What's All The Buzz About?!

A couple of weeks ago Nathanael participated in his very first spelling bee. For weeks before the event, Nat worked with Nathanael on the long list of 450 words. The words ranged in difficulty level for students in 1st through 8th grade. With all of the time and effort that Nathanael put into learning the list, he could spell every single word! (Some of the words we had to look up in order to know how to pronounce, but it was a good learning experience for everyone involved.) A few of my personal favorites were curmudgeon, lugubrious, woebegone and cumulonimbus. (We knew what that last word meant, it just always made us laugh because we thought of the little boy, Russel, in the movie UP.)

The night before the spelling bee Nathanael prayed that he would do his best and that he would be able to remember the words that he studied. The next morning at the spelling bee we were on pins and needles as we waited for Nathanael to get his first word. I think I was more nervous than he was. I thought my heart would pound right out of my chest! Nathanael spelled his first word correctly and continued to spell each word that he got correctly until there were only four out of 43 students left. It was obvious that each of the children left could spell the words on the list that was given to them, so the judges decided to pull out a list that the four children had never seen! I knew we were in trouble. Nathanael's first word off the list was "dangle." Easy enough right? He spelled the word "d-a-n-g-a-l" and that was the end of the spelling bee for him. He finished 4th.

Even though he didn't finish in 1st place like he wanted, we are so proud of him and all of the hard work that he put into learning the 450 words! He can't wait to participate in the spelling bee again next year.

Puppy Love?

Ever since our dog died about two years ago, I swore that we wouldn't get another dog and definitely NOT a puppy. Too much work! Well, my adorable husband has been dropping hints about wanting to get another dog for the past two years. I decided to consider the possibility and that's when, a friend's chocolate lab, Abby had 11 puppies. It started out as just dropping off news papers for the puppies, then the kids wanted to see the puppies. So, we saw the puppies. They were just so cute. How could anyone not want one right? Well, one thing led to another and...

Meet Hunter! The newest addition to our family. Nathanael got to pick his name. Since he is a hunting dog,(not that Nat will be doing any hunting anytime soon) Nathanael decided to name him Hunter.

Hunter is a quick learner. He already knows how to sit!

Hunter's brother, Shiloh, lives just around the corner. They love their play dates!

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

Well,....at least I think so. Costumes and pumpkins and candy, oh my! The sight of Jack-O-Lanterns still fills me with the same excitement that I had as a little girl. I just love this time of year! Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas and Easter for what they represent. I just love the pumpkins, caramel apples, fun sized candy bars, the break from the summer heat, and seeing the same excitement on my children's faces (that I had at their ages) as they choose their costumes and pick out just the right pumpkin for carving. I could go on and on. Today we visited a local pumpkin patch with some friends. We had a blast! The kids spent their time running around, climbing on the hay stacks, and picking out a pumpkin of their very own.

Mom, I want a cell phone!

As we were walking home from school the other day, Nathanael pulls something out of his pocket and begins talking. He is having quite the conversation...with himself! Then he says, "Oh, wait I got a text message." He then proceeds to check his message on his cell phone that he made from paper at school. I had to laugh. He has been bugging me about getting him a cell phone. Yes, an elementary school child wants a phone! He sees other children with them at school and wants to know why he can't have one. I always ask him, "Who are you going to call?" He will quickly rattle off a long list of family and friends. I follow that up with, "How are you going to pay for it?" He says he's "rich" because he has a piggy bank full of coins and he swears that there is enough to buy a phone. I then inform him that there are monthly charges that go along with that phone. He thinks that is outrageous! Our conversation always ends with me saying, "When you are old enough to help pay for a cell phone, then we'll think about it."(That's my way of putting it off for a few more years.) He usually follows up with something about me being a mean mommy. HA!!

The same day he pulled out his paper cell phone, he put little crumpled pieces of notebook paper in his ears and said that he was listening to his ipod. (He was on a roll that day!) I think this is his way of trying to get an ipod out of us for Christmas! (That is another item that he sees kids at school with and wonders why he doesn't have one yet.) One of his friends told me that when he wants something in the store, he'll beg his mom for it. If she says, "No" then he'll go to a more expensive item until she gives in and gets him the original item that he wanted. What a sneaky little guy. Nathanael has learned from his friends that persistence pays off. I wonder what else he is learning from friends!

