Ella’s birthday
Ella turned nine recently and for her birthday we went to her favorite restaurant. She was the “birthday queen” and we had fun celebrating her! On Ella’s actual birthday we went to a nearby pet store with the intention of buying items for a rabbit, which Ella wanted for her birthday. BUT, seeing as we had nowhere to put the rabbit (the outside hutch had not been built yet) we were just going to get items we knew we would need. Once we entered the store and were in the small animal section Ella was taken by the cute baby guinea pigs that they had on display. Jason and I were not completely onboard with getting a rabbit but were willing to put aside our objections knowing how much Ella loves rabbits. However, Jason and I also know a good opportunity when we see one. We suggested to Ella that she get two guinea pigs instead of a rabbit (guinea pigs are highly social). We did not pressure her decision but seeing the guinea pigs and knowing that they would be living inside instead of outside in a hutch made her decision that much easier.
Suffice it to say, we left the store with two guinea pigs and all the “trimmings”. Ella named her gray and white guinea pig “Sophie”. David claimed the other one, a white, black and brown guinea pig “Rosie”. Both the girls settled well into their home in our mudroom and a few days later actually got another cage mate. Emily came home from a few days away at a friend’s house and asked if she too could get a guinea pig. Jason and I caved quickly and we were back at the pet store and soon “Louise” a funky haired mostly white guinea pig joined the family. The kids love playing with the guinea pigs and listening to their amusing noises. I’m hoping since they are where we see them often that they will not be forgotten but enjoyed for many years.
Ella also got a surprise gift from her Uncle Thom and Didi Katherine! A few weeks after her birthday a wonderful gift arrived in the mail, an IPod shuffle! Ella was so elated to have such a grown up “toy” to use! We’ve put about 80 songs on it for her so far and more are to come but it is now commonplace to see Ella strutting around with her IPod on singing her favorite songs!
Fun with Friends
We had fun with our good friends the Apthorpes when they came to town to visit. We got together and went to the Creation Museum. We had a picnic lunch out front on the lawn first and then the three adults presents corralled the eight children through the museum. It would have been more enjoyable had we been able to actually read the exhibits but with the kids, that’s just not realistic. I think the most enjoyable parts were the dinosaurs and the outside garden with petting zoo (despite the heat). Although Masamo was ready to go into the petting area, he quickly climbed in my arms, not wanting any of the animals to touch him. He liked looking at them but touching them is another matter!
Emily (the oldest) with Andrew (the youngest)
Fun at home
I’ve been trying to keep it interesting around the house during the “dog days” of summer. It had just been so miserable outside that no on wants to go and endure the heat and humidity very much. So, here are some of the things we’ve been doing to entertain ourselves……
Playing with playdough
Creating a Pots and Pans band (wish I had earplugs, it was LOUD)
Watching and observing Monarch caterpillars
I planted milkweed in my garden on purpose for this reason. If you’ll remember last year we had our first crop of Monarch caterpillars. We don’t seem to have nearly as many this year but I read that there was a lot of flooding in Mexico, where they migrate, and 50-70% of the population was destroyed! Thankfully we still have some and have two in our caterpillar jar to observe, one is currently a chrysalis and the other still a caterpillar.
Exploring the nearby river
We had a good time down at the river. We discovered pollywogs (tadpoles), crayfish, water bugs, snails, fish, and even a newt! The kids had a good time cooling off in the water, throwing rocks and seeing how many creatures they could find.
David’s morning glory
We planted seeds this past spring and David decided on Morning glories. I had to thin them soon enough and they have grown and grown in the pot we put them in. Unfortunately I don’t think they thrive very well in pots but we have been rewarded with three blooms recently; here is the only one we caught in full bloom!
