Daddy Day 2012

We had a relaxing Father's Day this past weekend.  Poor J was having a bad allergy day and a bit of the grumps ( I couldn't get him in the pictures for the life of me).  Daddy stayed home with the boys in the morning since I was worried they weren't feeling 100% for Church.

And when Sophia and I returned...she was pretty excited to give him her home-made cards and her bookmark that she had made at school especially for Father's Day.

Here is the card we made together for Daddy....I saw the idea somewhere in blogland...wish I could remember where so I could give credit where credit is due.....  We had a little trouble finding all of the candies...but ended up finding all but one!  It all turned out pretty cute in the end (even though  I had to make a late trip to the grocery store the night before to buy another Butterfinger after we searched high and low for the one we originally purchased..hmmm....!

Sammy had his eye on the Mounds bar...

We got to visit both Pappou and Papa in the afternoon...and were back home in time for dinner and a bike ride...Sammy's first ride on the back of Daddy's bike.  He LOVED it....even though he had to wear a princess helmet....J's first helmet was already too small him!

Oh....and of course a few last minute cookies....perfect for our Daddy...He rarely ever wears ties...so a cookie tie seemed more fitting:)

Summer Entertainment

I love the relaxed schedule of summer.   I love having a library day.  I love getting to go outside at any time of the day without having to worry with jackets or even socks.  BUT....when summer arrives.... I quickly realize how HARD it can be to find FUN activities for the littles to do, especially when certain little 4 year olds wake up from rest time already asking what we are going to do next...

I heart Pinterest.  What a fun way for people to pool all of their activities and interests so that everyone can benefit!!!  I found this easy little activity on Pinterest from this blog...

Most of the things you need for this... are probably already in your pantry....

1.  plastic containers

2.  plastic squeeze bottles

3.  Big box of Baking Soda

4.  Vinegar (I LOVE this stuff....it works miracles....cleans like no other without all those harsh chemical smells....and even makes glass SHINE!)

5.  Food coloring

I sent the olders outside while I gathered all of these...

Of course it took me a little while to get everything ready with this crazy climber in the house...

If I leave the kitchen for a second...he has climbed onto a chair, desk, and yes...even the kitchen table!!!!

And just to digress a little more....here is another cute picture (I tried to take with my phone..sorry for the blur) of my little guy from earlier in the week.  We came home from the pool to find the H family had left us their fun rocking caterpillar on our porch.  It didn't take Sammy long at all to warm up to his new friend:)

Okay...and back to the experiment.... Basically, I filled the tubs with a good amount of Baking Soda....poured vinegar into the squeeze bottles, mixed a little food coloring in each...and let the kids go to town squeezing...

They immediately loved watching the colored liquids bubble and fizz once they touched the Baking Soda.
Sophia was VERY cautious about making hers LOOK neat... imagine that!

I think she may have been trying to make a picture out of it.... a caterpillar?

And J just squeezed to his little heart's content.

His was a wet mess of fizz when he was finished...but he was thrilled with his results!  And he was more excited when I told him if we left the containers to dry....it would turn to a moon sand consistency...good for some sand play later.... Of course, I think his is still too damp even after we left it outside all day to dry!

And I finally jumped on the Instagram bandwagon today....so much fun!  Took this picture with my phone of Sophia's dried "sand."

And still more camera play...this time in Sammy's new shades:)

Happy Weekend!

Raise the Curtain!

Sophia had her first "official" dance recital this past weekend!  We had to pull out the big guns....BRIGHT lipstick....eyeshadow and blush...

I, of course, think she is BEAUTIFUL without makeup...but the instructions were to "go heavy" on the make-up so it could be seen under the bright lights of the stage.  Yiayia came over to help fasten her braid into a secure bun...and I was just sweating trying to keep the lipstick inside her lips....it sure can be tricky to apply make-up when a certain someone can't keep from moving her lips up and down!:)

She was pretty excited to pose for the camera as you can see...

I'm just glad she was smiling.....because on rehearsal night....her little "bother's" comment about how "she looked freakish in all that make-up" had her in tears.

She had two outfits....her first outfit was for the performance "Raise the Curtain" (tune from the Muppets).  This was her tap performance.

She doesn't look nervous a bit!

