Happy 10th Birthday, Moco!

My girl turned 10 on Sunday.

How did she get from this…

to this…

…so quickly?

Love you with all my heart, baby girl!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Mommy

Juice Box Robots

These guys went to school with the Bubs today to share with his kindergarten class.

He is very, very excited about these robots.  We planned to add mini Nestle Crunch bars for arms, but Bubba reminded me that his teacher doesn’t allow them to bring candy for snacks.  Thankfully, our house is full of random craft supplies, so we used a hot glue gun to add pipe cleaners instead.

The base is a box of raisins glued to a juice box glued to an applesauce cup.  The spoon is taped to the back of the applesauce cup, and the pipe cleaner is wrapped around the back of the juice box and glued to its sides.  The inspiration photo that we saw used googly eyes, but permanent markers work just as well!

{Inspired by a find on Pinterest}

Happy 6th Birthday, Bubba!

Exactly six years ago on Friday, February 10th, my water broke on the way back to the office after dropping off Moco at preschool.  It was 8:45am, by the dumpsters of a 28 story residence hall that houses 2200 students.  By the end of the business day, Bubba was born.  8 pounds, 15 ounces, with a head full of crazy hair sticking up everywhere and a hairy back.

Today he is an energetic kindergartener — 56 pounds, 13 ounces, with a head full of crazy curly hair frizzing out everywhere and, thankfully, that hairy back didn’t last long.

I found these interview questions on another blog, so on the eve of his sixth birthday, I interviewed my Bubs.

How old will you be tomorrow? Six.

How does it feel to be six? Good.

How was your day? Good.

What was the weather like? Um, icy? 

What do you think is the most important thing you’ve learned in life so far? Um, big words.

How do you think you’re different from a year ago? I’m really tall.

What’s your favorite thing about yourself? About myself?  Hmm, I don’t know what that means… Oh!  I like how smart I am!

You’ve been in school for six months. What do you think of it so far? Good!

Who’s your best friend? Braden.

What do you like learning about? Big words.

Is there anything you’d do to improve your educational experience?  What does that mean?!?!  (Is there anything you’d do to make school better?)  Blue slip?  (What do you mean about blue slips?) You can do helpfulness and stuff.

Tell me about our family. They’re good.  (Who’s in your family?) There are six people, counting Deacon.  (What do you like about your family?)  We can play games.  Um, we can eat safely?

What do you like about having a sister? Good. (What’s your favorite thing about having a sister?)  We can make crafts.

Did we take any vacations this year? No.  (Did we last year?)  Yes.  (Where’d we go?)  DisneyWorld.  (That was a year and a half ago!)  Outer Banks!

In the past year, what have been some of your favorite books, movies, and music?  High School Musical, football books, and sport movies.

What’s your favorite TV show? Um, football.  (College football?) NFL.

Do you remember what you watched last night? American Idol?

If you had a whole day to do anything you wanted, what would you do? Play sports!

What’s your favorite toy to play with? Pretend guns.  I mean, Nerth (Nerf) guns.

What’s your favorite part of your playground? Basketball court.

What do you want to be when you grow up?  A football player and a basketball player.  Any sport!

Do you think you’ll ever get married? No.

What have you learned about girls & boys this year?  They’re good?  *shrug*

What’s your favorite food?  Pizza?  *shrug*

And your favorite candy? Sucker.

Anything you’re scared of?  Um, monsters!

Is there anything else you’d like to say?  No.

Can you think of any questions I should have asked but didn’t? What’s your favorite team of basketball?

So… what’s your favorite team of basketball?  TULSA!

Anything else? Nope.

Happy birthday, Bubba!   We love you!!!

Four Days Down…

The kids have been gone for four days… so what have I been up to?  Well, let’s recap my list:

1. Work.  Yep, I’ve been doing plenty of that.  I’m hiring 3 new staff members, so that has taken up the past four work days straight!  The next three days, I need to catch up on a LOT of stuff.  I really enjoy my job… but when there’s so much to do and not enough time to do it all, I get a little frazzled!  At least with the kids gone, I can stay a little later and not feel too guilty!