Slip ‘N Slide
I bought a cheap slip and slide on clearance at Meijer last year and saved it for a hot day this summer. The kids were confused when I told them to get their bathing suits on and come outside. Once they saw what was going on they were so excited! I’ll let the two videos do the talking (it’s amusing how Masamo uses the slide)……
My Birthday
I decided this year that I was going to go all out and find as many deals/freebies as I could on my one special day! Here’s a list of what I accomplished………
Breakfast at Ms.Cheri’s Doughnuts and more –
~ Although this was not a “deal” per se, I was excited to go to Jason’s aunt’s new bakery that she opened up in Milford! The doughnuts and pastries were delicious and I’m hoping that her business goes well and she is rewarded for all her hard work.
Caribou Coffee –
~ I was already signed up with Caribou Coffee and so got a free drink with a printout they sent me via email. I ended up getting a cool drink; it was a Mint Lime White Tea. I though it was tasty, except the tea leaves they left in the bottom of the cup (Ick!).
Mr. Clean Carwash –
~ I called and confirmed and found it true that if you go to a Mr. Clean Carwash on your birthday you get a free car wash or $15 off any service. It was fun to watch the car go through the carwash and the kids enjoyed the squirters they could use to shoot at the car as it went by.
Vera Bradley –
~ I received a $20 off a $20 or more purchase coupon from Vera Bradley for my birthday after I had signed up with them in their store in the Kenwood Towne Centre. I purchased a new purse for use during the fall and winter seasons.
Goodwill –
~ At our local Goodwill location you receive 50% off your total purchase on your birthday. So, the three younger kids and I headed into the store and came away with some items that I was happy to know I paid so much less then I would have otherwise!
Speeding Ticket-
~ OK, so this was not a deal, to say the least. We had just left the Mr. Clean Carwash and was being told by some small child that he had to use the restroom despite the fact that I had asked him and his siblings if they had to go not two minutes prior. Add ontop of that trying to find the right turn off to get to where we were headed and I ended up with a speeding ticket. I guess I just wasn’t paying close enough attention to my speed although I was following the flow of traffic. I did not bother to mention to the police officer that it was my birthday but politely cooperated with him. Ugh, that just ruined all the money I saved at all the other places! Oh well, live and learn.
David’s in soccer again
Another soccer season has started again and although we expected both Emily and David to be playing this fall we were informed that there were not enough girls Emily’s age to form a team in the recreation league. I guess that will simplify some things but it sure does disappoint us.
David had his first practice and it may as well have been Masamo’s too. Masamo was so excited to see David getting all his gear on and the soccer ball out. I brought another small ball for Masamo to kick around during David’s practice and even though he has sweat streaming down his face, Masamo was having a blast kicking the ball with Jason and Emily.
Averie
I had the privilege of meeting the first child of my childhood best friend (Casie) this past week. Little Averie was born in July and I spent a good hour and a half at Casie’s house talking with her and her wonderful husband, Cliff. Averie slept most of the time but did treat me to her beautiful blue eyes at the end of my visit. It was so emotional for me to finally meet this little girl. When we were children Casie and I always talked about what it would be like when we had children of our own but I don’t think we ever imagined that our firstborn children would be born fifteen years apart. I’m so thrilled for Casie to be a mother; it just adds that much more to our relationship.
Emily’s bathroom
Well, it’s just about done! Emily’s long awaited finished bathroom is now decorated and functioning (minus her closet which still needs shelving). Here are a couple of photos of the (almost) complete project and a video for it to make more sense!
VIDEO (below)!!
School!
School starts in just over a week and I think the kids are ready to go back. My feeling on this stems from the fact that they seem to be stir crazy. They are just bored and easily pick on one another. I have the hard job of trying to figure out how I’m going to get everyone successfully transported this year. I won’t go into details but David and Emily have to been at the same place at the same time. I’m trying to work out some type of carpool but just don’t have the access to knowing who lives nearest us and would be interested in it!
Masamo – SIX Months!
