Random Picture Challenge 4.0

One of the blogs I love to read, 4 little men, has a random picture challenge every Saturday. I thought I'd play along.

November 2007

44th picture

This picture was taken just minutes after Cooper John was born.

Self-Image by Emma Jo

This school work that Emma Jo brought home this week just makes me smile.

Tonight is the Open House at her school. I can't wait to see what else she has been working on.

Worms, Worms, Worms

Last summer I decided it was time to start walking-the-walk and not just talking-the-talk. Here I am, mom to three precious children, and I need to do something about preserving this earth for them and for the grandchildren I'll hopefully have someday. So, I started being even more vigilant about recycling, step one. I switched all our cleaning products to non-toxic, natural, biodegradable products, step two. I learned about putting food waste into our "green can" so that it could be composted by the city, step three. Then I heard about worm composting. It seemed so easy and so cool. You buy a box, fill it with worms and food scraps and three months later you have compost for your garden. I immediately told Jason and I wanted one for our anniversary in September. He didn't think a worm composter was a suitable 13th anniversary present. So, I asked for one for Christmas.
Finally, for Christmas, he and the kids bought me my very own Can-O-Worms. Unfortunately it didn't come with any worms so I wasn't able to set it up right away. In the weeks between receiving my composter and finally getting my worms I would look at foods we put in our green can and think "my worms would love that". Friday night it happened, I got my worms. The kids and I braved the wet skys and set up the composter on the back patio. Every night when I get home from work and every morning when I wake up, I have to go check on them and see how they are doing. We've had a few escape but the rest seem to be doing well. Yesterday morning I moved them into the garage because I was worried they were cold on the patio. Today I think I'm going to move them again, into the outside room. I think the garage is too cold for them also.
I can't wait to have the compost for the vegetable garden in the spring. It is a great example of the circle of life. Turn your veggies into compost turn your compost into veggies. I think it is a great learning experience for the children as well.

Hugs and Kisses

This weekend I have to deal with all of the tantrums, settle all of the arguements and deal with all of the attitude. That means I also get all of the giggles, all of the hugs and all of the kisses.
Tonight as I zipped up Cooper's sleep sack, getting him ready for bed, I asked Cooper for a kiss. His eyes lit up, he leaned in and kissed me. It is the first time that I have asked for a kiss and he has purposefully given me one. Of course he hasn't yet learned how to pucker so it wasn't the most elegant kiss I've ever received, but it was my best today. I sure do love that little boy.

Poor little dude

Daddy was gone all day so poor little Cooper was stuck with the girls. We dragged him to the mall where we tried on dresses and shoes. He did great and was so happy to finally get his very own cell phone. We missed his morning nap to head to the mall. Then his main nap was cut short by too much activity in the house. At 6:30pm I knew he had had enough. I figured a little boy laying down on a tiled kitchen floor is a pretty clear sign that he was ready for bed.

Happy Birthday ... to me!

Today's my birthday! For the record I'm 35 today. I still don't understand why people get depressed about their birthday's as they get older. I love birthdays. Sure they aren't as exciting as when we were young, but they are still fun. As a kid I loved presents, cake, pizza and candles. Now, as an adult I still love cake, pizza and candles, presents aren't as important anymore. I've come to realize I really don't need anything, I have plenty! Although I am looking forward to gifts from the kids tonight. I love to see what they bought or made. Each of the girls does a great job of really thinking about their gift recipient when purchasing a gift. I used to love birthday's because they were the only "holiday" that didn't have to be shared with everyone else. Then I became a mom. Now even though I'd love to take the day off, get a massage and watch a movie, I have to go to get the kids ready, drop them off at school and daycare, go to work, pick the kids up and take Grace to ballet. Then we have to figure out something for dinner (maybe pizza?) and finally, maybe, we'll get to have a little cake and open presents.

Here's a picture of the girls making my birthday cake two years ago. Unfortunately we're not going to have time for them to make me a cake this year. Too bad since I love all those sprinkles..

From Archive Pictures

Change is Upon Us

I never believed it would happen in my lifetime. I hoped it might in my children's lifetime. Today, as I watch the inauguration of Barack Obama I'm truly proud to be an American. Regardless of political views, Democrat or Republican, I'm happy that the United States is moving past the time of biogry and hatefullness. I hope that my children will grow up knowing that they can accomplish anything regardless of race, gender or ethnicity. Today marks the beginning of that true possibility.

Is it really January????