2. Exercise.  I started walking again… now to work my way back up to running regularly.  I deferred my Illinois Marathon half-marathon registration from this year to next year, so I have some training to do!

3. Pampering myself.  Pedicure – check.  Manicure – check.  Massage – check.  Reading my favorite magazines uninterrupted and starting on that stack of books that are sitting by my bed?  Check.  I’m currently in the middle of The Hunger Games — and so far, it’s a great read!

4. Cleaning, organizing, staging.  Do you ever feel like you make a bigger mess in the process of cleaning?  That’s how I feel right now.  But I have a lot of stuff for the garage sale pile!

5. Reconfiguring recipes to feed one.  I did some grocery shopping, but I’ve taken advantage of (1) meals with candidates and (2) free birthday meal coupons.  I have a nice little stack that I printed, so I’m enjoying take-out and avoiding cooking for one.  I did, however, make a vat of The Pioneer Woman’s Perfect Iced Coffee.  It was quite easy — and it is quite delicious!  I have two pitchers full that will last me the rest of the week easily.  I love sweetened condensed milk… so this recipe is just perfect!

6. Talking to Deacon.  I annoy myself talking to the dog like he’s a human, even to the point of asking him politely to use his words because I can’t stand his whining.  It works with Moco and Bubba, so I thought I’d give it a shot…

7. Trip to IKEA.  Still gotta work on that.  Maybe this weekend?

8. Order a new Erin Condren planner.  Check.  It’s supposed to ship tomorrow.

9. Miss my man.  He had a huge bouquet of red roses sent to my office today for my birthday.  It was a very welcome sight during a very busy day.  And then I got to preview two versions of milk commercials that he is in for work.  They are filmed in HD — great quality — and he does a great job.  He refuses to watch himself though.  In short, roses + milk = missing him.

10. Miss my kids.  They are so lucky to be able to spend this much time, uninterrupted, with their grandparents — making memories, traveling, and just being kids on summer vacation.  We all need this time, to recharge and reconnect.  I think it actually helps us stay closer as a family, despite the distance.  There are a ton of reasons why our time apart is a good thing… but I still miss them every day!

Grace in Small Things: 4/14

• Moco and Bubba singing a “Happy Birthday” duet to Tio Javi (the big 2-9) tonight on the phone.
• Last night I flipped on a lamp to read quietly in bed with both kids passed out next to me.  Bubba rolled over and wrapped one arm around me, with his little hand patting my chest gently as he slept.
• Bubba singing me a song: “I love her and she loves me.  Mommy is her name-o.  M-O-M-M-Y!  M-O-M-M-Y!  M-O-M-M-Y! And Mommy is her name-o!”
• Dancing around the kitchen to “Till the World Ends” by Britney Spears.  I have no problem saying I love me some Britney.
• Moco, the personal assistant: “After we go to bed, you need to go downstairs and make a list of things you need to do tomorrow, starting with buying Gamma Phi Circus tickets.  Oh, and I need you to put the supply kit order form in my binder.”
• Spending the last few nights reading “Today We Are Rich” by Tim Sanders… inspiring!!!

Happy 9th Birthday, Moco!

To me, April 1st isn’t April Fool’s Day.  It’s Moco’s birthday.

She woke up early this morning to Skype with Daddy, so that he could watch her open her presents — a new American Girl doll, Josefina, and her accessories.

Moco and Gamma Phiyen spent the past two days making chocolate covered strawberries to bring as a birthday snack.  Some of the strawberries were as big as clementines!

She will be playing on two soccer teams this season — one recreational and one competitive/travel team… so Gamma (a veteran soccer mom) got her new cleats, tie-dyed socks, and a new soccer bag that matches her travel team’s colors.

Moco requested Gamma’s chicken and shrimp lo mein for supper, and Bubba helped pick out a chantilly cake topped with fresh berries for her.