On top of all of this, he is refusing to cut his hair. He wants to have hair like the "older" boys. You know, the shaggy in the eyes hair that seems so popular these days. I guess my little boy is growing up, or at least he thinks he is. I guess a car is next on his list! Oh, yeah... he has already requested a Jeep.

Caught In The Act

It has been a few months since I updated our blog. I have been caught-up in the world of kids, family vacations, trying to figure out how to upload photos from a new camera(thank goodness for Nat), a crashing computer hard drive and my new favorite pass-time...Facebook. Whew! I have lots to update, so here is just the beginning of what has been happening lately.

Caitlin has just turned 18 months and is into everything!!! Even now she is handing me everything out of the "pencil drawer" in the office. She is so polite about it too. She says "tate too" (thank you) each time she hands me something. She won't stop saying it until I take the item and say thank you back to her. I now have more items out of the desk drawer than I do in it.

Besides emptying everything out of the drawers in the office, she likes to "help" in the bathroom too. She goes through the same process with all of my toiletries. When she finds the toilet, she can't resist flushing or splashing in it. Ugh! Once she did it several times in one day because someone would forget to close the door to one of our bathrooms. On one occasion, I could hear her in the bathroom splashing away. So, I grabbed the camera and caught her "in the act." (See attached video)

In addition, if I don't make sure the laundry door is closed she will empty the cat's water dish all over the floor. Sometimes she will wait until she sees me and then run as fast as she can to the dish and dump it out! She has already done it once today. So, you can see that my day has been pretty busy cleaning up water and making sure certain doors are closed. It is only a matter of time until she figures out how to open doors. I'll really be in trouble then. Whew! I am tired already.

Here Comes Trouble!!

Yes, it has finally happened! Caitlin is fully mobile and with that she is getting into everything. When I took this video we had just finished dinner and were about to go to Nathanael's baseball game. The trash can was full, so I took it out from under the sink in preparation to change out the trash bags. Caitlin saw this as the perfect opportunity to explore! As you watch the video, notice how she pretends not to hear me when I catch her. I hope it isn't what's in store when she hits her teenage years!

Easter Fun!

Is she precious or what?! (This was the reason I was late for church.) I knew that if I didn't take a few pictures of Caitlin before church, by the end she would be ready for her nap and that would be the end of the pictures.

Here is Nathanael gloating over his Easter haul. He was excited that the Easter Bunny sent him his own copy of the Bible. He has been carefully examining it since he got it. He knows how many pages there are and he has been looking at all of the maps. He also knows where to find the Old and New Testaments. Just today he read about the creation in Genesis and is looking forward to reading more about Jesus.

Nathanael's impersonation of the Easter Bunny... notice the teeth.

Caitlin ate her first Peep!

Yes, she ate the whole thing! Talk about sugar rush!!

The Easter bunny gave Caitlin her first set of crayons.

The Easter Bunny left goodies for all!

Two weeks before Easter, Nathanael participated in an underwater egg hunt!

Here is Nathanael in action!

Every Little Athlete's Dream!

Every little athlete dreams of receiving the coveted "game ball." Well, last night Nathanael's dream finally came true. After his baseball game, Nathanael was picked by his coach to receive the game ball. He and his daddy were beaming with pride all evening!! Way to go Nathanael! I'll let Nathanael tell you why he received the game ball. (click on the video clip below.)

Spring Break - Friends and Fun!!

Day 2: It all started at the park! We met some old friends at the park in our previous neighborhood for a picnic lunch and some fun. (Day 1: Nathanael woke up extra early to go to 5am boot camp with Nat. That was enough for that day.)

The moms pose for a picture.

The whole gang!



DAY 3

Day 3: We had lunch with more friends at a park nearby. Can you tell why this was Nathanael's favorite day?


DAY 4

Day 4: Six Flags here we come! Nathanael poses with some super heros.

I believe this is the first ride of the day. The Runaway Mountain. It is a ride like Space Mountain at Disneyland. A rollercoaster in the dark! It totally freaked Nathanael out. He was almost in tears, but wanted to do it again later with me. HA!! I got him good on another rollercoaster. I made him sit in the front car! That really did him in. He was terrified!!! However, after the ride was over he wanted to do it again, so later he took Nat on the ride. I got to ride the Titan by myself! It is a rollercoaster that is 24 stories tall and goes 85mph. Let's just say I am still feeling it in my neck. I must be getting too old for amusement parks!


