Then and Now

Having a babysitter at our house this summer reminded me of the summers I spent babysitting for a family down the street.  I loved watching Brandon, Chandra & Nichole grow up and being a part of their lives, and I know that Jenny felt the same way about Moco and Bubba this summer.  I started to think about how things were the same and different from my time as a summer sitter and now having a summer sitter in my home, and I came up with a comparison list:

The charges: 2 girls + 1 boy	The charges: 1 girl + 1 boy
Their sports: soccer, basketball, baseball & swimming lessons	Their sports: soccer, basketball, softball, t-ball, & swimming lessons
Some of the girls’ favorite toys: Polly Pockets & Littlest Pet Shop	Some of the girl’s favorite toys: The same… just bigger.  A lot bigger!
Dog: Barkley	Dog: Deacon
Babysitting hours: 7:30am to 1pm	Babysitting hours: 7:30am to 5:30pm
I drove a Mazda GLC Sport.	She drives a Jeep Liberty.
Their basement was a playroom.	Our basement is a storage room.
The youngest was a thumb sucker and carried a silky brown pillow.	The youngest carries a blanket named Boo.
Nichole’s blonde curls	Bubba’s brown curls
Nicknames: Brando, Peanut & CoCo	Nicknames: Bubba & Moco
They liked Beanie Babies.	They like Webkinz.
Watching cable TV	Watching TV OnDemand
Hocus Pocus	Witches of Waverly Place
Playing basketball on the driveway	Playing basketball in the kitchen
Playing guitar and piano	YouTube videos & listening to iTunes
Favorites: Clint Black & Garth Brooks	Favorites: Ke$ha, Usher, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga & Pitbull
Hangout: Canyon Vista Pool	Hangouts: Anderson & Fairview Pools
The boy’s favorite MLB teams: Boston Red Sox & Colorado Rockies	The boy’s favorite MLB team: Chicago Cubs
I played high school soccer.	She plays college volleyball.
I baby-sat half-days, then spent afternoons working at a doctor’s office… no kids in tow.	She baby-sat all day, but spent afternoons working out at open gym with the kids in tow.
Their favorite snacks: peanut butter & corn syrup sandwiches	Their favorite snacks: peanut butter & marshmallows
Typical breakfast: Eggos	Typical breakfast: Cinnabon pancakes
How I knew them: Gamma was their preschool teacher!	How we know her: Daddy was her strength coach!

In some ways, it’s weird to think that Jenny is younger than Nichole, who was the youngest of the three that I babysat, by a few years!  Brandon is married with two little girls of his own now.  Chandra is studying to be a physician’s assistant (she majored in Biology — just like Jenny!), and Nichole is working on her MBA.  It’s exciting that I got to be a part of their childhood, and I’m glad that Jenny has had the chance to be a part of my kids’ childhood.

Moco and Bubba had an awesome time this summer.  The last time we saw Jenny was when I picked them up from her open gym session — the volleyball girls gave the kids big hugs and high fives.  We’re looking forward to watching them play this season and hopefully they’ll get to hang out with Jenny from time-to-time!!

 

 

Bring It, Summer!

Another school year is coming to a close… seriously, where does the time go?!?!

Bubba’s last day of school is this coming Thursday, and Moco’s last day will be the Friday after Memorial Day.

Looking ahead to our summer, we’re going to be very, very busy!  Moco has already started softball practices, and her first game is June 1.  Bubba starts t-ball the first full week of June.  So far we have one softball clinic (maybe two, if we decide to try a hitting clinic at a facility here in town), one session of swimming lessons (maybe two, as we’re on a waiting list), and a soccer camp (maybe two, if we sign them up for one in NM) lined up for the summer.  We bought pool passes for the family and Jenny — who also has volleyball open gym several afternoons a week, so the kids get to tag along with her while she’s practicing.  Hopefully they’re not disruptive… I’ve already given them permission to take their Nintendo DSes with them on those days — it will be their “down time”. Honestly, there are days when Bubba has t-ball at 9am and Moco has softball at 8pm.  I have a feeling these kids will be tan, tired, and totally fit by the time school starts!