It’s hard to believe and yet it seems so long ago, that Masamo has been with us for nearly six months. So much has happened in that time. He just recently moved into his "big boy" bed, the lower bunk of the bunk bed in the boys' room. Masamo has a side rail up and between that and the ladder on the bed, he has only 12 inches or so of space in which to to climb into and out of bed. He has taken to it well but we did have to invest in a little clip fan to put on the bed as he gets no air circulation on the bottom bunk. The poor guy was sweating nonstop during these hot summer nights and needed some releif!
Also, his language development has just been amazing! Despite the fact that he is to turn four in October, Jason and I still hold serious doubts that this is his actual age. We have suspicions, based on his development in multiple areas, that he is actually a year younger. Nevertheless, we are not pushing him to be anymore than he is currently.
We have our ups and downs and to illustrate Masamo’s attitude during his defiant periods, I’ll share a story that happened recently…..
I had just put Masamo in his car seat when I noticed a dry booger just under his nose. I wiped it off, not thinking anything of it, when Masamo looked at me and said “Don’t get my boogie!” I was a little taken aback but politely asked him if he wanted his “boogie” returned to him. “Yes”, came his reply. At that point, I was suppressing a giggle but put my finger out with the boogie on it. Masamo took the boogie and promptly stuck it back into his nose! He had such a look of pride on his face that I could not help laughing! Goes to show you that you never know where they are going to exert their control!
Even though these types of incidents happen they do not overshadow the fact that Masamo is a happy little boy. Recently he has taken to saying hello to strangers in the stores (usually the clerk helping us) and this is a big step for him! His usual way was just to ignore people he didn’t know but now he’s going freely into situations that he would have avoided earlier. It’s good to see his exploration and to see his moods lightening up. He is very eager to please right now and will point out to me when he has done something I asked him to do or has corrected himself without my instruction. We are still working on potty training (despite the fact that I thought we had it conquered) and for my sanity are using pull-ups. I can see a difference in his attitude now that I’ve backed off on him in this area.
One of Masamo’s current expressions is “OH!” He uses it often and it sounds as if he’s a blond valley girl saying it, like “Oh, I had no idea, really?” Just one more thing to enjoy about this precious little guy, I just wonder where he picked it up from?
We have our ups and downs and to illustrate Masamo’s attitude during his defiant periods, I’ll share a story that happened recently…..
I had just put Masamo in his car seat when I noticed a dry booger just under his nose. I wiped it off, not thinking anything of it, when Masamo looked at me and said “Don’t get my boogie!” I was a little taken aback but politely asked him if he wanted his “boogie” returned to him. “Yes”, came his reply. At that point, I was suppressing a giggle but put my finger out with the boogie on it. Masamo took the boogie and promptly stuck it back into his nose! He had such a look of pride on his face that I could not help laughing! Goes to show you that you never know where they are going to exert their control!
Even though these types of incidents happen they do not overshadow the fact that Masamo is a happy little boy. Recently he has taken to saying hello to strangers in the stores (usually the clerk helping us) and this is a big step for him! His usual way was just to ignore people he didn’t know but now he’s going freely into situations that he would have avoided earlier. It’s good to see his exploration and to see his moods lightening up. He is very eager to please right now and will point out to me when he has done something I asked him to do or has corrected himself without my instruction. We are still working on potty training (despite the fact that I thought we had it conquered) and for my sanity are using pull-ups. I can see a difference in his attitude now that I’ve backed off on him in this area.
One of Masamo’s current expressions is “OH!” He uses it often and it sounds as if he’s a blond valley girl saying it, like “Oh, I had no idea, really?” Just one more thing to enjoy about this precious little guy, I just wonder where he picked it up from?
I know this was a long post but I like to include as much as possible and a month is a long time for things to happen. Just for reference, here’s a link to some great goodies you can get free (or almost) on your birthday…………..
http://www.frugalliving.tv/free-stuff/birthday-freebies.html
No comments:
Post a Comment