DAY 5

Day 5: A day at the zoo! We met some more friends for fun at the zoo. It was a total zoo!! There were too many people there. We had fun anyway. We arrived around 2pm - just when most of the crowd was leaving. We stayed until they kicked us out at 5pm and managed to see most of the big attractions.

Can you find the gorilla?

Oh, what fun we had! We sure were tired by the end of the week, but it was great to see all of our friends.




The best part of the park! The swings!!

Little Slugger!

Nathanael had his first baseball game last night. He played several different positions. He played outfielder, pitcher (he got to stand next to the coach who pitched the ball) and catcher. The highlight of the game was his base hit. It was his first time to bat and he hit the ball! He was so excited that at first he just stood there. Then he ran to first base. Once he was there he jumped up and down doing a little happy dance. All of his daddy's hard work paid off. I don't know who was more excited about the base hit - Nathanael or Nat!

Caitlin's Big Day!

No, you don't have to call CPS! After watching the video I realize that it looks dangerous. However, I had it all under control. The cupcake was safely at the front of her tray. I wasn't going to let her grab the candle. It was all good! No worries! Whew! She got her cupcake and ate it too.

I can't believe how fast the past year has flown by. Caitlin has been such a joy to have in our home. She is always happy! (Unless you take something away from her that she isn't supposed to have.) I wish I could keep her just the way she is right now. Not a care in the world. So sweet and innocent. Yes, I know that she has to grow-up. Who knows what the world will be like in the future? I wish I could just keep her safe from all of the dangers out there, but I know that she will have to experience life for herself as we all do. She is a special little girl. I can't wait to meet the wonderful woman that she will become someday.

Nathanael's Birthday!

Nathanael turned 7 years old last week. We celebrated his birthday at the Lego Education Center. It was his dream come true! He and his friends got to build spaceships for almost an hour. They then enjoyed some cake that was shaped like a Lego brick! Nathanael had a blast and for a little guy that entered this world at 2 pounds - 2 ounces and three months premature, he has come a long way.

The birthday boy.

Caitlin had a great time.


Nathanael got to pick 20 pieces to take home!


Here he is building his spaceships.

Nathanael and Uncle David

Cousin Zachary

Cousin Aaron

Okay... No comments on my singing!

Chews the Right

The gum in the hair incident!

This is what Nathanael cut out of his hair.

Here he is with the lovely bald spot that he created.

Here he is before...

Here he is after!


Here's how it happened...

I thought that we had made it through the "gum in the hair" stage with out incident. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Nathanael loves gum and, until now, has been able to chew it without getting it everywhere. However, every now and then I would catch him pulling the gum out of his mouth making long strings and then swinging it around like a lasso. I would promptly remind him that his gum belongs in his mouth and that he would have to spit it out if it didn't stay there. Well... I was at a baby shower on Saturday, Caitlin was taking a nap, and daddy was snoozing on the couch. With a rogue six year old in the house it was a recipe for disaster! Here are the details from what I could gather from Nathanael and Nat when I got home. Nathanael was enjoying his gum so much that he decided to do the usual "pull the gum into a long string and swing it all around" when disaster struck. The gum landed on top of his head! In an effort to remove the gum he made it worse. Then deciding not to wake daddy, Nathanael went for the scissors to remove all evidence of his crime, or so he thought. He took my scissors and cut a big chunk of hair from the top of his head. He was so shocked at the amount of hair that he ran crying to daddy who couldn't quite figure out what happened being wakened by a crying hysterical boy with a wad of hair in his hands. Nathanael finally calmed down enough to be able to tell him his grim tale. Nat called the lady that cuts their hair and explained the situation. She agreed to do what she could to "fix" his hair. When I got home I examined his head and agreed that something would need to be done, so off we went to the stylist. She took one look at it and said that she couldn't "fix" it without using a #2 guard on the clippers. I knew how short that would be, but saw no other way around it... So needless to say, Nathanael has a new nick name around here. Nat now refers to him as "Buzz." Nathanael actually likes the new look and coincidentally he wanted to know what he'd look like with no hair a couple of weeks ago. Needless to say, Nathanael won't be having any gum for a while.