Moco ended the day with Daddy on Skype… overall, it was a pretty great day for a birthday!

It’s the last year before double digits.  How is that even possible?!?!

Happy Birthday, Bubba!

Dear Bubba,

Today you are five.

A whole hand of fingers.

FIVE.

You’re in preschool five days a week, and you love it.  You are doing so well with your writing and beginning to read.  You are learning to tie your shoes.  You love to play on the computer and iPad.  Your favorite TV shows are Caillou, Fireman Sam, Handy Manny, and America’s Funniest Videos.  Your favorite singers are Colbie Caillat and Justin “Beaver”, and you love to rock out in the car with Auntie Mariah, Moco and Mommy.  You have a great sense of humor.  You still love your Boo.  You love to draw and to make things with paper, scissors, tape and markers.  You love to make and send mail, especially to Papa and Sherry.  Troy Polamalu is still your favorite football player, and you were disappointed when the Packers won the Super Bowl this past weekend… but you still insisted that we take Steelers themed cookies to school as a birthday treat this week! A year ago, we wouldn’t let you get near peanut butter; you have since received the “all clear” with your peanut allergy — and you love to eat your bananas with a couple spoonfuls of peanut butter!  You love sports — especially football, basketball, and baseball — and you have asked to start wrestling.  When you see someone you want to meet, you will turn to me and ask, “Can I ask that boy if he wants to play (basketball, chase, etc.) with me?” and then you will not hesitate to introduce yourself and invite him to play.  You are such an unforgettable little guy, and we are so very proud of you, little man!

Five is a magical milestone.  In six months, you will be starting kindergarten… and that means you are growing up way too fast!!!  I have to admit, you turning five makes me a little (okay, VERY) sad.  Sometimes I wish you could stay little forever… because you’re getting to the point where I can’t pick you up easily because you’ve grown so much.  You still want me to pick you up, though, and cuddle with you… you’ll always be “my baby” regardless of how big you get!!!

You adore your big sister, to the point of driving her insane.  You love to spend time with her, and when she’s tired of spending time with you, you become a pest because you want her attention.  She has taught you so much, and although you are polar opposites in so many ways, you stick together and stick up for one another.  You truly are the best of friends, even if neither of you realize it right now.

Daddy and I are blessed to be your parents.  We get a kick out of your personality and your quirky ways.  You keep us on our toes with the things that you say and do… you are such a funny little man!  You put a smile on our faces every day with that mischievous smile, those big brown eyes, and all that crazy hair!  Even though you drive me bonkers sometimes with your stubborn ways and your little temper, you are, and always will be, a mama’s boy (much to your dad’s dismay)!  :)

I wish you the happiest of birthdays, my baby boy, and I love you very, very much!!!

Love,

Mommy

To Daddy, With Love

Today is Daddy’s birthday.  He’s, um, that many years old today.  Unfortunately, it’s also a Monday, which means we all had work and go to school, and we had little time to celebrate.  Daddy took Deacon pheasant hunting early this morning at Panola Prairie, and they added three tail feathers to their collection and pheasant breasts to the fridge.  That’s a pretty successful birthday for Daddy!

On a seemingly (but not really) unrelated note: slug bugs.

Moco and Bubba learned how to play “slug bug” a couple months ago.  You know the game — you call out “slug bug!” when you see a Volkswagen Beetle?  Moco and Bubba just call it out and (fortunately) don’t actually punch each other in the process.  It has gotten intense, though, to the point where their fights about who saw the slug bug first resulted in too many tears, never-ending pouting, and sometimes angry outbursts, so I banned the game from my car.

That doesn’t stop Daddy, whose competitive side keeps the game alive and well.  The kids are quickly learning where slug bugs are regularly parked in town and which dealerships have several in their lots.  They don’t even call out “slug bug!” anymore; they just say the colors as they see them: “So, today at school, we were playing at recess, and — yellow one — this group of kids were playing kickball, so I asked if I could — silver one, convertible — join them…”  Sometimes I catch Auntie Mariah mumbling colors when we’re out and about running errands, too.  Addictive much?