In addition to the activities, we have trips to Iowa, North Carolina, and New Mexico planned.  If we can squeeze in a trip to Tulsa, that will make for quite a bit of traveling.  We honestly have very few free Saturdays (um, like, none?), but our Sundays will be wonderful days of rest and relaxation!  (Ha!)

The kids will be in NM for about a month and later than the past few years.  My parents are very accommodating given our funky family situation right now.  Papa has a business trip in St. Louis in late July and will be able to take the kids to NM for me since he’ll be in the area.  If I can convince Gamma to bring them back and stay with us the week that school starts, we have our entire  childcare situation squared away!  I have to admit, I’m a little emotional about the kids going to NM this year.  It’ll be a lot more lonely this time around!!!

I have already heard that basically I’m nuts for the type of schedule that we have this summer… but the kids want to do the team sports and camps.  They love being active and outdoors, and I would rather them be doing these things than hanging out in the house bored and driving Jenny up the wall.  Both kids had input in their  activities, but R had to reign me in a little with a few of the camps.  And we’re looking forward to seeing family… to see the cousins and the cousins’ kids twice in three months is awesome — and on the beach, no less!!!

Honestly, the time will fly by… plus there will be plenty to write about weekly, if not daily!!!  I say, “Bring it, Summer!” because we’re ready for some fun!  :)

Deacon’s Summer

If you could ask Deacon about his summer vacation, he would probably tell you it was pretty boring with the kids gone for a month.

He spent most of his time lounging around on the couch, much like that lower right-hand picture.

Or watching Mommy decorate the house (upper right-hand picture).

Now that the kids are home, he gets to play fetch and chase the kiddos around the yard.

You can’t see ‘em, but Moco and Bubba were swinging behind him on their play set.

I’m pretty sure Deacon is smiling in the picture above.

We’re all happy to have those kiddos home again!

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!

School’s Out For Summer!

6:45am – Moco wakes me up after I have already hit ”snooze”. Twice.  “Mooooom, I thought you said we were going to get up early because we forgot to get my teacher a present!”

7:05am – Moco finishes her breakfast and because Bubba is still asleep, she packs him two bran muffins, a banana, and a cup of strawberry milk to take to Sherry’s house while I am getting ready.  I find $10 in my pants pocket.  Sweet!

7:10am – While I’m drying my hair and realizing my hair is SO! SHINY! AND! SO! STRAIGHT! IT’S GOING TO BE A GOOD HAIR DAY!, Bubba stumbles into the bathroom and whips off his diaper (he’s potty-trained, but he’s also the heaviest sleeper in the world and will wet the bed only when NOT wearing a diaper at night).  He gives me a sideways glance with a little smile and pees.  Standing up.  With perfect aim.  And without making a mess.  High fives all around.  After we wash hands, of course.

7:15am – Moco makes some random comment about Deacon, who his normal annoying doggy self this morning.  She calls him “D.C.D.” for whatever reason, which starts a conversation about what “D.C.D.” stands for: Deacon C-low the Dog.  (Washington) D.C. Dog.  DeaCon Dog.  For the last one, Moco tells me, “You know, because DeaCon is kinda like a compound word.  Dea. Con.”  I’m tempted to yell “Nerd Alert!” but my motherly instincts get the best of me.

7:20am – Out the door, to Schnucks to buy a thank you card and a Barnes & Noble gift card.  Moco agonizes over a blank card versus a cutesy Winnie the Pooh card.  Bubba begs for a High School Musical card that plays music, and I get to be the meanest mommy in the world!  All is well come check out time when Bubba discovers the switch to the conveyor belt in the bagging station but tells the cashier “I not gonna touch it, okay?”.

7:45am – Drop off Bubba at Sherry’s.

7:55am – Drop off Moco at school and off to Starbucks before work.  Realize the post-thunderstorm weather = humidity.  Good hair day ends before 8am, and I’m at work well before my scheduled start time of 10am.  Like an hour before.

Why is it that on the very last day of school for the year, when Moco only has to go to school for ONE HOUR, do we have a nearly flawless start to our day?!?!