We're off!

I'm officially signing off of blogging duty for the next couple of days. We'll be at the beach enjoying the sun and sand and I will not have Internet access!

Then, we'll be with family for a bit, so I'll be sure to post lots of stories, but the pictures will have to wait until we're back home mid-August.

Lots of adventures to come...the beach, Ella turns two, my ten year high school reunion...yikes!

Finger Lickin' Good

I made some pudding the other night, and I let the kids lick the bowl. I should do that more often! It was 15 minutes of silence as they got every last drop of pudding out of the bowl. I think they enjoyed it more than they would have enjoyed having an actual serving.

We did go straight to the bath afterwards because there was pudding everywhere. Big fun!

New toys...

It never fails that as soon as I get out a toy for Jack to enjoy on the floor, Bo and Ella descend and "play" with Jack. This little toy has been a big hit lately.

Jack enjoys gazing at himself in the mirror or kicking at the little butterflies.

Bo and Ella enjoy playing the music and dancing. I'm not sure it's really even dancing because they basically just flail their arms around and laugh hysterically.

I just think it's precious to see them all playing together!

Hold Him!

Ella LOVES to hold Jack, and most of the time he seems to enjoy it as well!

Here's the live version if you're interested. I was attempting to make Jack smile with the burp cloth. I love it that Ella says "cheese" at the end; she was ready for me to take the picture already!

Special Seasons

Bo amazes me with his imagination and creativity. He loves to "cook" and make rice for me to taste. He made the rice shaker at VBS not too long ago, and it's provided hours of entertainment, although I'm not sure it's the kind of entertainment the leaders anticipated. Notice how he lines everything up on the "shelf" above the kitchen. It's rice, ketchup, salt and pepper, bear vitamins, and special seasons. He uses the blender from the kitchen set to add his secret ingredient: the special seasons.

He won't reveal the secret combination of ingredients, but it sure does make everything delicious!

Want to try some?

Giggles

I'm not sure how I feel about this whole camera thing...

Okay, here's a smile for you...

How about a bigger smile?

Oh, mom, you are too funny!

Oh, Brother!

Jack and I were hanging out together the other day, and it just felt so familiar!

Then, later that afternoon, I was watching the slide-show screensaver while I was doing a little sewing. I think this is why his pose seemed so familiar!

Shopping

Yesterday, I needed to do a final run to the grocery store before we head out of town next week. I normally like to do my "big trips" to the store without the kids, but that wasn't an option, so we all headed out around 3:30.

And let me just tell you, I was praying we didn't run into anyone we knew. I was looking rough. No shower. Old t-shirt and shorts. Flip-flops. Crazy hair. Getting the picture? The kids were all dressed, but no one was looking the cutest!

It was 101 degrees [according to my in-car thermometer], and we were all hot! I definitely got some looks as I was getting everyone in the car to head home.

I needed to run a few errands this morning as well, so I figured I would take the time to look presentable. I fixed my hair, put on mascara, put on real clothes, and actually felt like I didn't look like a crazy, frazzled mom of three small kids.

Imagine my surprise when we got home and I realized my shirt had been on inside out. The whole time.

Superhero Sightings

Almost three months ago, Bo was running around in his Superman pajamas, and he asked if he could put on a blue cape with his pjs. I had to explain to him that he didn't have a super cape.

After our brief conversation, I decided every boy needs his own super accessories, so I bought some blue and black fabric [his request] and made him a cape. I did one for Ella too because I knew she'd want one as soon as she saw his.

Would you believe those capes haven't been touched since I made them? Bo had no interest in even putting his on when I proudly showed it to him and announced that it was done! It was kind of a bummer, so the capes got folded up and put in the "dress up" basket in the kid's closet.

The capes have officially been rediscovered, and my little superheroes are enjoying racing around the house in their new gear.

Super Ella!

Her superpowers include, but are not limited to:

having hair in her face at all times

whining

dancing [my personal favorite]

super kisses [Jack gets most of these]

having a cup of water accessible at all times

Super Bo!

His super powers include, but are not limited to:

saying "cheese" for the camera with unbelievable gusto and enthusiasm

making Ella giggle one moment and scream the next

wrestling

retrieving burp cloths when mommy needs them

letting hs Bo crack show as much as possible...the belly makes it a little difficult to keep pants all the way up!

Yes, even a superhero must do his chores!

Wanted!

Now that my days of criminal driving are behind me, I'm trying to get my outstanding ticket resolved as quickly as possible! We are off to enjoy the beach and some time with family next week, and I really wanted things taken care of before we leave!

Update: When J went to switch out the insurance cards, he discovered there was no current proof insurance in his car! I had the only card we can currently find; it's for J's car, and the proof for my mini-van has vanished. It's a little scary that I had to get a ticket for us to figure that out!

Anyhow, Jason got a fax from the insurance company yesterday to prove we are, in fact, covered. Imagine my delight when he also told me that he arranged to be a tad late to work this morning so that I could be at the courthouse at 8 AM to end my days as an outlaw!

Sweet!

Only when I got there at 8 AM this morning, I was informed that my ticket is not yet registered in the system. I have to wait at least a week for the ticket to be processed so that they are able to process my cancellation of the ticket. Crazy!

I'll just have to take care of it after our vacation. Awesome.

Pudding Paints

We've had a busy morning around here! I headed out the door early to get my ticket resolved at the courthouse [see post above], and things just got busy from there.

We all headed to the library for a musical story time at 9:30, and we met some friends there. The kids enjoyed the show and then got their final summer reading prizes. They each "read" sixteen books! I'm not sure what is in their prize packets, but they are both still enjoying the ribbons they got for completing the first eight books.

Then, we had our friends over for lunch. I saw a fun idea for pudding finger paints in a magazine not too long ago, so I thought I'd give it a try.

The kids each got a plate with various flavors of pudding...chocolate, white chocolate, lemon, and pistachio...and then they got another plate to "paint" on.

It was big fun!

Ella is quite particular about having anything food related on her hands, face, or clothing, so she opted for the spoon immediately.

She did manage to get a little paint on her canvas. The chocolate pudding was also her favorite; she is her mama's girl!

Bo enjoyed the painting, but he much preferred the eating...

Here he is saying "cheese" with his final work of art!

M made a nice little painting, but he didn't want to pose with the finished product:

E attempted a variety of painting techniques,

and he ultimately finished with this gooey creation!

It was not any messier than working with real finger paints, but it was certainly much more delicious!

Hats...

She still prefers the hat instead of the clothes!

I always thought I would cry!

A big first today in my world. I got pulled over for speeding.

Ouch!

Really, it was my first time being pulled over. ever. for anything. And as far as I'm concerned, I'd prefer not to have to deal with a repeat performance any time soon.

Truth: I was in fact speeding. I was going 39 in a 30. It's a tricky road [and a great spot for a cop to sit and catch unsuspecting drivers] because the road goes from 35 to 30, and it's just an easy place to go too fast. I wish I could say that I always observe the speed limit on that particular stretch of road, and this was a bit of a fluke. Alas, it was not. I was thankful that I was only going 39; there have been days that I was moving a bit more quickly!

I was already frustrated because I had to leave the gym much earlier than expected because little Jack wanted to be held and there weren't enough workers to hold him. Then, when I saw those lights, I just felt sick to my stomach.

I always imagined that I would become a blubbering idiot when handing over my license and registration, but I was able to hold it together surprisingly well. It may have had something to do with the constant stream of questions coming from Bo in the back seat:
1. Who is that man?
2. Why are we stopped?
3. What are you looking for?
4. What are we doing?
5. What is that man's job?
6. Does he work for the Bible? [huh? not real sure what that means!]
7. What is he writing?
8. Who are you calling?

So, I got a ticket, but ironically, it was not for speeding. Nope, the cop simply gave me a warning for the moving violoation. However, my van registration and insurance card was expired, so I got a ticket for not having insurance. It didn't really matter that my up-to-date insurance was for J's car. Turns out, the registration cards somehow got mixed up, so I had no proof of insurance for the van. [See #8 above. I was frantically calling Jason trying to figure out where he'd put the new insurance card because I knew it was there somewhere. That was before I figured out the new card was for the wrong car!]

Lesson learned: The cop will laugh at you and think you are a silly woman when you ask him to follow you to your house so that you can show him your up to date info. He doesn't care that you will have to drag a 3 year old, 2 year old, and 3 month old to the courthouse. He just wants to write your ticket and catch the next unsuspecting mini-van driver speeding down the road. At least I gave him a good story to share at the dinner table tonight!

Now, I have to be that woman with three small kids at the courthouse just to prove that we do have insurance for the car. AND I feel like it's something I need to take care of ASAP so that when we travel I don't have any outstanding tickets on my license or car.

After a brief period of serious frustration, I've cooled off enough to realize it could have been a much worse situation. Just trying to enjoy the silver lining here!

Love it...

Hot

Ella has figured out how to dress and undress herself. The dressing part is nice and helpful, the undressing part is not often as nice. Inevitably, I get everyone ready to go, buckle Jack in his seat and turn around to find her naked right as we need to be heading out the door.
Yes, even the diaper comes off with startling regularity.
There's almost always a reason, "it's hot" or "it's wet," but I never know when I'll see her come around a corner with all clothing removed.

It's actually pretty cute...

and some of the time she still manages to accessorize!

My little fashionista.