Anyhow, in the previous post, I mentioned that Bubba really enjoyed the train display at the Museum of Science & Industry.  Well, so did Moco — especially when she noticed the details of the cityscapes.  She asked that I take a picture to send to Daddy on my camera phone, but there isn’t a zoom option… so instead we uploaded it when we got home:

Gotta love my kiddos and their daddy!

The Week in Review: September 1-7

I haven’t been very good about posting lately, so let me play “catch up” since I last wrote, which also happened to be Auntie Mariah’s birthday… and I totally failed to give her a shout out.

No worries, though, we have pictures of the birthday celebration, which didn’t occur until much later in the day than she may have wanted — after a long day of being at school, taking her first math test, and working late.  We enjoyed ice cream cake from Baskin-Robbins — vanilla and chocolate ice cream with fudge crumble cake.  Sooooo delicious!

Of course, we also had to take some goofy self-portraits to capture the essence of a Wednesday night family birthday celebration.  These are just a preview of a separate post to come…

Thursday brought rain…

…and the first Redbird football game, complete with Reggie head tattoo self-portraits on Mommy’s cell phone:

We didn’t go to the game because (1) it was a school night, and (2) it was raining.  The game was delayed about 90 minutes, and it was very late by the time Daddy got home.  Unfortunately we missed an exciting season opener – it was a win!  Fortunately, we have a lot of football to look forward to this year!!!

Over the weekend, Grandma Lavera, Ray and Ray’s dog came to visit.  They arrived late on Friday night, while Daddy and I were on a movie date to see The American.  It was a fairly low-key visit, with lunch at Denny’s, a peek at Redbird football practice, and just hanging out, enjoying each other’s company.  Ray put Bubba’s training wheels on his “new” bike from Matthew (Sherry’s grandson), and we enjoyed a game of backyard baseball.  Moco hit several balls over the new fence, and Bubba didn’t hesitate at the opportunity to climb over to retrieve balls!  :)

Our favorite meal of the weekend was the “cut-up-every-veggie-cheese-and-deli-meat-in-the-fridge-empty-some-cracker-and-almond-containers-from-the -cupboards-and-cook-a-quick-batch-of-frozen-shrimp-with-cocktail-sauce” Saturday night feast!

Food and family… two of the best things in life!!!

On Sunday, Grandma Lavera and Ray headed back to Iowa, and Daddy had to go to work (weights and football practice).  Auntie Mariah, Moco, Bubba and I headed to the Corncrib for the final Cornbelters game of the season; Daddy met us there after work.  This was Moco, Bubba, and Auntie Mariah’s first time at the Corncrib.  It was a sellout crowd and a win!  I have a feeling we’ll be attending more games next year.

On Monday we mostly ran errands and hung around the house… it was a beautiful day, and we were just kinda lazy for the first time in a while!

The most productive thing we did all day was grocery shopping and food prep, but the most exciting part of the day was getting our new kitchen table and chairs!  We have had our eyes on a table at Furniture Row for a few months, and we have quickly realized that our table and four chairs no longer cut it with five of us in the house now!  I remember when Daddy and I bought that table and chairs, on super clearance at a going-out-of-business sale for a furniture store in Ames.  It has lasted us close to ten years, seven moves, and two kids.  It is scratched and a little wobbly, marked permanently with Sharpies and nail polish, and loved with stickers and Scotch tape.  It is way too small for the eat-in kitchen and doesn’t really flow between the kitchen and the new leather couch and chair in the living room… so we decided to pay our favorite sales guy, Brad, a visit.  Brad showed us a scratch & dent deal on “our” table — $50!  We couldn’t believe it!  We did a thorough inspection of the table — barely scratched and not even dented!  (Clearly Moco and Bubba haven’t gotten to it yet…)  We tested the butterfly leaf — everything is in near perfect shape!  We went into the store intending to pay full (well, okay, Labor Day sale) price, but we ended up saving a couple hundred dollars when all was said and done (because we bought six matching chairs separately and not as a dining room set).  Just one more reason that Brad at Furniture Row is our favorite sales guy!  (Bubba always runs in, shouts “Hey Brad!”, and then gives him a stinger of a high five!)  Obviously… pix to come once the chairs arrive next week.