This is what we have been wondering this week. Could it really be January when the temperature is in the 70s? Usually at this time of the year the rain is pouring down and sometimes our streets and rivers are flooding. This year we're almost tempted to put on a suit and go swimming. This weekend we didn't hit the pool, but we did go to the park.
On Saturday morning the kids and I headed to Howarth Park. It has a huge playground complete with a climbing web and a ghost town. I was surprised just how many people were there. We even ran into another family from school who drove all the way from Cloverdale. Emma Jo enjoyed climbing the web. Grace loved running up and down the ramps on the big kid playground. Cooper showed me how good he is on the little kids playground. He can climb the steps walk up to the slide and then turn around to go down the slide feet first on his tummy. As soon as his feet hit the ground he runs back to the steps and does it all over again. Daddy met us at the park and then took us to Phyllis' Giant Burger for a burger and shake. It was delicious but there was so much food I was afraid I'd be too full for dinner. That would have been a mistake since Jason and I were headed out to Bodega Bay for my birthday dinner on Saturday night.
We made the long drive out to the coast to dine at the Bay View at the Inn at the Tides. As soon as we walked in I thought about Gordon Ramsey, but it turned out the food was really good. We really enjoyed our dinner and the evening away from the house. We got home to a quiet house will all three kids asleep.
Cooper slept through the night until around 3am. Jason fed him a bottle and then it was back to sleep for everyone. I didn't wake up until 7:30 am when the girls finally woke up. It sure was nice to get to sleep in!
All in all it was a great weekend...

Spelling Bee & 50's club

Grace Louise is in the 50's Club! She was able to count to 65 on her own which has earned her membership in the 50's Club. One of the goals in Pre-K is for all of the children to be able to count to 100 by the end of the year. If they do, they earn an Ice Cream Party. Here we are 1/2 way through the year and Grace is already up to 65! She is one of only 2 students who has reached the 50 mark.

Emma Jo is one of the 4th Grade students who earned the right to compete in the School-Wide Spelling Bee. They will have the Bee next Thursday (my birthday) at Chapel. We've been testing her at random times to see just how well she can spell, and I think she even stumped Jason and I a couple of times.

Emma Jo - Gymnastics Girl

GIRL SCOUT COOKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Hey, you wanna buy some Girl Scout cookies?! We have sugar free chocolate chips, trefoils, do-si-dos, tagalongs, samoas, thin mints, and two new ones lemon chalet cremes and dulce de leche. They are $4.00 each.You can also give a donation to the Food Banks, the Red Cross, or the Military. If you want to buy any call me or post a comment. Just to tell you my goal is 230. :-)
EMMA JO

Buttered Popcorn

Mark your calendars for June 13th and 14th. This is the weekend of the "big" Ballet Recital. We found out last night that Gracie gets to be Buttered Popcorn in the Windsor Ballet Academy Spring Recital. Their will be a popcorn vendor who will pull each piece of popcorn out of the box and then the girls will get to Attitude-Sauté across the stage. She has been practicing Attitude-Sauté for months and is very excited about this. The yellow sparkly, fuzzy costume was a hit as well.

This will be Grace's 2nd Ballet Recital. Here's a look back to Grace's first in June 2008 when she was a "flag color".

Cooper's First Haircut

On Saturday we took Cooper to Pigtails & Crewcut's for his very first haircut. He did great! We chose the firetruck and he loved moving the steering wheel and escpecially ringing the bell on the hood. He did not like the drape she tried to put on him, or the water being sprayed on his head.

Christmas Pictures

Some of my favorite pictures from Christmas:

Cooper and his favorite person, Grampa.


Cooper loved making all of Grammie's Christmas toys sing and move at the same time. Grandpa Dick would have been so happy!

Emma Jo finally got a camouflage beanie of her very own. No more stealing Daddy's.

Cooper gave Grammie a break and let her hold him.

Gracie loves to color. The design-your-own mugs and bowls were a hit at the Christmas Eve celebration.

Cooper was a little jealous of the twins' new trucks, but was happy when Mays gave him a ride.

Four of the Gimme Five. I wish Dallas would have been in the picture.

Happy New Year

We had a nice quiet evening ringing in the New Year last night. There was a lot of ice cream in our make-your-own-ice cream sundae bar, and a little Wii. Today was a slow day of taking down the Christmas tree, exchanging a couple of presents that didn't fit, and playing with some of our new toys.

The number one thing on Grace's Christmas list this year was an outfit that matched Alice. Today she finally got to wear it and she was so excited. Here are pictures of the two of them: