Bunko Time

Another year, another Bunko Party! We had a great time this year doing our now 3rd Halloween Bunko Party. We tried to mix it up a little this year and invited a few new faces. I was a bit bummed though because a few couples who had wanted to come either had trouble getting babysitting worked out or even, can you believe, came down with the chickenpox!? We did still have a great time though.

Each year I try to add to the costumes a bit - either with new accessories for costumes past or by adding a few new ideas. This year our costumes included: a nerd, a robber, a S.W.A.T. team member, a ping pong player, a wizard, a KU National Champion (with net around neck thank you very much!), and a cop. The ladies were: a granny, a movie star, a witch, a punk girl, a flapper, the devil, and a bather (as seen worn by my pregnant sis, Heidi in the picture below).

I had fun putting curlers in my hair while Chris put the fake gun to use. Every year we do a prize for highest score, lowest score, most bunkos, most baby bunkos and a traveling bunko prize (whoever ends the game with the most recent bunko). This year we added a "most convincing" prize for the person who got into character the most. Our witch won, although the cop and the S.W.A.T. team member gave her a run for her money.

I can't end my Bunko post without another shout-out to the person who started it all...thanks again Camie!

Fun Weekend

This weekend we went to the Maple Leaf Festival. Our main interest in going was to ride a train. Ava and Elise had never been on a real train, so that was fun. Here's a pic of Daddy & Ava on the train.

Mommy & her girls riding the train. It was cute how ever time we'd say, "Chugga-chugga, chugga-chugga", Elise would say, "Whoo-whoo!". I even heard a few older people chuckle.

The girls also score a pony ride each, also a first for both of them.

Ava was making us so nervous because she kept taking on of her hands of the

saddle to either pet the back of the horse or to wave or brush her hair from her face, etc. I guess she felt pretty safe and comfortable but we kept telling her to hold on with both hands anyway.

My parents and two sisters met up for lunch and got to have fun watching the girls do their activities and see the animals at the petting zoo.

Ava also got to go down this huge inflatable slide. Chris waited in line for probably 40 minutes (maybe even longer) to pay a $1 for Ava to go down 3 times. One funny thing is that I was trying to take her picture each time she went down (new camera syndrome) but the lady at the top kept sending her down the other side. I'd move, then she'd send her the other way. I don't think she saw me but maybe she did...hmmm.

The day ended perfectly with a nice funnel cake.

First Shots

My new SLR camera arrived late yesterday. We were too busy last night for me to play with it so I got it out this afternoon while Elise was napping. These two pics were among my first few shots today. I like the peanut butter on her face in the top one and her expression on the 2nd. I can't wait to read the manual and figure out what I'm supposed to be doing.

Baby Nathan

I babysat my newest nephew the other day. I took a few quick snapshots of him with my point and shoot camera. I especially like his expression on the second one, although it's not as sharp a picture as I'd like. I can't wait for my new camera to arrive!

What a cutie!

BalANCe

LIFE: The Great Balancing Act

I'm taking a break from the format I've been blogging lately - a bunch of pictures and comments to talk about something that's been on my mind lately. BALANCE.

For me, the hardest thing is balancing everything...from being a wife, a mother, a homemaker or domestic goddess, a friend, church member, hobby enthusiast, etc, etc, etc. Whenever I get excited about a new project or a new hobby, I neglect other areas. Then I feel guilty that I haven't kept the house clean enough or wondering if I should be spending more time with my kids. My poor husband doesn't know what he's going to come home to day to day. He could come home to dinner and a clean, orderly house OR a wife who hasn't thought about dinner, kids watching tv and a wife who's deep in research or production of a new project OR even an unmotivated wife who's feeling a bit bummed because she hasn't been doing any projects lately for one reason or another.

How do you balance everything? Of course it's important to have hobbies and projects (I couldn't bare it if not), but it seems like you just can't do it all. (Duh, right?) And of course I want to spend time playing with my kids and mothering them, but all the time? Am I being selfish by saying that?

How much time do you spend actually playing with your kids everyday? How much time should they spend watching tv? How much time playing independently?

In the end, it's all about priorities. I probably try to do way too much (Chris tells me this all the time) and I worry too much, say things like, balancing everything. ;)

UPDATE: So far, today has been a great day. A lot of this is probably due to the fact that Chris and I tackled some of the cleaning & organizing projects that we've been putting off so I feel refreshed. Today, I'm focusing on keeping the tv watching to the minimum and working on Ava potty-training. She's smart and knows how to do it...just didn't want to. I finally had an epiphany last night and decided to use tv as a reward for going in the potty. Why didn't I think of that before? Now, the tv isn't on unless she's earned it. Today, I've played store/McDonald's (with Ava's new cash register and McDonalds food), and helped my girls play dress-up and ballet (even turning on the classical music). I'm also working on choosing some soup recipes to make big batches of to freeze in smaller portions in the freezer. (I'd like to get into make-ahead meals - if I have time ;) Also today (and the past several days), I'm researching digital SLRs and accessories and photography skills. I also haven't showered, eaten lunch, or changed out of my pjs. What a day. ;)

UPDATED UPDATE: snuggled with Ava and watched some of Sleeping Beauty, made bread (in bread maker) and homemade broccoli cheddar soup, and played with friends outside. Tonight: I'm going to put my feet up and read or watch a movie.

I BLOGGIST AUGUST

AUGUST 2008 ADVENTURES:

Food & Face Study

Here's Elise with a rather clean face. It's also a rather happy face...wonder why? It's DONUT DAY! Every once in a while we make a special trip to Dunkin Donuts where the girls get to pick out their very own donut. Elise was quite thrilled. (We were eating in the car on the way to visit my sister Gina).
MESSY FACE! The culprit: chocolate ice cream
HOLEY-MOLEY THAT'S A MESSY FACE! The culprit: chocolate cake (No, Elise did not eat all of these yummy chocolate desserts in one day ;)

SWIMMING FUN!

What's good about a hot Kansas summer if you can't get some swimming in? Ava's cousins William and Kate joined Ava in some swimming one hot afternoon.
We had lots of fun with squirt guns and the pool. I used the garden hose to make it "rain" on them. It was also fun to get William back for splashing me by throwing him (carefully) into the pool. He thought it was just great.
Ava's cousin William, 6.

MEET US AT THE I-HOP

August 9, 2008

After the adults attended a funeral, we all went out to eat at the local I-hop. It's not very often that a large group of us go out to eat so this was especially exciting for the kids. Kate and Ava were so good playing so nicely together and reading books while we waited for the food.

My sister Kelly and I.

More sisters.

Grandma & the girls: Grandma, Ava, Elise & Kate

FROM OUR GARDEN

This was our first year to plant a garden at our house. We had so much fun watching these grow and each of us taking our part to care for it. Chris was great about weeding and watering. I did most of the planting and helped with some weeding. Ava was a great picker, especially loving to pick the tomatoes. Have I mentioned that Ava's favorite food are tomatoes?? She loves them so much that she sneaks them.

Ava also likes carrots. The carrots aren't as sweet as the baby carrots we're used to. They were fun to grow and pull though. We also enjoyed picking them and feeding them to some llamas that live close by.

GYMNASTICS ACADEMY:
August 16, 2008

Our local gymnastics academy had an open house so we decided to go. Ava asked if she "could do her moves". We said "yes".
Both girls had fun running around and playing. There were a ton of kids there for sure.
Ava liked playing in the pit of foam and also enjoyed walking the balance beam. We'll be signing her up for another gymnastics class soon.


SUNFLOWER FIELD

August 29, 2008

We made a trek out to see the sunflowers for the second year in a row. It's always so amazing to see sooooo many. I think there must have been more this year because they fields just kept going on and on. Unfortunately the lighting was opposite of what we would've liked for pictures, but what do you do? We just had fun. (except for Chris, whose allergies got the best of him).

We managed to get a few shots of the girls -some better than others.

DRESS UP

Just like most kids her age, Ava loves to dress up. I like to pick up costumes on sale or at garage sales for this fact alone.

And with Ava's funny face, we conclude August.

JULY BLOG UPDATE

I know I said I'd be updating within days...

I said, and said, and said those words. I said them. But I lied them. (From Dr. Seuss' Pale Green Pants)

Without further delay...here are our JULY UPDATES:

BLUEBERRY PICKING

July 1, 2008

The day after we got back from our June trip to OK & Dallas, we decided to go pick some blueberries at a patch near the KS/MO state line. My sister-in-law Vanessa, her son Ryan and her new baby girl Ashley joined us. When we pulled up to this patch, I was astonished by ALL of the cars parked in the parking area. Then, we pulled through a drive, the view ahead blocked by trees, and saw an even bigger lot with even more cars! I could not believe how many people were there that day. Must have been a least a thousand people. Could there be enough blueberries for all??
We were able to find about 2.5 lbs each but the pickings weren't as good as we had hoped. We still had fun though. Ava & Ryan enjoyed ducking between rows and playing. Ryan enjoyed several green berries as well.

After paying for our berries and purchasing a few giant homemade blueberry muffins and devouring them in the car, the girls were out.


INDEPENDENCE DAY

July 4, 2008

In the morning on the 4th, we went to our church's pancake breakfast, a tradition started a few years ago. After some rest time at home, we headed to my parents' house for some more celebrating.

We had the traditional 4th of July spread: burgers and sides, watermelon, etc.
Fireworks aren't legal where we live. Here's Ava breaking the law for the first time. (maybe sparklers are allowed - I'm not sure)
Still not a fan of fireworks. That is such an Ava face!


Mmmmm....S'mores!

After s'more and fireworks (shhh...we set of several from my parents' backyard), we went and watched the city's fireworks from afar. We might have opted for some closer venues or to go to a friend's production, but our kids don't like the loud booms. Actually, since we parked a ways away from the fireworks show, Ava and Elise actually fell asleep in our double stroller soon after the show began.

PICKING BLACKBERRIES
July 8, 2008

Grandma joined Ava, Elise and I for some blackberry picking. It was a very humid Kansas day. Last year I made blackberry freezer jam for the first time and loved it. I was so excited for the season so I could make more.
We had lots of fun but the clouds were rolling in. Before we knew it, it was raining. It was wonderful because it was one of those nice, gentle, cooling rains. The girls had fun playing in it a bit...and so did I.
Grandma decided she wanted to pick some of the first summer apples. While we waited, the girls chomped on some apples of their very own.

CHURCH BBQ CONTEST

July 26, 2008

For the second year in a row now, our church has put on a BBQ contest and picnic. We almost forgot about it but were able to go. Another hot Kansas day.

At one point, Ava and her cousin Kate strayed away from the crowd and found a nice shady spot where they could eat their snow cones and catch up on current events.
Sharing! Don't you love it!?

I lost count on how many slices of watermelon Elise had eaten. I had a lot of fun scrubbing stains out of both of their outfits...not the best choice for that day.
Cheese!

COUNTY FAIR

July 30, 2008

We took the kids to the county fair this year again. Ava's cousins William, Kate and baby Nathan, along with their mom Gaia, were able to come as well.

Ava wanted William to hold her hand. It was so cute how dramatic and girly Ava was acting.
Cows. One of them left William a present, which he stepped in.

Ava was so mad when we made her get a snowcone. (Not!)

Eating snowcones while visiting the petting zoo. Hmmm...

Elise was soooo excited to see the animals. She especially loved the piglets. While in the petting zoo, one of the big goats was bullying the other little goats for food. When one of the little goats got his horns stuck in the fence, the big goat get ramming him over and over again. I looked around and didn't see any workers and couldn't just stand there, so I tried to get the small goat unhooked and also tried to hold the horns of the big goat and yelled at him a few times. Luckily, someone noticed the commotion and sent for help. Naughty goat.

One other "vivid" memory from the day at the fair was towards the very end when we took the kids over to listen to the live music. Elise loves to dance. For a while, all of the cousins were dancing or playing in the nearby trees, while we all shared a yummy funnel cake. What a fun day.


BEACH TRIP
July 31, 2008
For playgroup one overcast day, we met at the beach to a nearby lake. When we got there, there was NOBODY there. It was one of those days where it looked like it might rain so I guess that scared enough people away. We did have a few playgroup friends to play with, so that was fun. I was worried how I'd be able to handle two kids in open water, but it was so shallow, there was really nothing to worry about.
This is an Elise classic. She loves to just wander away, seeking her independence, proving she's a big girl now.

Ava spent a lot of time playing in the sand. She also really like walking on her hands and swimming around a bit while wearing her life jacket.

The only other "group" that came was a grandma and her two granddaughters and of course their black lab, Dixie. Elise wanted to play with Dixie so badly that she kept trying to go wherever she went. Dixie loved swimming in the water and was very friendly.

What a great day at the beach. We all had such a nice, relaxing time and the weather was perfect for a summer day at the beach...warm enough, little sun, but not too hot and not too crowded!

Chris' Birthday
July 31, 2008
After our day at the beach, we had Liz come over and babysit so Chris and I could go out for a nice dinner to celebrate his birthday. We went to a Brazilian place, Amor de Brazil, for an overload of fancy meat and extras. Afterwards, we drove back home and piled the girls in the car to go get some Ben & Jerry's. We were stuffed! (Happy Birthday, Chris!)


OTHER STUFF

Of course we did some swimming in July.

I also did some crafting. These two quilts are different, although they look very similar. The first was a quilt I helped make for a friend who won my quilting services at our church's service auction. Originally, I was just going to make it myself, but she was eager to learn how to do it. It turned out to be much more fun working together. For those of you "quilters" or "blanket-makers", (which is what I call myself since I break quilting rules --a lot of times because I don't even know them), I did a strip-quilting technique using fabric remnants from another quilt I had made. I really like the effect.


Here's a quilt I started for my nephew, Nathan. But...I made a mistake that I haven't fixed yet (not shown) and don't really want to talk about it.


We planted parsley in our garden, mostly so this would happen. These are the caterpillars for Black Swallowtail butterflies. I thought I might catch them so we could watch then make and then emerge from their chrysalises (chrysali?), but never did.

Elise loves to hide in the silliest places. I had to pull her out several times because she kept getting stuck and then repeating the process.

We're not sure what happened, but Elise's feet have been growing so rapidly...some sort of disease I guess. We'll be ordering clown shoes soon.

Baker Bob. We love to go visit our favorite bakery in town. When I offer Ava bread, she'll ask, "Is it Bob the Baker bread?" We went on a bakery tour with a playgroup. Always fun.


Ava did this all on her own one day. She had access to lots of stickers and since the rule is: Stickers go on people or paper (not walls, furniture, our TV, etc.), this was her artwork. No one saw her doing it, so when she came in and said, "TA-DA!", we were quite amused. :)

I like silly Ava.