And to end with another “big” purchase… we invested in an ice cream ball!  We tried out the Ziploc bag homemade ice cream a couple weeks ago, which worked fine(especially when we put it in a Coleman water jug filled with ice and rock salt), but the ice cream ball is a lot of fun, too!  We have made French vanilla and Italian sweet cream (using flavored coffee creamers) and mint chocolate chip.  Grandma Lavera enjoyed playing on the floor with the kids, rolling the ball between them, and we all think that homemade ice cream is very tasty!  Plus, we have to work for our dessert, and it doesn’t make much more than a small serving each — so there isn’t a carton left to sneak bites later!  We are looking forward to exploring with more flavors (and already wondering if an electric ice cream maker is in our future, if this becomes a bad habit)!!!  ;)

Fall Countdown

The Redbird football season officially started when players reported this past Friday.  Two-a-days commenced on Saturday.  We have hardly seen Daddy all weekend.  *sigh* You would think that we’re used to this by now, but we’re not.  I’m excited for the college sports seasons to start up again, but at the same time, I wish it didn’t consume so much of our lives!

This was the first weekend that Moco and Bubba were back home with us, after their month with Gamma and Papa.  Daddy worked all weekend, so it was just me and the kids (and Deacon).  The highlights of the weekend were Parker & Colin’s superhero-themed birthday party and Despicable Me.

At the birthday party, Moco and Bubba made superhero capes with masks, hunted for (Pez) villains around the yard, jumped in the bounce house, munched on sandwiches, chips & fruit snacks, downed plenty of juice & water on a hot day, enjoyed delicious cake & ice cream, and left with practically more goodies than when we arrived!  Silly string, SillyBandz, washcloths, squirt guns, funky straws, ring pops, more Pez… Moco and Bubba were in post-party heaven (thanks, Lindsay & Jon)!!!

We saw Despicable Me in 3D.  I love the early Sunday matinee — hardly anyone was at the theater!  I was “that” mom who brought in sodas and our own plastic cups and bowls to dish out the movie theater popcorn.  I absolutely love the Kalas cups, bowls & plates from IKEA.  They are the perfect size for kid-sized portions, durable, and easy to clean and reuse — plus, very affordable!  I purchased them recently, and the kids love using them for meals and snacks.  Case in point:

Okay, so maybe Moco and Bubba don’t look thrilled in these pictures, but they have commented several times that they love their new plasticware!  And they really love fresh strawberries and raspberries with homemade whipped cream… they were just being extra-serious for these pictures.

The only other highlight of the weekend was cooking up a small storm this afternoon.  I made stuffed bell peppers with lean ground beef, lentils (drained the soup can), tomato & basil sauce, and mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  I baked some pork chops seasoned with the last of my Trader Joe’s 21 seasoning salute (best spice mix ever!), and I made a crustless quiche with broccoli, bacon, cheddar cheese, eggs, cream, milk, pepper & nutmeg.  Moco saw a quiche at The Fresh Market yesterday and asked if we could buy it… tempting, but no, especially since quiche is so easy to make.  The crust has all the calories, so I decided to make ours crustless:

I didn’t take an “after” picture because I forgot to use non-stick cooking spray and ended up lifting out the quiche in two halves.  This will be breakfast tomorrow morning!

Anyhow… the kids will be back at Sherry’s tomorrow morning.  Auntie Mariah arrives mid-week.  The first days of school are just around the corner.  Next week, Auntie Mariah starts her first day of college.  The following week, Moco starts her first day of third grade at a new school.  And the week after that, Bubba starts preschool!

It’s hard to believe that Summer 2010 is just about done and we’re in the final stretch for Fall 2010 to begin!