I sensed a little anxiety in the dressing room...once we arrived in Louisburg... but...

after the group "Break a Leg" cheer....she was ready to go! Flash photography was not allowed in the auditorium, but  B did get video on his phone.  However, I have tried in vain to post it here....and still to no avail....so you'll have to take my word that she definitely was a star!  She looked like she had a great time on stage!

Her last performance before the finale (which she said was her favorite dance...to the tune of "You Don't Know You're Beautiful!") was her jazz performance.  They danced to "Proud Mary" and looked like real "Tina Turners" in their cute sparkly outfits.  Sophia loves to dance to this song on the Wii....so she was thrilled when this song was chosen for their performance.

And here she is with our sweet and DARLING little friend...

Maybe someday I can upload the video properly....but all in all...of course we were sooo proud of her!  A BIG thank you to Yiayia and Pappou and Omi and Papa and Thea for making the trip to Louisburg and for showering our STAR with all the gorgeous flowers.  She couldn't have been more thrilled to perform for all of you!!!  And another shout out to Nouna who stayed with little Sammy at home....he most definitely couldn't have made it through the two hour show:)

Memorial Weekend

Well....summer is officially here!!! We had a nice little relaxing weekend at home.  We spent Saturday cleaning.....never guessed repainting a few bathrooms (after stripping wall paper ) could be so messy!  Dust everywhere!!! I think the dust has finally stopped settling....now we just have to get the outside of our house cleaned up!!!! The bushes are calling my name....but after a bad weekend of allergy headaches...I'm not quite sure I'm ready to tackle that!

S and J had some fun Sunday afternoon with this sprinkler/beach ball... I guess S thought there might be a  deluge...thus her need for goggles...HA!   

Sam was not too fond of the sprinkler... it was too COLD...but of course he found some tables and chairs that looked suitable for climbing....can't EVER take my eye off this little guy!!!

We hit the new aquarium this morning....and the kids loved it!!!  We saw starfish (they even let the kids touch these)

crabs...

lots of fish...

even some baby sharks, sting rays, and eels.

The jellyfish were fun to see....

and these baby sea horses were pretty fun too.  The kids had to answer questions in their booklets as we went along in order to earn their "medals" at the end!

All three...with their medals on!!

Lunch time at Panera is always a treat....

And thank you Mrs. B for snapping this cute picture of all three!!!  It's so rare for me to be able to get them all in one spot and looking at the camera!

And LUCKY me... I didn't have to cook for a few nights... our sweet neighbors made us a WONDERFUL dinner Sunday night and Yiayia and Pappou invited us for a cook out on Memorial Day!  WOO-HOO!!!  So fun to get a break from making and cleaning up dinner!!!

So long Second!

Our first baby is officially a THIRD-grader.  I got a little teary eyed today at pick-up while the boys and I were waiting for Sophia.  J of course asked why I was sad and I told him that the end of every year makes me a little sad because it just means my babies are getting a little older.  He told me that he would still give me hugs when he got older...love that boy!

Here she is coming out of school...

She looks excited for summer, doesn't she?

She only had 2 hours of school this morning...basically just a Mass...but, look... she sure didn't forget to bring a book along just in case she had time to read!!! :)

Then we got ready for a little slip and slide party at a friend's house!  She's sooo excited about her new TWO piece!

And...well....he's ALWAYS too cool for school...

Our week this week was kind of a blur....but I don't want to miss someone's special day!  We didn't do much to celebrate....but when there is a birthday in our house....there is always CAKE!!! Happy Birthday B!  And.....YAY for SUMMER....so excited to have S and J home every day!!!!

Farewell Soccer Season...

Hard to believe that Miss S just completed her 6th soccer season!!!

This little girl LOVES to play soccer.....she never wants to miss a practice or a game....and like everything else she does....when she is playing... she gives it her ALL!!!

She scored two goals during this final game of the season....not counting all the others from the previous games.  I am SOOO proud of her because Lord knows she didn't get these athletic abilities from her Mama!!!!  If you could see the smile on her face when she is running down the field.....she makes it look effortless!

Yiayia, Pappou, Thea, and Omi and Papa have been regulars at her games.....and are definitely her best cheerleaders!! 

The team ended the year with a celebratory lunch where they presented Coach T with a soccer ball with all of their signatures! Great Season Green Lanterns!!