.  After school we came home opened gifts, had Grandma's famous chili soup and birthday cake.  As if all of that wasn't enough it was onto gymnastics for two hours.  Ahhhh, busy day.

It was a golden birthday....

{Abby's Drawing From School Today:

Grandma Phillips, Abby, Mom and Dad}

{Happy Birthday, Abby!}

{Assisting Grandma}

{Professor B Makes Elephant Toothpaste}

{Mommy and Abigail}

{Love of Learning, With Love From Aunt Heidi and Uncle Kevin}

{Rod and Reel.... Thanks Grandma and Papa}

{Garnet and Diamond Necklace.... Thank You Grandma Phillips}

{Grandma's Love.... The Best Gift of All}

{Happy Birthday To You!}

{Hitting the Bars}

L is for Lauren

Grandma Phillips is in town.  It is a special treat to have Grandma visiting, so she and Daddy picked Lauren up when preschool officially ended, leaving me at school for two and a half hours without my Lauren.

While we are only together for a brief period during lunch, I missed having her smiling face around, and I certainly missed leaving school together.

When I picked her school work out of her mailbox I couldn't help but hold it close to my heart.  Not having her there made me treasure her even more.

This week she is working on the letter L.  L is for Lauren, ladybug and lion.  And L is for love, because I love all of her little creations!