Some indoor fun

Skylar's hair is LONG. He actually let me comb it and I slicked it back. He looks so funny to me!!


Snuggling with Daddy after baths.



They were anxiously watching out the window for Mo Mo to arrive.


Skylar is making lots of progress with his therapy. When I have more time, I will write more about what it all entails cause it is pretty neat if you aren't familiar with any of this. One of the things we are using for him is a swing. It was causing major meltdowns because they couldn't be in it at the same time. Skylar's awesome OT showed me how to rig it so they both could fit. They LOVED it and snuggled for about 30minutes.


Another thing we have been working on is dinner time. Skylar struggled a lot with sitting in his chair, we gave in, let him out, and the cycle continued. After lots of work he is doing so much better. Tonight I was finishing up dinner. Jon was in Elaina's room playing with the kids. Skylar walked into the kitchen and I told him it was almost time to eat. He happily went into the dining room, climbed in his chair, and buckeled himself in. He didn't last the entire time but we are making progress!!

Elaina Dancing

Elaina loves to dance. I put on some music during lunch and after she ate she left quietly and I found her dancing in the other room. I know...the first some is a little inappropriate...I need to make a dance mix just for the kids:) Also, as I watch the quality of the video, I am hoping my hubby will get me one of those cool Flip video cameras for our anniversary so I can take better quality videos than my Blackberry does! Oh and not to be left out, Skylar came in at the end to shake it too!

Pool Time

Summer weather is here and our backyard pool is open! The kids are FEARLESS of the water and can't get enough of it. Just today, Elaina woke up early, and when we took Vaughn out she kept asking when we came back in to go back out. She got so mad that I said not now that she knocked over the chair (twice) to her little table. But that new attitude is another blog post!

The first few days off for me consisted of us heading outside mid morning and hanging out there until lunchtime, which usually was outside as well. I watched the kids playing in the pool for a couple of days before getting the idea to put their slide in it. BIG HIT! Here are a few pictures.







Video action of the slide (Please ignore my obnoxious voice!)

The big event of the day on Sunday was finding a frog. Jon put it in the water and they watched it swim round and round.


Skylar LOVED it and thought the frog was the best thing ever. He kept scooping it up and watching it jump out. Then he tried to hold it and that was a whole other adventure.




Elaina needed lots of coaching to try and hold the frog even in the cup. When it jumped and touched her, she screamed so loud while Skylar laughed. She loves to get dirty but is still girly at heart.

Outdoors having fun!

When you need to kill an hour or it is rainy and you just want to get out of the house, Lone Elk Park is a place we often go. They have bison, elk, deer, and wild turkeys. You never know what you will see. Off the same road is the World Bird Sanctuary. Jon has taken the kids but I had never been. As we were heading in, a woman was carrying an eagle on her shoulder to take it inside to be fed. Pretty amazing to see one so close! A few pictures from when we visited.

Checking out the eagle up close


She LOVES to run!


Skylar made a mistake and tried to touch the rope. Tough girl Elaina put him in his place!


Huge cage you can climb into...Skylar loved it and didn't want to come out.


So Elaina and I joined him:)


Lone Elk Park. Baby bison that could barely walk. Must have been just born (it is pretty neat that Elaina can look at this picture and tell us it is a bison).


Just an elk walking in front of our car



This weekend was HOT! Like in the 90s with humidity hot. So we decided to do summer like things....Strawberry picking at Lake View Farm in St. Charles! Elaina loves strawberries and was running around the house yelling "I pick strawberries" before we left. She definitely ate more than she picked. She just kept eating and saying "Mmm, it is SOO good!". Skylar enjoyed picking for a little bit but then gave up.



So independent, she wanted to hold it all by herself!


Found a big one


Hanging out in the strawberry field


Messy and loving it

Limping to the finish line....

So I have 9 1/2 days of school left. I feel like the countdown has been stuck at about 10 for a few weeks now but no it is getting less each day. Limping to the finish line is what we are saying around here. Sickness hit our family hard a few weeks ago. We should count ourselves lucky that really our kids have only had colds for the most part. The stomach bug was awful and really knocked us out of commission. Jon was the only one spared of the violent vomiting. Yep, lovely. Nothing like throwing up in the shower and then holding your daughter who is doing the same only moments later. We did lots of loads of laundry that week.

This picture of Skylar was taken about 3 hours before he woke up covered in vomit. And of course it was the first time in forever he ate a ton at dinner. So much that Jon and I high-fived across the table. Luckily he was quick to recover after spending a day in our arms and sharing his germs with his mama.



It hasn't been all sickness around here. We did celebrate Mother's Day Eve by taking the kids to Ted Drew's for the first time. It is so fun to do things with your children that were a part of your childhood and I have lots of memories of our parents and our neighbors packing us into the car to go to Ted Drews. I still get the same thing I got when I was a kid.

So I believe in Nature and Nurture playing an equal role in a child's development. Must be the nurture part that has Elaina such an ice cream lover. She will scream ICE CREAM if she sees it in the store and goes nuts for it.


Ready for the first bite...


"It is SOOO good!" as she went on to eat hers, and bites from everyone else's.



The case for Nature playing a bigger role...seriously?!? Who doesn't like ice cream!?! Oh, yeah, that would be my kid!


Mother's Day treat for me was that my mom and I went out to a movie and dinner alone. So Jon took the kids to our neighbors for a BBQ.

Playing with their dog


Group shot, for me perhaps?


So helpful he was even watering empty pots.






Playing catch with the dog

Wheels, Buttons, and More!

Our early childhood center has lots of events throughout the year. Honestly, we didn't go to them as much as we could have this year. But we picked a great one for Skylar! It was called "On the Go" and had all kinds of cars. Yes, Elaina was there too but come on....this event was SOOO Skylar!

Been there, done that! The police helicopter had just landed behind them but Skylar has already seen one before at an Easter egg hunt Jon took him too (while Elaina and I got haircuts). He seems to be saying....NOT impressed!!


"Now this is more like it!!" Playing inside a tow truck.


"And there are buttons up top too?!?"


Helping the mailman


Taking over driving for a bit:)


Trying out the stretcher in the ambulance


Firefighter Elaina


Capri Sun is the best!


Racing the cars down the ramp


Getting fitted for a helmet (we had to get Skylar's "to go" since he refused to sit there and get it adjusted.


She just came from getting her diaper changed...helmet still on! It stayed on the whole car ride home too!

Spring fun!

I had to take a personal day because Grandma P who usually watches the kids on Mondays was out of town. It couldn't have been a better day to be off! The weather was beautiful, the kids were in a great mood, and I had spring fever! We spent the day playing at parks (one in the am, one in the pm), searching for houses for Maggie (my best friend from college who is is moving here very soon!!), shopping at Walmart, playing in the water table and on the swingset, and making cupcakes. What a great day! I am so glad I will be home full time soon...the pictures below remind me of how fast they grow!!


Sassy mama caught in the tunnel

He looks too comfortable behind the wheel